Business Glossary

Government securities: exchange of maturing government securities prior to their due date for issues with a later maturity. It is through advance refunding that the national debt is extended as an alternative to the economic disruptions that would result from eliminating the debt all at once.
Municipal bonds: sale of new bonds (the refunding issue) in advance, usually by some years, of the first call date of the old bonds (the issue to be refunded). The refunding issue would normally have a lower rate than the issue to be refunded, and the proceeds would be invested, usually in government securities, until the higher-rate bonds become callable. This practice, also called prerefunding, has been curtailed by several tax acts. See also Refunding Escrow Deposits (REDS).