Puerto Rico

The anticipated surplus for fiscal years 2019 through 2013 has dropped to $11.6 billion from $15.1 billion, leaving less money for debt service and capital spending.

The plan continues a cut to the pension system found in earlier versions.

Municipal bond buyers saw more deals come to market on Wednesday as muni yields held in at lower levels.

New expectations for disaster funding, gross national product growth rates, and population may change projections of money for debt.

Assured Guaranty CEO Dominic Frederico said at the recent AFGI Puerto Rico Bankruptcy Risk Summit that "the open disregard of law" among public officials in Puerto Rico "could give public officials elsewhere reasons to believe they could escape their obligations."

James Spiotto, Managing Director at Chapman Strategic Advisors, explains why he believes U.S. district court Judge Swain's decision on special revenue bonds was wrong, and the impact it may have on revenue bond issuance, at the recent AFGI Puerto Rico Bankruptcy Risk Summit.

KBRA senior managing director William Cox, when discussing lessons learned from the Puerto Rico debt crisis at the recent AFGI Puerto Rico Bankruptcy Risk Summit, noted that the behavior of management sends "strong signals regarding credit character," in this case "chronically late financial statements."

At the recent AFGI Puerto Rico Bankruptcy Risk Summit, Matt Fabian, partner and lead analyst at Municipal Market Analytics, noted that investors "would like to have more distinguishing between credits, but market realities limit their ability to do so."

Adam Bergonzi, Chief Risk Officer of National Public Finance Guarantee, said at the recent AFGI Puerto Rico Bankruptcy Risk Summit that the event was created as a rebuttal to an "oft-heard sentiment" that the commonwealth's bankruptcy was an anomaly.

Critics pointed to the agreement's failure to lower operating costs and its "very favorable" treatment of Assured Guaranty.