off-the-run

A term used to describe all but the most recently issued treasury or agency securities in a particular maturity class. For example, at any given time, there may be a number of U.S. Treasury security issues with remaining lives of about two years. The most recently issued two year securities are described as on-the-run. All the rest are described as off-the-run. Off the run securities trade at wider spreads than similar securities that are actively quoted or traded. They may also trade at slightly lower prices(higher yields). American Banker Glossary