Public finance

Inflows to municipal bond mutual funds, while still robust, have fallen for a second straight week, to $871 million from funds that report their flows weekly.

A plan released by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority details $6 billion of investment the nation's second-busiest subway system needs to make over the next 12 years, and stresses the need for new revenue to support it.

After downgrading Assured Guaranty, Moody's Investors Service has taken action on the short-term and long-term ratings of 78 variable rate demand bonds.

Tax-exempt money market funds continued their downward as they reported $2.44 billion of outflows, for the second week in a row of net outflows.

Table as of: 01/23/2013 11:41 AM Invisible Supply Issuer and purpose Amount

CONNECTICUT

ARKANSAS

The large scale changes sweeping the nonprofit health care sector, chief among them changes in payment methods, are driving the record-setting consolidation trend among hospitals, Fitch Ratings says.

Two hospitals in Chicago's western suburbs — Elmhurst Memorial Healthcare and Edward Hospital & Health Services — are the latest to merge, joining the two-year-old surge nationally of not-for-profit healthcare consolidation.

Moody's Investors Service placed tobacco settlement revenue bonds of issuers in 17 states and two territories under review with direction uncertain because of legal settlement announced in December. The action affects $20.5 billion of debt.

ARIZONA

FLORIDA

Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell announced on Tuesday that he will recommend over $2 billion of funding for hundreds of transportation projects statewide, new money projected to come from his controversial overhaul of the commonwealth's gas and sales taxes.

INDIANA

ALABAMA

Table as of: 01/18/2013 16:54 PM Invisible Supply Issuer and purpose Amount

An estimated $9.19 billion is expected to be priced in the municipal primary market, compared with a revised $5.89 billion last week, as billion-dollar-plus deals from Ohio and New Jersey head the negotiated slate.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood told municipal leaders meeting in Washington Friday that he would help protect the tax-exempt status of municipal bonds.

Rep. Frank Wolf, R-Va., has reintroduced two bills aimed at giving Virginia control of the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority and strengthening government oversight of the scandal-wracked issuer.

Illinois will take competitive bids on $500 million of GOs later this month in its first borrowing of the New Year and first test of market reaction to the General Assembly's failure to overhaul pensions.