Paul Burton is the Northeast Regional Editor for The Bond Buyer. His major coverage has included New York City and MTA finances; the Harrisburg, Pa., debt crisis; the 38 Studios bond financing fiasco in Rhode Island; and unfunded pension liability. Paul hosts podcasts and videos and has moderated at Bond Buyer conferences. Previously, Paul was senior editor and copy chief at M&A-oriented financial media company The Deal LLC. His award-winning career has spanned financial, sports and political journalism. A Boston native, Paul is the author of the book “Tales from the Newsrooms.” He is a frequent public speaker and has appeared as an expert on municipal debt on radio and television shows, including former CBS News White House correspondent Sharyl Attkisson’s public-affairs program, “Full Measure.”
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A rating boost affirms the ability of bond insurer Assured Guaranty to minimize its Puerto Rico exposure, according managing director John Hallacy.
August 1 - Pennsylvania
Escalating unfunded pension liability and bond-rating backlash will lurk as Pennsylvania's House of Representatives is set to reconvene at 1 p.m. Monday.
August 1 - Massachusetts
Risk costs vary by level of bankruptcy restrictions states place on localities, an insolvency expert said at a Bond Buyer conference in Boston.
July 31 - New York
New York City projects a balanced budget and manageable out-year budget gaps under current economic conditions, State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli told the Financial Control Board.
July 29 - Massachusetts
The MBTA Retirement Fund defended its performance and called a highly critical Pioneer Institute report 'preconceived."
July 29 - New York
Projected higher tax revenues and pension savings may narrow New York City's outyear budget gaps, according to city Comptroller Scott Stringer.
July 28 -
New York's MTA proposed a $14.2 billion fiscal 2015 budget and four-year financial plan that assumes an average annual increase of $260 million to labor costs stemming from two settlements.
July 28 - Massachusetts
Cronyism and endemic conflicts of interest make the pension fund of Greater Boston transit employees a cautionary tale, said a report by Pioneer Institute.
July 28 -
The finance committee of New York's MTA approved a motion to issue special obligation taxable refunding bonds that would fully pay defeased bonds at their early redemption rate and could save the authority $32 million.
July 28 - New York
New York Citys five public employee pension funds returned 17.4% for fiscal 2014 to bring their total value to a record-high $160.5 billion, Comptroller Scott Stringer said.
July 28 - Connecticut
The Connecticut Bond Commission approved the authorization of nearly $15 million in funding for nonprofit organizations.
July 25 -
Brian Zwerner, former manager of Bank of America's municipal derivatives trading desk, received three years' probation and a $10,000 fine for mini bond bid-rigging
July 25 -
A Rhode Island Superior Court judge will hear a petition by bondholders to oppose receivership for Wyatt Detention Center in Central Falls, saying the city is using the process to cram them down.
July 25 -
New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority's capital funding gap may exceed $12 billion, according to a report by state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli.
July 24 -
The Connecticut Bond Commission is expected to approve $3 million to fund short-term fixes to the 118-year-old Walk Bridge in Norwalk, said Gov. Dannel Malloy.
July 24 -
Having dropped the stigmatized Harrisburg Authority name, Capital Region Water of Pennsylvania is shooting for an investment-grade rating within 18 to 24 months. Meanwhile, the unrated is selling debt with the help of credit enhancement.
July 24 - New York
AlliedBarton agreed to pay more than $1.3 million to cover a prevailing-wage discrepancy, New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer said.
July 23 - New York
Sonia Toledo of Wells Fargo Securities was elected president of the Municipal Forum of New York, heading an all-female slate of officers.
July 23 - New York
Stern Brothers & Co., which advised on a recent $500 million MTA bond sale, hired former New York City Councilman David Weprin and added Neal Oldendorp in New Jerey.
July 22 - Connecticut
The Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada has honored Connecticut's Treasury Department for excellence in financial reporting
July 22
