The Bond Buyer articles from May 2009

The Bond Buyer archives from May 2009

Weekly Yields Rise; BAB-Fueled Rally Slows to a Halt.(News)
May 1, 2009... Byline: Dan Seymour Reports that the municipal bond market found its savior may have been premature. Munis have slogged through a tough week in resistance to a mighty rally that ended with a thud last Thursday. The rally fueled...

Munis Weaker for Sixth Straight Day.(Market News)
May 1, 2009... Byline: Jack Herman & Dan Seymour The municipal market finished weaker for the sixth straight day yesterday, while underwriters priced for institutional clients the remainder of a $1.64 billion offering from Florida'sCitizens Property...

IN BRIEF: Jobless Claims Fall 14,000 to 631,000.(Market News)
May 1, 2009... Byline: Market News International Initial claims for state unemployment benefits decreased 14,000 in the April 25 week to 631,000, in what a Labor Department analyst referred to as "a fairly uneventful week." A Market News...

IN BRIEF: Employment Cost Index Shows 0.3% Rise in 1Q.(Market News)
May 1, 2009... Byline: Market News International The recession continues to moderate labor costs, as shown in the mere 0.3% rise in the employment cost index for the first quarter of this year, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported yesterday. This...

IN BRIEF: Personal Income Off 0.3%; Core PCE Declines 0.2%.(Market News)
May 1, 2009... Byline: Market News International The U.S. March personal income report was unremarkable in its continuation of the recent trends of lower wages and rising savings, but it offered explanations why consumption was higher than expected in the...

IN BRIEF: April Chicago PMI 40.1, Up From 31.4 in March.(Market News)
May 1, 2009... Byline: Gary E. Siegel The Chicago Purchasing Managers' Business Barometer rose to 40.1 in April from 31.4 in March, the National Association of Purchasing Management-Chicago said yesterday. Economists polled by Thomson Reuters predicted a...

IN BRIEF: April NAPM-NY Index Plunges to 28.3 From 43.9.(Market News)
May 1, 2009... Byline: Gary E. Siegel New York City business activity declined in April, dropping to levels not seen since Sept. 11, 2001, according to the National Association of Purchasing Management-New York's Report on Business. The current...

For Munis, Stimulus Offers Both Options and Questions.(News)
May 1, 2009... Byline: Rich Saskal LOS ANGELES - The municipal bond provisions of the federal stimulus package, particularly Build America Bonds, offer intriguing options for issuers, though some questions remain about implementation, panelists said at a...

West Coast Ports Face Rough Seas; Traffic Sees Double-Digit Declines.(News)
May 1, 2009... Byline: Andrew Ward SAN FRANCISCO - West Coast ports are weathering what may be the toughest storm they've ever faced. After more than two decades of growth in global trade volumes, the big ports that send raw materials to Asia and...

BABs Boost Taxables; New Issuance in April Hits Highest Level Since 2003.(News)
May 1, 2009... Byline: Jack Herman New issuance of taxable bonds hit its highest level since June 2003 in April thanks to some of the market's largest issuers selling billions of dollars of Build America Bonds created as part of the stimulus package in...

MUTUAL FUNDS: Inflows Dip But Stay Firm at $772M As Investors Regain Taste for Risk.(Investors & Investing)
May 4, 2009... Byline: Dan Seymour Investors handed over another fat slug of cash to municipal bond mutual funds last week as money continued to flood out of safe havens and into higher-yielding assets. Investors during the week ended April 29...

Northeast Bond-Watch.(Northeast)
May 4, 2009... Byline: Patrick Temple-West, Michelle Kaske MARYLAND Baltimore Signs Port Pact The Port of Baltimore announced Thursday that it has signed a six-year contract extension with its largest shipping company. The contract, signed...

GUEST WORDS: MSRB Shouldn't Regulate Both Dealers and Independent FAs.(Commentary)
May 4, 2009... Byline: Steven Apfelbacher On April 9, the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board released a report entitled "Unregulated Municipal Market Participants - A Case for Reform." Its primary conclusion is that regulatory gaps in the muni...

DEAL IN FOCUS: MassHEFA to Deal for Partners Health.(Northeast)
May 4, 2009... Byline: Michelle Kaske The Massachusetts Health and Educational Facilities Finance Authority will head to market in the next two weeks with $200 million of tax-exempt, new-money debt on behalf of Partners HealthCare System. The...

S&P Drops Two Midwest Hospitals to Junk Status.(The Regions)
May 4, 2009... Byline: Caitlin Devitt CHICAGO - A pair of struggling Midwestern hospitals lost their investment-grade ratings from Standard & Poor's last week. Both are suffering from extremely low liquidity - an increasing concern for rating analysts -...

Ill. Agency Outlook Negative; Fitch Acts Ahead Of $500M Issue.(The Regions)
May 4, 2009... Byline: Yvette Shields CHICAGO - Fitch Ratings on Friday revised its outlook on the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority'scredit to negative as it prepares to enter the market as soon as next week with a $500 million financing that -...

TO THE EDITOR: 'Don't Single Us Out,' CDR Says.(News)
May 4, 2009... Byline: David Rubin We are replying belatedly to Michael Decker's commentary calling for greater regulation of the municipal bond market, "It's Time to Close the Financial Adviser Loophole," on April 6. Mr. Decker draws on all his...

Munis Start New Month with a Tepid Session.(Market News)
May 4, 2009... Byline: Jack Herman & Dan Seymour May trading in municipals opened with a weaker tone Friday, continuing a slide that characterized the latter part of April. Traders said that the market was off by a basis point or two in a light trading...

IN BRIEF: Factory Orders Down 0.9%; Ex-Transportation Off 0.9%.(Market News)
May 4, 2009... Byline: Gary E. Siegel New factory orders for manufactured goods dropped 0.9% in March, the Commerce Department said Friday. The factory order decrease, to $345.3 billion, was larger than the 0.6% decrease projected by Thomson Reuters...

IN BRIEF: April ISM Index at 40.1, Up From 36.3 in March.(Market News)
May 4, 2009... Byline: Gary E. Siegel The overall economy failed to grow for the seventh straight month after 83 months of expansion, while the manufacturing sector contracted for the 15th month in a row, the Institute for Supply Management reported...

IN BRIEF: Consumer Sentiment Rebounds in April.(Market News)
May 4, 2009... Byline: Gary E. Siegel The University of Michigan's final April consumer sentiment index reading was 65.1 compared to the preliminary April reading of 61.9, the final March 57.3, and February's 56.3, according to market sources. Economists...

Bloomberg Presents 'Prudent' Budget; Calls for a 0.5% Sales Tax Hike.(News)
May 4, 2009... Byline: Michelle Kaske New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg last week presented a $59.44 billion executive budget proposal for fiscal 2010 that boosts the city's sales tax by 0.5% and decreases its 10-year capital plan to $61.7 billion...

Panelists: Muni Issuers Promised Their Employees Way Too Much.(Pension & OPEB Conference)(Discussion)
May 4, 2009... Byline: Andrew Ward LOS ANGELES - Municipal bond issuers have measured their other post-employment benefit liabilities, reported them on their financial statements, and come to a conclusion: Most can't pay what they've promised. ...

RDA Ruling Puts $350M Hit on California.(News)
May 4, 2009... Byline: Rich Saskal LOS ANGELES - California's budget problems got $350 million bigger last week, following a court decision that will boost the state's redevelopment agencies by the same amount. Redevelopment agencies filed suit after...

Market Timing Is the Key to Issuing OPEB, Other Pension Bonds: Panel.(Pension & OPEB Conference)
May 4, 2009... Byline: Rich Saskal LOS ANGELES - When it comes to issuing bonds to finance pension or other retirement obligations, market timing should dominate the thinking, Public Financial Management's Girard Miller said Thursday, during a panel on...

Tennessee Seeks to Curb Derivative Deals.(News)
May 4, 2009... Byline: Andrew Ackerman WASHINGTON - Tennessee Comptroller Justin Wilson on Friday proposed sweeping changes to municipal finance guidelines in an attempt to restrict small, unsophisticated issuers in the state from entering into complex...

THE WEEK AHEAD: California, Georgia Deals Fatten Primary Slate to $5.46B.(Investors & Investing)(Calendar)
May 4, 2009... Byline: Christine Albano A trio of sizable financings from issuers in California, as well as a large Georgia offering, will be the largest deals to usher in the first full trading week of May as the primary market anticipates an estimated...

Loosening the Usury Cap; Arkansas Provision Curtails Debt Sales.(The Regions)
May 5, 2009... Byline: Jim Watts DALLAS - A state constitutional cap on the amount of bond interest that Arkansas state and local governments can pay is curtailing their ability to issue debt. A provision in the state constitution limits the interest...

MINORITY-OWNED FIRMS: Blaylock Robert Van Hires Aquacena Lopez.(Underwriters & Dealers)
May 5, 2009... Byline: Jack Herman Blaylock Robert Van LLC, an Oakland-based investment bank and financial services company,has hired public finance veteran Aquacena Lopez to lead the planned expansion of its municipal finance business, the...

Southwest Bond-Watch.(Southwest)
May 5, 2009... Byline: Jim Watts ARIZONA State Is Back to Black Arizona's general fund has repaid the money it borrowed from the state when the fund dipped to zero in mid-April, Treasurer Dean Martin said last week. The deficit averaged...

Correction.(Market News)(Correction notice)
May 5, 2009... Yesterday's Week Ahead column included incorrect rating information. Georgia's general obligation credit is rated triple-A by all three major rating agencies.

DEAL IN FOCUS: As Economy Cools, Denton County, Tex., Take Bids on $104M of AAA Debt.(Southwest)
May 5, 2009... Byline: Richard Williamson DALLAS - With some trepidation, Denton County, north of Dallas and Fort Worth, will test the strength of its triple-A credit rating in a competitive sale of $104 million of general obligation bonds next week. ...

Florida Lawmakers Agree on $65B Budget With Employee Pay Cuts.(The Regions)
May 5, 2009... Byline: Shelly Sigo BRADENTON, Fla. - The Florida Legislature continued its session into this week to complete work on a $65 billion budget. The regular session ended Friday without a budget for the coming fiscal year, which begins July 1....

Georgia Touts Triple-A, $314M GO Sale, Draws Strong Retail Interest.(The Regions)
May 5, 2009... Byline: Shelly Sigo BRADENTON, Fla. - Gilt-edged Georgia said it received strong retail interest yesterday in $314.5 million of general obligation bonds, attributing some of the demand to its public education and advertising campaigns. The...

HOUSING: Fitch Will Begin Giving Outlooks to Specific HFA Credits.(Washington)
May 5, 2009... Byline: Audrey Dutton In response to the range of negative pressures on housing finance, Fitch Ratings said in a report yesterday that it will begin assigning specific rating outlooks to various credits within the state housing finance...

REGULATION: Treasury, IRS Seek Comments on Guidance Priorities.(Washington)
May 5, 2009... Byline: Peter Schroeder The Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue Service are seeking public comments on what municipal bond and other regulatory projects should be included on its 2009-2010 guidance priority list. In a...

N.Y. Lawmakers Focus on MTA Rescue Plan, Minus Capital Financing.(The Regions)
May 5, 2009... Byline: Ted Phillips A long-term plan for capital financing for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority appeared to be off the table yesterday as New York lawmakers kept talking about a rescue plan for the troubled agency. Over the...

Munis Again Unchanged to Slightly Weaker.(Market News)
May 5, 2009... Byline: Jack Herman & Dan Seymour The start of a new week did not help break the grip of the tone that has held the municipal market for more than a week, as munis were was once again unchanged to slightly weaker. Traders said activity...

Construction Spending Rises 0.3% to $969.7B.(Market News Briefs)
May 5, 2009... Byline: Gary E. Siegel Spending on construction projects rose 0.3% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $969.7 billion in March as private construction decreased 0.1% and public construction rose 1.1%, according to Commerce Department...

Pending Home Sales Index Gains to 84.6 in March.(Market News Briefs)
May 5, 2009... Byline: Gary E. Siegel Pending home sales increased 3.2% to a reading of 84.6 in March from a downwardly revised 82.0 in February, originally reported as 82.1, according to an index released yesterday by the National Association of...

Hoenig: Despite Actions, Market Still Under Stress.(Market News Briefs)
May 5, 2009... Byline: Market News International Kansas City Federal Reserve Bank president Thomas Hoenig said yesterday that the U.S. economic outlook remains "uncertain" and markets are still under stress despite the timely action by the Fed and other...

Senior Loan Officers Report Tightening Credit.(Market News Briefs)
May 5, 2009... Byline: Gary E. Siegel Credit was tightened in the past three months, according to the Federal Reserve's senior loan officer survey, which found respondents tightened standards for mortgages, credit cards, and consumer loans, while demand...

Online Job Postings Dip to 3.117M in April.(Market News Briefs)
May 5, 2009... Byline: Gary E. Siegel About 3.117 million online job postings appeared on leading Internet job boards in April, a 131,000 decrease from March's 3.248 million, the Conference Board reported yesterday.

N.J. Underwriter RFQ Focuses on Transportation Plans.(The Regions)
May 5, 2009... Byline: Michelle Kaske New Jersey will revamp its underwriting pool in the next few weeks, with an eye to bringing in firms that offer transportation financing strategies for the state. Treasury Department officials are looking to...

New York State to Hit Debt Limit Without Action, Budget Report Says.(The Regions)
May 5, 2009... Byline: Ted Phillips New York's enacted capital budget report for fiscal 2010 contained few surprises when it was released yesterday, but it was back to the future on projections that the state would exceed its statutory debt limit by...

Schapiro: SEC to Offer MMF Rules in June.(Washington)
May 5, 2009... Byline: Andrew Ackerman WASHINGTON - The Securities and Exchange Commission may propose rules as early as next month to boost the credit quality and shorten the maturity of eligible money-market fund investments, chairman Mary Schapiro...

VRDO Liquidity Facility? Obama Administration Could Roll Out Temporary Liquidity Facility Within 10 Days; Fannie and Freddie May Launch Soon.(Washington)
May 5, 2009... Byline: Andrew Ackerman WASHINGTON - The Obama administration is close to unveiling a temporary liquidity facility for variable-rate demand obligations sold by state, and possibly local, housing finance agencies, knowledgeable sources said...

Wisconsin Transit Agency Vote Causes Stir.(The Regions)
May 5, 2009... Byline: Yvette Shields CHICAGO - The vote late last week by the WisconsinLegislature's Joint Finance Committee to create regional transportation authorities with taxing powers in the Milwaukee and Madison areas has generated praise and...

N.J. Faces $1.2B Revenue Shortfall; Gross Income Tax Receipts Off $800M.(The Regions)
May 6, 2009... Byline: Michelle Kaske New Jersey faces a revenue shortfall of more than $1.2 billion for fiscal 2009, with gross income tax receipts in April coming in $800 million below prior estimates, according to the state's Office of Legislative...

Midwest Bond-Watch.(Midwest)
May 6, 2009... Byline: Yvette Shields ILLINOIS S&P Puts Hit on Provena Standard & Poor's last week downgraded Provena Health System's issuer credit rating to BBB-plus from A-minus due to challenged operations and light debt-service coverage, and...

Calif. Bill to Limit Firms' Role in Bond Referendums Is Put on Hold.(The Regions)
May 6, 2009... Byline: Rich Saskal SAN FRANCISCO - The sponsor of a California bill to limit the ability of municipal bond firms to participate in bond referendum campaigns has put the measure on ice. Its first hearing had been scheduled this week,...

Correction.(Market News)(Correction notice)
May 6, 2009... Monday's Deal in Focus story on Partners HealthCare System included incorrect collateral posting figures. Partners posted $36 million of collateral to swap counterparties as of March 31, down from $99 million as of Dec. 31.

Erie County Agency Selling $103M Of Bans Following Agreement.(The Regions)
May 6, 2009... Byline: Ted Phillips The Erie County, N.Y., Fiscal Stability Authority plans to market $103.5 million of bond anticipation notes today following an agreement last month that appears to have ended years of acrimony between Erie County and...

LEGISLATION: Omnibus Bill to Impose 'Fiduciary' FA Standard; Frank Plans Hearing on Muni Bond Bill.(Washington)
May 6, 2009... Byline: Andrew Ackerman WASHINGTON - House Financial Services Committee chairman Barney Frank plans to hold a hearing May 21 on an omnibus municipal bond bill his staff is drafting that is expected to include a provision to impose a...

ENFORCEMENT: IRS Eying Issues in Colorado, Oklahoma and Pennsylvania.(Washington)
May 6, 2009... Byline: Peter Schroeder The Internal Revenue Service has turned its attention to bond issues in three states, and although the examinations appear to be random, at least one stems from an ongoing IRS project on arbitrage rebate. The...

REGULATION: MSRB Planning to Make Technical Enhancements to SHORT System.(Washington)
May 6, 2009... Byline: Andrew Ackerman The Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board announced yesterday that on May 11 it will make several technical enhancements to its short-term obligation rate transparency, or SHORT, system for auction-rate securities...

N.Y. Senate Crafts Bill to Close MTA Funding Gap, Back Bonding.(The Regions)
May 6, 2009... Byline: Ted Phillips The New York Senate was expected to finish a bill last night to close a funding gap for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority that would create revenue streams to support up to $6 billion of bonds for the transit...

Pair of BAB Deals Kick Off the Week.(Market News)
May 6, 2009... Byline: Jack Herman & Dan Seymour New issuance for this week got underway in earnest yesterday as two Build America Bond offerings hit the market with spreads tighter to Treasuries than some of the larger BAB deals that entered the market...

Bernanke Sees Recovery Beginning Later This Year.(Market News Briefs)
May 6, 2009... Byline: Gary E. Siegel The economy should bottom out and begin to rebound later this year, Federal Reserve Board chairman Ben Bernanke told the congressional Joint Economic Committee yesterday. "We continue to expect economic activity...

Fed's Rosengren Cites Lack Of Resolution Mechanisms.(Market News Briefs)
May 6, 2009... Byline: Market News International Boston Federal Reserve Bank president Eric Rosengren said yesterday that regulators around the world must work cooperatively to find ways to regulate large "systemically important" financial institutions...

Stern: Recession Likely To Persist 'For Some Time'.(Market News Briefs)
May 6, 2009... Byline: Market News International Due to the current state of the credit markets, the ongoing recession in the U.S. is likely to persist "for some time longer," with the initial recovery likely to be subdued, retiring Minneapolis Federal...

N.J. May Face November Vote on $600M of Debt for Open Space.(The Regions)
May 6, 2009... Byline: Michelle Kaske New Jersey voters may weigh in on $600 million of borrowing for open space initiatives in November as lawmakers plan to move forward on a bond bill that will help keep the Garden State Preservation Trust solvent...

With Revenues Down, Ohio Officials Mull Tapping Reserve.(The Regions)
May 6, 2009... Byline: Yvette Shields CHICAGO - Ohio's revenue collections last month fell about $322 million short of budgeted estimates, putting more pressure on Gov. Ted Strickland and lawmakers to dip into the state's budget reserve to cope with what...

BUILD AMERICAN BONDS: Call Options for BABs: Yea or Nay?
May 6, 2009... Byline: Dan Seymour The rush of state and local governments into the taxable bond market has prompted reports of significant savings. Just how much savings is a contentious - and complicated - question. Issuers and financial advisers...

Radian Reports First-Quarter Net Loss of $217 Million.(Underwriters & Dealers)(Financial report)
May 6, 2009... Byline: Jack Herman Radian Group Inc., parent of bond insurer Radian Asset Assurance Inc., yesterday reported a 2009 first-quarter net loss of $217.4 million, compared to a net income of $195.6 million a year earlier. The company...

San Antonio Powers Up for Texas' First BABs.(The Regions)
May 6, 2009... Byline: Richard Williamson DALLAS -San Antonio is preparing the first issue of Build America Bonds in Texas with a combined $560 million of debt for the city's CPS Energy utility. The deal, expected to be sold later this month, would...

TRENDS IN THE REGION: Big Cleveland Project Advances as Cuyahoga Makes Acquisition Plans.(Midwest)
May 6, 2009... Byline: Yvette Shields CHICAGO - Plans for a new bond-financed, privately operated $425 million convention center and medical mart in Cleveland took a significant step forward this week with the announcement that Cuyahoga County will...

Municipal Bond Activities.(News)
May 7, 2009... April 29-May 1 The Financial Markets Association will hold a Securities Compliance Seminar at the Hilton Crystal City Hotel in Arlington, Va. It's designed for compliance specialists, internal auditors, risk managers, regulators, and...

Southeast Bond-Watch.(Southeast)
May 7, 2009... Byline: Shelly Sigo, Jim Watts, Patrick Temple-West ALABAMA Education Budget Signed Alabama Gov. Bob Riley Monday signed into law a $6.2 billion education budget that avoids layoffs for teachers and school support personnel. ...

Glendale, Ariz., Left Holding the Puck; Departure by Phoenix Coyotes Leaves Behind Debt, Void.(News)
May 7, 2009... Byline: Richard Williamson DALLAS - A bankruptcy filing by a National Hockey League team with plans to return to Canada leaves Glendale, Ariz., with a six-year-old arena and $180 million of debt amid a worsening recession. Calling the...

Wells Fargo Taps Vet Peter Hill; Will Lead Muni Investment Banking.(News)
May 7, 2009... Byline: Jack Herman Wells Fargo & Co. yesterday announced that it has hired industry veteran Peter Hill to head its public finance investment banking group. Hill, who was the manager of public finance at Banc of America Securities LLC...

LADWP Readies $190 Million Power Revenue Bond Offering.(The Regions)
May 7, 2009... Byline: Andrew Ward SAN FRANCISCO - The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, the largest U.S. municipal utility, plans to sell $190 million of revenue bonds next week. The bonds are the first of $1 billion of refunding bonds...

Moody's Puts Mets Stadium Bonds on Downgrade Review.(The Regions)
May 7, 2009... Byline: Ted Phillips Moody's Investors Service yesterday put $547.4 million of bonds issued to build the New York Mets' Citi Field stadium on review for possible downgrade to junk status due to the recent downgrade of the bonds' surety...

Detroit Elects New Mayor; Mixed Results for Midwest Ballots.(News)
May 7, 2009... Byline: Yvette Shields CHICAGO - Detroit voters elected businessman and former Pistons star Dave Bing over incumbent Kenneth Cockrel Jr. to serve out the mayoral term of Kwame Kilpatrick, while voters across Michigan and Ohio delivered a...

REGULATION: MSRB Planning to Delay Its Launch of Access-Equals Delivery, Disclosure Test.(Washington)
May 7, 2009... Byline: Andrew Ackerman The Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board announced yesterday that it will not be able to launch its primary market disclosure "access-equals-delivery" system or its continuing disclosure test pilot on May 11,...

Munis Gain After Almost Two Down Weeks.(Market News)
May 7, 2009... Byline: Jack Herman The municipal market gained after a nearly two-week spell yesterday, with the taxable Build America Bonds issued earlier this week shooting up in sprightly second-day trading. Traders said the tax-exempt market...

Yellen Eyes Recession End In 2d Half, 'Tepid' Upturn.(News Briefs)
May 7, 2009... Byline: Market News International San Francisco Federal Reserve Bank president Janet Yellen expressed hope that the recession will come to an end in the second half of this year with the help of aggressive monetary and fiscal stimulus,...

Stern: We Can't Afford Costs Of 'Too Big to Fail' Creditors.(News Briefs)
May 7, 2009... Byline: Gary E. Siegel Efforts should focus on stemming negative spillover effects from failure of key financial institutions, according to Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis president Gary Stern. "Maintaining the status quo with...

ADP Sees 491,000 Drop In Private Employment.(News Briefs)
May 7, 2009... Nonfarm private employment decreased 491,000 from March to April on a seasonally adjusted basis, according to the ADP National Employment Report. The estimated change from February to March was revised by 34,000, from a decline of 742,000...

Washington, N.J., Bond-Backed Garage's Costs Swell by 5 Times.(The Regions)
May 7, 2009... Byline: Michelle Kaske Overall costs on a parking garage financed with municipal bonds in Washington, N.J., have ballooned nearly five times from original estimates to $2.7 million, according to a state-level audit of the borough. New...

Tennessee Closes 1st Negotiated Issue With $389 Million of GOs.(The Regions)
May 7, 2009... Byline: Shelly Sigo BRADENTON, Fla. - Tennessee yesterday closed on the state's first negotiated general obligation sale - a $389 million new-money and refunding deal that priced April 23. The transaction included $291 million of...

TRANSPORTATION: Toll Bills Have P3 Proponents Worried.(Washington)
May 7, 2009... Byline: Audrey Dutton Sens. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., and Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, have introduced two bills that pro-tolling market participants worry would put a halt to public-private partnerships for highways. On the private-sector...

TRENDS IN THE REGION: State Catastrophe Funds May Get U.S. Help.(Southeast)
May 7, 2009... Byline: Shelly Sigo and Jim Watts BRADENTON, Fla. - When Florida Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., introduced the Catastrophe Obligation Guarantee Act two weeks ago today, he asked Congress what Florida, Louisiana, Texas, and California have in...

BAB Direct Pay Could Be $431M; Obama Releases Two-Year Estimate.(Washington)
May 8, 2009... Byline: Audrey Dutton and Peter Schroeder WASHINGTON - President Obama's administration expects to hand out $431 million to state and local governments over the next two years under the direct pay option of the Build America Bonds program,...