Shelly Sigo

Federal Judge Thomas Bennett Friday entered several major orders that chisel away portions of the $1.63 billion class-action suit filed in Jefferson County, Ala.'s Chapter 9 bankruptcy case.

Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley has signed a bill setting up a plan to repay $438 million the state will borrow from the Alabama Trust Fund to prop up the state's general fund budget.

With sequestration looming, and the tax-exempt bond threatened, market experts at the National Municipal Bond Summit believe that alternative financing can be achieved with taxable bonds.

The tax exemption on municipal bond interest will not survive tax reform efforts in Washington, D.C., without a grass-roots effort from issuers, according to market experts at the fifth National Municipal Bond Summit.

Kentucky lawmakers are considering union-backed police and fire pension reform measures for the city of Lexington, as well as a bill addressing the state's $30 billion unfunded liability.

Florida's Santa Rosa Bay Bridge default makes it the largest issuer in default of its municipal bonds this year, according to Bank of America Merrill Lynch.

Moody's Investors Service Tuesday downgraded the city of Natchez, Miss.'s general obligation rating to A2 from A1 citing the city's limited cash and reserves.

Legislation in Kentucky that would cap the amount of debt Kentucky's by the state's general fund appropriations was approved by the Senate State and Local Government Committee last week.

The judge overseeing Jefferson County, Ala.'s bankruptcy case this week began hearings on a $1.63 billion class-action claim seeking to invalidate the county's sewer warrants.

Bankrupt Jefferson County, Ala., reached a settlement with Depfa Bank to reduce the interest rate on $162.5 million of variable-rate school warrants.

Florida's largest county, Miami-Dade, got a boost when Moody's revised the outlook on the county's credit to stable from negative.

A new deal to build the Atlanta Falcons a new $1 billion stadium is emerging since state lawmakers would not support it. The Atlanta Development Authority may issue bonds instead.

Historically low interest rates last year helped boost bond sales across the Southeast to $63 billion, an increase of 33% over 2011. The surge in debt was propelled by refundings.

Moody's and S&P last week dropped Ohio, Ky.'s $83.3 million of pollution control refunding revenue bonds for Big Rivers Electric Corp. below investment grade.

Gov. Nathan Deal on Monday announced that Georgia's net tax collections for January totaled $1.73 billion for an increase of nearly $164 million, or 10.4%.

Raymond James Financial plans to drop Morgan Keegan from the name of its fixed income arm later this month.

St. Petersburg, Fla. has failed to break a years-long stalemate between the city and the Tampa Bay Rays over the team's quest to build a new Major League Baseball stadium.

Bank of New York Mellon's suspension of bankrupt Jefferson County, Ala.'s sewer warrant payments prompted Standard & Poor's to drop its rating to D, while Moody's said investors are now subjected "to the risk of higher losses."

Bond attorney Albert del Castillo has returned to the Miami office of Greenberg Traurig, where he began working in municipal finance.

Florida's new statewide PACE program has inked a deal for $500 million in funding through California-based Samas Capital LLC.