Washington

As regulators push for more disclosure of bank loans, there is confusion about the implications for and obligations of dealers, issuers, and municipal advisors.

The ruling that the former mayor was liable for violations of securities laws as a "control person" is one of which every official of a state or local government issuing debt should be aware.

Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx warns states of cutbacks in federal highway funding if Congress doesn't pass a transportation bill by May 31.

Two former Senators who were instrumental in tax reform in 1986 said reform should be comprehensive and presidential commitment is very helpful.

The Internal Revenue Service has announced how many qualified zone academy bonds can be issued in each state, the District of Columbia and U.S. territories for 2014.

The suspension of the nation's debt limit expires March 15, with important implications for municipal issuers selling refunding debt during the next several weeks.

The tax exemption for general purpose state and local debt has consistently been one of the biggest corporate tax expenditures since 1975, according to the Joint Committee on Taxation.

The National Federation of Municipal Analysts is preparing to push home its pro-disclosure message this year with a series of new educational papers and efforts to be even more collaborative, new NFMA board chair Jennifer Johnston said.

Qualified Public Infrastructure Bond plan marks a further step in the Obama administration's Build America Investment Initiative.

The Securities and Exchange Commission's disclosure violation self-reporting program has highlighted that issuers and underwriters should take steps to strengthen their disclosure and due diligence procedures to protect themselves from SEC enforcement action, bond lawyers said Thursday.

Treasury Secretary Jack Lew said he hopes Congress and the Obama administration can work in a bipartisan way to authorize qualified public infrastructure bonds or another type of bond program.

With almost $1 billion of January bond sales in the books, Washington plans to return to market next week with another $483.6 million in general obligation bonds.

The White House generated fresh ideas aimed at curing the nation's infrastructure woes in its budget proposal, but shot itself in the foot by including a limit on the federal tax exemption for municipal bonds.

The Internal Revenue Service is seeking applications from issuers for unused volume cap of new clean renewable energy bonds.

Senate public works panel will continue development of multiyear transportation bill without proposed tax on corporate overseas profits.

The Securities and Exchange Commission's requested fiscal year 2016 budget of $1.722 billion would allow the commission to hire hundreds of examination staff and step up enforcement, as well as help the muni office coordinate with self-regulators.

Ex-JPMorgan bankers have asked a federal judge to dismiss federal pay-to-play charges related to the sewer deals that helped push Jefferson County, Ala., into bankruptcy.

Jennifer Johnston, vice president and research analyst in the municipal bond department of Franklin Templeton Investments is the new chair of the National Federation of Municipal Analysts, the NFMA announced Monday.

Sen. David Vitter, R-La., has reintroduced legislation that would prevent the federal government from providing assistance to any state or local government, including loans, loan guarantees, lines of credit, and grants. It would, of course, have exceptions for responses to disasters like Hurricane Katrina.

The Internal Revenue Service has recently closed two audits of bonds issued in Colorado with no change to the bonds' tax-exempt statuses.