Puerto Rico in Distress

ABI Analysis

Two rival bills seeking to resolve Puerto Rico’s status as a U.S. territory will get full hearings in the U.S. House of Representatives’ Natural Resources Committee on April 14, Bloomberg News reported.

A framework that outlines how Puerto Rico will restructure at least $35 billion in public debt and more than $50 billion in public pension liabilities threatens a 10% cut to public pensions if no agreement is reached with retirees, the Associated Press reported. The amended plan of adjustment of 233 pages was filed late Monday in U.S.

The Puerto Rico Oversight Board’s proposed central government debt adjustment faces several obstacles, most prominently bond insurers’ possible withdrawal of support and local government opposition, Bond Buyer reported. Judge Laura Taylor Swain gave the board until the end of today to submit a plan of adjustment for bonds, pensions, and unsecured debts.

Puerto Rico’s governor announced yesterday that a federal control board reached a key deal that would reduce the U.S. territory’s overall debt by nearly 80%, but that his administration is rejecting it amid concerns about cuts to the island’s crumbling public pension system, the Associated Press reported.