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Parity Bonds

Trading Term

Parity bonds are a type of municipal bond that share equal claim or priority on the issuer’s revenue or collateral with other bonds of the same category. This means that all parity bondholders have an equal right to receive interest and principal payments, without any bond being subordinated to another. These bonds are typically issued under the same legal framework, such as an indenture or resolution, which governs the repayment terms and financial obligations of the issuer. Parity bonds are commonly used in public finance, particularly for funding infrastructure projects like water systems, highways, and schools, where revenue from specific sources—such as tolls or utility fees—is pledged to repay the debt.

The key advantage of parity bonds is that they provide bondholders with an equal level of security, reducing the risk of one bondholder being paid over another in the event of financial distress. However, issuing additional parity bonds may require meeting specific financial conditions, such as maintaining a certain debt service coverage ratio, to ensure that the issuer can support the additional debt. Investors considering parity bonds often analyze the issuer’s overall financial health, revenue sources, and existing debt obligations to assess the likelihood of consistent and timely payments.

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