News and Information from Bond Buyer

Initial jobless claims surged 31,000 to 313,000 in the week ended Feb. 21, the Labor Department said Thursday.

The January consumer price index dropped 0.7% while the core rate rose 0.2%, the Labor Department reported Thursday.

Thursday, February 26 Issuer St Description Amount

Thursday, February 26 Issuer St Description Amount

Monday, March 2 Issuer St Description Amount

Week Of February 23 Issuer St Description Amount

ARKANSAS

ARKANSAS

Feb. 26, 2015 Southeast: Plain/Insured GO Yield Curve* State Ratings One-Year Five-Year 10-Year 30-Year Alabama Aa1/AA/AA+ 0.14 1.21 2.17 2.97 Florida Aa1/AAA/AAA 0.15 1.23 2.19 3.03 Georgia Aaa/AAA/AAA 0.14 1.16 2.06 2.86 Kentucky Aa2/AA+/AA+ 0.16 1.27 2.27 3.09 Louisiana Aa2/AA/AA 0.15 1.28 2.31 3.13 Mississippi Aa2/AA/AA+ 0.17 1.31 2.28 3.11 North Carolina Aaa/AAA/AAA 0.14 1.16 2.06 2.86 South Carolina Aaa/AA+/AAA 0.14 1.18 2.1 2.9 Tennessee Aaa/AA+/AAA 0.14 1.18 2.1 2.89 Virginia Aaa/AAA/AAA 0.14 1.15 2.05 2.85 West Virginia Aa1/AA/AA+ 0.16 1.24 2.23 3.05

2/25/2015 2/18/2015 State Iss Amount ($000s) Iss Amount ($000s) Chg in Amt ($000s) Alabama 3 $81,420 0 $0 81,420 Florida 10 1,427,125 7 683,275 743,850 Georgia 4 1,291,035 3 34,690 1,256,345 Kentucky 9 100,975 15 313,980 -213,005 Louisiana 6 674,915 3 67,500 607,415 Mississippi 2 64,000 4 81,970 -17,970 North Carolina 3 132,760 1 35,530 97,230 South Carolina 3 335,720 3 75,025 260,695 Tennessee 5 41,975 5 39,815 2,160 Virginia 4 317,290 6 577,570 ?260,280 West Virginia 0 0 0 0 0

Government

Puerto Rico's Treasury said it won an appeal in its dispute with Doral Bank over $230 million.

A plan to divert up to $2.5 billion of vehicle sales tax revenue to highway projects gained momentum as a lobbying organization called Move Texas Forward joined forces with legislative leaders.

The House on Tuesday passed a bill that expands 529 college savings plans.

The Chicago Public Schools is seeking board approval to tinker with $700 million of debt in its portfolio.

Standard & Poor's has assigned a positive outlook to Good Shepherd Medical Center’s BB-minus credit after the East Texas healthcare system restructured $88 million of debt and raised cash through asset sales.

Arkansas saw the largest drop in the percentage of uninsured in 2014, followed closely by Kentucky, according to a recent Gallup poll.

Par volume traded for municipal securities was $2.77 trillion in 2014, the lowest volume in over a decade, according to the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board fact book released Wednesday.

An increase in the federal gasoline tax is seen as the most viable option for long-term transportation funding at Senate hearing.

Prices of top-rated municipal bonds closed higher on Wednesday, traders said, with yields on some maturities off by as much as three basis points. Meanwhile, more supply hit the market as the state of Nevada sold three separate issues totaling about $291 million in the competitive sector.