Mississippi

Butler Snow LLP has hired attorneys Steve Edds and Sue Hicks Fairbank to work in the firm’s public finance office in Richland, Mississippi.

Mississippi absorbed a downgrade from Fitch Ratings, which cited weaker-than-expected .performance and criteria changes in lowering its issuer default and general obligation ratings one notch to AA.

After Mississippi tapped its rainy day fund for a second time to cover a budget shortfall, Moody's Investors Service called the withdrawal a credit negative.

St. Louis-based Ascension Health Alliance is set to bring $1.9 billion of bonds to market in deals that fold into one package the system's new money needs, refunding opportunities and refinancing of inherited debt.

A federal judge approved a $20 billion settlement with BP to resolve litigation brought by five Gulf coast states over the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

Mississippi state senators approve a placeholder measure that keeps a proposed gas tax increase on the table.

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

The Hattiesburg Public School District in Mississippi saw its general obligation bond ratings drop to Baa3 from A3 due to severely eroded reserves and liquidity, according to Moody's Investors Service.

In just six months, the new Municipal Finance Group at Bonwick Capital Partners LLC has been selected as senior manager on five transactions totaling more than $150 million.

In Tuesday's election, Mississippi voters returned incumbent Republican Gov. Phil Bryant to office while Kentucky voters chose a member of the GOP to succeed their term-limited Democratic governor.

Voters in Louisiana Saturday select a new governor and decide on a constitutional amendment to fund new transportation projects that opponents say could hurt the state’s credit ratings.

Issuers in the Southeast sold $41.56 billion of bonds in the first half of 2015, an 85% increase in year-over-year volume fueled by refundings and a slight uptick in new-money sales.

This month's $18.7 billion agreement with BP p.l.c. positions struggling Gulf coast states to receive financial relief, though the years-long payout won't provide immediate respite for some.

Madison County, Miss., disputes its obligation to backstop some public improvement district bonds in a lawsuit with Radian Asset Assurance Inc.

Southeast municipal bond issuers sold $21.78 billion of debt in the first six months of the year, a 31.4% decline driven by fewer taxable and refunding deals.

The Environmental Protection Agency's proposed rule to cut carbon dioxide emissions as much as 30% by 2030 will drive up costs for coal-dependent states, Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Adam Putnam said.

Southwest Airlines' newfound freedom to begin serving long-haul destinations from Dallas Love Field Airport in October poses risks for smaller airports left behind, Fitch Ratings warns.

Moody's downgraded the Jackson International Airport to Baa1 from A3 just three weeks before Southwest Airlines pulls out of the Mississippi capital.

The loss of Southwest Airlines at Jackson-Evers International Airport in Mississippi prompted Fitch Ratings to downgrade the airport to BBB-plus from A-minus.

As Mississippi legislative session winds down, the state's first debt study will guide lawmaker on bond financing decisions, said State Treasurer Lynn Fitch.