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Simple English definitions for legal terms
subordination agreement
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A quick definition of subordination agreement:
A subordination agreement is a contract that says if someone owes money to different lenders and they can't pay it all back, the lender who signed the subordination agreement will get paid first. This makes it less risky for the lender to loan money because they know they will get paid before anyone else. The borrower can then get more loans from other lenders who are willing to take on more risk, but will charge higher interest rates.
A more thorough explanation:
A subordination agreement is a legal contract that ensures that a senior debt is paid before any other "subordinated" debt in case the debtor goes bankrupt. This agreement is usually signed by the debtor and the original creditor when the debtor needs to take on more debt after having a previous loan.
For example, let's say a company has a loan from Bank A, and they need to take on more debt to expand their business. However, they cannot get another loan without the agreement of Bank A. Bank A will require the company to sign a subordination agreement, which guarantees that they will be paid before any other creditors if the company goes bankrupt. This ensures that Bank A is not taking on high risks.
Once the subordination agreement is signed, the company may be able to get other loans from creditors who are willing to give the risky loan because they can charge a much higher interest rate. This is because the other creditors know that Bank A will be paid first if the company goes bankrupt.