Wisconsin

A declining number of Midwestern high school graduates is adding to already highly competitive environment further straining the region's small colleges, according to Moody's Investors Service.

Madison-based University of Wisconsin Health and Illinois-based SwedishAmerican Health System announced plans to merge.

A federal appeals court on Friday upheld Wisconsin's law limiting collective bargaining rights.

Moody's Investors Service hit Milwaukee with a one-notch downgrade to Aa3 following a review prompted by its change in local government general obligation methodology earlier this year.

The Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District lost its top rating from Moody's Investors Service based on the rating agency's new local government general obligation rating methodology.

Milwaukee-based Robert W. Baird & Co. Inc. extended its public finance banking reach to Minnesota, establishing a new Minneapolis office by hiring Paul Donna, Michael Hoheisel, and Matt Rantapaa from Northland Securities.

Minnesota lawmakers were poised Thursday to vote on a plan to tap $434 million of the state's $1.2 billion budget surplus for tax relief and to set aside another $150 million to bolster budget reserves.

Wisconsin received the AAA rating from Kroll Bond Rating Agency on its transportation revenue bond credit ahead of a nearly $400 million sale slated for Thursday. The other agencies rate the bonds in the mid- to high double-A category.

Wisconsin plans to come to market as soon as March 20 with nearly $400 million of new money and refunding transportation revenue bonds.

Wisconsin will sell up to $295 million of general obligation refunding bonds as soon as Wednesday.

Midwestern volume dwindled by 18.1 % in 2013 to $59.1 billion from nearly $72.2 billion a year earlier as rising interest rates sapped refunding opportunities and lackluster new-money issuance did little to offset the drop.

The Wisconsin Legislature's powerful Joint Finance Committee approved along party lines a $500 million tax cut package last week.

Wisconsin has decided to expand its use of Kroll Bond Ratings Agency from its general obligation credit to include its master lease certificates of participation ahead of a $37 million sale set for Wednesday.

Seeking to lock in savings offered in the current market, Wisconsin took a step into new terrain last month by entering into a loan agreement with JPMorgan that will refund $278 million of debt next year.

Wisconsin will take bids on $237 million of general obligation bonds Tuesday against a backdrop of improving state revenues Gov. Scott Walker wants to return most to taxpayers.

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker plans to outline tax cut proposals in his state of the state proposal he said are affordable due to new revenue estimates that project a more than $900 million surplus in the current budget

Moody's Investors Service downgraded Green Bay, Wis.'s general obligation rating one notch to Aa2 as it prepares to sell $25 million of taxable lease revenue bonds to finance convention center improvements.

The Wisconsin Center District Board has decided to undertake a study on whether it makes financial sense to expand Milwaukee's downtown convention center.

More than a dozen additional Wisconsin issuers have recently disclosed that they can redeem their Build America Bonds and other direct-pay bonds because of sequestration-mandated cuts in their federal subsidy payments.

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker signed into law a $100 million property cut that won swift passage with little debate.