Rolling over flood bonds
Parts of the CR have been hit by floods in the past
week, and initial estimates put the damage at more than
Kč 10bn. This can't compare to the last big flood, which
caused Kč 60bn in damage in 1997. Then, the
government issued special flood bonds to cover the
cleanup and recovery costs. Coincidentally, Česká
spořitelna began redeeming the bonds on the
government's behalf just as the new flooding was about
to begin. Most of the individuals who bought the 1997
bonds did so as a sign of solidarity with their fellow
citizens. The bonds later turned out to be a good
investment, and the feeling of hard cash in hand has
wiped out much of the old feeling of solidarity. However,
if bondholders had an easy way to roll over their bonds
or donate the coupons or principal to victims of the
latest flooding, some of the feeling of solidarity could be
revived.
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