When / how corporate bonds pay interests?

Question

Most corporate bonds pay interests twice a year
Where can I find the exact date when a corporate bond pays interests?

Do you have to own the bond some time before the payment date to be "appointed"? Similarly to stocks and their ex-dividend-date?


tnx

Answer 1

Standard and Poors publishes a bond guide that gives that information and much more monthly on most actively traded bonds. You can order a subscription to it from Standard and Poors. If you have a brokerage account, you can ask your broker for a copy.

Answer 2

bond payments depend on when they were issued. Corporations can issue bonds whenever they feel like really. I don't think there is an ex-dividend date, but more an accrued interest credit in buying a bond between payments. For example if you bought a bond halfway between it's payment dates you would in turn owe half the payment to the previous owner in theory and that should be taken into account in the pricing of the bond, so when you purchase the bond the total value of the future payment is yours.