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Municipal market advocates have tapped the University of Chicago’s Center for Municipal Finance to create first-of-its-kind municipal bond data that advocates hope to use to showcase the usefulness of tax-exempt bonds next year as the market’s cherished tax exemption faces an existential threat. The center will drill down to the congressional district level to examine…

Samuel A. Ramirez & Co. has added public finance bankers in three separate offices as it continues to broaden its national reach. Cordelia Mendez joins as a vice president in the New York City office, Ayanna Louis-Charles joins as a senior vice president in south Florida and Courtney Okezie joins as a vice president in…

As the election approaches, tax policy issues are moving to the fore including pass-through entity exemptions used to negate the effects of the cap on state and local tax deductions.  “If the SALT cap expires, then you’re going to see some states where they didn’t have this legislation, have to figure out what to do,…

While Hurricane Helene could have short- and long-term impacts on government finances and the economy, observers say Florida’s hurricane catastrophe fund has sufficient funds to cover damages without requiring immediate replenishment. Meanwhile, for now, BofA still plans to price $233 million of water and wastewater revenue bonds for Tampa on Tuesday and $210 million of…

Minneapolis will bring general obligation bonds to market next week in a deal that includes funding to repair damage left by the 2020 riots after a police officer killed George Floyd. The city will sell $123.59 million of tax-exempt Series 2024 general obligation bonds via competitive sale Tuesday. The municipal advisor on the deal is…

The municipal market muscled through this week by holding yields mostly steady as investors digested a large new-issue slate, heavy on tax-exempt paper, even as U.S. Treasuries were weaker until Friday’s session. Municipal triple-A yield curves closed out the week with few changes, valuations were little changed — though at attractive levels — and the…

California hospitals will get no extra time to retrofit hospitals against earthquakes after Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed a bill that would have given them some breathing room. Senate Bill 1432 was approved by lawmakers with unanimous votes in both houses in August. Newsom announced his veto Sept. 12. Under existing regulations, hospitals will be forced…

The Louisiana Bond Commission approved the sale of $620 million in aviation revenue bonds and $220 million in sales tax bonds and modified conditions for up to $1 billion in gas and fuels tax bonds it previously authorized. The commission consented to the sale of up to $575 million in general airport revenue refunding bonds…

Georgia’s weakening economy and the long-run impact of recent tax cuts are concerns, credit analysts say, albeit ones the state’s triple-A bond ratings may ride out successfully. The state’s unemployment rate has gone up for four consecutive months, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The GOP-dominated state government has been cutting the top…

Dan Callahan joined UMB Bank’s capital markets division as a senior vice president and public finance banker, the bank announced last week. Based in Austin, Callahan will oversee sales and business development, focusing on “UMB’s continued growth in the Texas municipal market through enhanced offerings in school municipal financing that will deliver sustainable results for…