What is a note?

A note is a legal document representing a loan made from an issuer to a creditor or an investor. Notes entail the payback of the principal amount loaned, as well as any predetermined interest payments. The U.S. government issues Treasury notes (T-notes) to raise money to pay for infrastructure.

1. What is a note and types?
2. What does the term note mean?
3. What is an A note in finance?
4. Is a note a debt?

What is a note and types?

A note is a legal document that obligates an issuer to repay the creditor the principal amount of a loan plus any interest payments at a predetermined date. The main types of notes include promissory notes, Treasury notes, unsecured notes, convertible notes, and structured notes.

What does the term note mean?

A term note, or a term loan, is a type of loan in which the borrower receives a lump sum of money up front, but most adhere to predetermined borrowing terms. Typically, before receiving the term note, a borrower will agree to repay the loan based on a fixed repayment schedule with either fixed or floating interest.

What is an A note in finance?

An A-note is the highest tranche of an asset-backed security (ABS) or other structured financial product. During bankruptcy, default, or other credit proceedings, an A-note is senior to other notes, such as B-notes. This senior status allows the payment from the underlying assets of A-note debt before others.

Is a note a debt?

A note payable is typically a short-term debt instrument. In contrast, long-term debt consists of obligations due over a period of more than 12 months. A common quality is that both appear under "liabilities" on a company's balance sheet.