Commercial paper

Commercial paper is a money market security issued by large banks and corporations. It is generally not used to finance long-term investments but rather to purchase inventory or to manage working capital. It is commonly bought by money funds (the issuing amounts are often too high for individual investors), and is generally regarded as a very safe investment. As a relatively low risk option, commercial paper returns are not large. There are four basic kinds of commercial paper: promissory notes, drafts, checks, and certificates of deposit.
See more at Wikipedia.org...

Noun
1. an unsecured and unregistered short-term obligation issued by an institutional borrower to investors who have temporarily idle cash
(hypernym) cash equivalent

Short-term unsecured promissory notes issued by a corporation. The maturity of commercial paper is typically less than 270 days; the most common maturity range is 30 to 50 days or less.

Bills of exchange (drafts), promissory notes, bank checks, and other negotiable instruments for the payment of money, which are such instruments by virtue of their form.