Northeast

Rhode Island's proposed settlement to pension overhaul lawsuits is a credit positive because it “removes a lingering source of fiscal uncertainty,” said Moody's.

The MTA board's finance committee approved a discount for frequent users of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge. The full board will consider it Wednesday.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey has approved 2014 capital and operating budgets.

Maryland plans to sell up to $750 million of triple-A rated tax-exempt and taxable general obligation bonds in competitive bids on March 5, state officials said.

Northeast issuers sold $93.1 billion of municipal bonds in 2013, down 17.4% from 2012.

Without taxpayer support, the ubersecretive $1.6 billion MBTA retirement fund would go broke between 2024 and 2036, said a report by Boston's Pioneer Institute.

Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy signed an executive order to create an Internet portal for what he called "widespread amounts of raw government data."

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey adopted a $27.6 billion capital plan focused on transportation projects.

Rhode Island's announcement of a potential settlement regarding lawsuits challenging a 2011 landmark pension overhaul law is a positive development, said Fitch Ratings.

New York City should settle its expired labor contracts by the end of the fiscal year or risk budget uncertainty and rating scrutiny, said Comptroller Scott Stringer.