Subordination Clause

Subordination Clause

A clause in an agreement which states that the current claim on any debts will take priority over any other claims formed in other agreements made in the future. Subordination is the act of yielding priority.

Notes:

A subordination clause effectively makes the current claim in the agreement senior to any other agreements that come along after the original agreement. These clauses are most commonly seen in mortgage contracts and bond issue agreements. For example, if a company issues bonds in the market with a subordination clause, it insures that if more bonds are issued in the future the original bondholders will receive payment before the company pays all other debt issued after it. This is added protection for the original bondholders as the likelihood of them getting their investment back is higher with a subordination clause.

See also: Bankruptcy, Bond, Bond Attorney, Interest, Mortgage, Senior Debt, Subordinated Debt

---

Subordination clause

A provision in a bond indenture that restricts the issuer's future borrowing by subordinating future lenders' claims on the firm to those of the existing bondholders.