BY KELLIE GERESSY-NILSEN

Warren Buffett's investment holding company, Berkshire Hathaway Finance Corp., was the first investment-grade corporate issuer out of the gate in 2011, selling $1.5 billion of senior unsecured notes Monday.

The offering, guaranteed by Berkshire Hathaway Finance's parent, Berkshire Hathaway Inc., included $750 million of fixed-rate 10-year bonds, $375 million of fixed-rate three-year debt, and $375 million of three-year floating-rate notes.

The sale of floating-rate securities is interesting because it runs counter to widespread market expectations that rates will rise before the bond comes due, said Mitch Stapley, chief fixed-income officer at Fifth Third Asset Management in Grand Rapids, Mich. "It ...