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When is the stated interest rate of a debt instrument presumed to be fair?

Short Answer

Expert verified

The stated interest rate of a debt instrument is presumed to be fair except if:

  • The rate of interest is not stated.
  • The interest rate that is stated is not reasonable.
  • The face amount of the debt instrument is considerably different from the note’s current value.

Step by step solution

01

Meaning of Debt Instrument

A debt instrument refers to the financial instrument used by firms for obtaining capital. The users of the debt instrument can provide a loan to a firm with the agreement to repay it after the expiry of a certain period.

02

Conditions necessary for the stated interest rate of a debt instrument for presuming to be fair

If a bond is issued at par value and the risk is identical to the market risk, in this case, the stated interest rate on the bond should be similar to those being offered by the market. If it is identical, then the stated interest rate can be called as fair. However, in case the bond value is less than the par value and the risk involved is also high, then the bond should also provide a higher rate of interest and vice-versa.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

On January 1, 2017, Aumont Company sold 12% bonds having a maturity value of \(500,000 for \)537,907.37, which provides the bondholders with a 10% yield. The bonds are dated January 1, 2017, and mature January 1, 2022, with interest payable December 31 of each year. Aumont Company allocates interest and unamortized discount or premium on the effective-interest basis.

Instructions

(Round answers to the nearest cent.)

  1. Prepare the journal entry at the date of the bond issuance.
  2. Prepare a schedule of interest expense and bond amortization for 2017–2019.
  3. Prepare the journal entry to record the interest payment and the amortization for 2017.
  4. Prepare the journal entry to record the interest payment and the amortization for 2019.

Strickland Company owes \(200,000 plus \)18,000 of accrued interest to Moran State Bank. The debt is a 10-year, 10% note. During 2017, Strickland’s business deteriorated due to a faltering regional economy. On December 31, 2017, Moran State Bank agrees to accept an old machine and cancel the entire debt. The machine has a cost of \(390,000, accumulated depreciation of \)221,000, and a fair value of \(180,000.

Instructions

  1. Prepare journal entries for Strickland Company and Moran State Bank to record this debt settlement.
  2. How should Strickland report the gain or loss on the disposition of machine and on restructuring of debt in its 2017 income statement?
  3. Assume that, instead of transferring the machine, Strickland decides to grant 15,000 shares of its common stock (\)10 par) which has a fair value of $180,000 in full settlement of the loan obligation. If Moran State Bank treats Strickland’s stock as a trading investment, prepare the entries to record the transaction for both parties.

Question: The following information is taken from the 2017 annual report of Bugant, Inc. Bugant’s fiscal year ends December 31 of each year. Bugant’s December 31, 2017, balance sheet is as follows.

Bugant, Inc.

Balance Sheet

December 31, 2017

Assets

Cash \( 450

Inventory 1,800

Total current assets 2,250

Plant and equipment 2,000

Accumulated depreciation (160)

Total assets \)4,090

Liabilities

Bonds payable (net of discount) \(1,426

Stockholders’ equity

Common stock 1,500

Retained earnings 1,164

Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity \)4,090

Note X: Long Term Debt:

On January 1, 2016, Bugant issued bonds with face value of \(1,500 and a coupon rate equal to 10%. The bonds were issued to yield 12% and mature on January 1, 2021.

Additional information concerning 2018 is as follows.

  1. Sales were \)3,500, all for cash.
  2. Purchases were \(2,000, all paid in cash.
  3. Salaries were \)700, all paid in cash.
  4. Property, plant, and equipment was originally purchased for \(2,000 and is depreciated straight-line over a 25-year life with no salvage value.
  5. Ending inventory was \)1,900.
  6. Cash dividends of \(100 were declared and paid by Bugant.
  7. Ignore taxes.
  8. The market rate of interest on bonds of similar risk was 12% during all of 2018.
  9. Interest on the bonds is paid semiannually each June 30 and December 31.

Accounting

Prepare a balance sheet for Bugant, Inc. at December 31, 2018, and an income statement for the year ending December 31, 2018. Assume semiannual compounding of the bond interest.

Analysis

Use common ratios for analysis of long-term debt to assess Bugant’s long-run solvency. Has Bugant’s solvency changed much from 2017 to 2018? Bugant’s net income in 2017 was \)550 and interest expense was $169.

Principles

The FASB and the IASB allow companies the option of recognizing in their financial statements the fair values of their long-term debt. That is, companies have the option to change the balance sheet value of their long-term debt to the debt’s fair value and report the change in balance sheet value as a gain or loss in income. In terms of the qualitative characteristics of accounting information (Chapter 2), briefly describe the potential trade-off(s) involved in reporting long-term debt at its fair value.

Fallen Company commonly issues long-term notes payable to its various lenders. Fallen has had a pretty good credit rating such that its effective borrowing rate is quite low (less than 8% on an annual basis). Fallen has elected to use the fair value option for the long-term notes issued to Barclay’s Bank and has the following data related to the carrying and fair value for these notes. Any changes in fair value are due to changes in market rates, not credit risk.

Carrying Value

Fair Value

December 31, 2017

\(54,000

\)54,000

December 31, 2018

44,000

42,500

December 31, 2019

36,000

38,000

Instructions

(a) Prepare the journal entry at December 31 (Fallen’s year-end) for 2017, 2018, and 2019, to record the fair value option for these notes.

(b) At what amount will the note be reported on Fallen’s 2018 balance sheet?

(c) What is the effect of recording the fair value option on these notes on Fallen’s 2019 income?

(d) Assuming that general market interest rates have been stable over the period, does the fair value data for the notes indicate that Fallen’s creditworthiness has improved or declined in 2019? Explain.

On January 1, 2017, Margaret Avery Co. borrowed and received $400,000 from a major customer evidenced by a zero-interest-bearing note due in 3 years. As consideration for the zero-interest-bearing feature, Avery agrees to supply the customer’s inventory needs for the loan period at lower than the market price. The appropriate rate at which to impute interest is 8%.

Instructions


(a) Prepare the journal entry to record the initial transaction on January 1, 2017. (Round all computations to the nearest dollar.)

(b) Prepare the journal entry to record any adjusting entries needed at December 31, 2017. Assume that the sales of Avery’s product to this customer occur evenly over the 3-year period.

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