true value rule
true-value rule. The rule requiring that one who subscribes for and receives corporate stock must pay par value for it, in either money or its equivalent, so that a corporation’s real assets square with its books. • If true value is less than par value, the stock is deemed unpaid for to the full extent of the difference, and the affected shareholder is liable to creditors for the difference, notwithstanding the directors’ good faith. [Cases: Corporations 232.]
