FAQ

The City of Boston sells bonds to borrow the money needed to pay for construction, rehabilitation, and repair of all of its public buildings, including:

-schools
-libraries
-police, fire, and park facilities,  and
-streets and sidewalks.

When market conditions are favorable, the City may also issue general obligation bonds to reduce the interest rates that apply to its outstanding debt. We refere to the bonds as "general obligation bonds" because they are secured by the full faith and credit of the City, and not by a particular source of revenue.

You can download and view digital copies of the Official Statements for the general obligation bonds we issued. These copies are for information reasons only, and do not constitute an offer to sell securities.

Step 1 - Learn about the bonds

Read the Preliminary Official Statement (POS) available from this web site or from the participating brokers to learn more about the bonds, including their security, maturity dates, credit ratings, the types of projects they finance and other information that you may find important to help you make an informed investment decision. This website is not an offer to sell any bonds.

Step 2 - Open a brokerage account

You must have an account with one of the brokerage firms participating in the bond sale, or with another firm that can place an order through a brokerage firm participating in the bond sale. Please check to determine if your broker can place an order through the participating brokers. (If you have a brokerage account, go to Step 3.) If you do not have an account, you may open one and purchase bonds during the Retail Sale Order Period. A list of brokers participating in the sale can be found on the left side of this page.

Investors are encouraged to begin the New Account process well in advance of the sale date. Depending on the brokerage firm, internal new account procedures may take some time to process.

Step 3 - Place your order

Contact the broker with whom you have an account, either online or by phone, to get more information about how to buy bonds during the Retail Sales period. Discuss with the broker the number of bonds, the maturity date and the price at which you are willing to purchase the bonds, as well as any questions you may have from examining the Preliminary Official Statement (POS).