How do serial obligation bonds differ from most other bonds?
Mia Ramsey
Published Feb 19, 2026
While a serial bond issue requires the issuer to repay specific bondholders on a stated date, other bond issues are structured with a sinking fund.
What is serial bond example?
A serial bond is a bond issuance where a portion of the total number of bonds are paid off each year. This results in a gradual decline in the total amount of the issuer’s debt outstanding. For example, a $1,000,000, ten-year serial bond will have $100,000 of bonds mature once a year for ten years.
How are bond terms calculated?
To figure out the total interest paid, you take the face value of the bond, multiply it by the coupon interest rate, and then multiply that by the number of years corresponding to the term of the bond. For instance, say a company issues a five-year bond with a face value of $1,000 and a 2% interest rate.
How are serial bonds quoted?
Serial bonds are usually quoted using their yield, while term bonds are quoted using their price. Term bonds sometimes carry a call feature that allows the issuer to redeem the bonds prior to their maturity date. If the indenture carries this provision, it will include a schedule of redemption dates and prices.
Is callable bonds a term bond?
How a Term Bond Works. Thus, the issuer of a callable bond can redeem the bond at a predetermined price, at specific times before the bond matures. The time from issuance to call date(s) represents the bond’s active term. Some corporate and municipal bonds are examples of term bonds that have 10-year call features.
Which of the following is disadvantage of bonds?
The disadvantages of bonds include rising interest rates, market volatility and credit risk. Bond prices rise when rates fall and fall when rates rise. Your bond portfolio could suffer market price losses in a rising rate environment.
Are serial bonds current liabilities?
Serial bonds are reported on the balance sheet of the bond issuer as a long-term liability. Conversely, the bondholder reports these investments on its balance sheet as a current or non-current receivable in the asset section.
Are serial bonds secured?
Definition: A serial bond, sometimes called a serial note, is a debt security that matures and is payable at periodic dates during its term or life. Thus, it is repaid over a number of periods instead of one specific maturity date.
Are all bonds callable?
Types of Callable Bonds However, not all bonds are callable. Treasury bonds and Treasury notes are non-callable, although there are a few exceptions. Most municipal bonds and some corporate bonds are callable. A municipal bond has call features that may be exercised after a set period such as 10 years.
Are bonds payable long term liabilities?
The long-term portion of a bond payable is reported as a long-term liability. Because a bond typically covers many years, the majority of a bond payable is long term.