Richard Williamson

The University of Texas plans to quickly form a steering committee, hire an inaugural dean and recruit faculty members for a new medical school approved by Austin voters in last week's election.

The Texas Transportation Commission will refund $840.9 million of Central Texas Turnpike System debt; the system was recently lifted into the A category by Standard & Poor’s.

Webb County, Tex., which includes Laredo on the Texas-Mexico border, earned a Standard & Poor's upgrade to AA from AA-minus in advance of a $21.9 million issue of certificates of obligation.

Dallas Area Rapid Transit has rescheduled its $128.3 million revenue bond pricing for Nov. 8 after the deal was postponed by the storm that shut down the financial markets in New York.

The Utah Board of Regents is preparing to issue $518.7 million of taxable notes for its student loan program through RBC Capital Markets.

With the healthcare industry facing dramatic changes, Scottsdale Healthcare Corp. is getting a ratings lift after the sale of eight buildings under a new finance strategy.

Dallas Area Rapid Transit will close out its commercial paper program with Bank of America by issuing $128.3 million of sales-tax revenue bonds in a deal postponed due to the storm on the East Coast.

With $21 million of bond issues planned over the next two years, Artesia, N.M., is considering its options for taking that debt to market after Standard & Poor’s withdrew its ratings following a failed audit.

Catholic Health Initiatives of Colorado will carry $6 billion of debt after this week's issue of $1.5 billion of taxable bonds to expand its network, a fact that cost the health-care giant a downgrade from three ratings agencies.

The Utah Transit Authority will complete financing for its 2015 rail projects and convert about half of its variable-rate bonds to fixed-rate in a $296.8 million deal next week.

The Texas Department of Transportation will leverage a $5.6 million federal grant to conduct a study of high-speed passenger rail along the Interstate 35 corridor between Laredo, Tex., and Oklahoma City.

Standard & Poor's removed New Mexico Finance Authority's AAA rating from watch list for a downgrade but maintains a negative outlook in the wake of a phony audit.

Banner Health, one of the largest nonprofit hospital operators in the nation, is issuing $252 million of taxable and tax-exempt revenue bonds to expand two Phoenix-area hospitals.

George K. Baum & Co. expands in Texas with a new Dallas office headed by former RBC Capital Markets managing director Gary Machak and former Raymond James banker Barton Withrow.

Moody's extended its watch list period for a possible downgrade of the New Mexico Finance Authority as the agency continues to investigate a phony audit.

Kim Edwards, former Fidelity Investments vice president for municipal finance, has joined Piper Jaffray as senior vice president for the public finance office in Austin.

Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport will complete nearly $1 billion of refinancing for 2012 with a $301 million deal scheduled to price next week.

Denver plans to price $700 million of revenue bonds Wednesday to build an airport hotel that will adjoin a commuter rail line linking passengers to downtown's Union Station.

Fitch Ratings on Thursday downgraded Baylor University's fixed-rate revenue bonds as the private university prepares to issue $200 million for a new stadium on its Waco, Tex., campus.

Siebert Brandford Shank hired former Houston deputy city controller Shawnell Holman as managing director and co-manager of its Houston office.