Puerto Rico in Distress

ABI Analysis

An Obama administration proposal aimed at stemming Puerto Rico’s spiraling fiscal crisis received a lukewarm reception before a hearing of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee yesterday, with some Republicans asking for better data on the problem and some Democrats calling on the administration to show more ingenuity and urgency to solve it, the Washington Post reported ye

With Puerto Rico buried in debt and on course to completely run out of money by the end of the year, the Obama administration is urging Congress to take unprecedented action to help the island, including granting a type of bankruptcy protection unavailable to the nation’s 50 states, the Washington Post reported today.

Puerto Rico legislators are warning that they will seek amendments to a bill that would create an independent fiscal control board as the U.S. territory pushes to restructure a portion of its $72 billion of public debt before the government runs out of money, the Associated Press reported yesterday.

A group of investors that hold the bonds of Puerto Rico’s water utility have hired investment bank Greenhill & Co. to help negotiate terms for new financing, Bloomberg News reported yesterday. The investors have discussed a plan that would create new senior debt for the Puerto Rico Aqueduct & Sewer Authority that is given higher priority than other agency borrowings.

Other Resources

The Financial Oversight and Management Board for Puerto Rico was created under the Puerto Rico Oversight, Management and Economic Stability Act of 2016. The Board consists of seven members appointed by the President of the United States and one ex officio member designated by the Governor of Puerto Rico. Access information on the Board, documents, videos of meetings, calendar of events and live webcasts by clicking here.