Far West

Washington saved $74 million this week by refunding more than $700 million of general obligation bonds in two competitive sales, officials said.

Standard & Poor's said Wednesday it has downgraded San Bernardino Joint Powers Financing Authority housing tax allocation bonds to BBB from A-minus due to the city declaring bankruptcy.

A bill that would change California's municipal bankruptcy law again appears to have stalled without support from the Democratic majority leadership in the state Senate.

Bond insurer National Public Finance Guarantee Corp. has challenged Stockton, Calif.'s petition for a bankruptcy.

The judge in Stockton's bankruptcy case has denied an injunction that would have kept the city from cutting retiree medical benefits during the Chapter 9 process.

Bond Buyer Washington Bureau Chief Lynn Hume interviews George Friedlander, Chief Muni Strategist at Citi.

Bond Buyer Washington Bureau Chief Lynn Hume interviews Toby Rittner, Pres. and CEO, Council Development Finance Agencies

Moody's Investors Service said in a note Monday that California should be able to handle the potential loss of hundreds of millions of dollars from a depressed Facebook stock price.

The U.S. Senate confirmed Mark Mazur late Thursday by a voice vote to serve as the Treasury Department's assistant secretary for tax policy.

The threats to the tax-exemption are the greatest they have ever been primarily due to the level of federal deficit reduction that Congress needs to tackle, several municipal bond market experts said at the annual Council of Development Finance Agencies conference.