Minor memos

Minor memos

February 20, 2018 | By Keith Martin in Washington, DC

Lenders are requiring that equity account for only 8% of the capital stack of a solar project rather than the more traditional 10%. The change is further evidence of the fierce competition among lenders this year for deals . . . . Insurance broker Aon reports that the tax insurance market now has the capacity to write policies of up to $1 billion. It says there are more than a dozen primary insurers willing to write such policies . . . . Bitcoin mining will use more electricity by 2020 than the entire world uses today if current trends continue, according to GTM Research. A block of 12.5 bitcoins is released every 10 minutes to the first person to solve a series of complicated math puzzles requiring major computing power. The number of coins released drops by half every four years. The total number of coins is capped at 21 million. The cap will be reached in 2140 . . . . The IRS treats bitcoins and other crypto-currencies like property. Investors must report gain or loss on the sale. However, Credit Karma Tax, a free on-line tax preparation service, reports that fewer than 100 of the 250,000 tax returns it has filed so far this year reported owning crypto-currency for tax purposes, a far smaller percentage than the 7% of Americans that are believed to own such currencies, and, of the 100 returns, only one reported a significant gain or loss despite the huge swings in bitcoin prices in the past year. People who owe taxes usually file closer to the filing deadline.