1. A note that usually matures in five to 10 years. 

2. A corporate note continuously offered by a company to investors through a dealer. Investors can choose from differing maturities, ranging from nine months to 30 years. 



|||1. Notes range in maturity from one to 10 years. By knowing that a note is medium term, investors have an idea of what its maturity will be when they compare its price to that of other fixed-income securities. All else being equal, the coupon rate on medium-term notes will be higher than those achieved on short-term notes.

2. This type of debt program is used by a company so it can have constant cash flows coming in from its debt issuance; it allows a company to tailor its debt issuance to meet its financing needs. Medium-term notes allow a company to register with the SEC only once, instead of every time for differing maturities.