Debt Flashcards
What is the Purpose of the Federal Farm Credit System?
To provide funding to farmers, such as short-term loans for planting and harvest; intermediate term loans to buy equipment; and long term loans to buy land and buildings.
The US Government promotes home ownership through which agencies?
Federal Home Loan Banks (FHLB), Federal National Mortgage Association (“Fannie Mae”), Government National Mortgage Association (“Ginnie Mae”), Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (“Freddie Mac”)
Which home loan agency is directly backed by the US government?
Ginnie Mae: Government National Mortgage Association
FHLB issues what types of bonds, to loan, funds to saving and loan institutions?
Discount Notes: short term, 1 year or less, minimum 100,00 face amount, and deliver a higher yield.
Callable Bonds / Non-Callable Bullet bonds: Fixed rate bonds with a 10,000 minimum face amount. Up to a 30 year maturity, with semi-annual payments.
What do Freddie, Fannie, and Ginnie mainly issue?
Mortgage Backed Securities - “MBS” i.e.: Mortgage Backed Pass Through Certificates
Mortgage Backed Pass Through Certificates
Government Housing agencies purchase mortgages from originating banks. Once enough mortgages are pooled they are divided in 25,000 minimum certificates.
Why do Mortgage Backed Pass Through Certificates have such a high minimum face amount?
To discourage small investors, who may not have a good understanding of the associated risks.
Prepayment Risk
A mortgage can be payed off before the set payoff date (Decreasing the payout length, and amount of interest earned), therefore the certificates maturity date is unknown.
The who and what of Fannie Mae
Buys VA and FHA guaranteed mortgages, as well as conventional mortgages from banks.
It’s a “Privatized” corporation
Due to is bankruptcy in 2008, it is now placed under government conservatorship.
The who and what of Ginnie Mae
The only housing agency directly owned and backed by the Feds.
Only buys government insured mortgages - FHA, VA, and Farmer’s Home Administration (FmHA).
Note! : It still pays Federal, State, and Local
Freddie Mac (FHLMC)
Only buys conventional Mortgages
Publicly traded
Placed under government conservatorship after its 2008 bankruptcy.
Sallie Mae
Student Loan Marketing Association
purchases insured student loans from qualified institutions.
How are government and agency securities traded? Who trades them?
Solely OTC
Primary dealers - Goldman Sachs, J.P. Morgan, Citigroup - Only designated once a firm has consistently purchased Treasury Securities, and then resold them.
Secondary dealers - Buy and sell treasuries in the market through primary dealers.
“Open Market Operations”
Fed reserve buys and sells large quantities of government securities from Primary dealers.
This is done to manage interest rates.
Fed Loosening
Purchases Treasury securities from primary dealers to help lower market interest rates due to banks now having more cash to lend.
Fed Tightening
Sells Treasury securities to primary dealers to raise market interest rates due to banks now having less cash.
What is the “regular way” settlement time for treasuries
1 business day after the trade date
Regular way settlement for agencies
depends, but usually settles “regular way” ( 1 business day)
Tax Status of US Government Debt
Only federally taxable
Agencies Tax Status
both state, local and federally taxable.
What does M stand for in Bonds
1000; 5M = 5000
Municipal bonds are exempt from what taxes?
Exempt from federal taxes. Exempt from state taxes, when purchased by a resident of the state.
BABs are the one exception. They are Federally taxable, but not state or local.
What does a bond council do?
The bond counsel examines the bond issue to make sure that it is legally binding on the issuer, is valid, and that the interest is exempt from federal tax under current law.
Unqualified opinion
Issuers want this opinion. It means there are no problems with the bond.
Level Debt Service
The combined annual payments of interest and the principal equal the same total amount each year.
Usually interest payments start high and decrease overtime, and vice versa for the principal payment.
General Obligation Bonds - GO
A bond that is backed by the full faith, credit, and taxing power of the issuer.
Type of tax depends on the issuer, local governments back their bonds with Ad Valorem (property taxes).
Limited Tax Bonds
A municipal bond that has a limit placed on the rate that the issuer uses to assess taxes.
Have a higher interest rate due to the associated risk.
Mill Rate
Ad Valorem taxes are assessed based in Millage.
one mill = 1/10th of 1 percent or .001
Roughly $1 for every $1,000 of property value
What taxes do most state level governments use to back bonds?
Sale and Income tax.
Note!: Ad Valorum is usually used on the local government level.
Constitutional Debt Limit on Municipal GO Bonds
The imposed debt limit on the dollar amount of GO bonds that can be issued. More cannot be issued if the municipality is at its limit.
Note!: People don’t want to be over taxed!
Capital Appreciation Bond (CAB) Hint: “with a twist!”
A municipal zero coupon bond where the amount counted against the issuers debt limit is the discount principal amount.
Note: This is a way for municipal governments to deal with the debt limit on GO bonds.
Parity Bond
A bond that has an issue of a later date has the same claim on tax collection as a bond from an earlier issue.
Note: A way to add more protection to a bond.
Revenue Bond
A municipality bond backed by specified revenue.
Example: Stadium, Water Treatment Plant, a Dam
A feasibility study must be done to show the need for the project the bond is funding, along with the economic viability of said project.
Usually issued under a trust indenture due to the higher amount of risk.
Bond Contract/ Bond Resolution
All municipal bonds are issued under a bond contract that the bond counsel produces - gives general information regarding the bond.
Lease Rental Bond
Issue used to finance office construction where the user is a STATE or CITY agency. The rents paid by the user are the revenue source and the user is generally obligated to appropriate the funds for the lease payments from general tax revenues.
Industrial Development Bonds - IDBs
Bonds issued by a state, city, or local agency to build an industrial facility that is leased to a private company.
Funded by the final users rent.
Considered the users liability and not the issuers.
Bond Anticipation Notes - BANs
A short term issue to kick-start funds for new projects, the bond being paid off, usually in 1 year, by a final long term bond issue.
Examples: building highways, bridges, or sewage systems.
Backed by the general obligation pledge of the issue.
Construction Loan Notes - CLNs
Issued to start the building of a multifamily housing projects, note is paid off with the placement of a long term bond issue.
Example of use: If a city experiences a boom in population, it may need to build additional housing quickly.
Typically 2-3 years in length, usually when interest rates are high, the borrower hoping the rate will drop by the time the take loan is issued.
Tax Anticipation Note - TANs
Issued in anticipation of future property (ad valorem) tax receipts; paid off from those receipts.
TANs are secured by the general obligation pledge of the issuer.
Revenue Anticipation Note - RANs
Issued in anticipation of future revenue collections from a project. Lenders are paid with revenue generated by that same project.
Example: Stadium renovations or recreation center improvements.
Note: Is usually used to pay for federal highway funding while waiting for those funds to arrive, instead of a GAN