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Office of Gov. Dennis Daugaard
500 E. Capitol Ave.
Pierre,S.D.57501
(605) 773-3212
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Wednesday, June 13, 2018
CONTACT: Tony Venhuizen or Kelsey Pritchard at 605-773-3212
EDITORS/NEWS DIRECTORS: For audio from the Governor on the Fitch upgrade, visit news.sd.gov/media.aspx and click on “Audio” under “Governor Dennis Daugaard.”
South Dakota Maintains AAA With Fitch
PIERRE, S.D. – Today Fitch announced that it has reaffirmed South Dakota’s AAA Issuer Default Rating with a stable outlook.
“Achieving AAA is hard work, and so is maintaining that status,” said Gov. Dennis Daugaard. “By sticking to conservative budget practices and keeping our reserves at 10 percent of our annual budget, South Dakota continues to benefit from the highest rating possible from Fitch.”
In the report Fitch lists the state’s balanced budget requirement, broad sales tax, ability to reduce spending, lack of long-term liabilities and anticipated revenue growth as key reasons for reaffirming the state’s AAA. The rating affects $122 million of bonds issued through the Vocational Education program within the South Dakota Health and Educational Facilities Authority as well as future bond issues made through the authority.
Fitch awarded the state a AAA rating in 2016. The state is also rated AAA by S&P and Moody’s, which are expected to renew the state’s ratings next month.
Credit ratings give potential bond purchasers a measurement of state performance and credit worthiness. Upgrades typically allow issued bonds to carry a lower interest rate, providing interest savings to issuers as well as the State of South Dakota and taxpayers.
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