It is important to emphasize that bankruptcy and liquidation are very different events. The
legal definition of bankruptcy is difficult to specify precisely. In general, it occurs when the firm
cannot meet a current payment on a debt obligation,50 or one or more of the other indenture
provisions providing for bankruptcy is violated by the firm. In this event the stockholders have lost
all claims on the firm,51 and the remaining loss, the difference between the face value of the fixed
claims and the market value of the firm, is borne by the debtholders. Liquidation of the firm’s
assets will occur only if the market value of the future cash flows generated by the firm is less
than the opportunity cost of the assets, i.e., the sum of the values which could be realized if the
assets were sold piecemeal.