Southeast

WASHINGTON — The Securities and Exchange Commission announced yesterday that it has settled securities fraud and other charges against JPMorgan Securities Inc. and is pursuing charges against two of the firm’s former managing directors, Charles LeCroy and Douglas MacFaddin, in connection with muni bond and swap transactions done with Jefferson County, Ala.

BRADENTON, Fla. — Tennessee is proposing debt management policies that may be some of the strictest ever adopted by a state for use by local governments, according to the state’s financial adviser, who is a former Government Finance Officers Association board member.

Fauquier County Friday received an upgrade to AA from AA-minus on its outstanding general obligation bonds from Standard & Poor’s.

Gov. Haley Barbour on Monday said Mississippi’s revenue collections continue to lag budget projections and year-to-year comparisons.

The Committee for the Future of East Baton Rouge has raised more than $350,000 to finance its campaign for a $901 million bond package going before East Baton Rouge Parish voters on Nov. 14.

Kentucky’s appointees to a bi-state authority that will determine how to finance the $4.1 billion Ohio River Bridges Project have been announced by Gov. Steve Beshear and Louisville Mayor Jerry Abramson.

Alabama Gov. Bob Riley Friday announced the allocation of the first half of $236 million of qualified school construction bonds to help 46 school systems that applied to the program to finance the construction or repair of public school buildings.

BRADENTON, Fla. — Birmingham’s current budget is underfunded by $20 million, the new acting mayor announced yesterday in a disclosure that could lead to a review of the Alabama city’s double-A credit rating.

BRADENTON, Fla. — Birmingham, Ala., finance director Steve Sayler resigned late Monday, a city official confirmed.

WASHINGTON — The Georgia Department of Transportation is poised to launch a public-private partnership initiative it hopes will encompass 17 projects, including a multimodal passenger terminal in Atlanta, connector highways, toll roads and privatized highway rest stops.