States and local governments across the U.S. are taking aggressive steps to limit spread of the novel coronavirus and curb cases of COVID-19. Build America Mutual Chief Credit Officer Suzanne Finnegan discusses the potential implications of these steps for municipal bond credit quality, and explains how BAM’s $62 billion insured…

Build America Mutual Chief Credit Officer Suzanne Finnegan discusses key provisions in the CARES Act that are likely to have an impact on credit quality in the municipal bond market, and also highlights the areas where additional Federal assistance is needed.

Build America Mutual Pension Actuary Les Richmond explains how investment losses associated with the COVID-19 pandemic are likely to impact public pension funding ratios and why individual states and cities may see significantly different outcomes — forcing municipal bond investors to carefully consider the implications for their specific holdings.

Hot Springs, Ark., is selling $160 million of green bonds to finance improvements to its water and wastewater utilities that will improve water quality, and reduce waste and pollution. Learn more about the financial terms of the bonds from VP Alexis Platis in Build America Mutual’s latest Credit Insights Video.

The Pajaro Valley Unified School District is selling $50 million of taxable bonds to refinance existing debt sold to finance capital projects. Learn more about what BAM’s analysts looked for to determine the financial strength of the District.

Alabama’s largest airport is selling bonds that will refund existing debt and help reduce its fixed costs over the long term. Learn more about the credit fundamentals of the airport and how air-travel disruptions could impact it in BAM’s latest Credit Insights Video.

Stable yields on high-grade municipals and surging demand across the credit spectrum have allowed issuers and underwriters to work through a substantial number of the transactions that were moved to the “day-to-day” calendar in March and April. BAM again insured more than $300 million of new issues, including several significant…

National League of Cities CEO Clarence Anthony discusses the NLC’s Race, Equity, and Leadership (REAL) initiative, which was launched to help local leaders respond to racial inequities in their communities, and highlights how cities’ budget decisions can be important drivers in building more just communities.

National League of Cities CEO Clarence Anthony discusses how his members — elected officials representing more than 19,000 communities nationwide — are grappling with the budgetary and community challenges posed by the COVID pandemic, and how NLC’s Cities are Essential campaign is designed to help.

The Jefferson Union High School District is borrowing $40 million to finance a new, 122-unit apartment complex for its teachers and other staff, but the structure of the deal protects investors from the project’s startup risks. Learn more about the security for the COPs in BAM’s latest Credit Insights Video.

New-issue municipal bonds returned to the market after a holiday hiatus, and investor support for the primary market remained strong, keeping yields stable at low levels. Retail investors again contributed more than $1 billion to municipal bond mutual funds.

Build America Mutual CEO Seán McCarthy was interviewed by Asset TV anchor Jenna Dagenhart last week to provide an update on BAM’s first-half performance and to share his outlook for the rest of 2020. He discussed the drivers behind the surge in demand for insured municipal bonds in both the…