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Investopedia explains 'American Municipal Bond Assurance Corporation'
Because of the extra confidence generated by this coverage, insured bonds may be priced higher, have lower interest rates and be more liquid. As well, bonds insured by companies such as the Ambac Financial Group normally take on the credit rating of their insurance companies, raising investor confidence even more.
However, as a result of broadening its focus from insuring only bonds to insuring residential mortgage-backed securities (RMBS) and collateralized debt obligations (CDOs), Ambac and related companies saw their businesses weakened by the housing bust in 2007. As a result, investors should not rely as heavily on bond insurance companies to guarantee their investments.
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