On Friday, April 24, 2015, the credit-rating agency, Standard & Poor’s (S&P), downgraded Puerto Rico’s general-obligation bonds further into "junk" level territory from a B rating down to a CCC+ grade, making it even more difficult for the financially distressed island to borrow money and dig out from its severe financial problems. This grading means […]

On November 10th., 2014, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced penalties against 13 brokerage firms for failing to protect their clients in the sales of high-risk government bonds issued by Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico currently has over $73 billion in public debt which has accumulated over several decades. Now in its eighth year of […]

On November 3, 2014, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) sanctioned 13 firms. According to the SEC, these firms violated the rule that is primarily designed to protect retail investors in the municipal securities market. A "minimum denomination" sets the smallest amount of the bonds that a broker/dealer is permitted to sell to a retail […]