Healthcare industry

Moody's dropped Wood County Hospital Association to Ba1 and assigned a negative outlook.

Moody's dropped its outlook on Franciscan Alliance's Aa3 rating to negative from stable.

The Chicago-based firm hired veteran healthcare banking specialist Brian McGough.

The rush to beat tax legislation at the Illinois Finance Authority makes for its busiest December ever.

The deal includes $524 million to refund outstanding debt.

An Ascension and Providence St. Joseph merger would surpass for-profit HCA Healthcare.

Catholic Health Initiatives and Dignity Health will combine operations under a new name and new Chicago headquarters.

The combined Illinois-based Advocate Health Care nor Wisconsin-based Aurora Health Care would be the 10th-largest healthcare nonprofit.

The group plans to sell roughly $1 billion of bonds, with a mix of btax-exempt and taxable debt.

According to underwriter HJ Sims, the deal will mark the largest fixed-rate bond issue for a life-plan community.

The Moody's downgrade comes amid large losses and higher capital spending.

Smaller not-for-profit hospitals and systems lack the access to taxable debt markets enjoyed by bigger systems.

The successful referendum to expand Medicaid eligibility is a credit negative, according to Moody’s Investors Service.

The Illinois Finance Authority authorized a passel of deals that would be outlawed by a GOP tax bill.

The Tulare Local Health Care District defaulted on its revenue bonds and closed its hospital.

Cindy Newton is a veteran of finance and treasury operations.

It is unclear whether bond investors will be included as creditors in the California hospital district's bankruptcy.

The center received state regulatory approval to advance a $512 million expansion project in Portland.

The proposed combination is the latest in a continuing wave of nonprofit healthcare consolidation in Illinois and nationally.

The Tulare Local Healthcare District has both general obligation and revenue bonds outstanding.