News and Information from Bond Buyer

Oppenheimer & Co . added two managing directors as part of an effort to expand the firm's fixed income business and strengthen the municipal finance team.

One of two appeals of Jefferson County, Ala.'s bankruptcy plan of adjustment will be dropped.

The Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board is seeking applications to fill seven spots that become available Oct. 1.

Tender rates for the Treasury Department's latest 91-day and 182-day discount bills were lower, as the three-months incurred a 0.055% high rate, down from 0.065% the prior week, and the six-months incurred a 0.080% high rate, down from 0.090% the week before.

The Treasury Department said Monday it will sell $18 billion of four-week discount bills Tuesday.

Few municipal bonds are out for the bid Monday, lending a weaker tone to tax-exempt yields.

The University of Arkansas' 20-year master plan for its Fort Smith campus is expected to require about $200 million, according to chancellor Paul Beran.

The University of Texas System will open the new year with $240 million of top-rated Permanent University Fund bonds to refund commercial paper.

The U.S. services sector expanded at a slightly slower pace in December as the non-manufacturing business activity composite index was 53.0 in the month, compared to 53.9 in November, on a seasonally adjusted basis, the Institute for Supply Management reported Monday.

New orders for manufactured goods soared 1.8% in November, after dropping 0.5% in October, the Commerce Department reported Monday.

Grand Junction Regional Airport Authority chairman Denny Granum resigned from the board amid an FBI investigation of fraud.

A citizens' initiative in Oklahoma City seeks to curtail a voter-approved sales tax two years earlier than planned and prevent the use of $252 million for a new convention center.

Arizona Public Service Co. has closed three coal-fired generators at the Four Corners Plant and plans to spend $350 million upgrading the two that remain.

Alvin Independent School District near Houston will take advantage of low short-term interest rates with $103 million of soft-put variable rate bonds.

Federal Reserve Bank of Boston President Eric Rosengren, who cast the lone dissent last month against a Fed decision to taper bond buying, said policy makers shouldn't rush to cut stimulus with inflation below 2 percent.

Federal Reserve Bank of New York President William C. Dudley said the Fed needs to better understand how its bond buying provides stimulus to the economy.

Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia President Charles Plosser, an opponent of bond purchases by the Fed, said policy makers shouldn't try to make up for a permanent loss in potential growth caused by the financial crisis.

A hearing on Detroit's interest-rate swaps and proposed borrowing was pushed back until Tuesday due to a massive winter storm in the Midwest.

Jan. 6, 2014 Northeast: Plain/Insured GO Yield Curve* State Ratings One-Year Five-Year 10-Year 30-Year Connecticut Aa3/AA/AA 0.19 1.49 3.14 4.55 Delaware Aaa/AAA/AAA 0.15 1.32 2.79 4.2 Maine Aa2/AA/AA 0.19 1.39 2.93 4.32 Maryland Aaa/AAA/AAA 0.17 1.32 2.79 4.2 Massachusetts Aa1/AA+/AA+ 0.21 1.44 3.01 4.45 New Hampshire Aa1/AA/AA+ 0.19 1.41 2.93 4.35 New Jersey Aa3/AA+/AA+ 0.24 1.48 3.08 4.52 New York Aa2/AA/AA 0.21 1.4 2.89 4.36 Pennsylvania Aa2/AA/AA 0.19 1.49 3.08 4.46 Rhode Island Aa2/AA/AA 0.25 1.6 3.24 4.7 Vermont Aaa/AA+/AAA 0.17 1.37 2.85 4.25 Dist. of Columbia Aa2/A+/AA+ 0.22 1.53 3.16 4.68 Puerto Rico Baa3/BBB+/BBB- 7.17 9.22 9.89 8.9

1/3/2014 12/27/2013 State # Iss Amount ($000s) # Iss Amount ($000s) Chg in Amt ($000s) Connecticut 0 $0 0 $0 $0 Delaware 0 0 0 0 0 Maine 0 0 0 0 0 Maryland 0 0 0 0 0 Massachusetts 6 190,432 3 99,007 91,425 New Hampshire 0 0 0 0 0 New Jersey 7 237,136 5 223,503 13,633 New York 12 48,092 3 23,502 24,590 Pennsylvania 5 62,425 2 33,080 29,345 Rhode Island 0 0 0 0 0 Vermont 0 0 0 0 0 District of Columbia 0 0 0 0 0 Puerto Rico 0 0 0 0 0