RE: RE: pref C, D conversion and value-ThanksYes, I believe they can cut the preferred dividend in a very serious scenario and only if common dividend is dropped first.
If the company recovered, the dividend would still be payable retroactively I believe. A scenario where that might not be the case is one where pref shareholders are granted voting rights and, of their own free will, agree to dividend cut to fend off something serious like insolvency.
If the dividend was suspend and the company didn't make a recovery (went bankrupt) then retroactive dividends would only be paid out after loans and the like form higher priority creditors.
So, short is (I think), yes. The dividend on the prefs could be suspended or modified with holder approval. However, these would be VERY dire circumstances and you would have warning (common dividend suspended would be the first warning).
The other small point I wanted to mention about the series 3 vs 4 and 5 vs 6. I don't believe the series 3 & 5 are not exactly "fixed rate" I don't think. They are rate reset each year which means that even with the 3's and the 5's, you don't necessarily get slammed if rates go up in a few years. The 4's and 6's are floating and do adjust their rates more frequently. Probably better if rates are on a steady upwards swing. Please correct me if I'm wrong Double -- I'm generally a growth rather than income investor.
Mark