Kyle Glazier

The Federal Reserve is studying Puerto Rico as an indicator of the level of risk in the muni market, where heavy retail investor presence can make behavior unpredictable, an economist with one its banks told municipal analysts on Thursday.

The National Federation of Municipal Analysts presented its annual awards during its conference here on Wednesday, honoring four individuals and an organization for contributions to the municipal bond industry.

Transportation finance experts expect robust bond financing of new transportation and infrastructure projects in the near future, even though federal policy is making those investments increasingly tricky.

Unfunded public pension liabilities can be vastly different depending on the assumptions made and how they are calculated, but it is clear that plans are taking far more risk today than they have in the past, pension experts told municipal analysts at a conference here Wednesday.

The Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board is revising its proposed rule governing the duties of municipal advisors in response to market comments, and will also propose amending its pay-to-play rule to cover MAs, the MSRB announced Tuesday.

Former U.S. Representative James Oberstar died at age 79 Saturday, silencing one of Washington's most outspoken advocates of increased transportation and infrastructure investment.

Municipalities struggling with fiscal distress need to be especially mindful of fulfilling their continuing disclosure obligations, regulators and analysts said Friday.

It is virtually impossible to predict what would happen if Puerto Rico's financial situation deteriorated to the point where it could no longer repay its debts, experts on distressed municipalities said Thursday.

National Association of Local Finance Housing Agencies has re-elected Ernestine Garey, from Invest Atlanta as its president, plus other officers and directors.

The Securities and Exchange Commission will release new rules for the reform of money market mutual funds "in the near term," although it has not decided whether they should would apply to municipal funds, SEC chairman Mary Jo White told a House panel Tuesday.

Non-dealer municipal advisors are concerned that the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board's proposed rule on MA supervisory requirements could be costly to the market without greatly benefiting the issuers it is designed to protect.

The Securities and Exchange Commission's new program allowing issuers and underwriters to "self-report" disclosure failures could be a game changer, according to some market participants.

The Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board will discuss plans to rebuild the MSRB's real-time reporting system, as well as comments it has received on its proposed municipal advisor conduct rule and best execution rule when the board meets in Alexandria, Va. next week.

Many smaller issuers remain uninformed about what the impending municipal advisor regulatory regime will mean for them, with broker-dealers picking up the slack and providing them with information, according to market participants.

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority has fined three firms and an individual for municipal rule violations, including for a precedent-setting case of improperly seeking reimbursement from issuers for excessive expenses on bond rating trips.

Standard & Poor's has launched a web application that allows users to create rating scenarios for local governments based on the agency's actual methodology.

Sacramento, Calif. Mayor Kevin Johnson will become the new president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors when he is sworn in April 16, the group announced Thursday.

Market participants believe Detroit's settlement with three bond insurers Wednesday is a breakthrough in the city's bankruptcy proceedings, even though it is not final and leaves many questions unanswered.

Tender option bond market participants have two options available to keep those programs viable under the Volcker Rule, though neither is without risk or likely to please everybody with an interest in TOBs.

Federal lawmakers are examining the Canadian public-private partnership model for lessons to apply in the U.S., where a major infrastructure bank bill awaits action in both chambers of Congress.