Far West

WASHINGTON — Moody’s Investors Service has hired Walter Winrow to head its infrastructure finance group, replacing Tom Keller, who is now a senior managing director at the rating agency.

WASHINGTON — The District of Columbia tomorrow expects to issue $32.9 million of qualified school construction bonds, now that a new law allows states and localities to issue certain tax-credit bonds as taxable, direct-pay subsidy bonds.

WASHINGTON — As the Senate moves toward finishing consideration of financial regulatory reform legislation this week, state treasurers are making last-minute efforts to change some of the bill’s muni-related derivatives and rating provisions, though it’s unclear if they were making any headway with lawmakers.

Transportation stakeholders are opposed to a provision in a draft climate-change bill introduced in the Senate that would generate more revenue based on emissions from the sector than would be re-invested in infrastructure or transportation projects.

Senate Finance Committee chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., yesterday named Lily Batchelder chief tax counsel of the Senate Finance Committee.

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority has filed an administrative complaint against David Lerner Associates Inc. and its head trader, William Mason, charging they excessively marked up some 1,538 municipal bond transactions over a two-year period.

ALAMEDA, Calif. — California’s Bay Area Toll Authority will hit the market next month with a hefty Build America Bond deal.

A position the Internal Revenue Service is taking regarding $150 million of student-loan revenue bonds under audit could have ramifications for the entire tax-exempt student loan bond industry, market participants said last week.

A group of 11 California issuers are charging that an affiliate of Goldman Sachs & Co., J Aron & Co., is pressuring a member of the group to remove Goldman as a defendant in its civil suit charging that 36 Wall Street and other firms participated in a vast bid-rigging conspiracy for municipal swaps and investment agreements.

ALAMEDA, Calif. — California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger delivered his May budget proposal Friday afternoon, addressing a $17.9 billion deficit by proposing wholesale elimination of key social welfare programs, with no tax increases.