Data and information management

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.

Howard Globus, founder and CEO of IT-on-demand.com, talks with Chip Barnett about what municipalities should do before, during and after a cybersecurity attack to keep their systems secure from hackers. (19 minutes)

Several states have passed, or are considering, legislation to bar local governments from making payments to criminals who hold computer systems hostage.

The sector is a target-rich environment due to the large amount of sensitive data that healthcare entities maintain for patient care and operations.

The Port of Los Angeles launched a Cyber Resilience Center that protects not only port administration systems, but the shipping companies that berth there.