Investopedia explains 'Letter Of Comfort'
A letter of comfort is typically couched in vague wording, in order to prevent the parent company from being saddled with a legally enforceable obligation. As such, a letter of comfort creates a moral obligation for the parent company rather than a legal one. Companies generally do not furnish letters of comfort unless absolutely necessary. This is because in the worst-case scenario, where the subsidiary is unable to repay the debt, the parent company may either be on the hook for the full amount if the letter of comfort was poorly worded, or may have to incur expensive legal fees to prove that its letter of comfort was not a tacit guarantee of its subsidiary's loan.
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