The fiscal outlook for US colleges and universities remains uncertain, clouded by broad factors like macroeconomic conditions and demographic shifts, as well as questions about impacts from policy changes in response to deteriorating long-term Federal budget forecasts. To help listeners understand the dynamics -- and how financial leaders are responding -- we welcomed Liz Clark, VP of Policy and Research for the National Association of College and University Business Officers and Alex Vaisman, Managing Vice President and Heaf of Higher Education underwriting at BAM Mutual.

The Janaury 2025 wildfires in Los Angeles County are likely to be the most expensive natural disaster in US history. The financial consequences for local governments and bond investors are secondary to the losses suffered by residents and homeowners who were directly impacted., but the scale and severity of the damage has raised questions about the impact on the #municipalbonds market.

In the latest edition of The Muni CreditCast from BAM Mutual, we look at which of the unique bond structures that help support infrastructure investments in Southern California are most likely to be impacted, and how investors can think about the outlook for their portfolios. We also provide updates on the BAM surveillance team's ongoing monitoring, which has indicated no material impacts on our outstanding portfolio.

Farhad Omeyr, author of the National League of Cities' annual report on City Fiscal Conditions, joined the podcast to discuss his findings, including how City leaders are adjusting to the end of Federal ARPA funding, and how the various revenues Cities rely on: Property, Sales, and Income taxes are holding up in the post-COVID economy.