Leveraged buyout (L.B.O.)

A transaction used for taking a public corporation private financed through the use of debt funds: bank loans and bonds. Because of the large amount of debt relative to equity in the new corporation, the bonds are typically rated below investment grade , properly referred to as high-yield bonds or junk bonds. Investors can participate in an L.B.O. through either the purchase of the debt (i.e., purchase of the bonds or participation in the bank loan) or the purchase of equity through an L.B.O. fund that specializes in such investments.