Title 17

SECTION 34.3

34.3 Hybrid instrument exemption.

§ 34.3 Hybrid instrument exemption.

(a) A hybrid instrument is exempt from all provisions of the Act and any person or class of persons offering, entering into, rendering advice or rendering other services with respect to such exempt hybrid instrument is exempt for such activity from all provisions of the Act (except in each case section 2(a)(1)(B)), provided the following terms and conditions are met:

(1) The instrument is:

(i) An equity or debt security within the meaning of section 2(1) of the Securities Act of 1933; or

(ii) A demand deposit, time deposit or transaction account within the meaning of 12 CFR 204.2 (b)(1), (c)(1) and (e), respectively, offered by an insured depository institution as defined in section 3 of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act; an insured credit union as defined in section 101 of the Federal Credit Union Act; or a Federal or State branch or agency of a foreign bank as defined in section 1 of the International Banking Act;

(2) The sum of the commodity-dependent values of the commodity-dependent components is less than the commodity-independent value of the commodity-independent component;

(3) Provided that:

(i) An issuer must receive full payment of the hybrid instrument's purchase price, and a purchaser or holder of a hybrid instrument may not be required to make additional out-of-pocket payments to the issuer during the life of the instrument or at maturity; and

(ii) The instrument is not marketed as a futures contract or a commodity option, or, except to the extent necessary to describe the functioning of the instrument or to comply with applicable disclosure requirements, as having the characteristics of a futures contract or a commodity option; and

(iii) The instrument does not provide for settlement in the form of a delivery instrument that is specified as such in the rules of a designed contract market;

(4) The instrument is initially issued or sold subject to applicable federal or state securities or banking laws to persons permitted thereunder to purchase or enter into the hybrid instrument.

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