ExpertGlossary

When a company wants to raise capital by selling securities to investors, it partners with an investment bank, known as the lead underwriter.

That bank has the primary responsibility for organizing and managing an initial public offering (IPO), a secondary stock offering, or a bond offering.

In the case of an IPO, the lead underwriter agrees to buy all the shares from the company and helps it determine an initial offering price for the security, create a prospectus, and organize a syndicate of other investment banks to help sell the securities to investors.

In return for assuming the financial risk of the IPO, the lead underwriter receives a fee, which is usually a percentage of each share price of the IPO.