Monday quiz

Kickstart the week with a quick test of your investment knowledge--this week's focus is on the cheery subject of debt

Holly Cook | 08-06-09 | E-mail Article

1. What does it mean for debt to be unsecured?
a) Debt under a consolidation loan

b) Debt that a company believes is unlikely to be paid back

c) Debt not backed by collateral

d) Debt that has not yet been officially agreed by the lender

2. Which of the following is the best measure of corporate default risk?
a) The asset base

b) The profits of the company

c) The dividend history

d) The credit rating of the company

3. Who would be paid last in the winding up of a company?
a) Creditors

b) Debentures secured by floating charge

c) Subordinated loan stock holders

d) Ordinary shareholders

Answers
1. c) Unsecured debt refers to debt not backed by collateral. From a personal debt point of view, credit card debt is one such example of unsecured debt. A mortgage, however, would be secured debt because it is backed by the house.

2. d) There are two main credit rating companies; Moody's and Standard and Poor's, and their task is to scrutinise a corporate's ability to pay interest and dividends on the securities they issue. However, using credit rating as the sole measure of corporate default risk is considered a rather naive approach compared to a more holistic view of a group's liquidity. As with most situations, the more information one has, the better the assessment.

3. d) The order of repayment (first to last) would be debenture holder (secured debt), trade creditor, subordinated loan stock and, finally, ordinary shareholder. Ordinary shares entitle the holder to vote on measures at the company’s AGM and to receive dividends but they are the last creditors to receive anything if a company goes bankrupt.

Click here to go to the Morningstar Glossary if you wish to check your understanding of any investment terms or concepts.

Holly Cook is Site Editor of Morningstar.co.uk and Hemscott.com. She would like to hear from you but cannot give financial advice. You can contact the author via this feedback form.
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