Michelle Kaske

Pennsylvania collected $13.7 billion of revenue from July through January — $264 million, or 2% above budgeted estimates, with help from strong sales, personal income, and business taxes.

Standard & Poor’s last week revised gilt-edged Amherst College’s outlook to stable from negative due to an improvement in the school’s liquidity.

The New Jersey Turnpike Authority could roll back toll increases to reflect $1.25 billion it no longer needs to spend on a canceled mass transit tunnel project and still meet contractual debt-service coverage levels, according to an analysis from the Office of Legislative Services.

Moody’s Investors Service placed $1.4 billion of outstanding Nassau County, N.Y., debt on review for possible downgrade Wednesday after the county moved to stop an oversight board from controlling its finances.

The New Jersey Economic Development Authority approved on Tuesday a financing plan with $261 million of tax incentives to help revive the stalled Revel casino project in Atlantic City.

Puerto Rico Gov. Luis Fortuño ­Monday signed into law a tax-reform initiative that could provide $1.2 billion of annual tax relief for families and corporations for the next six years.

Philadelphia International Airport plans a $5.2 billion expansion project that would include about $4.2 billion of borrowing to help finance an increase in capacity. Officials also would like to improve the facility’s on-time record, especially during bad weather.

New Jersey Assemblyman Declan O’Scanlon will serve as the Republican budget officer in the General Assembly.

New Jersey is seeking underwriting services as the state’s Transportation Trust Fund Authority plans to issue $600 million of tax-exempt, new-money bonds by April 15 to help finance roads, bridges, and public transportation.

New Jersey is looking for swap advisory services to help it monitor and address its $3.3 billion derivative portfolio.

Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick Wednesday released a $30.5 billion fiscal 2012 spending plan with $570 million less spending than the current fiscal year’s operating budget.

New Jersey Transit formally rejected a $271 million repayment demand Tuesday from the Federal Transit Administration, which is seeking to recover funds allocated for a canceled $8.7 billion mass-transit tunnel.

Former Pennsylvania Gov. Edward Rendell this week returned to Ballard Spahr LLP, where he will work on public-private partnership infrastructure developments, and energy and environmental issues.

New Jersey finance officials may head back to the municipal bond market in the next three weeks to finish a $1.94 billion school construction bond refinancing that was downsized earlier this month due to unfavorable pricing conditions.

The Securities and Exchange Commission reportedly is seeking documents from the Massachusetts’ Treasury Department in reference to its relationship with Goldman, Sachs & Co.

A judge last week delayed to March 15 a hearing regarding a suit that could force Harrisburg to repay debt-service costs on $282 million of outstanding incinerator debt before meeting other expenses.

More New Jersey residents believe they are better off financially than a year ago, according to a Fairleigh Dickinson University poll released last week.

New Jersey is looking for a private operator to collect tolls on the New Jersey Turnpike, the Garden State Parkway, and the Atlantic City Expressway.

Fitch Ratings late Wednesday assigned its first-ever rating to Puerto Rico general obligation bonds, giving them a BBB-plus. The outlook for the $9.2 billion of GOs is stable. The bonds now have a rating from all three major rating agencies.

Moody’s Investors Service Tuesday downgraded $69.4 million of Harrisburg Authority water bonds to Ba1 from A1. The outlook is negative.