Puerto Rican power utility PREPA and its creditors have reached a new deal to restructure $8.9 billion in debt through new bonds with longer maturities, the U.S. territory's government announced yesterday, Reuters reported.
Puerto Rico in Distress
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Moody's Investors Service yesterday lowered ratings on $13 billion of Puerto Rican bonds, including debt from the U.S. territory's now-defunct former fiscal agent, the Government Development Bank (GDB), Reuters reported.
Puerto Rico's federally appointed financial oversight board scheduled mediation in debt restructuring talks between the U.S. territory's general obligation bondholders and holders of its so-called COFINA debt, which is backed by sales tax revenue, the board said in a letter to the creditors on Thursday, Reuters reported on Friday.
As the debt started piling up and Puerto Rican leaders started getting desperate, commonwealth officials started making bigger and bigger promises to prospective bondholders, according to a Washington Examiner commentary today.
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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.