Investments

WASHINGTON - Department of Education officials said yesterday that they will take several steps toward easing lender access to emergency liquidity, a move that received applause from nonprofit members of the student loan industry who are still grappling with how to originate loans for the new academic year that began July 1.

After two weeks of outflows, tax-exempt money market funds swelled by $11.77 billion to end the week of July 7 with $514.80 billion in total assets, according to the Money Fund Report, a service of iMoneyNet.com of Westborough, Mass.

ATLANTA - North Carolina lawmakers have approved a roughly $22 billion budget for the 2008-09 fiscal year, which includes almost $900 million of borrowing.

The Bond Buyer's weekly yield indexes declined this week, as munis grew firmer in each of the week's sessions.

ARKANSASRiverside School District No. 15 of Craighead CountyJul 9, 2008 . . . . . . $5,320,000

ALABAMAWinston County Cooperative DistrictJun 4, 2008 . . . . . . $2,055,000

CHICAGO - The University of Toledo will enter the market today with roughly $35 million of fixed-rate general receipts bonds in the first of two series that will refund recent notes used to take out all the system's insured variable-rate demand bonds.

Thornburg Investment Management has hired Christopher M. Ryon, former head of Vanguard Group's intermediate- and long-term tax-exempt funds, as an associate portfolio manager.

CALIFORNIALos Angeles (City)Jul 8, 2008 . . . . . . $977,600,000

ALABAMAFoley Redevelopment AuthorityJun 13, 2008 . . . . . . $6,300,000

MINNESOTACarver (City)Jul 7, 2008 . . . . . . $1,140,000

ALABAMASaraland Board of Water and Sewer CommissionersJun 5, 2008 . . . . . . $4,585,000

A $1 billion North Texas Tollway Authority revenue refunding and a handful of hefty note deals will headline the fairly brisk post-holiday activity in the primary market this week as part of an expected $5.96 billion of competitive and negotiated new-issue volume, according to Thomson Reuters. Last week the market saw a revised $3.39 billion in total volume.

Tax-exempt money market funds began the second half of the year on a sour note, suffering outflows of $10.62 billion, according to the Money Fund Report, a service of iMoneyNet.com of Westborough, Mass.

DALLAS - After winning a positive response from the market with a $125 million deal last month, the North Texas Tollway Authority is ready to continue its record year in debt issuance by pricing $1 billion of second-tier revenue bonds this week.

ILLINOISSugar Grove VillageJul 1, 2008 . . . . . . $570,000

ARKANSASLittle Rock (City)Jul 1, 2008 . . . . . . $4,000,000

Nearly all The Bond Buyer's weekly yield indexes declined this week, as tax-exempts finished firmer in each of the week's sessions.

CALIFORNIACeres Unified School DistrictJul 1, 2008 . . . . . . $6,880,000

ALABAMAMonroeville Water Works BoardMay 22, 2008 . . . . . . $4,340,000