Hawaii

For a second year, Georgia is poised to eclipse Florida in authorizing new-money bonds in their state budgets.

A proposal introduced in the Hawaii Legislature Tuesday that would prevent so-called “spiking” of public pensions faced little resistance, according to published reports.

A crowded bond calendar and the size of Hawaii's $1.27 billion general obligation bond sale next week mean the deal will likely have to be priced nationally to clear the market, according to one market watcher.

LOS ANGELES - Residents of Hawaii's largest public housing facility began returning to renovated units this month. They enjoyed the fruits of a public-private partnership that supporters worry will not be replicated in the future because of threats to the status of tax-exempt bonds that underpinned the project's financing.

Hawaii’s Tax Review Commission issued a request for qualifications on Oct. 3 for an economist or accountant with knowledge of the state’s economy and tax structure, in order to prepare a study evaluating whether its tax system will provide sufficient revenues to meet future needs.

Three high-level staffers in Hawaii Gov. Neil Abercrombie’s office resigned this week to spend more time with their families, according to a release from the governor’s office.

Honolulu received a AA and a stable outlook Wednesday from Fitch Ratings for $232 million of wastewater system revenue bonds it plans to market in a negotiated sale on Oct. 12 and 13.

Moody’s Investors Service gave an A2 rating to $296 million of airport refunding bonds that Hawaii plans to sell this month. The savings from the deal is expected to exceed 6%.

Hawaii Gov. Neil Abercrombie has appointed Luis Salaveria as deputy director of the Department of Budget and Finance.

LOS ANGELES - Two rating agencies have downgraded Hawaii this year, but they didn't go far enough, Bank of America Merrill Lynch analysts wrote in an Aug. 5 municipal market commentary, saying the state's general obligation bond rating should be a notch lower than the agencies' double-A level ratings.

Hawaii Gov. Neil Abercrombie signed a $21.9 billion, two-year budget into law Thursday that addresses rising debt-service costs and a bond-financing mistake.

SAN FRANCISCO — Moody’s Investors Service on Monday downgraded Hawaii to Aa2 from Aa1, affecting $5.1 billion of outstanding debt.

Hawaii’s Council on Revenues has scheduled an emergency meeting for Tuesday in the wake of the earthquake and tsunami disaster in Japan.

Hawaii Gov. Neil Abercrombie Monday announced his amended budget proposal for fiscal 2012 and 2013.

ALAMEDA, Calif. — Hawaii’s new finance director plans to review the way the state picks bond underwriters.

ALAMEDA, Calif. — Hawaii and Citi have announced a legal settlement that will allow the state to exit from its $869 million auction-rate securities portfolio within five years.

ALAMEDA, Calif. — Maui County, Hawaii, is trying some new things this week in the pricing of $74 million of general obligation bonds.

Longtime Congressman Neil Abercrombie won a resounding election as Hawaii's governor Tuesday, on a night when the state bucked the national Republican trend.

Honolulu Seawater Air Conditioning LLC is moving forward with public financing for a project that will suck cold water from ocean depths to cool Honolulu's downtown, providing energy savings from a renewable source.

ALAMEDA, Calif. — Issuers in the Far West sold $43.36 billion of municipal bonds in 672 transactions during the first six months of 2010, according to Thomson Reuters, down from $47.12 billion in 600 transactions in the first half of 2009.