Category: Uncategorized

Stale Ratings: Testimony of Moody’s Former Head of Compliance

Its fair to say that when rating agencies recalibrated their muni ratings in Q2 2010 to bring them in-line with other debt types, they did not conduct a credit review….

Obituary: Las Vegas Monorail Project

The Las Vegas Monorail Project is dead but long live its muni bonds which while in default, still trade regularly. They are “junk” muni bonds yielding 15%.

Casino Muni Bond Defaults Because “The People Got Fed Up”

A federal court actually allowed an American Indian tribe to get out of a $50 million bond it owed to a private investor, raising concerns among other tribal-casino lenders. The…

Muni Default Risk To Get Worse Before It Gets Better

Take a look at this WSJ video with Bob DiMella, manager of the Mainstay Tax Free Fund. In summary he says:

Harrisburg Bonds May Incinerate Value ( 41473EFH9 )

Buffet says ” when the tide goes out, you get to see who is swimming naked”.

Muni Bond Defaults Need A louder Alarm

Less than a month before the $43.4 million municipal bond default of Boston based Crosstown Center , some unsuspecting retail buyer purchased $100,000 of the now defaulted bonds. Whats troubling…

AMBAC Lives Another Day

It seems for now that AMBAC may win its fight to survive, unless a few muni defaults of AMBAC insured bonds bankrupts them. The insurer can at least rely on…

Special Assessment Bonds Trigger 2009 Muni Defaults

Muni bond defaults moved past $4 billion from January thru September 2009  driven partly by the bursting of the real estate bubble which in turn  triggered  defaults in “Special Assessment”…

Don’t sweat ratings downgrades on GOs?

In terms of safety, governors and state treasurers argue, GO state debt should be equivalent to Treasury bonds, or at least triple-A-rated corporate bonds. Although states can’t print their own…