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Byline: AARON KURILOFF; Bloomberg News The New York Giants are 11-3 on the field. On Wall Street, they're down $300-million (all currency U.S.) and counting. From a bond market collapse [...]

Byline: Aaron Kuriloff SHELL BEACH, La. -- Frank 'Blackie' Campo doesn't have to look far to locate the source of the flooding that destroyed his home in St. Bernard Parish, [...]

Byline: Aaron Kuriloff and Curtis Eichelberger March 3 (Bloomberg) -- The National Football League and its players' union arrived at a mediator's office today in a final bid to reach [...]

The article discusses concern among investors about Puerto Rican bonds backed by the tax financing group Cofina as the January 1, 2016, date for debt payments approached.

The article states that a $3.2 billion pension-funding gap was threatening the credit rating for Houston, Texas, from the credit rating service Moody's Investors Service as of mid-November 2015 and was a central issue in the Houston mayoral race between candidates Sylvester Turner and Bill King. According to the article, Houston voters placed a cap on property taxes that limited the city's ability to raise revenues, and a credit rating downgrade could increase borrowing costs for infrastructure improvements.

The article cites data from financial services firm Barclays PLC to state that municipal (muni) bonds sold by U.S. state and local governments were posting a rate of return of about two percent as of November 5, 2015, which was higher than the rate of return on corporate bonds and many other asset classes. The article discusses the relative safety of municipal bonds and compares them to U.S. Treasurys and states that municipal bonds had a total return of nine percent in 2014. INSET: What to Look for When Investing in Municipal Bonds..

The article states that Glendale, Arizona, University of Phoenix Stadium operator the Arizona Sports and Tourism Authority lost two court rulings in 2015 over the legality of the funding of the stadium via rental car taxes. According to the article, several U.S. states finance stadium construction and renovations by matching bonds to tourism taxes. The article discusses the investor risks related to stadium bonds.

The article report on the settlement agreement between the state government of New York and tobacco companies that will deliver 550 million dollars to the state, New York City and other counties to help pay for smoking-related public health costs.

The article states that bond credit rating firm Moody's Investors Service Inc. warned investors in September 2015 that it expected closures of public and not-for-profit small colleges in the U.S. to triple by 2017. According to the article, many investors were staying away from bonds sold by small, private colleges that rely mainly on tuition revenue and are located in sparsely populated regions. The article discusses the heavy sale of bonds by schools such as Roseman University of Health Sciences, Northwestern University, and Stanford University.

The article states that although the state of Connecticut boasted the top income per capita in the U.S. as of early October 2015, it ranked 48th in its funding of pension obligations. According to the article, Connecticut's pension difficulties stemmed from decisions to reduce payments during economic difficulties or cut taxes, and the nearly nonexistent contributions to the state's pensions by Connecticut officials from the late 1930s to the early 1980s. The article presents comments from Connecticut state senator L. Scott Frantz.

The article states that St. Louis, Missouri, financial services company Edward Jones was penalized $20 million by the U.S. agency the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to settle charges that the company and former Edward Jones municipal underwriting desk head Stina R. Wishman sold new bonds to customers at higher prices than agreed to with the bonds' issuers. The article states that Edward Jones agreed to compensate 13,000 current and former clients for the overcharges, which occurred between 2009 and 2013, as part of the settlement.

The article states that the government of Puerto Rico defaulted on most of a $58 million bond payment due on August 3, 2015. According to the article, it was the first missed payment since Puerto Rico governor Alejandro García Padilla announced in June 2015 that the country's debts were unsustainable. The article states that the bank the Government Development Bank of Puerto Rico claimed that the Puerto Rican legislature failed to set aside money for the appropriations bonds. The article presents comments from investor service firm Moody's Investors Service vice president Emily Raimes.

The article states that the Puerto Rican government was in jeopardy of missing about $58 million in bond payments due August 1, 2015. According to the article, the Puerto Rican government financing unit the Public Finance Corp. informed appropriation bond holders that it had not transferred money to a trustee to pay the debt due. The article states that Puerto Rican governor Alejandro Garcia Padilla called for negotiations with bondholders concerning payment delays. The article presents comments from Concord, Massachusetts, research firm Market Analytics partner Matt Fabian.

The article discusses the potential role of U.S. financial services firms such as OppenheimerFunds Inc. and Franklin Advisers Inc. in negotiations concerning the restructuring of about $72 billion worth of debt incurred by Puerto Rico. According to the article, OppenheimerFunds and Franklin Advisers owned about 15 percent of the debt. The article presents comments from financial services firm Pacific Investment Management Co. executive vice president David Hammer.

The article states that power company the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (Prepa) was close to an agreement with creditors as of June 30, 2015, that would permit the firm to pay over $400 million to bondholders. According to the article, the deal could prevent a default from Puerto Rico. The article states that Prepa's creditors included mutual funds managed by the organizations OppenheimerFunds Inc., Franklin Templeton Investments, and bond insurers led by the firm Scotiabank.

The article states that the government of Puerto Rico issued a report on June 29, 2015, by former officials associated with the organization the International Monetary Fund (IMF) calling for talks with bondholders concerning losses after the government stated it could not pay its debts. The article states that Puerto Rico held about $72 billion in debt. The article also states that investor groups such as Brigade Capital Management LP, Centerbridge Partners LP, and Monarch Alternative Capital LP proposed financing terms to the government in June 2015 but were rejected.

The article states that the Puerto Rican publicly owned electric monopoly Prepa presented creditors with a restructuring plan concerning its outstanding debt of over $70 billion. According to the article, the plan was part of a negotiation between Prepa and creditors before a June 4, 2015, default deadline and included pledges to modernize Prepa and increase its efficiencies. The article also discusses the price of Puerto Rico bonds, taxation policies, and lobbying efforts in Washington, D.C. to include Puerto Rico in chapter 9 of the U.S. bankruptcy code.

The article discusses differences in the ratings of the fiscal condition of Chicago, Illinois, by ratings firms Moody's Investors Service and Standard & Poor's Rating Services. According to the article, Moody's lowered Chicago's bonds to junk status in May 2015 while Standard & Poor's Rating Services gave Chicago an A-minus rating. The article discusses the use of utilizing ratings to market bonds and presents comments from Moody's assistant vice president Tom Aaron.

The article states that California water and sewer bonds lost value in April 2015 following mandatory water restrictions ordered by California governor Jerry Brown in response to a drought in the state. According to the article, all California municipal bonds declined by 0.55 percent for April 2015. The article presents comments from financial firm Gurtin Fixed Income Management LLC co-chief investment officer Michael Johnson.

The article reports that the Puerto Rican government and its hedge fund creditors including Brigade Capital Management LP and Centerbridge Partners LP have hired former officials of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to advise on the commonwealth's debt crisis. The government has hired former IMF managing director Anne Krueger, while former IMF Western Hemisphere official Claudio Loser has been retained by the hedge funds. Puerto Rico's debt exceeds $70 million.

The article discusses consequences of the unfunded $20 billion pension liability of Chicago, Illinois. Ratings firm Moody's Investors Service has lowered the city's credit rating. Bond insurers including Assured Guaranty Ltd. and Build America Mutual are said to be at or near the maximum level of Chicago debt they will insure, raising the possibility Chicago may have to pay higher yields on future debt issues.

The article discusses financing challenges facing the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority, Puerto Rico's electric utility. Ratings firm Moody's Investors Service says the Authority will probably default on a payment of $400 million due bondholders in July 2015. A law that would have allowed the Authority to restructure its debt has been blocked by a federal judge. The Authority must pay $696 million to creditors if it cannot reach an agreement to extend that debt within 15 days.

The article considers the investing outlook for municipal bonds in the U.S. In February 2015 municipal securities posted negative returns after 13 straight months of gains. Challenges facing municipal bonds include large volumes of new securities issued by cities and other government entities during the first quarter of 2015, and a potential hike in interest rates by the U.S. Federal Reserve. Peter Hayes of investment management firm BlackRock Inc. says municipals are apt to be volatile in 2015.

The article reports that Kansas may seek to reduce its annual contribution to the Kansas Public Employee Retirement System by issuing pension bonds. Proceeds from the bond sale would be deposited into the fund, which it is hoped would earn a rate of return that exceeds the securities' interest rate. The strategy is risky, and retirement-finance expert Alicia Munnell says issuers often use pension bonds in an irresponsible manner.

The article reports that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has requested two months worth of quotations for bond prices from operators of electronic bond-trading platforms that serve retail investors. Of concern to the SEC is whether brokers are charging excessive markups on bond trades. Over a two-month period bond-pricing firm DelphX LLC found dozens of instances in which markups exceeded guidelines set by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority.

The article discusses the rising volume of bonds issued by charter schools in the U.S. Through early October charter schools had sold a collective $1.64 billion in bonds during 2014. Strong demand among investors for municipal bonds has helped fuel the trend. Additional information is presented about the riskiness of debt issued by charter schools, as well as on bonds sold by schools in New Jersey and Texas.

The article focuses on investments in U.S. municipal (muni) bonds. It states that concerns over the bankruptcy of Stockton, California and Jefferson County, Alaska and problems in Puerto Rico made investors wary of muni bonds and mentions in 2014 through October there was a 6.3 percent decline in muni bonds compared to the same period in 2013. It reports that muni bond yields declined below two percent which increased their attractiveness to investors and talks about tax breaks for muni bonds.

The article discusses the strong performance of U.S. municipal bonds during 2014. Through late October municipal securities had outperformed both the Dow Jones Industrial Average and highly-rated corporate bonds. Demand for municipal bonds has been aided by a reduction in bond issues by U.S. states, and higher taxes which increase the appeal of municipals' tax-exempt status.