News and Information from Bond Buyer

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority fined five firms and three individuals for violations of municipal securities requirements, including Barclays Capital Inc., which was directed to pay $200,000 for using bond proceeds to reimburse itself for membership in a lobbying group.

Moody's Investors Service is maintaining a stable outlook for public power utilities in 2014, citing modest growth in demand and low volatility in natural gas prices.

Austin will create transportation infrastructure zones around proposed commuter rail stations under a city council agreement.

Despite the Fed's extraordinary efforts since the financial crisis, a full economic recovery is "still ongoing," Federal Reserve Chair Ben Bernanke said Monday.

Moody's Investors Service on Wednesday downgraded the Midwest Del City School District to Aa3 from Aa2 and retained a negative outlook, citing a "substantial reduction in reserves."

U.S. District Court Judge Dolly Gee granted the California Public Employees' Retirement System leave to appeal to the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals San Bernardino's eligibility to be in bankruptcy.

Kentucky closes on $728 million in bonds and notes Friday, bringing the average cost of financing its Ohio River Bridges Project to 4.4%

The federal Maritime Administration is teaming up with financial experts to help ports develop infrastructure projects that attract private and public capital investments.

California Treasurer Bill Lockyer has joined Brown Rudnick LLP's government and law strategies team in Orange County in a part time job in addition to his duties as treasurer.

With Florida's economy on the upswing, revenues rising, and an election year around the corner, Gov. Rick Scott wants to cut most of the motor vehicle taxes and fees that hiked during the downturn to support the state budget, The Bond Buyer reports. The fee reductions, valued at $400 million, will be part of Scott's recommended fiscal 2015 budget to be released in January, and will include lowering the average annual motor vehicle registration by about $25.

California State Controller John Chiang has updated the public employee compensation website (http://publicpay.ca.gov/) with the latest wage and benefit data for city and county employees. The site offers maps, search functions, and custom report-building tools. It also allows users to download raw data for their own research.

The market for municipal bonds slowed Monday after a busy week that saw healthy demand for a large slate of new issues.

A startup bond insurance company launched by Goldman, Sachs & Co. public finance veterans pushed out president Bradley Wendt after an unsuccessful capital fundraising campaign.

Standard & Poor's, downgrade, Western Illinois University

Tender rates for the Treasury Department's latest 91-day and 182-day discount bills were mixed, as the three-months incurred a 0.065% high rate, down from 0.070% the prior week, and the six-months incurred a 0.090% high rate, down from 0.095% the week before.

Municipal bonds were steady to firmer Monday morning as market participants began a week that will likely be dictated by the Federal Open Market Committee announcement on Wednesday.

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

Pension shortfalls are not math problems, but "complex challenges requiring thoughtful solutions, politically challenging to implement," PFM said in a report on the white-hot topic.

Industrial production rose 1.1% in November, the Federal Reserve reported Monday.