Iran used two of the UK’s biggest banks to covertly move money around the world as part of a vast sanctions-evasion scheme backed by Tehran’s intelligence services. Lloyds and Santander UK provided accounts to British front companies secretly owned by a sanctioned Iranian petrochemicals company based near Buckingham Palace, according to documents seen by the
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The Education Finance Council is turning up the pressure on the Internal Revenue Service for clarifications on bond rules that have gone unanswered for four years.  The trade group, which represents state-based and nonprofit higher education finance organizations, is asking the agency via a letter to clarify requirements listed in Section 144(b) of the Internal
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Los Angeles International Airport had the private-activity bonds supporting its people mover train downgraded to junk with Fitch Ratings citing continuous and ongoing delays and a strained relationship between the developer and the airport. The $1.2 billion in PABs issued through the California Municipal Finance Authority for the project were downgraded to BB-plus from BBB-minus
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Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. The writer is former chief of MI6 and UK Ambassador to the UN Iran was wrongfooted by Hamas’s October 7 assault on Israel. Tehran hadn’t been consulted and the operation risked pulling Iran into a
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Municipals saw losses Friday but outperformed by mostly sitting out a larger sell-off in U.S. Treasuries after jobs data showed higher-than-expected gains, forcing another recalibration for participants on rate cut timing. The January employment report came in stronger than expected, with wages rising at the highest rate since March 2022, leading analysts to suggest Federal
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Municipals rallied Thursday as the Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority doubled the size of its deal to $1.6 billion while muni mutual funds saw inflows hit nearly $1.5 billion. U.S. Treasury yields fell and equities improved. Muni yields were bumped two to 12 basis points, depending on the curve, while UST yields fell six to
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The Federal Reserve announced it will leave interest rates unchanged Wednesday, setting the stage for rate cuts to come — and paving the way for relief from the combination of higher rates and inflation that have hit consumers particularly hard.  Although Fed officials indicated as many as three cuts coming this year, the pace that they trim interest
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