Muni Think

Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP attorneys take a look at the Securities and Exchange Commission settlements with 36 municipal securities underwriters pursuant to the Municipalities Continuing Disclosure Cooperation initiative.

State Economic Indexes recently released by the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia show the difference between the worst performer and the best performer was more than a full percentage point.

In penalizing corporate wrongdoers with fines, the justice system is missing a crucial component of what criminal law is supposed to be about. Criminal law is supposed to address wrongs against society.

Modern transportation infrastructure is a critical building block to ensure that the US economy is in a position for long term growth and prosperity.

Oxford University professor Brent Flyvbjerg has concluded that about 90% of megaprojects do not meet expectations of costs or benefits, a phenomenon he describes as the “megaproject paradox.” His research has lessons for municipal investors.

State and private universities, local and state government agencies, and even the federal government have announced significant data breaches that compromised information and caused significant operational disruptions.

A new and better way to design financing plans that is faster, more transparent, robust and reliable.

Discount municipal bonds are much more sensitive to interest rates than reported by standard analytics systems. Investors who rely on these analytics will be in for an unpleasant surprise when rates rise.

While gross domestic product is a helpful measure of the rough size of a state’s economy and its various sectors, we prefer other measures.

With the labor force participation rate essentially unchanged from April to May at 62.9%, our survey shows significant local variation at State and county levels.