REVIEW OF CHAPTER 16  

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Bonds

  1.     (S.O. 1)  Long-term liabilities are obligations that are expected to be paid after one year.  Long-term liabilities include bonds, long-term notes, and lease obligations.

 

2.     Bonds offer the following advantages over common stock:

        a.     Stockholder control is not affected.

        b.     Tax savings result.

        c.     Earnings per share of common stock may be higher.

 

3.     The major disadvantages resulting from the use of bonds are that interest must be paid on a periodic basis, and the principal (face value) of the bonds must be paid at maturity.

 

Types of Bonds

 

4.     Secured bonds have specific assets of the issuer pledged as collateral for the bonds.  A mortgage bond is secured by real estate.  Unsecured bonds are issued against the general credit of the borrower; they are also called debenture bonds.

 

5.     Bonds that mature at a single specified future date are called term bonds.  In contrast, bonds that mature in installments are called serial bonds.

 

6.     Registered bonds are issued in the name of the owner and have interest payments made by check to bondholders of record.  Bearer or coupon bonds are not registered; thus bondholders must send in coupons to receive interest payments.

 

7.     Convertible bonds permit bondholders to convert the bonds into common stock at their option.  Callable bonds are subject to call and retirement at a stated dollar amount prior to maturity at the option of the issuer.

 

8.     State laws grant corporations the power to issue bonds.

         a..... Within the corporation, formal approval by both the board of directors and stockholders is usually required before bonds can be issued.

         b..... In authorizing a bond issue, the board of directors must stipulate the number of bonds to be authorized, total face value, and contractual interest rate.

         c..... The terms of the bond issue are set forth in a formal legal document called a bond indenture.

 

Market Value of Bonds

 

9..... The market value (present value) of a bond is a function of three factors:  (a) the dollar amounts to be received, (b) the length of time until the amounts are received, and (c) the market rate of interest.  The process of finding the present value is referred to as discounting the future amounts.


Bond Issues

 

10.     (S.O. 2)  The issuance of bonds at face value results in a debit to Cash and a credit to Bonds Payable.

         a..... Over the term of the bonds, entries are required for bond interest.

         b..... At the maturity date, it is necessary to record the final payment of interest and payment of the face value of the bonds.

 

11.     Bonds may be issued below or above face value.

         a..... If the market (effective) rate of interest is higher than the contractual (stated) rate, the bonds will sell at less than face value, or at a discount.

         b..... If the market rate of interest is less than the contractual rate on the bonds, the bonds will sell above face value, or at a premium.

 

Bond Issues at Discount

 

12.     When bonds are issued at a discount,

         a..... The discount is debited to a contra account, Discount on Bonds Payable, and it is deducted from Bonds Payable in the balance sheet to show the carrying (or book) value of the bonds.

         b..... Bond discount is an additional cost of borrowing that should be recorded as bond interest expense over the life of the bonds.

 

Straight-Line Method

 

13..... The straight-line method of amortization allocates the same amount of bond discount each interest period.  The formula is:

 

Bond Discount Number of Interest Periods = Bond Discount Amortization

 

........ Bond discount amortization is recorded by debiting Bond Interest Expense and crediting Discount on Bonds Payable.

 

Bond Issues at Premium

 

14.     When bonds are issued at a premium,

         a..... The premium is credited to the account, Premium on Bonds Payable, and it is added to Bonds Payable in the balance sheet.

         b..... Bond premium is a reduction in the cost of borrowing that should be credited to Bond Interest Expense over the life of the bonds.

         c..... When the straight-line method of amortization is used, the amount is the same in each interest period.

 

15..... When bonds are issued between interest dates, the investor pays the market price plus accrued interest since the last interest date.  At the next interest date, the corporation returns the accrued interest by paying the full amount of interest due.


Bond Retirements

 

16..... (S.O. 3)  When bonds are retired before maturity it is necessary to (a) eliminate the carrying value of the bonds at the redemption date, (b) record the cash paid, and (c) recognize the gain or loss on redemption.  A gain (loss) is reported as an extraordinary item in the income statement.

 

17..... In recording the conversion of bonds into common stock the current market prices of the bonds and the stock are ignored.  Instead, the carrying value of the bonds is transferred to paid-in capital accounts and no gain or loss is recognized.

 

Bond Sinking Fund

 

18..... (S.O. 4)  A sinking fund is cash or other assets set aside to retire debt.  The bond sinking fund is reported as a single amount under investments on the balance sheet.

 

Long-term Notes Payable

 

19..... (S.O. 5)  A long-term note payable may be secured by a document called a mortgage that pledges title to specific assets as security for a loan.

         a..... Typically, the terms require the borrower to make installment payments consisting of (1) interest on the unpaid balance of the loan and (2) a reduction of loan principal.

         b..... Mortgage notes payable are recorded initially at face value; each installment payment results in a debit to Interest Expense, a debit to Mortgage Notes Payable, and a credit to Cash.

 

Leases

 

20..... (S.O. 6)  A lease is a contractual agreement between a lessor (owner) and a lessee (renter) that grants the right to use specific property for a period of time in return for cash payments.

 

Operating Leases

 

21..... In an operating lease the intent is temporary use of the property by the lessee with continued ownership of the property by the lessor.  The lease (or rental) payments are recorded as an expense by the lessee and as revenue by the lessor.

 

Capital Leases

 

22..... A capital lease transfers substantially all the benefits and risks of ownership from the lessor to the lessee.

         a..... The lessee is required to record an asset and the related obligation at the present value of the future lease payments.

         b..... The leased asset is reported on the balance sheet under plant assets.

         c..... The portion of the lease liability to be paid in the next year is a current liability, and the remainder is classified as a long-term liability.


Presentation and Analysis

 

23..... (S.O. 7)  Long-term liabilities are reported in a separate section of the balance sheet immediately following current liabilities.

24..... The debt to total assets ratio measures the percentage of the total assets provided by creditors.  It is computed by dividing total debt by total assets.

 

25..... The times interest earned ratio provides an indication of the company's ability to meet interest payments as they become due.  It is computed by dividing income before interest expense and income taxes by interest expense.

 

Effective-Interest Method

 

*26... (S.O. 8)  The effective interest method of amortization is an alternative to the straight-line method.  Under this method,

         a..... Bond Interest Expense is computed first by multiplying the carrying value of the bonds at the beginning of the period by the effective interest rate.

         b..... The credit to Cash (or Bond Interest Payable) is computed by multiplying the face value of the bonds by the contractual interest rate.

         c..... The bond discount or premium amortization amount is then determined by comparing bond interest expense with the interest paid or accrued.

 

*27.      The effective interest method produces a periodic interest expense equal to a constant percentage of the carrying value of the bonds.  When the amounts of bond interest expense are materially different under the two methods, the effective interest method is required under generally accepted accounting principles.

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