Missouri has kept a coveted financial benchmark as three bond rating firms give Missouri a Triple A bond rating. Standard & Poor’s, Moody’s Investors Service, and Fitch Ratings all have given Missouri the highest rating possible on the state’s offering of $45-Million in general obligation bonds. State Treasurer Nancy Farmer says a comparison with surrounding states plays a role in the rating. Missouri has securitized its future tobacco settlement funds, but an effort by Governor Bob Holden to use the state reserve fund failed when House Republicans refused to go along with the idea.
