A bearer bond or bearer security is a certificate that represents a bond obligation of, or stock in, a corporation or other intangible property. It has been illegal since 1982 to issue bearer bonds in the municipal or corporate bond markets in the United States. Wyoming and Nevada still allow them, but their typical uses of shifting ownership to avoid legal obligations run afoul of tax rules. For alternative meanings, see bond (a disambiguation page). ... For other uses, see Stock (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Corporation (disambiguation). ... Official language(s) English Capital Cheyenne Largest city Cheyenne Area  Ranked 10th  - Total 97,818 sq mi (253,348 km²)  - Width 280 miles (450 km)  - Length 360 miles (580 km)  - % water 0. ... This article is about the U.S. State of Nevada. ...

It is different from normal stock in that no records are kept of the owner, or the transactions involving ownership. Whoever physically holds the bearer bond papers owns the stock or corporation. This is useful for investors and corporate officers who wish to retain anonymity. The downside is that in the event of loss or theft, bearer bonds are extremely difficult to recover. In Central America this is typically the standard procedure for owning and running companies. An investor is any party that makes an investment. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Corporate title. ... For other uses, see Central America (disambiguation). ...

While bearer instruments are rarely created as such, a holder of commercial paper with the holder designated as payee can change the instrument to a bearer certificate by an endorsement. The proper holder simply signs the back of the instrument and the instrument becomes bearer paper. This is most often done with negotiable instruments such as promissory notes or checks. Great care should be taken with the security of the endorsed instrument, as it is legally almost as good as cash. Commercial paper is a money market security issued by large banks and corporations. ... A negotiable instrument is a specialized type of contract which obligates a party to pay a certain sum of money on specified terms. ... A promissory note is a contract detailing the terms of a promise by one party (the maker) to pay a sum of money to the other (the payee). ... Example of a Canadian cheque. ...

Bearer Bonds in the movies

Since bearer bonds can have extremely high values, a manageable number of them can represent a huge amount of cash. In many movies, a hunt for a very large sum of money (eg, $10 million) is often used to make plausible the outrageous activity required of the characters (see also McGuffin). In paper currency, this would be an very unwieldy object comprising several suitcases. However, if bearer bonds are introduced to the plot, this sum can be represented in a small, convenient package. Movies that feature bearer bonds in this role include The Da Vinci Code, Beverly Hills Cop, Die Hard, Panic Room and Heat. This article is about the plot device. ... This article is about the novel. ... Beverly Hills Cop (1984) is an American comedy film directed by Martin Brest and starring Eddie Murphy. ... This article is about the 1988 action film. ... Panic Room (2002) is a movie written by David Koepp, directed by David Fincher, and starring Jodie Foster, Forest Whitaker, Jared Leto, Dwight Yoakam, and Kristen Stewart. ... Heat is an American made crime/thriller/drama film released on December 15, 1995. ...