Louisiana

Moody's Investors Service downgraded Louisiana’s credit ratings by one notch, impacting $7.3 billion of debt; the state’s general obligation bonds were dropped to Aa3 from Aa2 amid the state’s fiscal crisis.

In the Southeast, pent-up need for capital and low interest rates translated into a five-year high for bond issuance in 2015.

Eight Louisiana universities face budget cuts amid the state's fiscal crisis, prompting Moody's Investors Service to place the institutions on review for possible downgrade.

Louisiana's estimated deficit deepened as state lawmakers began meeting for a special three-week legislative session to deal with the historic budget gap.

In a newspaper column Tuesday, the governor said he would not support budget cuts that could throw universities into financial exigency and close hospitals in order to deal with Louisiana's budget crisis.

The $254.6 million of BANs were directly placed with JPMorgan at a cost of 0.52%, and will "bridge" the state through the next six or seven months, said Louisiana's financial advisor Renee Boicourt.

John Kennedy, the Pelican state's long-time treasurer, announced on his blog Tuesday that he will run for the seat being vacated by U.S. Sen. David Vitter, R-La.

Facing a $2.65 billion budget deficit, newly elected Gov. John Bel Edwards has released a slate of options that he said would deal with the largest budget shortfall Louisiana has ever faced.

Louisiana's budget deficit is a credit negative and it has a narrow window to cure its current-year shortfall, Moody's Investors Service said Monday.

Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards just after taking the oath of office Monday pledged to repair the state's budget and expand the state's health insurance program.