News and Information from Bond Buyer

U.S. Sen. Jay Rockefeller wants to know why the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey closed lanes on the George Washington Bridge in September.

Arizona counties are organizing a 2014 effort to restore local highway and road funds lost during the budget crises of the past five years.

Municipal market groups often at odds with one another are for once in agreement, with each telling the Internal Revenue Service that its proposed issue price rules are unworkable and would hurt issuers as well as the market.

The short-lived municipal rally that firmed yields last week continued to ebb on Tuesday as market participants awaited a Federal Reserve announcement on Wednesday.

Moody's Investors Service's Dec. 11 review for downgrade on Puerto Rico's Baa3-rated general obligation bonds is a credit negative for bond insurers Assured Guaranty and National Public Finance Guarantee, the rating agency said in a report Monday.

The Treasury Department Tuesday auctioned $32 billion of two-year notes with a 1/4% coupon at a 0.345% yield, a price of 99.810817.

Dan Heimowitz first got into public finance because of a devastating financial crisis in his hometown. Decades later, he's overseeing rulemaking covering a whole new class of regulated firms and individuals.

The University of California and a union representing more than 12,000 researchers, healthcare, and technical workers reached a tentative labor agreement this week after two years of negotiations.

Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder's push to create a new authority to take over troubled schools, a growing sore spot for the state, advanced last week when the Senate passed controversial legislation expanding the program.

The Treasury Department Tuesday auctioned $30 billion of four-week bills at a 0.010% high yield, a price of 99.999222.

Tax-exempt municipals remained quiet on Tuesday even as some investors looked to sell unwanted bonds before getting a fresh start in the New Year.

State investment portfolios are seeing an uptick in alternative investments with less focus on fixed income.

Citi and UBS Financial Services Inc. entered a municipal distribution deal that will bring Citi's network of financial advisors to 17,000 brokers, and provide UBS's high net worth clients with access to Citi's new issue products.

Builders' confidence in the market for new single-family homes rose as the National Association of Home Builders' housing market index climbed to 58 in December from an unrevised 54 in November.

St. Louis-based Stern Brothers & Co. is bulking up its staff with additional bankers and sales professionals.

The U.S. Q3 current account was reported as better than expected at a $94.8 billion deficit or 2.2% of GDP, improved from 2.3% in Q2 or a $1.8 billion betterment. The percentage was the lowest since Q1:1998.

November CPI was unchanged, with core up 0.2% (0.15455% unrounded).

The Minneapolis City Council approved plans for a $400 million development adjacent to the new Minnesota Vikings professional football stadium.

Tuesday, December 17 Issuer St Description Amount