Business terms starting with A

209 terms

"A" Loan or "A" Paper A credit rating where the FICO score is 660 or above. There have been no late mortgage payments within a 12-month period.
A.P.R. See: annual percentage rate.
ability to pay A concept of tax fairness that states that people with different amounts of wealth or different amounts of income should pay tax at different rates.
Abstract of Title A historical summary provided by a title insurance company of all records affecting the title to a property.
Abusive tax avoidance transaction (ATAT) Is defined as: Tax shelter as defined under Internal Revenue Code (IRC) Section 6662(d)(2)(C), Reportable transaction as defined under IRC Section…
Abusive tax schemes Transactions promoted for the promise of tax benefits with no meaningful change in the taxpayer's control over or benefit from the taxpayer's income or…
Accelerated death benefit If your life insurance policy has an accelerated death benefit (ADB), you may qualify to use a portion of the death benefit to pay for certain healthcare…
Accelerated Death Benefits Benefits available in some life insurance policies prior to death.
Acceleration The right of the lender to demand payment on the outstanding balance of a loan.
acceleration clause A clause that allows a lender to declare the entire outstanding balance of a loan immediately due and payable should a borrower violate specific loan…
Acceptance The written approval of the buyer's offer by the seller.
Accidental Death Benefit A provision added to a life insurance policy for payment of an additional benefit in case of death as a result of an accident.
Account Agreement The contract governing your open-end credit account, it provides information on changes that may occur to the account.
Account balance Your account balance is the amount of money you have in one of your financial accounts.
Account History The payment history of an account over a specific period of time, including the number of times the account was past due or over limit.
Account Holder Any and all persons designated and authorized to transact business on behalf of an account.
Accounts Payable An account in the general ledger representing the amount owed by the business to its creditors on open purchased of goods and/or services.
Accounts Receivable An account in the general ledger representing the amount due the business from its customers for goods and/or services sold on credit.
Accredited investor An accredited investor is a person or institution that the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) defines as being qualified to invest in unregistered…
Accrued Interest Interest that has been earned but not yet paid.
Accumulation period The accumulation period refers to the time during which your retirement savings accumulate in a deferred annuity.
Accumulation unit Accumulation units are the shares you own in the separate account funds of a variable annuity during the period you're putting money into your annuity.
Acquiring Bank In a merger, the bank that absorbs the bank acquired.
acquisition If a company buys another company outright, or accumulates enough shares to take a controlling interest, the deal is described as an acquisition.
Act The National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 and any amendments to it.
Action Taken Date The settlement or closing date for originations. For applications that did not result in an origination, the date when the action was taken or when the…
Action Taken Type The disposition of the loan/application.
Actively managed fund Managers of actively managed mutual funds buy and sell investments to achieve a particular goal, such as providing a certain level of return or beating a…
Activities of daily living To live independently, you must be able to handle certain essential functions, called activities of daily living (ADLs).
Activity Year The year for which the HMDA data are being collected.
Actual cash value An amount equivalent to the replacement cost of lost or damaged property at the time of the loss, less depreciation.
Actual Cash Value (ACV) The value of your property, based on the current cost to replace it minus depreciation.
Actual wage Actual wage means the wage rate paid by the employer to all individuals with experience and qualifications similar to the H-1B nonimmigrant's experience…
Additional Living Expenses Pays expenses over and above your normal living costs (motel rooms, restaurant meals, and laundry service) while your home is being repaired or rebuilt…
Additional living expenses (ALE) Reimburses the policyholder for the cost of temporary housing, food, and other essential living expenses, if the home is damaged by a covered peril that…
Additional Principal Payment Money paid to the lender in addition to the established payment amount used directly against the loan principal to shorten the length of the loan.
Additive See Additive, additivity
Additive, additivity A characteristic of a measurement series whereby the summed components equal the aggregate. Related terms: Chained-dollar estimate.
Additivity See Additive, additivity
Address on file Your address on file is the address that you provided on your application to open this credit card account, unless (1) we have received and processed your…
Adjustable mortgage loan A mortgage instrument that allows maximum flexibility in selecting the terms under which interest rates and payments may be adjusted over the maturity of…
Adjustable Rate Loans (also known as variable-rate loans), usually offer a lower initial interest rate than fixed-rate loans.
Adjustable-Rate Mortgage (ARM) A mortgage that does not have a fixed interest rate. The rate changes during the life of the loan based on movements in an index rate, such as the rate…
Adjustable-rate mortgages (ARMS) Also known as variable-rate mortgages. The initial interest rate is usually below that of conventional fixed-rate loans.
Adjustable-Rate Mortgages (ARMS,ARM) Also known as variable-rate mortgages. The initial interest rate is usually below that of conventional fixed-rate loans.
Adjusted gross income (AGI) Your AGI is your gross, or total, income from taxable sources minus certain deductions.
Adjuster A person who investigates and settles losses for an insurance carrier.
Adjustment Date The actual date that the interest rate is changed for an ARM.
Adjustment Index The published market index used to calculate the interest rate of an ARM at the time of origination or adjustment.
Adjustment Interval The time between the interest rate change and the monthly payment for an ARM. The interval is usually every one, three or five years depending on the…
Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) means an official appointed pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 3105.
Administrator Administrator means the Administrator of the Wage and Hour Division, Department of Labor, and such authorized representatives as may be designated to…
Advance estimate The first estimate of gross domestic product (GDP) and its components for a quarter.
Advance estimates See Advance estimate
Advance Fee Loan Scam A form of fraud in which consumers are asked to pay a fee up front and receive a quick loan of a large size with a very low APR.
Advance-decline (A-D) line The advance-decline line graphs the ratio of stocks that have risen in value - the advancers - to stocks that have fallen in value - the decliners - over…
Advancer Stocks that have gained, or increased, in value over a particular period are described as advancers.
Adverse Action Under the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, a creditor's refusal to grant credit on the terms requested, termination of an existing account, or an unfavorable…
Adverse Action Notice The notice required by the Equal Credit Opportunity Act advising a credit applicant or existing debtor of the denial of their request for credit or…
Affidavit A sworn statement in writing before a proper official, such as a notary public.
Affinity card A card that offers rewards that benefit groups and organizations.
Affinity fraud Affinity fraud occurs when a dishonest person plays on your affiliation with a group - such as a house of worship, social club, support group, charity, or…
After-hours market Securities, such as stocks and bonds, may change hands on organized markets and exchanges after regular business hours, in what is known as the…
After-tax contribution An after-tax contribution, or excess deferral, is money you put into your 401(k) or other employer sponsored retirement savings plan in addition to your…
After-tax income After-tax income, sometimes called post-tax dollars, is the amount of income you have left after federal income taxes (plus state and local income taxes…
Aftermarket Crash Part A non-original equipment manufacturer (OEM) replacement part, either new or used, for any of the non-mechanical parts that generally constitute the…
Agency A firm that solicits insurance for one or more insurance carriers. It also may issue policies and adjust losses.
Agency bond Some federal agencies, including Ginnie Mae (GNMA) and the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), raise money by issuing bonds and short-term discount notes…
Agency Code Code to identify the supervisory/regulatory agency of the HMDA reporting institution.
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) As the lead Agency within the Public Health Service for implementing the health-related provisions of CERCLA, the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease…
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry's Hazardous Substance Release/Health Effects Database (ATSDR-HazDat) "HazDat", the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry's Hazardous Substance Release/Health Effects Database, is the scientific and administrative…
Agency Mortgage-Backed Security (MBS) A type of Mortgage-Backed Security backed by government guaranteed mortgage loans.
Agency Securities Securities issued by U.S. government agencies, such as the Federal Home Loan Bank.
agency, bank An agency bank is a form of organization commonly used by foreign banks to enter the United States' market.
Agent Agent means any individual, other than a broker-dealer, who represents a broker-dealer or issuer in effecting or attempting to effect purchases or sales…
agent of issuer An agent of issuer is an individual who represents the issuer in effecting (or attempting o effect) purchases or sales of an issuer's securities.
Aggressive-growth fund Aggressive-growth mutual funds buy stock in companies that show rapid growth potential, including start-up companies and those in hot sectors.
Aggrieved party Aggrieved party means a person or entity whose operations or interests are adversely affected by the employer's alleged non-compliance with the labor…
Agreement of sale Same or similar to "contract to purchase." See "contract to purchase" under "mortgage."
AICPA PFP Designation for an American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) Professional Financial Planner.
All or none order (AON) When a trading order is marked AON, the broker who is handling the order must either fill the whole order or not fill it at all.
All-inclusive deed of trust Similar to a "wraparound mortgage." See also "wraparound mortgage."
Alpha A stock's alpha is an analyst's estimate of its potential price increase based on the rate at which the company's earnings are growing and other aspects…
Alt-A Mortgages A classification of mortgages in which the risk profile falls between prime and subprime.
Alteration Any change involving an erasure or rewriting in the date, amount, or payee of a check or other negotiable instrument.
Alternate Designated Agency Ethics Official (ADAEO) The official selected by the agency head to act in the capacity of the Designated Agency Ethics Official in the event of his/her absence.
Alternative employment Alternative employment is a bona fide offer of a similar employment opportunity with the same employer or secondary employer, at equivalent or higher…
Alternative minimum tax (AMT) The alternative minimum tax (AMT) was designed to ensure that all taxpayers pay at least the minimum federal income tax for their income level, no matter…
Alternative mortgage instrument (AMI) Any mortgage other than a fixed interest rate, level payment, amortizing loan. Includes variable rate mortgages, rollover loans, graduated payment…
Amended A financial disclosure report that has been changed and eSigned by the filer after the filer has submitted the report.
Amended Date Date that a filer eSigned again, changes made to a report that was previously submitted.
Amendment in Progress A financial disclosure report that is Under Review and currently being changed by the filer.
amenities Features of your home that fit your preferences and can increase the value of your property.
Amenity A feature of the home or property that serves as a benefit to the buyer but that is not necessary to its use; may be natural (like location, woods, water)…
American Association of Individual Investors (AAII) The goal of this independent, nonprofit organization is teaching individual investors how to manage their assets effectively.
American depositary receipt (ADR) Shares of hundreds of major overseas-based companies, including names such as British Petroleum, Sony, and Toyota, are traded as ADRs on US stock markets…
American depositary share (ADS) When a company based overseas wants to sell its shares in the US markets, it can offer them through a US bank, which is known as the depositary.
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 Enacted in 2009, this Act authorized a series of measures intended to create jobs and promote investment and consumer spending.
American Society of Home Inspectors The American Society of Home Inspectors is a professional association of independent home inspectors. Phone(800) 743-2744
American Stock Exchange (AMEX) The AMEX is the second-largest floor-based stock exchange in the US after the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE).