Richard Williamson

New Mexico has fallen from the ranks of Moody’s Investors Service Aaa-rated states due to shrinking reserves and falling revenues.

The Regional Transportation District that serves metro Denver will continue to grow its rail and bus system with $197 million of revenue bonds.

Catholic Health Initiatives and Dignity Health are in negotiations that could result in creation of the nation’s largest nonprofit hospital chain or another form of “alignment.”

Boosted by a rating upgrade, the Denver Convention Center Hotel Authority is refunding its outstanding debt as the Mile High City launches a $778 million program to attract more visitors.

Dallas’ growing pension problems brought two recent downgrades amid a wave of lump-sum withdrawals from the Dallas Police & Fire Pension System by retired officers and firefighters.

Oklahoma’s September revenue collections were the lowest for the month since 2010, state Treasurer Ken Miller reported.

Dallas’ growing pension problems led Fitch Ratings to downgrade the city’s $1.7 billion of general obligation debt to AA from AA-plus.

Oklahoma’s Grand River Dam Authority will seek savings through a $460 million advance refunding as the wholesale power provider nears completion of a gas-fired generating unit and repairs another plant damaged by fire.

Texas recorded its lowest September sales tax collections since 2013 as the revenue fell 3.9% below the same month last year, according to state Comptroller Glenn Hegar. It was the fifth straight month of decline.

Kansas revenues ran $45 million below projections in September, continuing a trend of shortfalls expected to cause more fiscal belt tightening. The latest announcement comes as Democrats are targeting Brownback’s policies one month ahead of the general election.

Three more private detention centers in Texas lost their investment-grade ratings in the wake of a new federal policy aimed at halting use of the for-profit facilities.

The University of Arkansas will join the college football stadium arms race with a $115 million bond issue for the Razorbacks’ home field.

Hidalgo County Health Services Corp. debt issued for the Mission, Texas, Regional Medical Center moved closer to a default rating as S&P Global Ratings dropped $26.7 million of bonds to CCC from B-minus.

Three of Texas’ largest cities have already paid a price for unfunded pension obligations in the form of rating downgrades. Now there are worries that pension obligations could squeeze their ability to issue debt for infrastructure.

S&P Global Ratings downgraded to junk $172 million of bonds for two private immigration detention centers after two federal agencies announced initiatives to end or reduce use of such facilities.

Texas now has the nation's largest rainy day fund after Alaska drained nearly a third of its fund in one year, according to a study by the Texas Comptroller's Office.

Caught in a severe fiscal crisis after energy prices collapsed, Oklahoma is offering $181 million of revenue bonds to keep its highway construction program moving.

State and local governments and showing a wide variety of impacts from the collapse of the oil market that began two years ago, ratings analysts say.

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner wants to issue $1 billion of bonds as part of a comprehensive 30-year plan to rein in the city’s ballooning pension liabilities.

The rapid increase in refundings for public power and water utilities will likely slow as interest rates are expected to rise through 2018, according to Fitch Ratings. Moody's Investors Service sees a stable operating environment amid low natural gas prices.