Classes of securities under this subchapter
Exempted securities
Except as hereinafter expressly provided, the provisions of this subchapter shall not apply to any of the following classes of securities:
Reserved.
Any security issued or guaranteed by the United States or any territory thereof, or by the District of Columbia, or by any State of the United States, or by any political subdivision of a State or territory, or by any public instrumentality of one or more States or territories, or by any person controlled or supervised by and acting as an instrumentality of the Government of the United States pursuant to authority granted by the Congress of the United States; or any certificate of deposit for any of the foregoing; or any security issued or guaranteed by any bank; or any security issued by or representing an interest in or a direct obligation of a Federal Reserve bank; or any interest or participation in any common trust fund or similar fund that is excluded from the definition of the term “investment company” under section 3(c)(3) of the Investment Company Act of 1940 [15 U.S.C. 80a–3(c)(3)]; or any security which is an industrial development bond (as defined in section 103(c)(2) 1
Any note, draft, bill of exchange, or banker’s acceptance which arises out of a current transaction or the proceeds of which have been or are to be used for current transactions, and which has a maturity at the time of issuance of not exceeding nine months, exclusive of days of grace, or any renewal thereof the maturity of which is likewise limited;
Any security issued by a person organized and operated exclusively for religious, educational, benevolent, fraternal, charitable, or reformatory purposes and not for pecuniary profit, and no part of the net earnings of which inures to the benefit of any person, private stockholder, or individual, or any security of a fund that is excluded from the definition of an investment company under section 3(c)(10)(B) of the Investment Company Act of 1940 [15 U.S.C. 80a–3(c)(10)(B)];
Any security issued (A) by a savings and loan association, building and loan association, cooperative bank, homestead association, or similar institution, which is supervised and examined by State or Federal authority having supervision over any such institution; or (B) by (i) a farmer’s cooperative organization exempt from tax under section 521 of title 26, (ii) a corporation described in section 501(c)(16) of title 26 and exempt from tax under section 501(a) of title 26, or (iii) a corporation described in section 501(c)(2) of title 26 which is exempt from tax under section 501(a) of title 26 and is organized for the exclusive purpose of holding title to property, collecting income therefrom, and turning over the entire amount thereof, less expenses, to an organization or corporation described in clause (i) or (ii);
Any interest in a railroad equipment trust. For purposes of this paragraph “interest in a railroad equipment trust” means any interest in an equipment trust, lease, conditional sales contract, or other similar arrangement entered into, issued, assumed, guaranteed by, or for the benefit of, a common carrier to finance the acquisition of rolling stock, including motive power;
Certificates issued by a receiver or by a trustee or debtor in possession in a case under title 11, with the approval of the court;
Any insurance or endowment policy or annuity contract or optional annuity contract, issued by a corporation subject to the supervision of the insurance commissioner, bank commissioner, or any agency or officer performing like functions, of any State or Territory of the United States or the District of Columbia;
Except with respect to a security exchanged in a case under title 11, any security exchanged by the issuer with its existing security holders exclusively where no commission or other remuneration is paid or given directly or indirectly for soliciting such exchange;
Except with respect to a security exchanged in a case under title 11, any security which is issued in exchange for one or more bona fide outstanding securities, claims or property interests, or partly in such exchange and partly for cash, where the terms and conditions of such issuance and exchange are approved, after a hearing upon the fairness of such terms and conditions at which all persons to whom it is proposed to issue securities in such exchange shall have the right to appear, by any court, or by any official or agency of the United States, or by any State or Territorial banking or insurance commission or other governmental authority expressly authorized by law to grant such approval;
Any security which is a part of an issue offered and sold only to persons resident within a single State or Territory, where the issuer of such security is a person resident and doing business within or, if a corporation, incorporated by and doing business within, such State or Territory.
Any equity security issued in connection with the acquisition by a holding company of a bank under section 1842(a) of title 12 or a savings association under section 1467a(e) of title 12, if—
the acquisition occurs solely as part of a reorganization in which security holders exchange their shares of a bank or savings association for shares of a newly formed holding company with no significant assets other than securities of the bank or savings association and the existing subsidiaries of the bank or savings association;
the security holders receive, after that reorganization, substantially the same proportional share interests in the holding company as they held in the bank or savings association, except for nominal changes in shareholders’ interests resulting from lawful elimination of fractional interests and the exercise of dissenting shareholders’ rights under State or Federal law;
the rights and interests of security holders in the holding company are substantially the same as those in the bank or savings association prior to the transaction, other than as may be required by law; and
the holding company has substantially the same assets and liabilities, on a consolidated basis, as the bank or savings association had prior to the transaction.
For purposes of this paragraph, the term “savings association” means a savings association (as defined in section 1813(b) of title 12) the deposits of which are insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.
Any security issued by or any interest or participation in any church plan, company or account that is excluded from the definition of an investment company under section 3(c)(14) of the Investment Company Act of 1940 [15 U.S.C. 80a–3(c)(14)].
Any security futures product that is—
cleared by a clearing agency registered under section 78q–1 of this title or exempt from registration under subsection (b)(7) of such section 78q–1; and
traded on a national securities exchange or a national securities association registered pursuant to section 78o–3(a) of this title.
Additional exemptions
Small issues exemptive authority
Additional issues
The Commission shall by rule or regulation add a class of securities to the securities exempted pursuant to this section in accordance with the following terms and conditions:
The aggregate offering amount of all securities offered and sold within the prior 12-month period in reliance on the exemption added in accordance with this paragraph shall not exceed $50,000,000.
The securities may be offered and sold publicly.
The securities shall not be restricted securities within the meaning of the Federal securities laws and the regulations promulgated thereunder.
The civil liability provision in section 77l(a)(2) of this title shall apply to any person offering or selling such securities.
The issuer may solicit interest in the offering prior to filing any offering statement, on such terms and conditions as the Commission may prescribe in the public interest or for the protection of investors.
The Commission shall require the issuer to file audited financial statements with the Commission annually.
Such other terms, conditions, or requirements as the Commission may determine necessary in the public interest and for the protection of investors, which may include—
a requirement that the issuer prepare and electronically file with the Commission and distribute to prospective investors an offering statement, and any related documents, in such form and with such content as prescribed by the Commission, including audited financial statements, a description of the issuer’s business operations, its financial condition, its corporate governance principles, its use of investor funds, and other appropriate matters; and
disqualification provisions under which the exemption shall not be available to the issuer or its predecessors, affiliates, officers, directors, underwriters, or other related persons, which shall be substantially similar to the disqualification provisions contained in the regulations adopted in accordance with section 926 of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (15 U.S.C. 77d note).
Limitation
Periodic disclosures
Adjustment
Securities issued by small investment company
Source
(May 27, 1933, ch. 38, title I, § 3, 48 Stat. 75; June 6, 1934, ch. 404, title II, § 202, 48 Stat. 906; Feb. 4, 1887, ch. 104, title II, § 214, as added Aug. 9, 1935, ch. 498, 49 Stat. 557; amended June 29, 1938, ch. 811, § 15, 52 Stat. 1240; May 15, 1945, ch. 122, 59 Stat. 167; Aug. 10, 1954, ch. 667, title I, § 5, 68 Stat. 684; Pub. L. 85–699, title III, § 307(a),Notes
Editorial Notes
References in Text
Amendments
Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries
Effective Date of 2010 Amendment
Effective Date of 1999 Amendment
Effective Date of 1995 Amendment
Effective Date of 1982 Amendment
Except as provided in subsections (b) and (c) of this section, this Act [see Tables for classification] shall take effect on the 60th day after the date of enactment of this Act [
The amendment made by section 10(e)(4) of this Act [amending provisions set out as a note under former section 10706 of Title 49, Transportation] shall take effect on
The provisions of sections 6(g) and 30 of this Act [amending former sections 10922 and 10525 of Title 49, respectively] shall take effect on the date of enactment of this Act [
Effective Date of 1978 Amendment
Effective Date of 1976 Amendment
Effective Date of 1970 Amendments
Effective Date of 1954 Amendment
Repeals
Further Promoting the Adoption of the NAIC Model Regulations That Enhance Protection of Seniors and Other Consumers
In General.—
The Commission shall treat as exempt securities described under section 3(a)(8) of the Securities Act of 1933 (15 U.S.C. 77c(a)(8)) any insurance or endowment policy or annuity contract or optional annuity contract—
the value of which does not vary according to the performance of a separate account;
that—
satisfies standard nonforfeiture laws or similar requirements of the applicable State at the time of issue; or
in the absence of applicable standard nonforfeiture laws or requirements, satisfies the Model Standard Nonforfeiture Law for Life Insurance or Model Standard Nonforfeiture Law for Individual Deferred Annuities, or any successor model law, as published by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners; and
that is issued—
on and after
adopts rules that govern suitability requirements in the sale of an insurance or endowment policy or annuity contract or optional annuity contract, which shall substantially meet or exceed the minimum requirements established by the Suitability in Annuity Transactions Model Regulation adopted by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners in March 2010; and
adopts rules that substantially meet or exceed the minimum requirements of any successor modifications to the model regulations described in subparagraph (A) within 5 years of the adoption by the Association of any further successors thereto; or
by an insurance company that adopts and implements practices on a nationwide basis for the sale of any insurance or endowment policy or annuity contract or optional annuity contract that meet or exceed the minimum requirements established by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners Suitability in Annuity Transactions Model Regulation (Model 275), and any successor thereto, and is therefore subject to examination by the State of domicile of the insurance company, or by any other State where the insurance company conducts sales of such products, for the purpose of monitoring compliance under this section.
Rule of Construction.—
Nothing in this section shall be construed to affect whether any insurance or endowment policy or annuity contract or optional annuity contract that is not described in this section is or is not an exempt security under section 3(a)(8) of the Securities Act of 1933 (15 U.S.C. 77c(a)(8)).”