Far West

ALAMEDA, Calif. — The ranks of California issuers filing civil suits in connection with an alleged bid-rigging conspiracy for guaranteed investment contracts continues to grow.

A group of senators led by Christopher J. Dodd, D-Conn., were poised late yesterday to introduce legislation that would provide public transit systems across the country with $2 billion of emergency operating funds to help ease the strain on their budgets.

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority has censured and fined Piper ­Jaffray & Co. $700,000 for failing to retain about 4.3 million e-mails over a six-year period and for not alerting FINRA that it was having problems with its e-mail retention and retrieval.

WASHINGTON — The recovery zone bond program would double in size to $50 billion and Build America Bonds could be used to do current refundings of existing BABs under a new tax and jobs bill released late Thursday evening by leaders of the House and Senate tax-writing committees.

WASHINGTON — As lawmakers in the Senate and House begin to resolve the differences in their separate financial regulatory reform bills this week, market participants are hoping the finished product will exclude several controversial provisions they say could eliminate the municipal derivatives market.

Eleven Northeast states are asking the Federal Railroad Administration to cover $15 million of an $18.8 million study they hope will help improve and expand high-speed rail service in their corridor.

ALAMEDA, Calif. — The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission this week will bring its wastewater credit to the market for the first time in seven years.

WASHINGTON — Congressional committees have set a July 4 target date for the Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization bill to be signed into law, but lawmakers must clear a few obstacles including their differences over a bond-related provision before the legislation can be finalized.

WASHINGTON — The Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board yesterday filed a request with the Securities and Exchange Commission to allow it to post credit ratings directly on the board’s Electronic Municipal Market Access site.

ALAMEDA, Calif. — Washington plans to bring its largest-ever bond sale to market Tuesday, when it is scheduled to price $1.1 billion of motor vehicle fuel-tax general obligation bonds.