Top muni bond issuers of Q1 2020

Despite a muted month of March due to the COVID-19 pandemic which included two weeks of no negotiated deals, muni bond issuers still sold more long-term debt than they did during the first three months of 2019.

Issuers accounted for a total of $84.87 billion of bonds throughout 2,119 transactions, compared to $75.84 billion in 1,809 deals in first quarter of 2019.

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Pipe Dream

The Buckeye Tobacco Settlement Financing Authority is atop the top municipal bond issuance perch with a total of $5.35 billion that was brought to market in three deals on one single day.

The TSFA’s $5.352 billion of tobacco settlement asset-backed refunding senior and taxable bonds was the second largest deal ever done in the tobacco sector.
New York City skyline with urban skyscrapers at sunset, USA.
New York City
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A city so nice, they named it twice

New York City finished the first quarter of 2019 in eighth place but jumped way up so far this year, all the way to second place.

The big apple sold a total of $2.80 billion spanning six deals, more than doubling what they did in the same time last year when they sold $993 million in just two deals.
MTA BOND SALE
An "R" line subway train arrives to the Union Square stop in New York, U.S., on Wednesday, May 20, 2009. Build America Bonds were meant to help local governments borrow at lower cost amid a global credit crunch. When the New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) sold $750 million of the securities, it shared the savings with traders and investors. Photographer: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg News
Bloomberg News

MTA moving on up

Another NYC issuer — the Metropolitan Transport Authority improved two spots from a year ago with $2.42 billion in eight deals up from $1.20 billion in the same amount of transactions.
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Grand Parkway Transport Corp

Grand Parkway makes gigantic leap

Grand Parkway Transportation Corporation, Texas, finished the quarter in fourth place this year after not placing a top ranking in the first three months of 2019. GPTC issued a total of $2.31 billion after not issuing any bonds in the first quarter of last year.
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Bloomberg News

Golden State sees drop off

The State of California usually finds itself atop the rankings but not this quarter. The Golden State tallied $2.09 billion in only one deal, down from the $3.13 billion in four transactions which was good for first place at the end of the first quarter in 2019.
Berkeley University Library at University of California, Berkeley
BERKELEY, CA/USA - The University Library on the campus of the University of California, Berkeley is the fourth largest University library in the United States. June 15, 2013.
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Regents of University of California big increase

Staying California, the Regents of the University of California came in sixth place with $1.95 billion, way up from the $653 million they did in the same time last year.
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DASNY delivers

The Dormitory Authority of the State of New York accounted for $1.82 billion, good for a one spot improvement from Q1 2019 when they sold $90 million.
Washington DC, USA
Washington Monument on the Reflecting Pool in Washington, D.C. at dawn.
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National treasurer

The nation's capital was also good for one spot improvement year-over-year with a total of $1.26 billion compared to $938 million.
CHICAGO SKYLINE
This is the Chicago skyline as seen from the "southeast" in Illinois, Monday, March 29, 2004. The tallest building at left is the Sears Tower and the tallest at right is Aon Center. Photographer: Tannen Maury/Bloomberg News
Bloomberg News

Chicago's STSC makes leaps and bounds

The city of Chicago's Sales Tax Securitization Corportion saw a big jump from where they stood at this point last year with a total of $1.02 billion from $605 million.
Madison
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The Badger State's big move

The state of Wisconsin was the only top ten issuer to have less than $1 billion of bonds sold but still was way ahead of last year's pace. So far this year, the Badger State is responsible for $950 million compared to $156 million.
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