Income Bond

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Income Bond Definition

An income bond refers to a form of bond in which the bond issuer guarantees the payment of the bond's face value at maturity. The interest to the bondholder is paid only when the company produces adequate profit.

The bond offering with non-obligatory interest payment is beneficial to the bond issuers since they don't have to face legal consequences in case of default in interest payments. However, for the bondholder, the uncertainty about the bond yield attributes to the risk element. Furthermore, the covenants of such bonds vary with bond issuers.

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  • An income bond refers to a financial instrument in which the issuer promises to repay the bond's face value but has no guarantee about the interest payment.
  • Interest income depends on the net income generated by the bond issuing entity.
  • The unpaid interest is not pending, accumulated, or carried forward unless specified in the covenant, and covenants vary with bond issuers.
  • It helps businesses collect capital and uplift business operations with fewer obligations. In some countries, government entities also issue it to fund the government deficit.

Income Bonds Explained

Income bonds exemplify a type of bond which companies and governments use to borrow money from a group of investors by favoring them with guaranteeing face value at maturity and coupon payment triggered by the profit earned by the company. It implies that the interest income of investors is tied to the company's financial performance. However, interest rates are usually higher than the market rate owing to the increased risk involved.

Income Bond

The primary purpose of issuing it is to uplift entities on the verge of bankruptcy or facing solvency issues. Hence, such bonds are usually issued when a company is under severe financial duress or undergoing business restructuring. Since there is no guarantee of interest payments, the main factor that may attract investors are the interest rate they offer. If the company couldn't perform even after business restructuring, the investors will get back only the bond's face value and earn no return in the form of interest.

The bondholders in this scenario are comparable to the entity's shareholders since they are helping the entity grow without getting a regular income stream in return. In addition, the payment terms and structure may evoke comparisons to preferred shares of a company where the company is not obliged to make a dividend unless an adequate net income is generated every year. However, the process of unpaid interest getting accumulated in the books to pay later will not happen, unlike dividends in the case of preference shares.

NS&I Income Bond UK

National Savings and Investments (NS&I) is a state-owned savings bank in the United Kingdom. It is an executive agency of HM Treasury. They provide different savings instruments to attract funds from individual savers in the UK to fund the government's deficit. NS&I attracts savers by offering savings products with tax-free elements on some products and a 100% guarantee from HM Treasury on all deposits.

NS&I Income Bonds are investments that pay the holder interest regularly. Users can start an account with amounts ranging from £500 to £1 million in total. Also, holders can withdraw at their discretion without receiving notice or penalty. The monthly interest is deposited into the holder's bank or building society account. However, the NS&I income bond interest rate may vary with years, and the updated interest rate will be available on their official website.

Example

ABC Inc., a railroad company, has been facing financial difficulties due to competition. Apart from this, increased costs in logistics and have led the company to file for chapter-11 bankruptcy.

The executive management of the company has roped in a few large investors for an issue of US$50mn worth of income bonds with a tenure of 3 years. The money will be used for restructuring the company, paying off other outstanding dues, and cleaning up the balance sheet while also providing the much-needed capital for the company's future operations. The bond offers 7% interest at the time of issue to investors for their risk. The bond's covenants also dictate that the company is not obligated to pay interest unless there is a generation of sufficient earnings from the company's operating activities.

After the bonds issue, the company immediately sets the fresh capital to work. At the end of the current financial year, the company produces a loss of US$20mn and US$2mn for the second year and a profit of US$62mn in the third year. Since the company did not make a net income, the management can avoid the interest payment for the first two years. However, in the third year, the company managed to generate a profit and is now liable to pay the third-year interest to the bondholders. If the company could not generate enough surplus income to pay the interest throughout the tenure, the management pays only the holders' principal amount.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Are NS&I income bonds a good investment?

They are good options since the organization is backed by a government entity, HM Treasury, and offers a 100 percent guarantee on all deposits. National Savings and Investments (NS&I) is a UK state-owned savings bank. They provide various savings tools, including tax-free savings products, to collect cash from individual savers in the UK for the goal of funding the government's deficit.

Do income bonds pay monthly?

Generally, the income stream is not monthly. In the case of income bonds, the initiation of interest payment depends on the profit figure in the quarterly or annual financial statement. If the profit figures are negative, there will be no interest payment to the bondholders. However, there are exceptions, like bondholders of the NS&I get monthly interest payments.

How do guaranteed income bonds work?

They are one-time investments that pay out a certain amount of money each month for a specified period. In addition, investors receive a promised fixed interest rate for their investment period.