Suppose a New Company Decides to Raise Its Initial $200

question 23

Multiple Choice

Suppose a new company decides to raise its initial $200 million of capital as $100 million of common equity and $100 million of long-term debt. By an iron-clad provision in its charter, the company can never borrow any more money. Which of the following statements is most correct?

• A) If the debt were raised by issuing $50 million of debentures and $50 million of first mortgage bonds, we could be absolutely certain that the firm's total interest expense would be lower than if the debt were raised by issuing $100 million of debentures.
• B) If the debt were raised by issuing $50 million of debentures and $50 million of first mortgage bonds, we could be absolutely certain that the firm's total interest expense would be lower than if the debt were raised by issuing $100 million of first mortgage bonds.
• C) The higher the percentage of total debt represented by debentures, the greater the risk of, and hence the interest rate on, the debentures.
• D) The higher the percentage of total debt represented by mortgage bonds, the riskier both types of bonds will be, and, consequently, the higher the firm's total dollar interest charges will be.
• E) In this situation, we cannot tell for sure how, or whether, the firm's total interest expense on the $100 million of debt would be affected by the mix of debentures versus first mortgage bonds. Interest rates on the two types of bonds would vary as their percentages were changed, but the result might well be such that the firm's total interest charges would not be affected materially by the mix between the two.

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Definitions:

Bond Premium

The amount by which the market price of a bond exceeds its par value, typically arising when the bond's interest rate is higher than the market rate.

Forward Contract

A customized financial agreement to buy or sell an asset at a specified future date at a price agreed upon today.

Future Date

A specified day in the future, often used in the context of agreements or financial transactions that will occur at a later time.

Amortized Historical Cost

The accounting method of gradually writing off the initial cost of an asset over a period, adjusting for depreciation or amortization.