Bonds

The Puerto Rico Oversight Board offered to eliminate further pension cuts for current pensioners from the Plan of Adjustment and to make funding promises if the local government approved laws, including new bonds, that would support the plan. The board sent a letter signed by Chairman David Skeel on Thursday to Gov. Pedro Pierluisi, Senate

Municipals were stronger as the New York Urban Development Corp. led the primary with $1.76 billion of taxable and exempt sales tax bonds in the competitive market while Refinitiv Lipper reported a rebound in fund inflows. Triple-A benchmarks were bumped a basis point in spots along the yield curve, but the asset class has underperformed

Puerto Rico bankruptcy Judge Laura Taylor Swain denied motions for bondholders and wage claimants to have until Oct. 25 or beyond to cast their vote on the proposed Plan of Adjustment. On Wednesday, Swain rejected bondholder Peter Hein’s motion to extend the deadline for retail bondholders. The motion would have extended the voting period from

Puerto Rico’s creditors are indicating they may withdraw from the bankruptcy deal, with bond insurer Ambac Assurance notifying the court Wednesday morning of the possibility. In a separate development the bankruptcy judge struck down a local law, Act 7, that the Oversight Board said would scuttle the Plan of Adjustment. Oversight Board Executive Director Natalie

Municipals were steady in light secondary trading while new issues were repriced to lower yields and U.S. Treasuries made gains after a rollercoaster day. Triple-A benchmark yields were little changed while the UST 10-year fell four basis points to 1.541% and the 30 fell six to 2.035% near the close. Ratios rose as a result,

BondLink, the Boston-based financial technology company that provides cloud-based debt management software solutions to issuers, added two industry experts to its board of directors. Lynn Martin, president of Fixed Income & Data Services at Intercontinental Exchange, Inc., and Joe Geraci, partner at Old Orchard Capital and former Citi executive, join the board of directors. Colin

The top municipal underwriters accounted for $340.99 billion in 9,082 transactions in the first three quarters of 2021 compared to $330.71 billion in 8,577 deals in 2020 over the same time period. BofA Securities led with $48.85 billion of deals, while Goldman Sachs jumped into the top five and Morgan Stanley moved up one spot

Municipals were lightly traded and little changed as participants await new issues while U.S. Treasury yields fell and stocks were in the red in a risk-off trade. Triple-A benchmark yields were little changed while the UST 10-year fell four basis points to 1.564% and the 30 fell nine to 2.083% near the close. The 10-year

Three-quarters of the way through the year, municipal bond volume has risen 3.1% compared to the same period in 2020. So far in 2021, issuers have totaled $340.99 billion in 9,082 transactions that compares to $330.71 billion in 8,577 deals in the first nine months of 2020. The state of California once again finds itself

The Senate appears poised to reach a bipartisan deal for a short-term increase of the debt ceiling to avoid a market-roiling U.S. default. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., Wednesday broke a weeks-long standoff on the issue by saying that Republicans would not filibuster a Democrat-led bill to raise the debt ceiling, assuming he can

Municipal advisors considering disclosure of conflicts of interest would do well to tread carefully, particularly given recent enforcement activity by the Securities and Exchange Commission. That was a key takeaway from an expert panel at the 2021 Compliance Outreach Program for Municipal Advisors sponsored jointly by the SEC, Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board and the Financial

Cook County, Illinois’ fiscal picture for next year and beyond is on the upswing with $1 billion in federal COVID-19 pandemic relief and rosier revenue projections. Board President Toni Preckwinkle Thursday unveiled an $8 billion 2022 budget package that forgoes new or higher taxes and fees, continues on course with supplemental pension contributions, and begins

Municipal advisors’ most common examination deficiencies are maintaining books and records, travel and entertainment expenses, and service contracts, officials from the Securities and Exchange Commission said in a virtual conference on Thursday. Karla Serna, a senior staff accountant at the SEC’s Chicago regional office said that one of the largest problems municipal advisors face in

The municipal 10-year triple-A bond hit a high for the year Friday at 1.18%, beating the yield reached in the March selloff. Municipals were weaker Friday, playing catch-up to another day of U.S. Treasury losses as participants await an $8 billion calendar and a more uncertain market sentiment with the pullback from mutual funds hanging

The Puerto Rico Oversight Board said the legislation proposed by the House and amended by the Senate would force it to withdraw its proposed Plan of Adjustment because the costs are “impossible.” “The outrageous costs of the [Senate] amendments to House Bill 1003 taken together would make the confirmation of the 7th Amended Plan of

When COVID-19 hit in 2020, many concerned New York City residents fled the city, trading their cramped urban apartment lives for the wide-open and relatively safe spaces of suburbia and exurbia. As the pandemic took its toll, many people — especially the wealthier ones — began moving out, along with their tax dollars, at an

Pension cuts and spending measures remain an obstacle to restructuring Puerto Rico’s debt, with the president of the Puerto Rico House of Representatives asking the Oversight Board to provide written commitment to support no pension cuts and a slew of spending measures before he would sign off on a bond restructuring. “Until some accommodation can

Municipals were mostly steady on a day when U.S. Treasuries sold off and equities rallied in a risk-on trade from debt-ceiling news in Washington while Refinitiv Lipper reported a mere $37 million of fund inflows and a near half-billion of high-yield outflows. Triple-A benchmarks were little changed on the day with Refinitiv MMD cutting the

Amid steady recovery from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, Dallas Fort Worth International Airport is advancing its $5.4 billion capital improvement program, with the largest project at $2.3 billion for terminal C renovations and added gate capacity. “The goal is to transform Terminal C, which has stood in service at the airport since the

Two Gary, Indiana, residents are asking a federal judge to return the city’s school district to elected control and overturn a 2020 referendum that bolstered the district’s strained coffers by $8.9 million annually for eight years. The state first moved to take control of the Gary Community School Corp. in 2017 due to its fiscal

Municipals were a touch weaker as U.S. Treasuries and equities seesawed throughout the day on debt ceiling news out of Washington while new issues in the primary were in high demand and repriced to lower yields. Triple-A benchmarks saw cuts of one to two basis points. Refinitiv MMD cut two on the 10-year and one

The Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board has put out a request for comment on two draft compliance resources for broker dealers and municipal advisors concerning pricing new issuances and will be accepting comments until Jan. 4, 2022. The 90-day comment period for this guidance comes as the MSRB is “undertaking a retrospective review of the catalogue

The Puerto Rico Oversight Board objected to a Puerto Rico bondholder request to further extend the retail bondholder Plan of Adjustment voting deadline. In response to requests by the Retirees Committee, Unsecured Creditors Committee, and bondholder Peter Hein, Puerto Rico bankruptcy Judge Laura Taylor Swain on Sept. 27 extended the voting deadline on the plan

California Gov. Gavin Newsom started the week with a trio of proclamations: to aid schools impacted by wildfires, to aid the Orange County beach areas affected by a massive oil spill, and to support the state’s ongoing response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The order related to schools ensures continuity in education for displaced students and includes waivers

WASHINGTON — Sen. Elizabeth Warren sought to tie the controversy over trading by senior Federal Reserve officials with her opposition to another term for Fed Chair Jerome Powell. Last month, Eric Rosengren and Robert Kaplan announced their resignations as heads of the Federal Reserve banks of Boston and Dallas, respectively, over scrutiny of trades they

Municipal bonds were little changed Monday, ignoring volatility in the stock market and a softer U.S. Treasury market. Triple-A municipal benchmark yields were steady to a touch firmer as the market awaits a sizable calendar led by a large taxable Alabama general obligation deal and a diverse set of credits from airports to charter schools

Top bond underwriters are backing away from Texas after they were targeted by a law to protect the firearms industry. Three of the state’s top five underwriters in the first half of 2021 — JPMorgan, Citi, and Bank of America — accounted for $6.4 billion of deals, according to Refinitiv. Those firms and Wells Fargo

Amid a severe drought and limitations on the use of water from the Colorado River, municipal bonds are helping to fuel rapid growth in southern Utah. One of the most significant developments in the St. George area will be financed with $106 million of limited tax general obligation bonds issued this month for the 278-acre

Any future Federal Reserve programs aimed at backstopping the municipal market need significant changes from the now-defunct Municipal Liquidity Facility, according to several lawmakers and witnesses who participated in two hearings on the subject. Two hearings before the House Financial Services Committee in the last week outlined some of those changes. “Some of my colleagues

September municipal bond issuance volume fell 32.6% year-over-year as a massive drop in taxable and refunding issuance puts the market slightly behind 2020’s record-breaking pace. Total September volume was $36.085 billion in 856 deals versus $53.513 billion in 1,395 issues a year earlier. Taxable issuance totaled $6.533 billion in 152 issues, down 63.6% from $17.945