News and Information from Bond Buyer

After eight years as Texas Comptroller, Susan Combs leaves office this month with a record her successors might find hard to match.

Tender rates for the Treasury Department's latest 90-day and 181-day discount bills were higher, as the three-months incurred a 0.055% high rate, up from 0.035% the prior week, and the six-months incurred a 0.155% high rate, up from 0.110% the week before.

The Treasury Department said Monday it will sell $30 billion of four-week discount bills Tuesday.

Increasing interest in public-private transportation partnerships due to constraints from $3.6 trillion of state and local outstanding debt, Brookings Institution said.

Standard & Poor's Ratings Services said it has assigned its A-minus rating to Michigan Finance Authority's local government loan program revenue bonds series 2014G, issued for the city of Detroit and secured by the city's unlimited tax general obligation pledge and a fourth-lien pledge of distributable state aid revenues.

Capital Region Water, nee the Harrisburg Authority, took significant steps this year en route to a what it believes can be an investment-grade rating within 18 months.

Some non-dealer municipal advisors wrongly believe providing advice to an issuer in their capacity as a municipal advisors means they can also act as an intermediary between the issuer and investors.

Existing home sales fell 6.1% to a seasonally adjusted 4.93 million-unit rate in November from a revised 5.25 million pace the previous month, the National Association of Realtors announced Monday.

Indicator Last Report Forecast Actual Existing Home Sales Oct.: 5.250M Nov.: 5.200M Nov.: 4.930M

The Chicago Fed National Activity Index for November surged to 0.73 from a revised 0.31 reading in October, while the three-month moving average (CFNAI-MA3) gained to 0.48 from a revised 0.09 in October, the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago reported Monday.

Standard & Poor's has issued its top rating to Harris County, Texas, based on the 'very strong' economy in the Houston area and three years of improvement in general fund balances.

Moody's Investors Service downgraded Las Cruces Schools to Aa3 from Aa2, citing the New Mexico District's use of reserves for recurrent expenses.

Dec. 22, 2014 Northeast: Plain/Insured GO Yield Curve* State Ratings One-Year Five-Year 10-Year 30-Year Connecticut Aa3/AA/AA 0.19 1.46 2.39 3.26 Delaware Aaa/AAA/AAA 0.15 1.28 2.08 2.92 Maine Aa2/AA/AA 0.16 1.32 2.16 3.04 Maryland Aaa/AAA/AAA 0.15 1.28 2.08 2.94 Massachusetts Aa1/AA+/AA+ 0.17 1.37 2.23 3.1 New Hampshire Aa1/AA/AA+ 0.15 1.3 2.2 3.06 New Jersey A1/A/A 0.27 1.71 2.61 3.49 New York Aa1/AA+/AA+ 0.15 1.3 2.15 3.1 Pennsylvania Aa3/AA+/AA+ 0.17 1.48 2.39 3.24 Rhode Island Aa2/AA/AA 0.19 1.45 2.4 3.29 Vermont Aaa/AA+/AAA 0.15 1.29 2.1 2.96 Dist. of Columbia Aa2/AA/AA 0.17 1.4 2.3 3.2 Puerto Rico B2/BB/BB+ 7.8 9.28 9.03 7.64

12/19/2014 12/12/2014 State # Iss Amount ($000s) # Iss Amount ($000s) Chg in Amt ($000s) Connecticut 0 $0 2 $14,580 -$14,580 Delaware 0 0 1 29,400 -29,400 Maine 0 0 1 84,880 -84,880 Maryland 0 0 2 10,930 -10,930 Massachusetts 0 0 5 237,830 -237,830 New Hampshire 0 0 1 26,905 -26,905 New Jersey 1 13,808 3 18,455 -4,647 New York 2 4,481 11 890,516 -886,035 Pennsylvania 0 0 7 76,040 -76,040 Rhode Island 1 593,655 3 642,385 -48,730 Vermont 0 0 0 0 0 District of Columbia 0 0 0 0 0 Puerto Rico 0 0 0 0 0

Monday, December 22 Issuer St Description Amount

Monday, December 22 Issuer St Description Amount

Week Of January 5 Issuer St Description Amount

ILLINOIS

Day Indicator Last Report Forecast Monday Existing Home Sales Oct.: 5.260M Nov.: 5.200M Tuesday Durable Goods Oct.: +0.4% Nov.: +2.9% Tuesday Durable Goods ex-trans Oct.: -0.9% Nov.: +1.0% Tuesday GDP Q2: +4.6% Q3: +4.3% Tuesday Final Sales Q2: +3.2% Q3: +4.2% Tuesday Initial Jobless Claims 12/13: 295,000 12/20: 290,000 Tuesday Continuing Claims 12/6: 2.440M 12/13: 2.733M Tuesday Personal Income Oct.: +0.2% Nov.: +0.5% Tuesday Consumption Oct.: +0.2% Nov.: +0.5% Tuesday Core PCE Oct.: +0.2% Nov.: +0.1% Tuesday Michigan Sentiment Nov.: 88.8 Dec.: 93.5 Tuesday Current Conditions Nov.: 102.7 Dec.: 105.1 Tuesday Expectations Nov.: 79.9 Dec.: 85.0 Tuesday New Home Sales Oct.: 458,000 Nov.: 460,000 Tuesday Philly Fed Manufacturing Nov.: 40.8 Dec.: n/a

ALABAMA