Tools for Evaluating State Pension Risk

It is generally acknowledged that governmental pension liabilities can lead to financial distress impacting a government’s ability and/or willingness to pay its financial debt. This panel will discuss both legal and financial tools to assess the extent of such risks. While states cannot, currently, access the Federal Bankruptcy Code, what legal tools may or may not be available to adjust both accrued and future pension and OPEB liabilities? What financial reporting is available for debt holders to assess the magnitude of any pension and OPEB problem? What are the accounting assumptions impacting those figures and how might those assumptions differ among issuers? Sufficient time will be left at the end of the panel for a robust question and answer session.

Bill Kannel will be moderating this panel that is part of the Advanced Seminar on State Governments, put on by The Education Committee of the National Federation of Municipal Analysts.