North Carolina

The North Carolina Department of Transportation is conducting new environmental studies for the $802 million Monroe Connector/Bypass toll road for which much of the debt has already been sold.

Gilt-edged Charlotte, N.C., will close May 7 on a $171 million deal that saw significant refunding savings as well as low borrowing costs at pricing, according to Treasurer Scott Greer.

Investors who bought $860.1 million of Charlotte Airport revenue bonds could be impaired by a bill in the North Carolina General Assembly, according to a bond attorney.

Janet Cowell, the state treasurer of triple-A rated North Carolina, said the state may need to issue bonds or raise new revenue to pay for infrastructure needs.

Birmingham, Ala.-based Regions Financial Corp. hired Janet Ricardo as vice president and senior relationship manager in the bank's North Carolina corporate trust group.

Moody's Investors Service downgraded the rating on bonds sold for Wake Forest Baptist, N.C., to A1 from Aa3 on Wednesday citing an unexpected decline in financial performance. The action affects $597.2 million of outstanding bonds.

Standard & Poor's on Monday raised Lenoir County, N.C.'s general obligation rating to AA-minus from A-plus on strong financials.

A bill that would transfer control of Charlotte Douglas International Airport to an independent authority is getting swift attention from the General Assembly, and North Carolina's new governor.

Historically low interest rates last year helped boost bond sales across the Southeast to $63 billion, an increase of 33% over 2011. The surge in debt was propelled by refundings.

Triple-A rated North Carolina saved $45.3 million in debt service costs on its $319.26 million general obligation refunding last week.

Former Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory became North Carolina's 74th governor on Saturday. He is the state's first Republican governor since 1988.

Aviation in North Carolina contributes about $26 billion to the state's economy, or 6% of the state's gross domestic product, according to a study.

North Carolina Treasurer Janet Cowell hired Kevin SigRist as the new chief investment officer for the $77 billion North Carolina Retirement Systems.

Standard & Poor's bumped Orange County, N.C.'s general obligation rating up a notch to gilt-edge AAA.

George K. Baum & Co. hired David Adams as a senior vice president to open the firm's Southeast public finance office in Charlotte, N.C.

North Carolina Gov.-elect Pat McCrory is calling for a 25-year transportation and infrastructure plan after leading a GOP sweep of the governorship and the Legislature.

As the Southeast's economy slowly begins to thaw, measures on the Nov. 6 ballot reflect both fiscal conservatism and pent-up demand for education and transportation needs.

Charlotte Douglas International Airport plans to start laying the groundwork toward building a fifth runway at a cost of $160 million.

The North Carolina state pension fund's investment in Facebook Inc.'s IPO is raising questions. The fund joined a class-action suit alleging it was misled.

The Southern Environmental Law Center Tuesday filed a federal suit on behalf of conservation groups challenging North Carolina's $1 billion Garden Parkway toll road.