Economy

The Texas Transportation Commission increased the size of its general obligation mobility-fund refunding bond sale on Thursday because demand for municipals jumped as the market strengthened, according to investors.

Watchdog group advises lawmakers to avoid bookkeeping gimmicks in resolving the multi-billion shortfall in the Highway Trust Fund.

Moody's Investors Service said it has affirmed the A1 rating of the Denver (city and county of) airport enterprise $3.72 billion airport system revenue bonds and the a2 rating of the $719 million subordinate revenue bonds.

Moody's Investors Service has downgraded to Ba3 from Baa3 the rating assigned to Good Shepherd Medical Center, Texas's (GSMC) $93.7 million of outstanding bonds issued by the Gregg County Health Facilities Development Corporation and the Harrison County Health Facilities Development Corporation.

Senators Chris Murphy and Bob Corker have joined forces in a push for higher federal gas taxes to fund highway projects.

The North Carolina General Assembly passed a bill clarifying that a regional commission should operate Charlotte Douglas International Airport.

Airports want to double the federal passenger facility fee of $4.50 per head, but airlines see no need for the increase.

With workforce reductions and lower gas tax revenues, the Oregon Department of Transportation will be challenged, according to a recent audit.

The American Hospital Association has provided the Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue Service with recommendations about updating tax-exempt bond rules to accommodate incentives of President Obama's health care reform law.

Standard & Poor's raised its various ratings on New York's MTA, including an elevation of its transportation revenue bonds to AA-minus from A-plus.

Two Chicago-based health systems — Alexian Brothers Health System and Adventist Midwest Health — intend to join forces to create a joint operating company with a combined nine hospitals.

Moody's Investors Service has lowered its ratings on $8.5 billion of state and transit agency stand-alone grant anticipation revenue vehicle bonds supported by dwindling revenues from the Highway Trust Fund.

Moody's Investors Service has placed the University Medical Center Corp.'s Baa1 rating on review for downgrade after the Tucson nonprofit posted a large operating loss in the first nine months of its fiscal year.

A positive outlook from Fitch Ratings on E-470 Public Highway Authority signals a possible upgrade on the tollway's BBB-minus credit.

The Securities and Exchange Commission's investigation of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey must determine if investors needed to know about $1.8 billion of controversial spending, securities law experts said. Others said any SEC enforcement action would not be a fix for the authority's problems.

Moody's Investors Service has revised its outlook to positive from stable on Avera Health, one of South Dakota's largest health care providers, as the system comes to market this week with $59 million of bonds.

Foreign equity investment interest in U.S. public-private partnerships at all-time level, a House P3 panel was told.

Texas is preparing to pour $1.85 billion into the bond market with issues from three state agencies in June.

President Obama's four-year, $302 billion transportation funding bill, introduced in the House by a bipartisan pair of representatives, is not expected to gain traction in the Republican-controlled chamber.

The Internal Revenue Service has determined in an audit that general obligation bonds issued in 2007 and 2009 by the Sierra Kings Health Care District in California are private-activity bonds and not tax-exempt governmental bonds.