Puerto Rico in Distress

ABI Analysis

A bill to give Puerto Rico's ailing public utilities a way to restructure debt under the U.S. Bankruptcy Code drew skepticism from congressional Republicans but support from Democrats, who said that it would relieve the island's problems, Reuters reported yesterday.

A proposed bill to give Puerto Rico's ailing public agencies a way to restructure debts under U.S. bankruptcy law is a "Wild West" solution that would likely hurt bondholders, an adviser for major investors argued in written testimony ahead of a key congressional committee, Reuters reported today.
Puerto Rico has asked a U.S. court for a quick decision in its appeal against a federal court ruling that voided a local bankruptcy law, arguing that the decision hampers its efforts to deal with a financial emergency that could disrupt basic public services on the Caribbean island, Reuters reported on Friday.
Moody’s Investors Service said that there’s a high probability that Puerto Rico will default on its general-obligation, sales-tax or Government Development Bank debt during the next two years, Bloomberg News reported yesterday.