[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 12, Volume 3]
[Revised as of January 1, 2003]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 12CFR221.118]

[Page 50-51]
 
                       TITLE 12--BANKS AND BANKING
 
                   CHAPTER II--FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM
 
PART 221--CREDIT BY BANKS AND PERSONS OTHER THAN BROKERS OR DEALERS FOR THE PURPOSE OF PURCHASING OR CARRYING MARGIN STOCK (REGULATION U)--Table of Contents
 
Sec. 221.118  Bank arranging for extension of credit by corporation.

    (a) The Board considered the questions whether:
    (1) The guaranty by a corporation of an ``unsecured'' bank loan to 
exercise an option to purchase stock of the corporation is an 
``extension of credit'' for the purpose of this part;
    (2) Such a guaranty is given ``in the ordinary course of business'' 
of the corporation, as defined in Sec. 221.2; and
    (3) The bank involved took part in arranging for such credit on 
better terms than it could extend under the provisions of this part.
    (b) The Board understood that any officer or employee included under 
the corporation's stock option plan who wished to exercise his option 
could obtain a loan for the purchase price of the stock by executing an 
unsecured note to the bank. The corporation would issue to the bank a 
guaranty of the loan and hold the purchased shares as collateral to 
secure it against loss on the guaranty. Stock of the corporation is 
registered on a national securities exchange and therefore qualifies as 
``margin stock'' under this part.
    (c) A nonbank lender is subject to the registration and other 
requirements of this part if, in the ordinary course of his business, he 
extends credit on collateral that includes any margin stock in the 
amount of $200,000 or more in any calendar quarter, or has such credit 
outstanding in any calendar quarter in the amount of $500,000 or more. 
The Board understood that the corporation in question had sufficient 
guaranties outstanding during the applicable calendar quarter to meet 
the dollar thresholds for registration.
    (d) In the Board's judgment a person who guarantees a loan, and 
thereby becomes liable for the amount of the loan in the event the 
borrower should default, is lending his credit to the borrower. In the 
circumstances described, such a lending of credit must be considered an 
``extension of credit'' under this part in order to prevent 
circumvention of the regulation's limitation on the amount of credit 
that can be extended on the security of margin stock.
    (e) Under Sec. 221.2, the term in the ordinary course of business 
means ``occurring or reasonably expected to occur in carrying out or 
furthering any business purpose. * * *'' In general, stock option plans 
are designed to provide a company's employees with a proprietary 
interest in the company in the form of ownership of the company's stock. 
Such plans increase the company's

[[Page 51]]

ability to attract and retain able personnel and, accordingly, promote 
the interest of the company and its stockholders, while at the same time 
providing the company's employees with additional incentive to work 
toward the company's future success. An arrangement whereby 
participating employees may finance the exercise of their options 
through an unsecured bank loan guaranteed by the company, thereby 
facilitating the employees' acquisition of company stock, is likewise 
designed to promote the company's interest and is, therefore, in 
furtherance of a business purpose.
    (f) For the reasons indicated, the Board concluded that under the 
circumstances described a guaranty by the corporation constitutes credit 
extended in the ordinary course of business under this part, that the 
corporation is required to register pursuant to Sec. 221.3(b), and that 
such guaranties may not be given in excess of the maximum loan value of 
the collateral pledged to secure the guaranty.
    (g) Section 221.3(a)(3) provides that ``no lender may arrange for 
the extension or maintenance of any purpose credit, except upon the same 
terms and conditions on which the lender itself may extend or maintain 
purpose credit under this part''. Since the Board concluded that the 
giving of a guaranty by the corporation to secure the loan described 
above constitutes an extension of credit, and since the use of a 
guaranty in the manner described could not be effectuated without the 
concurrence of the bank involved, the Board further concluded that the 
bank took part in ``arranging'' for the extension of credit in excess of 
the maximum loan value of the margin stock pledged to secure the 
guaranties.