Munis

Brightline, a high-profile name in the speculative muni market, is set to come to market next week to remarket $675 million of 2020 bonds.

The top bond counsel in 2023 handled a combined $361.721 billion across 7,164 bond issues versus $359.189 billion in 7,882 transactions in 2022. 

Sioux Falls, South Dakota, has put out a request for competitive sealed proposals from financial advisory firms as it gears up for capital projects.

The proposed bond-financed Uinta Basin Railway has been hit with regulatory setbacks in the wake of a 2023 federal court ruling.

The top five bond financings have an average dollar volume of more than $917 million.

Lake Erie College entered into a forbearance agreement with bondholders after the school didn't meet certain covenants it agreed to as part of a debt sale. 

Gov. Katie Hobbs' proposed fiscal 2025 budget calls for agency fund sweeps, a new eligibility requirement for a costlier-than-expected universal school voucher program, and other measures to combat a rising shortfall.

Increasing the costs for banks to hold municipal bonds would be passed down to cities and states in the form of higher financing costs, industry advocates said.

The University of Chicago Harris School's Center for Municipal Finance is joining forces with Investortools to help advance municipal finance knowledge.

The state of Wisconsin is embarking on a flurry of debt-related activity as the year begins, with a cash defeasance and three refunding deals on the table.

When it comes to sectors, Miller said he likes charter schools, healthcare, land-secured debt and some industrial revenue bond positions.

The current property insurance crisis in several states may dramatically shorten the climate risk horizon for municipal investors. The municipal market's relaxed attitude toward climate risk may be seriously challenged in the years ahead.

The top two municipal bond insurers wrapped $31.845 billion in 2023, up 10.4% from the $28.847 billion of deals in 2022, according to Refinitiv data.

The D.C.-area agency, unique among mass transit systems in that it has no dedicated operating funding, faces the same challenges as other transit agencies: fewer riders and federal support.

A 2023 state law gave legislative leaders four appointments to the six-member turnpike board as lawmakers sought to reform the agency in the wake of a controversial, bond-financed expansion project.

The governor proposed state funding for schools to slow the rise in property taxes. His Idaho Works program would provide $50 million toward $800 million in bonds to pay for water and transportation projects.

Lansing's Board of Water and Light is issuing $350 million of tax-exempt bonds in a deal that would fund a tender offer for $232.6 million of outstanding debt.

The negative outlook on the Phoenix-based university's Ba1 rating is due in part to its battle with federal regulators, including the U.S. Department of Education, which it sued in 2021.

The Governmental Accounting Standards Board's new disclosure requirements focus on concentrations and constraints and governments will have to comply by June 15, 2024.

The Alameda Corridor Transportation Authority announced a tender offer as part of a restructuring plan that could culminate in $1.36 billion of bonds.