An unpaid bond is hardest in the first weeks, when information is missing and the issuer either stays silent or answers in generalities. The sequence below is general orientation, not legal advice. Its purpose is to get the facts about your issue documented before you decide whether to wait, enforce, or seek a settlement.
1. Identify the exact issue
Many issuers have placed several issues with similar names and different parameters. Before anything else, confirm which bond you actually hold — by issue name, ISIN if one was assigned, subscription date and the maturity stated in your documentation.
Without an exact identification nothing else can be assessed: two issues of the same issuer may differ in maturity and in terms.
2. Gather the documentation
Work only with what you genuinely have. Paper and electronic records are usually scattered across e-mail, bank statements and contract annexes.
- terms and conditions of the issue, prospectus or information document
- subscription or purchase contract and its annexes
- proof of payment (bank statement showing amount and date)
- all correspondence with the issuer, including promises and deferrals
- records of any coupons already paid
3. Write down what did not happen, and when
The timeline matters: when the amount was due under your documentation, whether a partial payment arrived, when you contacted the issuer and how it replied.
Put that timeline in writing. It is the input that speeds up any later assessment — your own, your lawyer's, or a case review by CIV.
4. Put your claim in writing
Verbal assurances are hard to prove. A written demand is taken more seriously and creates a documented trail that later steps can build on.
The exact wording, deadlines and legal consequences should be discussed with a lawyer; they follow from your documentation.
5. Compare the realistic options
A holder normally has three directions: wait for the issuer to perform, enforce the claim independently, or seek a settlement or sale of the claim. Each differs in time, cost and uncertainty.
The decision should follow the documentation and your own situation, not the emotions of the first days.
Once your documentation is together, the usual next step is to check whether your issuer or issue is among the cases CIV currently handles, and to submit the case for review.
This text is general information for bondholders. It is not legal advice and not an investment recommendation. Capital Investing Ventures a.s. is not a law firm. Any individual assessment depends on the specific documentation and circumstances of the case.