certificate

Certificate

A formal document used to record a fact and used as proof of the fact, such as stock certificates, that evidence ownership of stock in a corporation.

Copyright © 2012, Campbell R. Harvey. All Rights Reserved.

Certificate

A physical document that declares a fact and that may be used to prove said fact. One of the most common types of certificates is a stock certificate, which gives the person or company listed a portion of ownership in a publicly-traded company. Certificates often contain a great deal of information, such as what the certificate entails, whether that be ownership, a right attached to the ownership (such as a warrant), or something else entirely. Certificates of ownership also state the name of the owner; for example, a deed to a house contains the name of the owner(s). Certificates are vitally important, as one may use them in court to prove a fact alleged.

Farlex Financial Dictionary. © 2012 Farlex, Inc. All Rights Reserved

certificate

Evidence of ownership of a bond or shares of stock. A certificate contains detailed information relating to the issuer and the owner, including the issuer's name, particulars of the issue, the number of shares or the principal amount of the bonds, and the name and address of the owner. The back of a certificate may contain further details about the issue along with a provision for transferring ownership. Also called stock certificate. See also book-entry security.

Wall Street Words: An A to Z Guide to Investment Terms for Today's Investor by David L. Scott. Copyright © 2003 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. All rights reserved.

certificate

a document signifying ownership of a FINANCIAL SECURITY (STOCK, SHARE etc.). In the UK such certificates are issued in the name of the person or company recorded in the company's register of SHAREHOLDERS as the owner of these shares, new certificates being issued to buyers when shares are sold. In countries like the USA where BEARER BONDS are used, stock certificates merely note the number of stocks or shares represented and do not include the name of the owner, the holder of the certificate being presumed to be the owner.

Collins Dictionary of Business, 3rd ed. © 2002, 2005 C Pass, B Lowes, A Pendleton, L Chadwick, D O’Reilly and M Afferson

certificate

a document signifying ownership of a FINANCIAL SECURITY (STOCK, SHARE, etc.). In the UK, such certificates are issued in the name of the person or company recorded in the company's register of SHAREHOLDERS as the owner of these shares, new certificates being issued to buyers when shares are sold. In countries like the USA, where BEARER BONDS are used, stock certificates merely note the number of stocks or shares represented and do not include the name of the owners, the holder of the certificate being presumed to be the owner.

Collins Dictionary of Economics, 4th ed. © C. Pass, B. Lowes, L. Davies 2005

Certificate

The actual piece of paper that is evidence of ownership of stock in a corporation.

Copyright © 2008 H&R Block. All Rights Reserved. Reproduced with permission from H&R Block Glossary