New York

The Dormitory Authority of the State of New York approved $531 million in financings for higher education and health care, including $340 million in 23-year, fixed or variable-rate tax-exempt bonds for the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.

The New York City Transitional Finance Authority sold $650 million in new-money building aid revenue bonds last week.

A proposal to allow the New York Department of Health to replace hospitals' leadership would be a credit positive, Moody's Investors Service said.

The cancellation of a project to renovate the 70-year-old Brooklyn-Queens Expressway and a connecting portion of the Gowanus Expressway, both part of Interstate 278 in New York City, has prompted calls for a state law allowing public private partnerships.

While it's unlikely to singlehandedly trigger a rating upgrade, the New York Legislature's approval of Gov. Andrew Cuomo's overhaul of the state income tax code is a step in the right direction, muni market observers say.

The future of the Suffolk Regional Off-Track Betting Corp. in eastern Long Island is in question after a federal judge dismissed its Chapter 9 bankruptcy petition.

The New York City Transitional Finance Authority this week plans a $650 million sale of new-money building aid revenue bonds.

New York's Empire State Development Corp. will offer $715 million of new personal income tax bonds on Dec. 13.

The New York State Liberty Development Corp. on Dec. 1 sold $672 million of Liberty bonds that will help the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey finance the continuing construction of One World Trade Center.

A judge has granted another extension to the Nassau Off-Track Betting Corp. in its prolonged legal fight with New York harness tracks, OTB officials said.

New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli has named Jennifer Freeman director of communications. She will begin Monday at a salary of $145,000.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey’s Board of Commissioners approved a new architectural design developed for the exterior cladding system that will cover the 185-foot tall secure base of One World Trade Center.

The Empire State Development Corp. has named a review committee that will hear presentations of final strategic plans proposed by officials from 10 regions throughout New York.

Weak and unsettled economic conditions worldwide have darkened New York’s fiscal outlook, the Division of the Budget said in the midyear update to its fiscal 2012 financial plan.

The board of New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority discussed the proposed four-year budget and capital plan for 2012 to 2014 on Wednesday amid the hovering shadow of labor negotiations.

Westchester County, N.Y., is maintaining its rainy-day fund to protect its triple-A status from all three major bond rating agencies, county Executive Robert Astorino said in his $1.7 billion budget presentation to the Westchester legislature.

The Dormitory Authority of the State of New York plans a sale of $135 million revenue bonds under its school districts revenue bond financing program Wednesday, after a one-day retail period.

The New York City Municipal Water Finance Authority expects to issue $450 million of new bonds Tuesday.

Moody's Investors Service has downgraded the underlying general obligation rating of Lancaster County two notches to A1 from Aa2, affecting $268 million of parity and debt.

Nassau Off-Track Betting Corp. has filed an appeal in its prolonged legal fight with New York harness tracks, Newsday reported, quoting OTB officials.