South Florida Arbitration & Litigation Lawyer Blog
Florida Corporate Bond Litigation and FINRA Arbitration Attorney:
As an Investor, you may be able to recover your losses relating to investments in corporate bonds but first it is important to understand what a corporate bond is. This is especially true in an economic environment of rising interest rates.
A bond is a debt obligation, like an Iou. Investors who buy corporate bonds are lending money to the company issuing the bond. In return, the company makes a legal commitment to pay interest on the principal and, in most cases, to return the principal when the bond comes due, or matures. To understand bonds, it is helpful to compare them with stocks. When you buy a share of common stock, you own equity in the company and will receive any dividends declared and paid by the company. When you buy a corporate bond, you do not own equity in the company. You will receive only the interest and principal on the bond, no matter how profitable the company becomes or how high its stock price climbs. But if the company runs into financial difficulties, it still has a legal obligation to make timely payments of interest and principal. The company has no similar obligation to pay dividends to shareholders. In a bankruptcy, bond investors have priority over shareholders in claims on the company’s assets. Like all investments, bonds carry risks. One key risk to a bondholder is that the company may fail to make timely payments of interest or principal. If that happens, the company will default on its bonds. This “default risk” makes the creditworthiness of the company – that is, its ability to pay its debt obligations on time – an important concern to bondholders.
Please keep in mind that this information is being provided for educational purposes only. It is not designed to be complete in all material respects. Thus, it should not be relied upon as providing legal or investment advice. If the reader has any questions concerning the contents of this post, you should contact a qualified professional.
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