Northeast

Rhode Island revenue collections increased 2.2% over that of the previous fiscal year, the state’s Department of Revenue said in a special report on preliminary fiscal 2011 revenues.

Fitch Ratings upgraded the underlying rating on $430 million of outstanding Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission registration fee revenue refunding bonds, Series 2005, to AA-minus from A-plus with a stable outlook.

The New York City Transitional Finance Authority has issued $2.027 billion of 9/11 recovery bonds since the terrorist attacks, according to city Comptroller John Liu’s Office of Fiscal and Budget Studies.

Transportation Secretary Richard Davey warned that closing the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s budget deficit next year without fare hikes or service cuts would be “very difficult.”

Legislation enabling three Las Vegas-style casinos and one slot parlor in Massachusetts is credit negative for casinos throughout the Northeast, but particularly for those in neighboring Connecticut and Rhode Island, Moody’s Investors Service said.

The University of New England has received a $3.5 million state award from the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention to help open the first college of dental medicine in northern New England.

Gov. Dannel Malloy released a list of $135 million in additional cuts across Connecticut government, after already having reached a $1.6 billion labor agreement that closed the state’s budget gap for fiscal 2012.

With a bond offering pending in two weeks, Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick and other officials are making pitches to the three major credit agencies to improve the state's bond rating.

Pennsylvania's beleaguered capital received some positive news when the Harrisburg Parking Authority agreed to help the struggling city make general obligation payments due next week with a loan package.

The Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency is scheduled to sell $81.4 million of single-family mortgage revenue bonds on Thursday after a one-day retail period.