Illinois to issue $500M in bonds, continues to pay highest borrowing rate of all 50 states

By Ted Dabrowski

01/09/2016

Illinois’ monthslong budget gridlock, $111 billion in government-worker pension debt, and more than a decade of unbalanced budgets have resulted in credit downgrades for Illinois and the highest borrowing costs of any state in the nation.

TAGS: budget

Chicago gas prices highest in the state as prices drop across U.S.

By Hilary Gowins

11/23/2015

Motorists filling up at Chicago pumps can expect to pay an additional $0.16 per gallon in Regional Transportation Authority, county and city taxes, making gas sold in the city the costliest in any of Illinois’ metro areas.

Moody’s hits Illinois with credit downgrades

By Austin Berg

10/23/2015

Major ratings agencies are weighing in on the dismal state of the state.

TAGS: credit rating, Moody's Investor Service

Fitch cuts Illinois credit rating, cites budget gridlock, massive debt and sluggish growth

By Austin Berg

10/19/2015

The Illinois General Assembly is refusing to fix Illinois’ structural problems. Downgrades are the consequence.

TAGS: budget, credit rating, Fitch Ratings

Gas prices soar higher in Chicago than other Midwestern cities

By Hilary Gowins

08/17/2015

Multiple layers of taxation make gas sold in Chicago more expensive than in other cities across the Midwest.

Illinois pension plans 39% funded, taxpayers on the hook for $105 billion in liabilities: It will get worse

02/27/2015

Numerous U.S. pension plans are in deep, deep trouble, and Illinois is at the top of the list. Plan assumptions cannot and will not be met.

TAGS: pensions

Moody’s: Illinois an outlier in pension debt

By Benjamin VanMetre

11/26/2014

Illinois ranks worst in the nation on ability to pay for its pension debt.

TAGS: budget, Chicago, Illinois Constitution, pensions, Senate Bill 1, taxes

Can Illinois’ dead-last credit rating get any worse?

By Naomi Lopez Bauman

09/08/2014

According to ratings agency Standard & Poor’s 500 Illinois’ credit rating is the worst among the 50 states. We are the only state in the country with an A- credit rating – on par with nations such as Botswana, Latvia and Slovenia And Illinoisans should be aware of the possibility that we could be headed...

TAGS: credit rating

Nation’s worst credit rating costs Illinois millions more in interest payments

By Benjamin VanMetre

08/11/2014

Illinois has the lowest credit rating in the nation. And just like people with poor credit scores, the state must pay higher interest rates. Higher rates mean higher interest payments that drain the budget and leave less money for education, health care and public safety. For every $1 billion of new borrowing, Illinois taxpayers are...

TAGS: credit rating

The sad but true history of Illinois’ credit rating

By Benjamin VanMetre

08/04/2014

Illinois has the lowest credit rating in the nation. The sad truth is Illinois hasn’t been a AAA-rated state since February 1979 – when a gallon of gas cost less than a dollar and the Dow Jones Industrial Average hovered in the low 800s. The state’s credit rating has been in a downward spiral ever...

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Illinois to issue $500M in bonds, continues to pay highest borrowing rate of all 50 states

Chicago gas prices highest in the state as prices drop across U.S.

Moody’s hits Illinois with credit downgrades

Fitch cuts Illinois credit rating, cites budget gridlock, massive debt and sluggish growth

Gas prices soar higher in Chicago than other Midwestern cities

Illinois pension plans 39% funded, taxpayers on the hook for $105 billion in liabilities: It will get worse

Moody’s: Illinois an outlier in pension debt

Can Illinois’ dead-last credit rating get any worse?

Nation’s worst credit rating costs Illinois millions more in interest payments

The sad but true history of Illinois’ credit rating

Pathway to a Profession: How Apprenticeships Could Reshape Illinois’ Beauty Service Industry

Report Archive

Diana Graham

Process for unionizing non-state workers raises red flags

CBS Chicago: Illinois’ highest-paid superintendent receives $400K per year to oversee 1,200 students