What Is the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA)? The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) was a piece of fiscal stimulus legislation passed by the U.S. Congress in response to the Great Recession of 2008. It is more commonly known as the “stimulus package of 2009” or simply the “Obama stimulus.” The
What Is the Americans With Disabilities Act Amendments Act of 2008 (ADAAA)? The Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act of 2008 (ADAAA) was legislation passed in September 2008 and effective January 1, 2009, that expanded the population that is considered disabled under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The ADAAA made significant changes to the
What is the American Taxpayer Relief Act Of 2012 The American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 is a bill signed into law by President Barack Obama on Jan. 2, 2013. The act made many tax cuts introduced between 2001 and 2010 permanent and extended several other forms of tax relief for up to five years.
What Is the American Stock Exchange (AMEX)? The American Stock Exchange (AMEX) was once the third-largest stock exchange in the United States, as measured by trading volume. The exchange, at its height, handled about 10% of all securities traded in the U.S. Today, the AMEX is known as the NYSE American. In 2008, NYSE Euronext acquired
What Is Anti Money Laundering (AML)? Anti money laundering (AML) refers to the web of laws, regulations, and procedures aimed at uncovering efforts to disguise illicit funds as legitimate income. Money laundering seeks to conceal crimes ranging from small-time tax evasion and drug trafficking to public corruption and the financing of groups designated as terrorist
 Period Beginning Loan Balance Payment Interest Principal Ending Loan Balance Month or period Amount of debt owed at the start of the month of period Amount due each month (often a fixed amount over the term of the loan) Amount of interest included in the payment (loan balance * 1/12 of interest) Amount of principal
What Is an Amortization Schedule? Amortizing loans feature level payment amounts over the life of the loan, but with varying proportions of interest and principal making up each payment. A traditional mortgage is a prime example of such a loan. A loan amortization schedule represents the complete table of periodic loan payments, showing the amount
What Is the Amortization of Intangibles? Amortization of intangibles, also simply known as amortization, is the process of expensing the cost of an intangible asset over the projected life of the asset for tax or accounting purposes. Intangible assets, such as patents and trademarks, are amortized into an expense account called amortization. Tangible assets are
What Is an Amortized Loan? An amortized loan is a type of loan with scheduled, periodic payments that are applied to both the loan’s principal amount and the interest accrued. An amortized loan payment first pays off the relevant interest expense for the period, after which the remainder of the payment is put toward reducing
What Is an Amortized Bond? An amortized bond is one in which the principal (face value) on the debt is paid down regularly, along with its interest expense over the life of the bond. A fixed-rate residential mortgage is one common example because the monthly payment remains constant over its life of, say, 30 years.
