The Bond Buyer articles from January 2009

The Bond Buyer archives from January 2009

Birmingham Agency Plans to Go Ahead With $526M Civic Center Project.(The Regions)
January 2, 2009... Byline: Shelly Sigo BRADENTON, Fla. - Despite financial difficulties rocking north-central Alabama and the bond market in general, the Birmingham-Jefferson Civic Center Authority this year hopes to move forward with building a...

Far West Bond-Watch.(Far West)
January 2, 2009... Byline: Rich Saskal ALASKA Palin vs. the GOP After touring the country this fall as a vice presidential candidate and drawing crowds of enthusiastic Republicans, Gov. Sarah Palin is back in Alaska facing a less friendly audience -...

Schwarzenegger Releases Budget Proposal Early.(The Regions)
January 2, 2009... Byline: Rich Saskal SAN FRANCISCO - With the impasse continuing over proposals to balance the current California budget, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's administration released his proposal for the next budget year Wednesday, almost two weeks...

Yields: Nearly All Indexes Decline Following Year-End Rally.(Investors and Investing)
January 2, 2009... Byline: Dan Seymour Nearly all The Bond Buyer's weekly yield indexes declined again during the past week as a year-end rally continued to push up prices for municipal bonds, particularly high-quality debt. The muni market has been...

Louisiana's Jindal Offers $341 Million Of Cuts in '09 Budget as Revenues Fall.(The Regions)
January 2, 2009... Byline: Jim Watts DALLAS - Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal has proposed mid-year fiscal 2009 budget cuts totaling $341 million as state revenues continue to fall due to a drop in energy prices. Jindal issued an executive order on Tuesday...

Munis Cap Tumultuous Year With Quiet Day.(Market News)
January 2, 2009... Byline: Jack Herman and Dan Seymour The municipal market was firmer Wednesday on a quiet day capping a tumultuous year for munis. In a shortened trading session for New Year's Eve, a trader in Chicago said the market was stronger by a...

Treasury to Sell $8B 10-Yr TIPs on Tuesday.(Market News Briefs)
January 2, 2009... Byline: Yong Lim The Treasury Department said it will sell $8 billion of 10-year inflation-indexed bonds on Jan. 6. The notes are dated Jan. 15 and due Jan. 15, 2019.

Treasury to Offer $53B 91-Days, $27B 182-Days.(Market News Briefs)
January 2, 2009... Byline: Yong Lim The Treasury Department said Wednesday it will auction $26 billion of 91-day bills and $27 billion of 182-day discount bills on Monday. The 91s are dated Jan. 8 and due April 9, 2009, and the 182s are dated Jan. 8 and...

Jobless Claims: Surprising Drop of 94,000 to 492,000.(Market News Briefs)
January 2, 2009... Byline: Market News International Initial claims for state unemployment showed a surprising 94,000 drop during Christmas week to 492,000, far below expectations, in a set of numbers a Labor Department analyst said he at first thought was...

Dec. NY-BCI ReboundsTo 50.1 From 33.3.(Market News Briefs)
January 2, 2009... Byline: Gary E. Siegel New York City business activity was flat in December, according to the National Association of Purchasing Management-New York's Report on Business. The current business conditions index soared to 50.1 in December...

New York State Jumps Into 2009 With $1.1 Billion PIT Bond Sale.(The Regions)
January 2, 2009... Byline: Ted Phillips New York plans to start 2009 with a bang, bringing $1.1 billion of personal income tax bonds to a fickle market next week in what likely will be the largest deal to date in the new year. The Empire State...

Fitch Negative on Summit County, Ohio.(The Regions)
January 2, 2009... Byline: Caitlin Devitt CHICAGO - Fitch Ratings recently revised its outlook to negative from stable on Summit County, Ohio, as the county faces dwindling revenues from sales and property taxes amid a weak regional and national economy. ...

Outlook: Public Power Seeking Fuel From Fed.(Washington)
January 2, 2009... Byline: Audrey Dutton WASHINGTON - The public power industry, pummelled by the recession like the rest of the municipal bond market, plans to seek federal assistance this year both to help issuers access the market and enable them to use...

Trends In The Region: CalHFA Severely Limits Lending.(Far West)
January 2, 2009... Byline: Andrew Ward SAN FRANCISCO - The largest public housing finance agency in the country has stopped most mortgage lending and is working to deleverage its balance sheet to help it weather the sharpest housing downturn in its three...

New Issues Fall 26% In Dec., 9% For Year; Credit Crunch Squeezes Issuance in '08.(News)
January 2, 2009... Byline: Jack Herman New-issue volume tumbled nearly 26% in December, capping off what has been a roller-coaster year for the financial markets. New-issue volume for the entire year fell more than 9% short of last year's record total,...

Northeast Bond-Watch.(Northeast)
January 5, 2009... Byline: Ted Phillips, Michelle Kaske NEW YORK Brodsky Balks at Vote The New York City Industrial Development Agency should delay a vote on $452.3 million of new-money financing for two Major League Baseball stadiums because of...

Deal In Focus: Triple-A Delaware Targets Retail With $225 Million GO Offering.(Northeast)
January 5, 2009... Byline: Lynne Funk WASHINGTON - Delaware finance officials are hoping the state's natural triple-A ratings will spark retail investor appetite for $225 million of general obligation bonds they plan to bring to market next week. The...

DISCLOSURE: MSRB's SHORT Delay; ARS Data in January, VRDOs in April.(Washington)
January 5, 2009... Byline: Andrew Ackerman WASHINGTON -The Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board on Friday proposed a partial delay in the rollout of a new transparency system for short-term securities, in response to industry requests for more time to test...

Dec. ISM Manufacturing Survey Index: 32.4.(Market News Briefs)
January 5, 2009... Manufacturing contracted in December as the purchasing managers' index registered 32.4%, 3.8 percentage points lower than the 36.2% reported in November. This is the lowest reading since June 1980 when the PMI registered 30.3%. A reading...

S&P: Children's Hospitals Shift to Stability.(Market News Briefs)
January 5, 2009... Not-for-profit standalone children's hospitals in the U.S. are beginning to see a shift in their operating and financial performance to a stable trend after several years of growth, Standard & Poor's said last week in a report. The group...

Moody's Assigns Aaa To Irving, Tex., GO Debt.(Market News Briefs)
January 5, 2009... Moody's Investors Service last week assigned a Aaa to the upcoming sale of $130 million of Irving, Tex., combination tax and hotel occupancy tax revenue certificates of obligation, Series 2009. The Aaa rating and stable outlook is based on...

PRIVATE-LETTER RULINGS: EZFBs Stay Tax-Exempt After Sale of Business, IRS Determines.(Washington)
January 5, 2009... Byline: Peter Schroeder The Internal Revenue Service has determined that some tax-exempt enterprise zone facility bonds issued to finance the construction of a business within a zone will remain tax-exempt even if the facility is sold to...

N.J. Deficit Revised Upwards to $2.1B.(The Regions)
January 5, 2009... Byline: Michelle Kaske Gov. Jon Corzine last week announced that New Jersey's current deficit increased to $2.1 billion, up from earlier shortfall projections of $1.2 billion due to underperforming revenues, and called for $800 million of...

Washington's Outgoing Treasurer Readies His Final Bonds in Difficult Market.(The Regions)
January 5, 2009... Byline: Rich Saskal SAN FRANCISCO - Washington state Treasurer Mike Murphy will conduct his final bond sale this week, and the debt will be sold at competitive auction, as Murphy has done throughout his 12 years in office. But the...

THE WEEK AHEAD: Volume Set to Pick Up as Issuers and Investors Refocus on 2009.(Investors and Investing)(Calendar)
January 5, 2009... Byline: Richard Williamson With the wreckage of 2008 in the rearview mirror, issuers will start boosting the supply of muni debt this week as investors continue their flight to quality. In the first full week of the year, more than...

Munis Unchanged in Slow Trading Session.(Market News)
January 5, 2009... Byline: Dan Seymour The municipal bond market was unchanged Friday on a slow day of trading to kick off 2009. One trader in New York described the muni market Friday as "dead." No municipalities scheduled bond sales, in either the...

Citi Keeps Hold of Top Spot; Rest of Rankings Show 2008's Turmoil.(News)
January 5, 2009... Byline: Jack Herman In a market that has seen nothing but change over the last 12 months, at least one thing is consistent: Citi remained the top underwriter in 2008. But the turmoil in the credit markets had an impact on just about...

BOND INSURERS: Investors in Ambac Trust File Lawsuit.(Underwriters & Dealers)
January 6, 2009... Byline: Jack Herman Investors in a trust of Ambac Financial Group Inc. debt securities have filed a class-action lawsuit against the company, alleging it published false or misleading statements about its financial and operating conditions...

Southwest Bond Watch.(Southwest)
January 6, 2009... Byline: Richard Williamson, Jim Watts ARIZONA Budget Gap Keeps Growing With tax collections falling 13.7% in November, Arizona lawmakers face a tougher challenge balancing a budget after severe cuts in 2008. Joint Legislative...

Without PSF, Texas District Stands On Its Own.(Southwest: Deal In Focus)
January 6, 2009... Byline: Richard Williamson DALLAS - The Tyler Independent School District will venture into the muni market on its own credit rating next week after the Texas Permanent School Fund reached its capacity limit for backing bonds. The East...

Quinn Takes on Illinois; Lieut. Governor Forms Ethics Reform Panel.(The Regions)
January 6, 2009... Byline: Yvette Shields CHICAGO - Illinois Lieut. Gov. Pat Quinn - who would take the reins of state government if the General Assembly acts to remove Gov. Rod Blagojevich - yesterday named a former federal prosecutor to lead an ethics...

BANKRUPTCY: Lehman Lawyers Oppose N.Y. Comptroller's Call for Trustee.(Underwriters & Dealers)
January 6, 2009... Byline: Jack Herman Lawyers for Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. yesterday disputed an argument made by New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli in November that the judge overseeing Lehman's bankruptcy proceedings should appoint a trustee...

PEOPLE: First Southwest's Bartolotta Gives Up His MSRB Dealer Seat.(Underwriters & Dealers)
January 6, 2009... Byline: Andrew Ackerman WASHINGTON - First Southwest Co. vice chairman Michael Bartolotta has left his securities dealer seat on the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board, following the November purchase of First Southwest Holdings Co. by...

Munis Unchanged With a Bit of Firmness.(Market News)
January 6, 2009... Byline: Michael Scarchilli The municipal market was unchanged with a slightly firmer tone yesterday. "There is some buying on the short end, but not much happening on the longer end," a trader in New York said. "Overall though, it's...

Construction Spending Dips 0.6% to $1.078 Trillion.(Market News)
January 6, 2009... Byline: Gary E. Siegel Spending on construction projects fell 0.6% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $1.078 trillion in November, as private construction decreased 1.5% and public construction rose 1.4%, according to Commerce...

Weekly T-Bills Go At 0.150%, 0.320% Highs.(Market News)
January 6, 2009... Byline: Gary E. Siegel Tender rates for the Treasury Department's latest 91-day and 182-day discount bills were higher yesterday, as the three-months incurred a 0.150% high rate, up from 0.050% the prior week, and the six-months incurred a...

Yellen Cites 'Serious Risk' Of Extended 'Stagnation'.(Market News)
January 6, 2009... Byline: Market News International SAN FRANCISCO - San Francisco Federal Reserve Bank president Janet Yellen Sunday warned that without "substantial" fiscal stimulus to supplement monetary stimulus, the U.S. economy could face an "extended...

Gov. Richardson, CDR Deny 'Pay-to-Play' Violations.(News)
January 6, 2009... Byline: Richard Williamson and Andrew Ackerman DALLAS - CDR Financial Products stepped up its defense of its role in a high-profile New Mexico bond program yesterday after Gov. Bill Richardson withdrew from consideration as secretary of...

Syracuse Developer Donates to Pols, Pushes for ESDC Changes.(The Regions)
January 6, 2009... Byline: Ted Phillips A donation by Syracuse, N.Y., mall developer Robert Congel to former President Bill Clinton's foundation in 2004 may have caused a headache for Sen. Hillary Clinton's confirmation as U.S. secretary of state, but giving...

Stimulus May Wait Until Feb. Senate Panel May Vote on Tax Portion.(News)
January 6, 2009... Byline: Audrey Dutton and Peter Schroeder WASHINGTON - President-elect Barack Obama and congressional Democrats have conceded that an economic recovery bill containing $310 billion of tax cuts and $465 billion of spending may not be ready...

CLOSED-END-FUNDS: Thanks to Rally, Pimco Pays Postponed Dividend After All.(Investors & Investing)
January 6, 2009... Byline: Dan Seymour A rally in the municipal bond market to close out 2008 enabled Pacific Investment Management Co. last week to pay a previously postponed dividend on a closed-end muni fund. The Newport Beach, Calif.-based investment...

Raymond James: No ARS Buyback Money.(News)
January 7, 2009... Byline: Patrick Temple-West WASHINGTON - Besieged with complaints from auction-rate securities clients, Raymond James Financial Inc. has taken the unusual step of sending them letters, saying it lacks the financing necessary to buy back...

Arizona Set to Exhaust Financial Resources, Treasurer Warns.(The Regions)
January 7, 2009... Byline: Jim Watts DALLAS - Arizona is spending money faster than its revenues are coming in, Treasurer Dean Martin said Monday, requiring the state to borrow money on a short-term basis for the first time since World War II. Martin...

Midwest Bond-Watch.(Midwest)
January 7, 2009... Byline: Yvette Shields ILLINOIS Chicago's Hole Gets Deeper Poor revenue collections and increased snow removal costs contributed to an additional $31 million shortfall in Chicago's 2008 budget, chief financial officer Paul Volpe...

Calif. DWR Revisits Refunding; State Counting on More Stable Market.(The Regions)
January 7, 2009... Byline: Andrew Ward SAN FRANCISCO - The California Department of Water Resources plans to try again today to price for institutions $350 million of power supply revenue bonds that found no buyers in November. The state is hoping that a...

Colorado's Ritter Will Push Three-Tiered Approach to Plugging Gap.(The Regions)
January 7, 2009... Byline: Richard Williamson DALLAS - Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter Jr. will call for a "three-tiered" approach to covering an estimated $600 million budget gap at the General Assembly session that opens tomorrow, an aide said. The three...

RESTRUCTURING: Strategic Review of Hypo Group and Its Banking Units Still Up in the Air.(Underwrtiters and Dealers)
January 7, 2009... Byline: Jack Herman Germany-based Hypo Real Estate Group yesterday said that it has yet to finalize any plans for the strategic restructuring it announced last month. A spokesman said it's too early to speculate on the outcome of the...

Facing $2.3B Gap, Florida Starts Budget-Slashing Special Session.(The Regions)
January 7, 2009... Byline: Shelly Sigo BRADENTON, Fla. - Facing some grim facts about the state of Florida's economy, the Legislature opened a special two-week session Monday to cut the budget. In addition to lower-than-expected revenues that have helped...

Public Finance Execs Urge G-37 Amendments.(News)
January 7, 2009... Byline: Andrew Ackerman WASHINGTON - Public finance executives at the three largest underwriters for negotiated transactions are urging the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board to consider amending its Rule G-37 on political contributions...

Munis Firmer; Yields Lower by 3 Basis Points.(Market News)
January 7, 2009... Byline: Michael Scarchilli The municipal market was slightly firmer yesterday. Traders said tax-exempt yields were lower by about three basis points overall. "Munis are doing a bit better today, and they've gotten progressively firmer...

FOMC Minutes: Use Balance Sheet Policies.(Market News Briefs)
January 7, 2009... Byline: Gary E. Siegel At a meeting on Dec. 15 and 16, members of the Federal Open Market Committee agreed that "maintaining a low level of short-term interest rates and relying on the use of balance sheet policies and communications about...

Factory Orders Off 4.6%; Ex-Transportation -4.2%.(Market News Briefs)
January 7, 2009... Byline: Gary E. Siegel New factory orders for manufactured goods slumped 4.6% in November, the Commerce Department said yesterday. The factory order decrease, to $384.586 billion, was larger than the 2.5% decrease projected by Thomson...

Pending Home Sales Index Falls to 82.3.(Market News Briefs)
January 7, 2009... Byline: Gary E. Siegel Pending home sales decreased to a reading of 82.3 in November from a downwardly revised 85.7 in October, originally reported as 88.9, according to an index released yesterday by the National Association of Realtors....

ISM Non-Mfg Index Rises To 40.6 in Dec. From 37.3.(Market News Briefs)
January 7, 2009... Byline: Gary E. Siegel The Institute for Supply Management's non-manufacturing business activity composite index was 40.6 in December, up from 37.3 in November, on a seasonally adjusted basis, the group said yesterday. Economists...

N.J. Medical School Gears Up for $575M Refunding as Audit Results Loom.(The Regions)
January 7, 2009... Byline: Michelle Kaske As the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey gears up for a long-awaited refinancing, questions continue over its billing and financial practices. The New Jersey Educational Facilities Authority will...

Oklahoma DOT Ready to 'Move Dirt' With Stimulus Funds.(The Regions)
January 7, 2009... Byline: Jim Watts DALLAS - Oklahoma has identified 100 highway projects across the state that could begin construction as early as March if Congress passes a proposed multibillion-dollar transportation infrastructure stimulus package. ...

Is TIFIA Tapped Out? High Demand Taxes Program's Coffers.(News)
January 7, 2009... Byline: Audrey Dutton WASHINGTON - The current financial crisis that has caused Treasury rates to plummet has created a boom in demand for a 10-year-old federal program that offers low-interest loans, pegged to Treasury rates, to...

TRENDS IN THE REGION: Budget Woes, Lack of Reserves Put Michigan in a Precarious Position.(Midwest)
January 7, 2009... Byline: Yvette Shields CHICAGO - As lawmakers around the Midwest return to work in coming days, Michiganfinds itself sorely unprepared to deal with the economic crisis because of ongoing structural budget imbalances and the lack of...

TxDOT Pulls the Plug on Massive Trans-Texas Corridor Concept.(The Regions)
January 7, 2009... Byline: Richard Williamson DALLAS - With its own future in question, the Texas Department of Transportation is abandoning the Trans-Texas Corridor as a planning concept, executive director Amadeo Saenz said yesterday. "Texans have...

Virginia College Building Agency Bringing $309M to Market Today.(The Regions)
January 7, 2009... Byline: Lynne Funk WASHINGTON - The Virginia College Building Authority will bring $309 million of revenue bonds to market in a negotiated transaction today to finance about 30 construction projects at nine colleges and universities...

PUBLIC FINANCE: Regional Banks See Muni Opportunities.(Underwriters and Dealers)
January 8, 2009... Byline: Jack Herman The economic crisis has hit public finance hard, with deals delayed, financing troubles for issuers, and job cuts at many Wall Street firms. But despite the turmoil, many mid-market and local investment banks have...

Municipal Bond Activities.(News)
January 8, 2009... January 15-16 The National Federation of Municipal Analysts will hold an Advanced Seminar on Health Care at Disney's Grand Floridian in Orlando. For more information or to register visit www.nfma.org or contact Lisa Good at 412-341-4898 or...

TREASURY: CBO Warns U.S. Near Debt Limit, Raising Fears of Halt to SLGS Sales.(Washington)
January 8, 2009... Byline: Audrey Dutton The federal government could reach its debt limit of $11.315 trillion as soon as the spring, Congressional Budget Office analysts said yesterday, causing municipal market participants to worry that the Treasury could...

Southeast Bond-Watch.(Southeast)
January 8, 2009... Byline: Shelly Sigo, Jim Watts, Patrick Temple-West, Lynne Funk GEORGIA MARTA Hitting the Skids The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority said Monday that its fiscal crisis has worsened since it took measures to deal with a...

Connecticut Governor to Push Deep Cuts to Cover $356 Million Shortfall.(News)
January 8, 2009... Byline: Ted Phillips Connecticut Gov. M. Jodi Rell yesterday promised to propose painful budget cuts next month as the state grapples with a $356 million current-year deficit. "The cuts that must be made will be deep and they will...

Detroit's Rating Headaches; Drop to Junk Risks Swap Termination.(News)
January 8, 2009... Byline: Yvette Shields CHICAGO - Detroit officials were working yesterday to stave off a demand from its interest rate swap counterparties for a termination payment following Standard & Poor's move a day earlier to strip the city's general...

Fed Offers to Provide Backstop For State & Local Investment Pools.(News)
January 8, 2009... Byline: Andrew Ackerman and Patrick Temple-West WASHINGTON - The Federal Reserve yesterday offered to provide a backstop for state and local government investment pools by making them eligible for its Money Market Investor Funding Facility,...

Munis Firmer on a 'Pretty Positive Day'.(Market News)
January 8, 2009... Byline: Michael Scarchilli The municipal market was firmer yesterday, as most of the week's largest scheduled deals were priced in the primary market. Traders said tax-exempt yields were lower by six or seven basis points overall. "We...

K.C. Fed's Hoenig: There's No Shortcuts to Stability.(Market News Briefs)
January 8, 2009... Byline: Gary E. Siegel How the U.S. addresses the economic challenges it faces will determine the length and depth of the current recession, according to Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City president Thomas M. Hoenig. "There are no...

ADP Report Sees 693,000 Drop in December Payrolls.(Market News Briefs)
January 8, 2009... Byline: Gary E. Siegel December private payrolls are expected to have declined 693,000, according to Automatic Data Processing's national employment report released yesterday. A poll of economists conducted by Thomson Reuters revealed...

Online Jobs Ads Drop 507,000 in December.(Market News Briefs)
January 8, 2009... Byline: Gary E. Siegel About 3,861,000 online job postings appeared on leading Internet job boards in December, a 507,000 decrease from November's revised level of 4,368,000, the Conference Board reported yesterday. "The sharp December...

GRIP Probe Turns to Richardson Advisers.(The Regions)
January 8, 2009... Byline: Richard Williamson DALLAS - Two former operatives for New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson are under scrutiny in a federal investigation into the hiring of a swap adviser for a $1.5 billion bond program that served as the governor's...

N.Y. Governor Proposes Renewable Energy and Conservation Program.(The Regions)
January 8, 2009... Byline: Ted Phillips Amid gloomy economic news, New York Gov. David Paterson yesterday called for investing in renewable energy and conservation in his first state of the state speech. The program, called "45 by 15," would set a goal...

Puerto Rico Panel to Release Deficit Suggestions; Puig to Head Treasury.(The Regions)
January 8, 2009... Byline: Michelle Kaske A fiscal advisory committee is set to release its recommendations today on how Puerto Rico can address an estimated $3.2 billion deficit in its $9.48 billion fiscal 2009 budget. The report comes after Gov. Luis...

SIFMA Hires Leon Bijou as Director With Focus on Munis.(News)
January 8, 2009... Byline: Andrew Ackerman WASHINGTON - The Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association has hired Leon J. Bijou as managing director and associate general manager to work primarily with its municipal securities division on legal,...

Kerry Offers Measure to Exempt PABs From AMT; Senator Wants Bill in Stimulus Package.(News)
January 8, 2009... Byline: Peter Schroeder and Lynne Funk WASHINGTON - Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., has introduced legislation that would exempt all private-activity bonds, including refunding bonds, from the alternative minimum tax, hoping it will be included...

TRENDS IN THE REGION: In Alabama and Jefferson County, The Bad-News Saga Just Stretches On.(Southeast)
January 8, 2009... Byline: Shelly Sigo BRADENTON, Fla. - Alabama enters 2009 still under the cloud created by Jefferson County's lingering sewer debt crisis. A lot is riding on what happens in the first half of the year. The county's sewer system is $3.2...

Far West Bond-Watch.(Far West)
January 9, 2009... Byline: Andrew Ward CALIFORNIA The Race to Replace Arnold Former eBay Inc. chief executive officer Meg Whitman resigned from three corporate boards in a move that was widely seen as preparation for a run for governor of...

Calif. Legislative Analyst Sees $40B Gap, Calls Governor's Plan 'Risky'.(The Regions)
January 9, 2009... Byline: Andrew Ward SAN FRANCISCO -California legislative analyst Mac Taylor said Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's 2009-2010 budget shows that the state's fiscal options are narrowing, and he called the governor's deficit borrowing plans...

NEW HIRES: Stifel Nicolaus Opens N.Y.C. Office Headed by Finance Vet.(Underwriters and Dealers)
January 9, 2009... Byline: Ted Phillips Stifel, Nicolaus & Co. opened a New York City office headed by public finance veteran Frank C. Oh, the St. Louis based-firm announced last week. The office will focus, at least initially, on New York and New Jersey...

Frank Bill to Clarify Fed Muni Help.(News)
January 9, 2009... Byline: Peter Schroeder and Andrew Ackerman WASHINGTON - House Financial Services Committee chairman Barney Frank is expected to introduce legislation today that will give the Treasury Department and the Federal Reserve explicit authority...

Florida House, Senate Set to Weigh Their Versions of Budget-Cutting Bills.(The Regions)
January 9, 2009... Byline: Shelly Sigo BRADENTON, Fla. -Florida's House and Senate today each consider their own versions of budget-cutting bills, one of which would prohibit a long-running bond program from issuing any new debt for the rest of the current...

NEW HIRES: FGIC's Fried Joins Greenberg to Focus on Project Finance.(Underwriters and Dealers)
January 9, 2009... Byline: Jack Herman Greenberg Traurig LLP announced earlier this week that Jeffrey Fried, formerly head of public finance at Financial Guaranty Insurance Co., has joined the firm as a shareholder in its corporate and securities group,...

Illinois Inquiry Wraps Up; Impeachment Vote Could Come Today.(News)
January 9, 2009... Byline: Yvette Shields CHICAGO - A special Illinois House inquiry committee yesterday was poised to wrap up its work, paving the way for a vote as soon as today by the full House to impeach Gov. Rod Blagojevich, who was arrested one month...