Caitlin Devitt

Fitch Ratings last week upgraded to BBB from BBB-minus its rating on The Methodist Hospitals, reflecting the northwest Indiana system's improving financial performance.

JP Morgan and Citi were set to price $1.5 billion of liquor-backed bonds issued by JobsOhio Monday and Tuesday despite delaying the deal last week when the state Supreme Court announced it would hear a case challenging the state law authorizing the bond sale.

The $1.5 billion JobsOhio bond deal set to price Wednesday and Thursday is delayed, sources said, after the state Supreme Court announced it would hear a case that could challenge the constitutionality of use of the bond proceeds.

The large scale changes sweeping the nonprofit health care sector, chief among them changes in payment methods, are driving the record-setting consolidation trend among hospitals, Fitch Ratings says.

Indiana would become the lastest state to considering floating bonds to pay off a massive federal unemployment insurance liability if the General Assembly approves a bill introduced last week.

Moody’s Investors Service last week downgraded to A1 from Aa3 its rating on West Clermont Local School District and affirmed its negative outlook on the suburban Cincinnati district.

After months of debate, Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard and leaders of the City-County Council have tentatively agreed to several proposals, including a pair of tax increases, to the city’s $1.1 billion budget.

Lawmakers as soon as Wednesday are set to begin debate on a series of bills to revamp the state's gaming and casinos laws in an effort to boost competitiveness with Ohio, Michigan, and Illinois casinos.

As the JobsOhio Beverage System prepares to sell $1.5 billion of bonds this week to finance a long-term lease of Ohio's liquor system, investors say a chief concern is an unsettled lawsuit challenging the privatization and lack of a back-up pledge in case of an unfavorable court ruling.

New York public health system Nassau Health Care Corp. captured an interest rate of 0.4% and saw broad investor interest Tuesday when it sold $40 million of insured revenue anticipation notes backed by future Medicaid payments.

Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder urged lawmakers to pass legislation to boost gas taxes and vehicle fees to raise at least $1.2 billion of new annual revenue for transportation infrastructure.

Indiana Gov. Mike Pence presented a $29 billion two-year spending plan that features an income-tax cut that totals nearly $800 million and sets aside $347 million in new transportation dollars.

Ohio State University comes to market Wednesday with $350 million of subordinate-lien bonds that will be used to build new housing to finance a plan that requires all freshmen and sophomores to live on campus by 2016.

Gov. Dave Heineman last week announced an agreement between the University of Nebraska and Nebraska State College System that would allow for a two-year tuition freeze and increase state funding for the schools

The treasury department is replacing Benton Harbor's long-time emergency financial manager, Joe Harris, on Feb. 1.

Newly fired Detroit Corporation Counsel Krystal Crittendon announced Monday she is forming an exploratory committee for a possible bid for mayor.

Detroit is expected this week to win a $25 million federal grant for a long-planned light-rail project along one of the city's main corridors.

Michigan will see a revenue decline and only moderate job growth in 2013 but both should steadily grow over the next few years as the state continues to recover from its "lost decade," economists and state fiscal officials said Friday.

Sycamore Advisors LLC, one of Indiana's top financial advisors, hired Courtney Tobin, a Georgia-based former Indiana public finance official, to help expand the firm's footprint in the southeast and Chicago.

Hours after Detroit Mayor Dave Bing and the City Council fired the city's corporation counsel, Bing said a state review team's decision about whether to take over the city could come as soon as Friday.