Ratings

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker's budget proposal, rosier revenue estimates and the prospects of more federal aid are only short-term salve for the state's long-term fiscal strains.

Fitch Ratings warns that mounting challenges posed by ratepayers of Missouri's Howard Bend Levee District put its 2005 bonds at greater default risk.

The rating agency placed 637 of the roughly 3,400 school districts it rates on review for upgrade or downgrade, and upgraded 85.

The negative outlook reflects the challenge of rebalancing the district’s budget in the face of pandemic-related reopening costs.

S&P Global Ratings raised Detroit's outlook to stable from negative on a BB-minus rating; Moody's affirmed the city at Ba3 with a positive outlook.

The Pennsylvania treasurer, who leaves office Tuesday, says municipalities can artificially inflate their bottom lines through these revenue sources.

The upgrade precedes the sale of $202 million of taxable refunding bonds next week.

Lincoln Way school district in suburban Chicago moved further back up the investment grade ladder with a Moody's Investors Service upgrade.

The negative outlooks tie to the possibility of more constrained financial resilience in the future, according to Fitch Ratings analysts.

Hawaii's governor announced that state employees would be furloughed two days a month; the state sold $750 million of GO bonds in October to fund operations.

Moody's dropped the Chicago Archdiocese' rated debt by three notches to Ba1.

The outlook revision to New York's AA GO bond rating marks the latest hit to a city coping with a rise in COVID-19 cases and financial uncertainties.

Moody's downgraded Wisconsin's largest city by one notch due to budgetary pressures.

Fitch Ratings cited concerns about LADWP's debt leverage in setting a negative outlook.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot's budget plan strikes the right balance between structural and one-time measures amid the coronavirus, says Jennie Huang Bennett.

The rating agency cited higher leverage from borrowing plans to fund expansions and renovations and passenger traffic losses from the coronavirus pandemic.

S&P Global Ratings revised the outlook on Vermont’s AA-plus general obligation bond rating to negative from stable.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker says preservation of the investment-grade status is "very important;" Illinois bonds traded wider after the income tax referendum failed.

Moody’s on Thursday joined Fitch and S&P Global Ratings in moving the city’s rating outlook to negative. It has rated Chicago at speculative grade since 2015.

By putting a negative outlook on its BBB-minus rating, Fitch leaves Chicago little room to avoid being saddled with a second speculative-grade rating.