Definitive Securities

Definitive securities are securities issued with a paper certificate.  They stand in contrast to book-entry securities, which issuers enter into a computer system. Governments or corporations can circulate definitive securities. However, they are significantly less frequent today than they were before widespread digitization.

Definitive securities have fallen out of favor primarily because of electronic record-keeping. Investors can readily lose paper certificates. They are also prone to theft and fraud. To redeem coupons for bearer bonds, investors formerly had to physically cut the paper coupons and mail them to the issuer for redemption. Investors today see this process as inefficient. Even securities issued today with paper certificates are almost always also recorded electronically for the protection of the investor.

Bearer bonds are a type of definitive security since they are issued in certificate form and not attached to an investor’s name. Whoever presents the bond’s coupon payments and certificate receives the money owed. Registered bonds are also considered definitive securities, though they are attached to the purchaser’s name. Thus, only the person in whose name the bond is "registered" can redeem the bond, regardless of who presents the bond certificate.

Bearer bonds were last issued in the U.S. in 1982 before the passing of the Tax Equity and Fiscal Responsibility Act (TEFRA). The act effectively put an end to these types of bonds. Because bearer bonds were not attached to an investor’s name, they provided a way for people to invest, and therefore accumulate money anonymously. This practice allowed for tax fraud and evasion on the part of the investor.

However, you can still purchase bearer bonds in countries outside of the U.S. For example, Eurobonds are a favorite type of bearer bond that allows foreign citizens to invest their money in a company or government of another country. Interestingly, neither the investor nor the issuer has to be in Europe or using the euro, as the name would seem to imply.

In 2014, Apple issued a Eurobond, through which the company raised 2.8 billion euros. While some may see the buying of these bonds as a way for investors to avoid paying taxes at home, investment in bearer bonds remains legal. Furthermore, companies issuing these types of bonds may pay lower yields than they would have to pay at home. A company can obtain this lower yield by choosing to issue its bonds in a country with interest rates that are currently lower than in their home country.