Employee benefits

Tax-exempt bonds issued for a private hospital system in Honolulu fell further into junk territory with S&P Global Ratings downgrading the bonds to CCC from B-minus.

S&P says Trinity's efforts to shed the fiscally struggling Mercy poses benefits and risks but the hospital is a small piece of the national not-for-profit's overall portfolio.

California teachers cited the risk of exposure to COVID-19 and the challenges of remote teaching as reasons for retiring early.

A handful of government representatives will give advice on 529 plans in the MSRB's Municipal Fund Securities Advisory group.

Federal CARES Act grants and loans, and bond market access, have helped mitigate the financial damage to hospitals caused by the pandemic.

Paul Herman and Adam Mason of HIP Investor examine environmental, social and governance risks, ratings disconnects, transparency needs and HIP's deep dive into hospital systems. Paul Burton hosts. Recorded Dec. 14. (25 minutes).

The program has drawn comparisons to the Securities and Exchange Commission's MCDC.

Philip Howard, chairman of nonprofit Common Good, calls on the incoming Biden administration to improve public agencies, schools and hospitals by reducing cumbersome red tape. Paul Burton hosts. (18 minutes)

Transamerica Financial Advisors has agreed to pay $321,167 in restitution as part of a settlement of Financial Industry Regulatory Authority charges that it failed to properly supervise its brokers selling shares of 529 plans.

The deal helped pave the way for the reopening of the capital markets for not-for-profit health systems amid the then-insurgent COVID-19 pandemic.

Kelly Mitchell wants to solidify existing NAST initiatives in the coming year, such as expanding 529 college savings plans.

Northwestern Memorial HealthCare and Palos Health are the latest Midwest systems exploring a merger.

Siddharth Singhai, chief investment officer at IronHold Capital, explores how pension funds can choose better money managers. Paul Burton hosts. (16 min.)

Dealing with a pandemic in an economy hard hit by falling oil prices, Ector County Hospital District sees an opportunity to lower debt finance costs.

Hospitals margins could sink to unsustainable negative levels in the last half of the year, according to forecasts.

New report says hospitals lost a total of $1.44 billion a day between March and mid-April.

The system's offering statement presents a detailed picture of the pandemic's impact so far.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Wednesday he favors allowing states struggling with high public employee pension costs amid the burdens of the pandemic response to declare bankruptcy rather than giving them a federal bailout.

Smaller hospital systems warn they are on fiscal life support as groups lobby for federal funds.

The New Jersey state teachers' union and state Senate President Steve Sweeney announced an agreement to lower school district and employee healthcare costs.