On the latest episode of the Debtwire Municipals Muni Lowdown podcast, Managing Editor Paul Greaves and Curation Editor Stephanie Fagnani speak with Karel Citroen, managing director of municipal research at Conning about state credit quality.

Karel starts with an overview of the report methodology.

The discussion then shifts to the fiscal resilience of states and whether potential federal funding shifts could increase credit risk. The conversation segues into Karel discussing the states that could face pronounced challenges if federal funding is reduced.

Karel provides the rationale behind the inclusion of two new metrics: cost of living index and catastrophe losses per capita.

The discussion moves towards a discussion of the coastal and wildfire-prone states that face a disproportionate financial burden due to physical climate risk.

Karel provides his perspective on the decision by the federal government to cease maintaining the billion-dollar disaster database.

The conversation continues with the factors behind the population growth in the Northeast.

The podcast concludes with Karel detailing the key factors to understanding tax revenue and income levels.

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