Puerto Rico's Debt Crisis Deepens as Government Misses Payment

The missed principal payment, the largest so far by the island, is widely viewed on Wall Street as foreshadowing additional defaults this summer, when more than $2 billion in bills are due.

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While Monday's default had been expected, it creates new complications for the local government. Its agencies maintain their bank accounts at the GDB, which serves as the government's fiscal agent and financial adviser and backs loans to private enterprises. The government had already passed legislation to limit withdrawals from the agency to avoid a potential bank run, and the commonwealth's treasurer last month began opening accounts at private banks.

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The default could mark a turning point after weeks of negotiations on Capitol Hill. House Republicans are completing legislation to create a federal oversight board for Puerto Rico with the power to sign off on local budgets and to authorize a court-supervised debt restructuring. The bill wouldn't commit U.S. taxpayer funds, but some creditors have described it as a bailout because they say it might violate existing contracts.

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Puerto Rico's debt crisis isn't seen as likely to spill into the U.S. economy or the broader $3.7 trillion municipal bond market because the island's troubles make it something of an outlier.