Final answer:
The bond indenture is the document that evidences debt and provides security for creditors, distinguishing it from a balance sheet, which records a company's financial position, including its debts and assets.
Step-by-step explanation:
The document that provides evidence of debt and offers creditors security for that debt is known as the bond indenture. A bond is a financial contract in which a borrower agrees to repay the amount borrowed along with interest over a future period. In a real estate context, a mortgage acts as a secured loan where the property is the collateral. The balance sheet, on the other hand, lists a company's assets and liabilities and does not serve as evidence of debt. Instead, it reflects the company's financial position at a given point in time, including assets such as cash, the money held at the Federal Reserve bank, and liabilities such as mortgages.