• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

Jeff Bezos wants the bottom half of earners to pay zero income tax—he says nurses making just $75K should save $12K a year

2

As CEO of the $96 billion Sam’s Club, Latriece Watkins is testing her mettle at the warehouse retailer that produced CEOs for Walmart, Target, and Walgreens

3

The river that supplies 40 million Americans is down to 23% — and about to make a $25 million bet on one fish

1

Jeff Bezos wants the bottom half of earners to pay zero income tax—he says nurses making just $75K should save $12K a year

2

As CEO of the $96 billion Sam’s Club, Latriece Watkins is testing her mettle at the warehouse retailer that produced CEOs for Walmart, Target, and Walgreens

3

The river that supplies 40 million Americans is down to 23% — and about to make a $25 million bet on one fish
FinancePuerto Rico

Debt Talks Between Puerto Rico and Its Creditors End Without a Deal

By
Reuters
Reuters
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Reuters
Reuters
Down Arrow Button Icon
June 22, 2016, 4:14 AM ET
Alejandro García Padilla Swore as Puerto Rico's Governor
Photograph by David F. Gasser—CON LatinContent/Getty Images

Puerto Rico disclosed on Tuesday that negotiations with creditors ended without an agreement to restructure some of the island’s $70 billion debt load.

The two sides remained far apart over how to resolve a debt exchange on both the General Obligation debt issued by the U.S. commonwealth and debt backed by sales tax receipts referred to as COFINA.

A government statement said the talks with certain groups of creditors “are no longer continuing” on a non-public basis.

In a statement on Tuesday night, Puerto Rico Governor Alejandro Garcia Padilla urged the U.S. Congress to take action on legislation to resolve the credit crisis, while chiding the bondholders for offering what amounted to only short-term debt relief.

“Put another way, these counterproposals would have simply scooped up the economic problems of today and tossed them to some later date for our children to solve,” he said.

On July 1, Puerto Rico faces a $1.9 billion payment on a collection of bonds that Garcia Padilla has said it cannot pay.

A rare piece of bipartisan legislation in the U.S. Congress would establish a federal oversight board to negotiate various debt restructurings while seeking to institute balanced budgets on the island, a U.S. territory with 3.5 million residents.

The “Puerto Rico Oversight, Management and Economic Stability Act,” or PROMESA, passed the House of Representatives and awaits a vote in the Senate, which the Republican leadership says will come before the end of June.

President Barack Obama’s administration has backed the bill, calling it a compromise, but Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid said amendments were needed. Democrats have voiced concern the oversight board might not have Puerto Rico’s best interests in mind. Supporters of the bill say without it, Puerto Rico could slip into chaos.

 

Puerto Rico’s revised proposals in a June 14 offer to creditors for restructuring GO debt amounted to an 81% recovery rate, up from an initial offer of 78%.

In the documents released by the Government Development Bank, a creditor counterproposal dated Monday sought a recovery rate of 89% on the GO and guaranteed debt that was sold with the backing of the full faith and credit of the commonwealth.

That group of creditors said its latest proposal would cut Puerto Rico’s debt service costs by $2.9 billion over the first five years and demonstrated a willingness to negotiate and avoid a default on July 1.

“We believe there is significant bipartisan support in Puerto Rico for this proposal, which gives ‘breathing room’ to Commonwealth leaders by deferring principal payments and reducing contractual interest rates until July of 2022,” said Andrew Rosenberg of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton and Garrison, a lawyer for the creditors said in a statement on Tuesday night.

As for the two classes of COFINA debt, the government offered a revised recovery rate of 80% on the senior COFINA bonds, up from an initial 66% recovery rate. On the subordinated COFINA bonds, the revised proposal was for a 60% recovery rate versus an initial proposal of 47% recovery.

Some creditors are still looking for a 95% recovery rate on the senior COFINA debt, according to a counterproposal dated June 17.

Under Puerto Rico’s revised proposal, the amount of money set aside for debt servicing increased by $17 billion to $106.5 billion through the year 2071. Debt servicing costs would not exceed 18% of fiscal year 2016 adjusted revenues or 15% in any year going forward, assuming a nominal 2% economic growth rate.

About the Author
By Reuters
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Finance

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Finance

Meet the Black women on Fortune’s Most Powerful Women list shaping business leadership
MPWMost Powerful Women
Meet the Black women on Fortune’s Most Powerful Women list shaping business leadership
By Cheyann HarrisMay 29, 2026
26 minutes ago
dewine
North AmericaData centers
Ohio calls time on data-center tax break after cost balloons to $1.5 billion, 11x the initial estimate
By Marc Levy and The Associated PressMay 29, 2026
59 minutes ago
Top CD rates from major banks May 29, 2026: Chase CDs, Bank of America CDs, Citibank CDs, and more
Personal FinanceCertificates of Deposit (CDs)
Top CD rates from major banks on May 29, 2026: Chase CDs, Bank of America CDs, Citibank CDs, and more
By Joseph HostetlerMay 29, 2026
2 hours ago
Current price of Ethereum for May 29, 2026
Personal FinanceEthereum
Current price of Ethereum for May 29, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerMay 29, 2026
2 hours ago
Current price of Bitcoin for May 29, 2026
Personal FinanceCryptocurrency
Current price of Bitcoin for May 29, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerMay 29, 2026
2 hours ago
Current price of gold as of May 29, 2026
Personal Financegold prices
Current price of gold as of May 29, 2026
By Danny BakstMay 29, 2026
2 hours ago

Most Popular

Jeff Bezos wants the bottom half of earners to pay zero income tax—he says nurses making just $75K should save $12K a year
Success
Jeff Bezos wants the bottom half of earners to pay zero income tax—he says nurses making just $75K should save $12K a year
By Preston ForeMay 21, 2026
8 days ago
As CEO of the $96 billion Sam’s Club, Latriece Watkins is testing her mettle at the warehouse retailer that produced CEOs for Walmart, Target, and Walgreens
Magazine
As CEO of the $96 billion Sam’s Club, Latriece Watkins is testing her mettle at the warehouse retailer that produced CEOs for Walmart, Target, and Walgreens
By Emma HinchliffeMay 27, 2026
2 days ago
The river that supplies 40 million Americans is down to 23% — and about to make a $25 million bet on one fish
Environment
The river that supplies 40 million Americans is down to 23% — and about to make a $25 million bet on one fish
By Dorany Pineda, Brittany Peterson and The Associated PressMay 27, 2026
2 days ago
Jamie Dimon said the American Dream was slipping away. JPMorgan just put $40 million on the table to fix it
Banking
Jamie Dimon said the American Dream was slipping away. JPMorgan just put $40 million on the table to fix it
By Nick LichtenbergMay 27, 2026
2 days ago
Current price of oil as of May 28, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of May 28, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerMay 28, 2026
1 day ago
As AI slashes white-collar jobs, Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff says almost no one is being hired—except in sales
Success
As AI slashes white-collar jobs, Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff says almost no one is being hired—except in sales
By Emma BurleighMay 28, 2026
24 hours ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.