Tag / Pensions

by Hoosier Econ

Canada Investing in Indiana’s I-69 Project

Indiana currently is in the middle of the I-69 Highway project. Much of the financing for “Phase 5” made history but many didn’t take notice of why.

The I-69 Section 5 project will upgrade 21 miles of SR 37 (an existing four-lane divided highway) between Bloomington and Martinsville, Indiana to full Interstate standards. The $325 million project includes four new interchanges and four new overpasses, in addition to improvements at existing interchanges and additional travel lanes in urban areas along the corridor.

In April 2014 Canada’s Public Sector Pension Investment Board (which also holds a minority equity stake in Isolux Infrastructure) took a 49 percent equity stake in the concession company through its affiliate Infra-PSP Canada; this represents the first upfront direct investment in a U.S. P3 project by an international public pension fund. The partners reached financial close in July 2014, and construction is scheduled to take 28 months, with the project slated to open by the end of 2016.


JD Supra Advisor noted foreign investment in U.S. infrastructure projects like Indiana is a test run and stability is key for any future investments.

Given the long term nature of a P3 investment, political and regulatory stability is essential to encouraging investment. For overseas investors in the US market, this will require confidence that there is political and public acceptance of private sector investment in infrastructure.

by Hoosier Econ

California Pension System Imploding

With Detroit bankruptcy being approved just a few weeks ago look for many other municipalities and possibly states to use similar methods to fend off economically impossible to meet financial demands.
The next bankruptcy is best captured in the LA Times article entitled “California pension funds are running dry” :

The state’s pension goliath, the California Public Employees’ Retirement System, had $281 billion to cover the benefits promised to 1.3 million workers and retirees in 2013. Yet it needed an additional $57 billion to meet future obligations.

The bill at the state teachers’ pension fund is even higher: It has an estimated shortfall of $70 billion.

Bankruptcy has already happened in some California towns.

Meanwhile, cash-strapped cities are facing escalating bills. Rising pension costs contributed to bankruptcies in Stockton, San Bernardino and Vallejo.

The man behind the transparency movement in California is state Controller John Chiang. He started a website tracking a towns finances for the public to see and it grew from there.

by Hoosier Econ

Indiana Gets “AA+” Grade From Fitch Ratings

Fitch Ratings assigns an ‘AAA’ implied GO rating to the state of Indiana and affirms the ‘AA+’ rating on outstanding Indiana appropriation-backed debt issued by the Indiana Finance Authority (IFA), the Indiana State Office Building Commission, and the Indiana Transportation Finance Authority.

The IFA was established in 2005. The state’s debt structure formerly was diffuse with state appropriation-backed debt issued through several commissions and authorities. The IFA is the successor agency to the former agencies.

The Rating Outlook is Stable.

Read the rest at HeraldOnline.com

by Hoosier Econ

Indiana Hoosier Lottery Financial Release

Via Indiana Hoosier Lottery –

Hoosier Lottery officials announced Tuesday that the Lottery is providing the State of Indiana with more than $250 million in surplus revenue for fiscal year 2014.
The State uses the contributions to support the Build Indiana Fund, pensions for local firefighters and police officers and retirement funds for Indiana teachers.

The $250 million in surplus revenue for fiscal year 2014 is a 12 percent increase from $224 million in fiscal year 2013. Although final audited figures will not be available until later this year, preliminary totals show sales were $1.018 billion for fiscal year 2014.

The rest of the article is here