Debt is borrowed money, either between people, businesses, or banks, as 💝🅺well as a financial instrument used as leverage by corporations to borrow or purchase.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • ♈What has💮 an impact on a company’s net interest margin?

    Multiple factors may affect a financial institution's net interest margin: chief among them, supply and demand. If there's a large demand for savings accounts compared to loans, net interest margin decreases, as the bank is required to pay out more interest than it receives. Conversely, if there's a higher demand in loans versus savings accounts, where more consumers are borrowing than saving, a bank's net interest margin increases.

  • How much debt can a company safely take on?

     If a company has no debt at all, then taking on some debt could give the company more opportunity to reinvest in its operations. Typically, though, too much debt is bad for companies and shareholders because it inhibits a company's ability to create a cash surplus. However, high debt levels may negatively affect common stockholders, who are last in line for claiming payback from a company that becomes insolvent.

  • What is an AA+ rating?

    Considered one of the rankings for investment-grade debt, investments rated by ratings agency Standard & Poor’s (S&P) with an AA+ rating have a strong likelihood of repaying their debts, making the chance of default very low. The firm creates its ratings based on information such as annual reports, news articles, and company management.

  • Why would a♛ company choosꦅe debt over equity financing?

    In order not to have to surrender any part of its company, a firm can choose d✃ebt financing over equity financing.🦂 Sources of debt financing include term loans, business lines of credit, invoice factoring, business credit cards, SBA loans, and personal loans, usually from a family member or friend. A company that believes in its financials would not want to miss on the profits they would have to pass to shareholders if they assigned someone else equity.

  • How is mezzanine financing helpful to a company?

    Mezzanine financing can help a company support specific growth projec𝓀ts or acquisitions. The benefits for a company include the fact ᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚthat the providers of mezzanine capital are often long-term investors in the company. Since traditional creditors generally view a company with long-term investors in a more favorable light and are then more likely to extend credit and favorable terms to that company, this could make it easier to obtain other types of financing.

  • What is meant by short/current long-term debt?

    Creditors as well as investors use this item to determine if a company can pay off its short-term obligations. The short/current long-term debt is a separate line item on a balance sheet account that outlines the total amount of debt that must be paid within the current year. The current liability account or short-term debt entry is for debt that is to be paid off within the next 12 months. There ma♈y also be a portion of long-term debt shown in the short-t🍒erm debt account.

Key Terms

Short-Term Debt
Short-♕Term Debt (Current 💜Liabilities): What It Is, How It Works
Allowance For Credit Losses
Debt Restructuring
Debt R𝕴estructuring: Definition, How It Works, Types & Examples
Deleverage
Deleverage: Overview, Examples and Formulas
Netting
Netting: Definition, How It 🤪Works, Types, Benefits, and Examp♊le
Project Finance
Project Finance: D�🎃�efinition, How It Works, and Types of Loans
Syndicated Loan
Syndicated Loan: What It Is, How I⛎t Work🍷s, and Examples
Working Capital Loan
Working Capital Loan: Def🦂inition, Uses in Business,☂ Types
Advance Payment
Advance Payment:ꩵ What It Is, How It Works, Examples
Bail-In
Bail-In: ൩Definition and Role in a Financial Crisis
Buyer's Credit
Buyer's Credit For Importers: Process and Advantages
Hire Purchase Agreements
Hire Purchase Agreements: Definit༒ion, How They Wo🎀rk, Pros and Cons
Liquidation Preference
Liquidation Preferenc𒁏e: Definition, How It W💮orks, and Examples
Merton Model
Merton Model: Definitio෴n, History, Formula, and What It Tells You
Second Lien Debt
Second-Lien Debt: Definition, Risks, Example
Unitranche Debt
Unitranche 🐠Debt (Financing): How These Hybrid Loans Work
Waterfall Payment
Waterfa♕ll Paymen💯t: Definition, Benefits, How It Works and Example
4 Types of Debt Yields
Credit Analysis
What Is Credit Analysis? How It🀅 Works With Evaluating Risk
Rollover Risk
Rollover Risk: Definition, How It Works, and𒁏 E﷽xample
Gearing
Ge𝄹aring: Definition, How It’s Measured, and Example
Leaseback
Leaseback (or Sale-Leaseback): Definition, Benefits, 🐲and Examples
Balance Sheet
Understanding Off-Balance Sheet (OBS) Financing
Two people shaking hands over financial documents
Reasons for Bank Guarantees and How to Get One
Receivership
Receiv𒆙ership: What It Is, How It Works, vs. ⛦Bankruptcy
focused corporate team working at a desk in an office with papers and laptops
Who Bears th🎃e Risk of Bad Debts in Securitization?
Debt-Adjusted Cash Flow (DACF)
Debt-Adjusteꦑd Cash Flow (DACF): What it is, How it Works
Leveraged Recapitalization
Leveraged Recapitalization: Overview and History
Nega♛tive Amortization: Meaning, Overview, Examples
Do Companies Measure The♍ir Cost of Deb🌼t With Before- Or After-tax Returns?
looking up at skyscrapers in manhattan with a blue sky
When Does a Corporation Decide to Refinance Debt?
Financial Distress
Financial Distress: Definition, Signs, and Remedieღs
A hand with a pen analyzing charts of information
How Do Share Capital and Paid-Up Capital Differ?
Commercial Loan
Commercial𒐪 Loan: W🌺hat It Is, How It Works, Different Types
Absolute Priority
Absolute Priority: What it Means, How it Works
Recurring Debt
Recurring Debt: What It is, Impact, Types
Murabaha
Murabaha: Definitio🅰n, Example, and Fin🐻ancing Under Islamic Law
Debt
Debt:🌺 What It Is, How It Works, Types, and Ways to Pay Back
Reasonableness Sta𝕴ndard: What it is,🐼 How it Works, Examples
Banker's Acceptance (BA)
Banker's Acceptance (BA): Definition, Meaning, and Types
Mezzanine Debt
Mezzanine Debt: What It Is, How It Works, and Examp𝓡les
A woman uses a laptop in a motorhome.
Cha𓂃ttel: Definition, How It Works,🐻 Chattel Mortgages, & Examples
Business people discussing financing options inside a warehouse
Warehouse Financing: Definition, Exa💧mple, Vs. Wareh♍ouse Lending
A staff member of a bank standing behind glass and feeding stacks of banknotes into a cash counter.
Wholesale Money: What it is, How it Works
Businessmen Analyzing Charts on Laptop in Office
Why Would a Corporation Issue Convertible Bonds?
Fedꦡeral Farm Credit System (FFCS): Meaning, Example
Cash Available for Debt Service (CADS)
Overওview of Cash Available for Debt Service (CADS), Calculatio𒈔n
Fa▨rm Credit System (FCS): What it Means, How☂ it Works, History
Bank for Cooperatives
Bank for Coopera🦂tives: What It is, How It Woℱrks, History
Defeasance
What Is Defeasance? How It Works on the B🅰alance Sheet and Exam🌌ple
Businesswoman working in office typing on calculator and holding phone in hand with computer and financial sheets on desk
How Do Cost of Debt🏅 Capital and Cost of Eq🏅uity Differ?
Shutdown Point
Shutdo🍰wn Points: How it Works, Examples in Ec💝onomics
Lien
Lien: Definition, Major Types, and Examples
Woman working in an office while talking on a smart phone and taking notes.
Why Do Companies Issue Bonds and Other Debt?
Net Interest Margin
What Is Net Inter🐎est Margin? Overview, Formula, and Example
a neoclassical building
Senior Bank Loan: Definition, Howꦅ It Works, Rates & Risks
Parallel Loan Definition
Net Charge-Off (NCO)
Net Charge-Off: What it is, How it Works, Example
A young couple smile as they shake hands with a bank loan officer after finding out that they are approved for a loan.
Takeout: What it is, How it Works, Acquisition
Debt Tender♊ Offer: Definition, Types, Rules, and Example