Economy

After a raucous public speaking session and sniping between chairman Joe Lhota and board member Charles Moerdler, New York's MTA tweaked its advertising policy and meeting schedule.

The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority will consider a consultant's recommendations to increase revenues, including outsourcing, advertising on buses and trains, and new fees.

Moody's Investors Service may downgrade $10 billion of Garvee bonds, the ratings agency announced Tuesday, because of the increasing uncertainty of the federal revenue stream that backs them.

Cook County, Ill. officials hope that the Medicaid expansion provision in the Affordable Care Act will help reduce chronic deficits in its large public hospital system.

The Minneapolis-St. Paul Metropolitan Airports Commission is gearing up to sell about $100 million of general airport revenue as it advances plans for a $1.5 billion capital improvement program.

Holy Cross Hospital and Sinai Health System, both in Illinois, announced the signing of a letter of intent to merge in September.

Los Angeles World Airport Officials plan to explore private placement in selling $1 billion in bonds over the next 18 months.

An audit of the U.S. Department of Transportation's popular Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery grant program released revealed an inadequate framework for ensuring projects meet their goals, though the DOT said it has already taken steps to meet some of the IG's recommendations.

New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority plans to continue its aggressive borrowing with $3.1 billion in bond sales over the next three months.

The finance committee of New York's MTA authorized an increase in the amount of fuel-hedging capacity, which budget officials say minimizes volatility.

With its economy continuing to gain momentum, Harris County, Texas plans to refund about $353.7 million of toll revenue bonds in a negotiated deal Oct. 2.

The Utah Transit Authority is moving towards a $320 million bond deal for expansion of its Trax and FrontRunner rail projects.

The San Antonio City Council approved a $4.50 per day airport rental car fee, creating a revenue stream for a $127 million rental car facility.

Airports will suffer from American Airlines impending layoffs of more than 4,000 employees, Moody's Investors Service said Monday.

Credit analysts aren't sure what the impact of the new generation if huge cargo ships will be on U.S. ports, but industry leaders and engineers are sounding the call for billions of dollars in additional investment in America's marine infrastructure.

Sequestration would mean $11.1 billion of Medicare cuts starting in 2013, a 2% reduction that would mean more headaches for many non-profit hospitals, especially lower-rated issuers, Fitch Ratings said in a commentary.

The Georgia Transportation Board has agreed to a financing plan for the nearly $1 billion Northwest Corridor project that could see more than half of the cost funded with bonds.

A year after firing its new CEO, the Wayne County Airport Authority, Michigan has hired the airport's long-time CFO Thomas Naughton to serve in the top position.

The Louisiana State Bond Commission wants underwriters selling $350 million of state highway revenue bonds to develop a structure to take advantage of the market's current low interest rates.

The National Federation of Municipal Analysts has updated its disclosure best-practices paper for issuers of hospital debt in response to market changes spurred by the financial crisis.