Northeast

Approvals for a planned New Jersey shopping mall and entertainment complex have brought the sale of roughly $740 million in high-yield bonds closer.

New Jersey's general obligation rating was cut to A-plus from AA-minus by Standard & Poor's, which cited the state's "sizable structural imbalance."

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, which operates Greater Boston's mass transit system, intends to sell $200 million of senior sales tax bonds.

The financial plight of Harrisburg, Pa., goes far beyond incinerator debt financing, according to a Widener Law professor who is running a conference on distressed cities.

New York City Transitional Finance Authority received about $200 million of retail orders before its $760 million sale of future tax secured fixed-rate subordinate bonds.

Standard & Poor's upgraded Broome County, N.Y. to A-plus from A, citing strong budget performance and very strong liquidity.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio named Jacques Jiha finance commissioner.

Individual orders for the University of Connecticut UConn 2000 bond sale exceeded $168 million, which officials said was the highest level in the program's 18 years.

A Republican state lawmaker and Democratic mayors are behind an effort to overhaul Pennsylvania's municipal pension system.

A multi-year pattern of balanced budgets helped Bridgewater, Mass., regain its credibility in the capital markets.