This tutorial covers a variety of the most popular bonds the U.S. Government sells. It begins with an introduction to government bonds in general. It will then cover several individual bonds with respect to how they are structured and how they operate.
We will cover these areas:
THE BASICS OF GOVERNMENT BONDS
To fund government programs and to meet its payrolls, the U.S. Government issues its own bonds from the Treasury and from several government agencies. Institutional Investors trading very large blocks of bonds do most of the trading in these securities. Most individual investors invest in government bonds through mutual funds. Overall, U.S. government bonds are very popular with investors worldwide.
Government bonds offer fixed interest rates. Many people consider them the safest of all because of the creditworthiness of the U.S. government. Most government bonds do not have specific collateral backing them. Instead, they are backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government.
Government bonds have maturities from one to 50 years. Although some government securities last less than one year, those securities are really part of the money market. They are technically not bonds. They are discussed in the tutorials on the money market and Treasury bills.
Let's turn now to the bonds themselves, beginning with Treasury bonds.
TREASURY BONDS
Treasury bonds (T-bonds) are very long-term bonds. Once issued, they mature in 10 to 30 years and pay interest semiannually. Because the full faith and credit of the federal government "backs" them, they are considered the safest of investments. Treasury bonds are issued in denominations of $1,000.
Treasury bonds have fixed coupon rates that specify how much interest will be paid semi-annually. However, Treasury bonds may be sold through the auction process, which affects the actual rates and yields. T-bonds issued today are non-callable. This means that the government cannot require their redemption earlier than maturity time.
Interest is taxable on the federal level but not on the state and local levels.
TREASURY NOTES
Treasury notes (T-notes) have middle-range maturities lasting from one year to ten years. They are essentially the same as Treasury bonds except for the shorter maturities. T-notes are taxed federally, but not statewide or locally. They are no longer callable if issued today, although many T-notes issued before 1984 were. Treasury notes are sold through auctions using the bidding process. These securities pay fixed coupon rates of interest every six months.
Treasury notes with two- or three-year maturities are sold in $5,000 denominations. All others are sold in $1,000 units.
COLLATERALIZED MORTGAGE OBLIGATIONS
On the market is a recently introduced mortgage-backed security called the collateralized mortgage obligation (CMO). This security was created to relieve investors of prepayment uncertainties that arise when homeowners refinance their mortgages. Mortgage pool payments are divided into sections called tranches (French for "slices") for principal and interest payments. Individuals invest in these tranches based on their desired maturities. This way, CMOs pay interest to all their investors, but principal payments are paid out in the order of maturity.
The collateral on these bonds is a pool of mortgages a trustee holds. Collateralized mortgage obligations are complex investments with varying degrees of risk.
Now, on to some of the government agencies you can invest in.
AGENCY BONDS AND MORTGAGE-BACKED SECURITIES
Agencies of the Federal Government, as well as various government sponsored organizations, raise money to help certain areas of the economy. Together, these securities are called agency bonds. These groups sell their own securities as one way to raise money. The U.S. Treasury does not issue any agency bonds.
Agency securities are considered very safe from default. Should they ever default, the government would probably use its creditworthiness to guarantee investors' payments of interest and principal. This is generous protection, since the U.S. Government does not fully guarantee most agency securities.
Most agency bonds are in the form of mortgage-backed securities. This represents investments in a pool of mortgages.
Agency bonds provide yields that are higher than those of Treasury securities. This is because they lack explicit guarantees of safety. Their maturities range from one year to fifty years. Denominations vary from $1,000 to $50,000.
Some well-known agencies that issue securities are:
The U.S. Postal Service, which raises funds to help its mail-delivery operations
The Federal Land Banks, which raise funds for agricultural projects
The Government National Mortgage Association (Ginnie Mae), which finances housing projects
The Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae), which finances mortgages for the Federal Housing Administration and the Veterans Administration
The Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac), which finances federally chartered thrift institutions.
The last three on the list--Ginnie Mae, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac--issue mortgage-backed securities. They issue the vast majority of them.
Read below to learn about a different class of government bonds.
NON-MARKETABLE BONDS
U.S. government securities can be divided into those that can be traded and those that cannot. The bonds that can be traded are called marketable: after they are bought, investors can sell them on the secondary market through exchanges, or over the counter. The secondary market is very active, and bond prices fluctuate with the prevailing interest rates.
The bonds that we have covered until now are marketable. There are also non-marketable government securities. Only the federal government can redeem these. They do not trade on secondary markets.
The two types of non-marketable bonds are called Series EE and Series HH bonds.
Series EE bonds are the savings bonds that have been popular for decades. They do not distribute interest periodically, as many other bonds do. They are purchased at a discount from the face value (par). The discount is calculated using the bond's interest rate and years to maturity. Investors purchase them for less than their face value and let them build up to full face value at maturity.
The minimum face value of a Series EE bond is $50. The maximum face value possible is $30,000. One can purchase Series EE bonds at banks or through payroll deduction plans. The investor can allow the accrued interest to be taxed each year, or he or she can defer it until the bond is redeemed. Tax may even be deferred beyond this date if the investor exchanges his or her bond for a Series HH bond.
Series HH bonds are savings bonds that do pay interest and are sold at their face values. Interest is paid twice per year. The denominations range from $500 to $10,000. Series HH bonds may be redeemed after six months. They normally mature in ten years but can be extended to twenty. Series HH bonds can only be obtained as exchanges of Series E or Series EE bonds. They come with fixed rates of interest.
This concludes our introduction to U.S. Government bonds.
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