Richard Williamson

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.

Oklahoma’s pension fund investments are among the nation’s worst performers, with some turning negative in the last fiscal year, according to state Treasurer Ken Miller.

With its fiscal year completed Aug. 31, Texas came up 1.3% short of revenue estimates used to budget for fiscal year 2016, state Comptroller Glenn Hegar reported.

Oklahoma Treasurer Ken Miller sees no immediate signs of a turnaround as state revenues fall for the 18th straight month in August.

Bonds for three private prisons in Texas suffered downgrades well below junk-bond status from S&P Global Ratings after the U.S. Department of Justice announced plans to discontinue their use.

Kansas revenues continued to fall below forecast in August, running 2.3% or $10.2 million short of expectations.

The Texas Water Development Board expects the market to quickly absorb its $711 million of top-rated revenue bonds.

Caught up in a dispute between county tax appraisers and the bankrupt owner of a nuclear power plant, a tax-supported hospital district in Glen Rose, Texas, has defaulted on its debt payment, according to a disclosure notice.

Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins’ advocacy for two Dallas-based bond firms in a $168 million issue led to accusations of interference in a process designed to avoid political influence.

After approving a plan to finance $70 billion of projects over the next decade, the Texas Transportation Commission will issue $712 million of bonds in September to take care of current needs.

Issuers in the Southwest sold $42.85 billion of bonds in the first half of 2016, only 0.6% behind the record pace of the same period last year, according to Thomson Reuters data.