Data and information management

A new classification scheme would allow market participants, both on the buy and sell sides, to correctly identify the source and nature of credit risk in their holdings and to aggregate such risk into meaningful sectors that share common risk drivers.

The threat of cybercrime against municipalities continues to mutate into more sophisticated and life-threatening schemes, say economists and rating agencies.

Ransomware group LockBit threatened on Sunday to publish the stolen data Tuesday evening. Ransomware experts said it was likely that the group was bluffing.

CDIAC's revamped website, which launches May 1, will offer accessibility to state and local debt from issuance through maturity and the ability to create summary reports based on search features.

With cyberattacks on the rise, issuers have had to keep fortifying their defenses against criminals targeting the public sector. 

While the SEC's cybersecurity rule does not apply to municipal issuers, there are a few points discussed in the Adopting Release that may be useful for municipal market participants. 

The municipal market is bifurcated, opaque, and can be a challenge to price even on a steady day. In this idiosyncratic market, especially in times of volatility, data-driven decision-making is key, whether pricing a new deal in the primary market or trading it in the secondary. Learn more.

The question over how big or small a role artificial intelligence will play in the development of FDTA's standards will need to be answered by both regulators and issuers.

Building off his success in creating a revolutionary website as Massachusetts assistant treasurer of debt management, BondLink founder Colin MacNaught has grown his firm into 45 states.

New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli urged state agencies to do more to protect water systems from cyberattacks as Moody's Investors Service said cyber risks pose challenges to municipalities across the United States.

Through proposed SEC regulations, federal grants and cybersecurity insurance, areas of the public finance industry are adjusting to costly and omnipresent cyber threats. 

The amount of time governments took to produce audited financials has increased by double-digits during an 11-year period.

Exploring why some call 2022 "the year of the great reset" and what that may mean for the muni market this year.

The increasing number and frequency of cyber attacks against municipalities is a cause for credit concern, S&P Global Ratings says.

The California Department of Finance aids the governor in drafting the preliminary budget that is released in January.

Increased use of third-party vendors by transportation issuers may be putting those entities at increased risk.

Upgrading the agency's technology could make information exchange more secure.

Scammers are masquerading as the IRS’ Tax Exempt and Government Entities Division to try and get issuers and borrowers to disclose confidential information.

Municipal governments have become a target for online criminals. Experts warn their neglect of cybersecurity puts finances, services and vital records at risk.

Shortly after New Jersey state lawmaker Shama Haider introduced a bill to strengthen cybersecurity defenses, her own town of Tenafly faced a ransomware attack.