The Puerto Rico Public Buildings Authority’s high level of indebtedness — estimated at $4.2 billion — and whether it has repayment capacity, could make it an “easy target” for credit ratings agencies, local analyst firm REOF Capital concluded in a recently released report.
Fitch Ratings placed the 'BBB-' ratings of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico’s general obligation (GO) bonds, the Puerto Rico Building Authority government facilities revenue bonds guaranteed by the commonwealth, the Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority’s commonwealth guaranty revenue bonds, and the Employees Retirement System’s pension funding bonds on negative watch Thursday.
Fitch Ratings officials said Monday the pension reforms that the Puerto Rican government has enacted are “positive and an important step toward achieving credit stability.”
Fitch Credit Rating, the only agency that has not downgraded Puerto Rico's debt in the past week, said Tuesday the current 'BBB+' rating on the Commonwealth's general obligation bonds reflects the significant progress made by the outgoing administration in implementing widespread reforms despite economic underperformance.
While recognizing that the Gov. Luis Fortuño administration’s financial strides “have been large and comprehensive,” Bank of America Merrill Lynch said in a recent report that Puerto Rico still has challenges ahead before achieving a full recovery.
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