Yvette Shields

Illinois' $1 billion general obligation sale Thursday is expected to benefit from improved investor appeal following a pension system overhaul but ratings agencies haven't altered their Illinois ratings.

Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn wants to push back the scheduled Feb. 19 release of his fiscal 2015 budget until March 26.

Chicago city council members, who have long scrutinized minority and women-owned business participation in city bond deals, are turning their attention to the racial makeup of non-minority-owned firms awarded debt sales.

The University of Illinois heads to market with a $180 million new money sale that offers investors high grade state-related paper from a credit that has mostly weathered the state's own ratings deterioration.

Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan introduced legislation to cut the state's business tax in half as state lawmakers shift their focus in the new legislative session from pension reform to taxes.

Standard & Poor's and Moody's both revised their outlooks to negative on the University of Chicago noting poorer than expected fiscal performance, planned deficits, and future borrowing plans.

Law firm Thompson Coburn LLP is bolstering its public finance team in Chicago with the addition of veteran public finance attorney Thomas Smith.

A broad coalition of Illinois unions accuses the state of pension "theft" in its long anticipated lawsuit that seeks to overturn the state's pension system overhaul before it takes effect in June.

Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn, in his state of the state speech, sought to highlight the state's fiscal strides, notably a major pension overhaul, but was quiet about the state's considerable remaining financial challenges.

Chicago is prepping two general obligation bond sales that will offer the first test of the market's appetite for the city's GO paper since being slapped with two three-notch downgrades over its pension woes.

Chicago's hotel occupancy ticked upward last year providing the city with a record level of nearly $106 million in hotel tax revenues.

Fitch Ratings on Monday upgraded Rush University Medical Center's debt by one notch to A-plus in recognition of its consistently strong profitability.

Illinois officials are traveling to share its newly available savings numbers for the state's pension overhaul, and other fiscal news, with investors ahead of $1 billion general obligation sale next week.

Minnesota plans to sell $468 million of general fund appropriation-backed bonds for a new Minnesota Vikings stadium on Monday, two weeks after the state pulled the deal due to an 11th hour legal challenge.

Minnesota tentatively plans to price $468 million issue of general fund appropriation-backed bonds next week for a new Minnesota Vikings stadium.

The Illinois State Toll Highway Authority kicks off its New Year with a long planned $400 million refunding that will be followed in late winter with new-money borrowing to support an ongoing $12 billion program.

Wisconsin will take bids on $237 million of general obligation bonds Tuesday against a backdrop of improving state revenues Gov. Scott Walker wants to return most to taxpayers.

Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon proposed a fiscal 2015 budget that would increase education spending $500 million and authorize $200 million in appropriation supported bond borrowing for a mental health facility.

The Minnesota Supreme Court refused to block the state's sale of $468 million of general fund appropriation-backed bonds to help pay for the new $975 million Minnesota Vikings NFL football stadium.

With a better Fitch outlook, Regional Transportation Authority of Illinois will take bids on $106 million of general obligation bonds with officials hoping to benefit from an improving market for Illinois paper.