Post Tagged with: "credit ratings"

A recent report from Moody’s Ratings says global water reliability is becoming a key factor in economic resilience in regions that face rising water demand and uneven supply. As the report explains, water reliability – the capacity of a water system to sustain adequate supplyRead More

Fitch Ratings says U.S. public finance issuers face elevated cyber risk amid the ongoing conflict in Iran. Previous geopolitically motivated attacks on U.S. public finance entities primarily have targeted health care and utilities. Fitch said increased broad-based retaliatory cyber intrusions also are likely. According toRead More

| By Audra Dickinson U.S. water utilities are entering a calmer environment in 2024 as the rate of inflation continues to level off, so much so that Fitch Ratings has moved its sector outlook to neutral from deteriorating. Much of the improved picture is drivenRead More

Despite the significant infusion of funds from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), Fitch Ratings said it estimates a funding gap in excess of $85 billion over the next five years for water and sewer utilities that will needRead More

According to a new sector outlook for 2024 by Fitch Ratings, inflationary pressures will continue to ease for U.S. water utilities in the coming year, and the credit ratings agency has moved its outlook to “neutral” from “deteriorating.” Fitch’s U.S. Water and Sewer Outlook 2024Read More

Fitch Ratings says U.S. water utilities weathered the COVID-19 pandemic remarkably well and appear to be on solid footing, even as the broader economy inches closer to recession, according to the credit ratings company’s annual peer review for the sector. According to the review, slowerRead More

According to a recent annual peer review for the sector by Fitch Ratings, U.S. water utilities have fared remarkably well post-coronavirus and are withstanding the effects of inflation on operations and capital spending. Operating costs are up across the board after a decline in fiscalRead More

Cyberattacks on industrial control systems/operational technology are more likely to have a credit and ESG impact than a corresponding attack on IT, Fitch Ratings says. Operational technology (OT) systems are vital production technologies that prioritize product or service availability and human safety and are oftenRead More

By Doug Scott U.S. water and sewer utilities will see some weakening in their financial profiles over the next several months, effectively reversing a trend of steadily declining leverage in recent years as utilities limited the rate of debt growth and posted robust operating margins.Read More

The current drought in California could cut into water utility revenues and pressure financial margins, Fitch Ratings says. Statewide water conservation mandates could be announced this fall, and some water agencies have already initiated cutbacks. After two years of dry conditions, California is experiencing aRead More