Capital Impairment Rule
Capital Impairment Rule

See Also:
Dividends
Dividend Payout Ratio
Dividend Yield
Capital Structure Management
Balance Sheet

Capital Impairment Rule

The capital impairment rule is a state-level legal restriction on corporate dividend policy. The rule applies in most U.S. states. It basically limits the amount of dividends a company can pay out to shareholders. The limit is described as either a limit per capital stock or per the par value of the firm. Essentially, for a given amount of capital stock or a given firm value, there is a maximum limit to the value of dividends that a company can distribute to stockholders.
The purpose of the rule is to protect claims of creditors who have lent money to the firm in question. The idea is that a troubled firm, one that is in default or on the brink of bankruptcy, must not be able to unload cash to owners and shareholders before going out of business. Doing so would leave debt holders and creditors high and dry, or at least diminish the amount of value they could recoup from their loans. The capital impairment rule, by limiting the dividend payout, ensures that creditors will be able to reclaim a larger portion of their loans in the event of default or liquidation.
capital impairment rule

ARTICLES YOU MIGHT LIKE

Limited Liability Company (LLC)

See Also: S Corporation General Partnership Limited Partnership Partnership Sole Proprietorship Role of a Company Back Office Limited Liability Company (LLC) Definition A Limited Liability Company or LLC is a business form which provides limited liability much like a corporation. There can be an unlimited number of members to the company. There are also many

Read More »

Single Member LLC Definition

Single Member LLC Definition A Single Member LLC definition is a limited liability company with one member. It’s a type of entity that has caught on across the United States. It was created to satisfy emerging needs from the rapidly changing business world. One example of this is the owner/member requirements of limited liability companies.

Read More »

Protect Yourself: A Guide to Non-Compete Agreements

Oftentimes, businesses see their competitors as their biggest threat. But what if your star quality team continues to leave to join your competitor’s team? That is, in my opinion, the bigger threat. You have already invested in hiring, training, coaching, and developing those individuals. Then, they leave and directly compete against you. We see this

Read More »

JOIN OUR NEXT SERIES

Financial Leadership Workshop

MARCH 28TH-31ST 2022

THE ART OF THE CFO®

Financial Leadership Workshop

Days
Hours
Min

June 12-15th, 2023

SHARE THIS ARTICLE
WIKI CFO® - Browse hundreds of articles