Montana

Trade with Asia and diverse economies insulate the two states from shifts in trade with Mexico and Canada.

Deer Park School will hold a special $3 million mail-in bond election to expand school facilities next month.

HELENA, Mont. -- Both bonding proposals to fund hundreds of infrastructure projects statewide sit in the House as the end of the Legislature looms this week -- and one of those bills was again rejected Monday.

Far West issuers sold $90.7 billion of municipal bonds in 2016, a 8.5% increase over the prior year.

Most of the oil states have gone into recession, S&P Global Ratings said in a new report.

A Montana legislator has introduced a bill that would divert some interest earned from the Coal Tax Trust Fund into an infrastructure fund.

Tax and bond measures found success in California and Washington on Election Day.

The rating on $172 million of Montana Board of Investments revenue bonds received a Moody’s Investors Service upgrade to Aa2 from Aa3.

Providence Health & Services took a one-notch downgrade from Fitch Ratings, ahead of a planned &803 million revenue bond deal for Providence St. Joseph Health.

Montana Gov. Steve Bullocks wants lawmakers to focus on infrastructure in 2017 session.

Three Democratic Senators representing states without sales taxes recently wrote a letter to Senate leadership opposing federal legislation that would impose an Internet tax sales tax on its businesses.

Far West issuers sold $83.6 billion of municipal bonds in 2015, a 26.5% increase over the prior year, as refundings continued to drive volume.

The oil and gas industry is pressing Congress to permit exports of crude as prices remain at the lowest since the 2008 global financial crisis. The campaign comes as Houston and other energy dependent credits face growing pain from the falling prices, according to Fitch Ratings.

A Billings, Mont., school district's general obligation school building bond rating was affirmed at Aa3 by Moody's Investors Service ahead of a $32.9 million sale on Sept. 15.

Far West issuers sold $48.3 billion of municipal bonds in the first half of 2015, a 70% increase from the first six months of 2014 that was driven by refundings.

The Far West Region mirrored the U.S. with municipal bond sales dropping 24.8% during the first half of 2014 compared to the same period a year earlier.

Montana's general obligation bond rating was affirmed at Double A ratings ahead of plans to refund $29 million sometime between July 7 and July 15 and given a stable outlook.

Moody's Investor Services affirmed its Aa1 rating ahead of plans by the Montana Board of Housing to price $71.5 million in single family program bonds.

Sales of municipal bonds in the Far West bucked the national trend in 2013 by rising from 2012, as new money swapped with refundings as the market driver in the region.

An oil field boom has caused enrollment to soar in Billings, Mont. Schools, which are selling bonds to pay for new schools and additions.