NEW HANOVER COUNTY, NC – Moody’s Investor Services (Moody’s) and Standard & Poor’s (S&P), the nation’s top bond rating agencies, have both assigned New Hanover County a Triple-A bond rating on its general obligation bonds, the highest rating possible.
This marks the 11th straight year both agencies have given the county a Triple-A rating. New Hanover County has been Triple-A bond rated with Moody’s since 2010, while S&P began rated the county at the Triple-A level starting in 2013.
“Maintaining this mark for more than a decade speaks volumes about the fiscal responsibility of our Board of Commissioners and dedication of our staff in service to the community,” said New Hanover County Manager Chris Coudriet. “Navigating the financial uncertainty the last few years that our world has faced has truly been a challenge, so to be Triple-A rated once again, despite all the difficulties we’ve seen, is a special accomplishment.”
Numerous factors determine a bond rating, including the size of the county’s tax base, its overall economy, its financial flexibility and reserves, manageable fixed cost burden and the county’s management practices and policies. Being Triple-A rated helps New Hanover County get the best interest rates when implementing vital capital projects, which can save taxpayers potentially millions of dollars.
To learn more about the work being done by the New Hanover County Finance Department, visit Finance.NHCgov.com.