Investments

ALABAMAAlbertville (City)Apr 6, 2009 . . . . . . $26,095,000

Management fees for many municipal bond mutual funds have jumped this year because of the drainage of fund assets at the end of last year.

ALABAMAAutauga CountyMar 19, 2009 . . . . . . $7,780,000

INDIANAOsgood Public LibraryMar 20, 2009 . . . . . . $975,000

A slate of new offerings - anchored by a pair of deals from New York and California issuers - is expected in the municipal market this week. While the total is considerable, the size of the deals will be in stark contrast to the multibillion dollar issues the market digested over the past two weeks.

The Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association will no longer recommend early closes on trading days before most holidays to allow more continuous access to trading liquidity.

Cash influxes into municipal bond mutual funds persisted last week - albeit at a slower pace - as state and local government debt continued to gain traction among retail investors.

WASHINGTON - The Treasury Department Friday released "how-to" guidance on the stimulus law's new taxable Build America Bond and Recovery Zone Economic Development Bond programs, as well as allocations for the qualified zone academy bond and qualified school construction bond tax-credit programs.

ALABAMAOrange Beach (City)Mar 31, 2009 . . . . . . $17,995,000

ALASKAAlaskaApr 2, 2009 . . . . . . $165,000,000

Nearly all of The Bond Buyer’s weekly yield indexes declined this week, as tax-exempt bonds firmed up in nearly all sessions and new-issue supply lightened substantially from last week’s deluge.

Death and disease know no recession. Hospitals do.

DALLAS — Texas Southern University’s revenue financing system bonds have fallen below investment grade on the Fitch Ratings scale. The agency downgraded $99 million of outstanding bonds to BB-plus with a negative outlook from BBB.

Outflows of $1.87 billion for the week ending March 30 caused tax-exempt money market funds to start the second quarter with $482.57 billion in total assets, according to the Money Fund Report, a service of iMoneyNet.com.

ARIZONAFlowing Wells Unified School District No. 8Mar 31, 2009 . . . . . . $17,330,000

CALIFORNIAStanislaus Union School DistrictApr 1, 2009 . . . . . . $11,000,000

Supporters of the Federal Family Education Loan program are maneuvering to save it as Congress moves forward with budget resolutions that would set spending goals based on President Obama's proposed fiscal 2010 budget, which calls for FFEL's elimination.

The Alabama Public School and College Authority is experiencing problems with a swap that it may have to pay $55 million to terminate.

State officials will still move ahead with plans to potentially merge the Massachusetts Health and Educational Facilities Authority with the Massachusetts Development Finance Agency despite the fact that state Sen. Marian Walsh Tuesday announced that she would relinquish her new role at MassHEFA.

WASHINGTON - Continuing care retirement communities face more rating downgrades than upgrades in 2009 because of limited access to capital, slower unit re-occupancy caused by falling real estate values, and significantly reduced liquidity due to losses on investments, Fitch Ratings said yesterday.