Interest Bonds

PRINCETON, N.J. -- Municipal bond issuers announced yesterday the early redemption of five issues totaling more than $113.75 million.0 The issues being called are: * Washington State Housing Finance Commission, Multifamily Mortgage Revenue Bonds for the Fannie Mae Mortgage Backed Securities Program, Series 1984 A current interest bonds, maturing July 1, 1993 through July 1, 1997, Series 1984 A CABs maturing July 1, 1997, Series 1985 A current interest bonds...

The San Francisco Giants are seriously interested in bringing back Barry Bonds, despite the notion that the club might prefer to part ways with the aging slugger. The team has been exchanging offers with Bonds' agent, Jeff Borris. "I don't know where the story line came from that we didn't want him back," Giants general manager Brian Sabean said yesterday at the winter meetings in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. "We've had a long-standing conversation and offer out there that we've adjusted a number of times.

PRINCETON, N.J. -- Municipal bond issuers announced yesterday the early redemption of eight issues totaling more than $37.9 million.0 The issues being called are: * Contra Costa Mosquito Abatement District, Calif., Series 1987, certificate of participation bonds (IS Leasing Inc. Project)maturing Feb. 1, 1994, through Feb. 1, 2006. All outstanding bonds called at 103 on Feb. 1, 1993.Los Angeles, Calif., Series 1984, multiple family housing revenue bonds maturing Jan. 1, 1996. Partial call of $3.155 million at par on Jan. 1, 1993.

BORROWING a page from Wall Street corporations, the U.S. Treasury is out to make money by spending money to buy back its own stock. In this case, the targets are older Treasury bonds with high interest rates. If federal officials succeed, the savings to taxpayers could be in the billions of dollars. It's a splendid way to spend a portion of the huge federal surplus that keeps building. The Treasury now intends to use $30 billion of excess cash to buy back securities that have not yet matured, some of which pay 14 percent interest.

BRENTWOOD, Tenn. -- Service Merchandise Co., a troubled jewelry and home-products retailer, said the company obtained $750 million in financing and chief executive Gary Witkin abruptly quit as it struggles to pay lenders.The company said it will use the financing from Citigroup Inc.'s Citibank unit to improve operations and repay bank loans and debt obligations. Last month, it failed to make a $13.5 million bond interest payment, triggering a default.Sales have slumped and the company has been trying to attract customers by shifting to traditional stores from catalog stores.

The once malodorous compost yard shared by Anne Arundel, Howard and Baltimore counties has been turned into a transfer station for yard clippings, and all three counties recently approved selling most of the 54-acre Jessup/Hanover property.But the counties still have to shell out interest payments, which will total $2.8 million by the time bonds on the property are paid off in 2005. Anne Arundel's share of that is about $1.4 million, according to County Auditor Teresa Sutherland.Anne Arundel County Councilman Thomas W. Redmond has long been skeptical about a deal that burdened the county with 50 percent of liability for a project and didn't allow private composters a share in handling yard waste.

The bargain hunters in mutual funds are buying Latin American stock funds, betting that the plunge which followed the devaluation of the Mexican peso will soon reverse. And domestic bond funds, which suffered their largest cash outflows ever in 1994, are beginning to attract new investor money.Mutual fund managers reported Thursday a surprisingly good first month of 1995 in terms of cash flow from investors, with domestic stock fund cash flows also picking up from December.The comments came as the Investment Company Institute reported final figures for 1994, showing that it was the second-best year ever for domestic stock funds and by far the best year ever for international stock funds.

Carroll County is likely to pay a low interest rate on general-obligation bonds that will be used to finance almost $12 million in capital projects next year, the county's bond counsel said yesterday."

PRINCETON, N.J. -- Municipal bond issuers announced yesterday the early redemption of 11 issues totaling more than $174.7 million.0 The issues being called are: * Bay Minnette, Ala. Utilities Board, Series 1983, water and gas revenue bonds, maturing June 1, 1994, through June 1, 2003. All outstanding bonds called at 103 on June 1, 1993.* California Housing Finance Agency, Series 1991 C, home mortgage revenue bonds, current interest bonds maturing Feb. 1 and Aug. 1, 1995, Feb. 1, 1996, Aug. 1, 1999, Feb. 1 and Aug. 1, 2000, through Aug. 1, 2005, Aug. 1, 2007, Aug. 1, 2011, and Aug. 1, 2031, capital appreciation bonds maturing Aug. 1, 2021.

PRINCETON, N.J. -- Municipal bond issuers announced yesterday the early redemption of 15 issues totaling more than $65.6 million.0 The issues being called are: * Fresno, Calif., Series 1984 A, multiple family housing revenue bonds (Woodlands Project), maturing Oct. 1, 1996. All outstanding bonds called at par on June 3, 1993.* San Diego, Calif., Series 1984 B, multiple family mortgage revenue bonds, current interest bonds maturing Nov. 1, 1993, May 1 and Nov. 1, 1994, through May 1, 1996, capital appreciation bonds maturing Nov. 1, 1996.