North Carolina

WASHINGTON — The North Carolina Senate yesterday passed a $451 million bond package for its state university and community college systems as some legislators emphasized the importance of education investment even in the face of a large budget deficit.

WASHINGTON — Wake County, N.C., on Wednesday will issue $34.9 million of qualified school construction bonds — its first such issuance and the state’s largest QSCB deal since the beginning of the program.

WASHINGTON — Wake County, N.C., on Wednesday is expected to competitively price $421.7 million of general obligation refunding bonds, its largest refunding deal on record.

WASHINGTON — Davenport & Co. has hired two financial advisers for a new Charlotte office to bolster its services in the Southeast, the firm announced this week.

WASHINGTON — North Carolina today expects to competitively sell $487.7 million of general obligation bonds, its first new-money GOs in three years.

North Carolina Monday released its 2010 debt affordability report and said that the state has “substantially exhausted” its general fund debt capacity until fiscal 2012.

North Carolina is hoping to capitalize on the recession’s silver lining by financing highway construction with an innovative contract between the state and private contractors — a deal that could accomplish one of Gov. Beverly Perdue’s transportation goals, even though the state treasurer’s office has expressed some reservations.

WASHINGTON — The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill next week expects to issue $224 million of tax-exempt debt and Build America Bonds, which will be used to finance or refinance the costs of certain capital projects.