[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: 12CFR221.2]

[Page 35-37]
 
                       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. 221.2  Definitions.

    The terms used in this part have the meanings given them in section 
3(a) of the Act or as defined in this section as follows:
    Affiliate means:
    (1) For banks:
    (i) Any bank holding company of which a bank is a subsidiary within 
the meaning of the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956, as amended (12 
U.S.C. 1841(d));
    (ii) Any other subsidiary of such bank holding company; and
    (iii) Any other corporation, business trust, association, or other 
similar organization that is an affiliate as defined in section 2(b) of 
the Banking Act of 1933 (12 U.S.C. 221a(c));
    (2) For nonbank lenders, affiliate means any person who, directly or 
indirectly, through one or more intermediaries, controls, or is 
controlled by, or is under common control with the lender.
    Bank. (1) Bank. Has the meaning given to it in section 3(a)(6) of 
the Act (15 U.S.C. 78c(a)(6)) and includes:
    (i) Any subsidiary of a bank;
    (ii) Any corporation organized under section 25(a) of the Federal 
Reserve Act (12 U.S.C. 611); and
    (iii) Any agency or branch of a foreign bank located within the 
United States.
    (2) Bank does not include:
    (i) Any savings and loan association;
    (ii) Any credit union;
    (iii) Any lending institution that is an instrumentality or agency 
of the United States; or
    (iv) Any member of a national securities exchange.
    Carrying credit is credit that enables a customer to maintain, 
reduce, or retire indebtedness originally incurred to purchase a 
security that is currently a margin stock.
    Current market value of:
    (1) A security means:
    (i) If quotations are available, the closing sale price of the 
security on the preceding business day, as appearing on any regularly 
published reporting or quotation service; or

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    (ii) If there is no closing sale price, the lender may use any 
reasonable estimate of the market value of the security as of the close 
of business on the preceding business day; or
    (iii) If the credit is used to finance the purchase of the security, 
the total cost of purchase, which may include any commissions charged.
    (2) Any other collateral means a value determined by any reasonable 
method.
    Customer excludes an exempted borrower and includes any person or 
persons acting jointly, to or for whom a lender extends or maintains 
credit.
    Examining authority means:
    (1) The national securities exchange or national securities 
association of which a broker or dealer is a member; or
    (2) If a member of more than one self-regulatory organization, the 
organization designated by the Securities and Exchange Commission as the 
examining authority for the broker or dealer.
    Exempted borrower means a member of a national securities exchange 
or a registered broker or dealer, a substantial portion of whose 
business consists of transactions with persons other than brokers or 
dealers, and includes a borrower who:
    (1) Maintains at least 1000 active accounts on an annual basis for 
persons other than brokers, dealers, and persons associated with a 
broker or dealer;
    (2) Earns at least $10 million in gross revenues on an annual basis 
from transactions with persons other than brokers, dealers, and persons 
associated with a broker or dealer; or
    (3) Earns at least 10 percent of its gross revenues on an annual 
basis from transactions with persons other than brokers, dealers, and 
persons associated with a broker-dealer.
    Good faith with respect to:
    (1) The loan value of collateral means that amount (not exceeding 
100 per cent of the current market value of the collateral) which a 
lender, exercising sound credit judgment, would lend, without regard to 
the customer's other assets held as collateral in connection with 
unrelated transactions.
    (2) Making a determination or accepting a statement concerning a 
borrower means that the lender or its duly authorized representative is 
alert to the circumstances surrounding the credit, and if in possession 
of information that would cause a prudent person not to make the 
determination or accept the notice or certification without inquiry, 
investigates and is satisfied that it is correct;
    In the ordinary course of business means occurring or reasonably 
expected to occur in carrying out or furthering any business purpose, or 
in the case of an individual, in the course of any activity for profit 
or the management or preservation of property.
    Indirectly secured. (1) Includes any arrangement with the customer 
under which:
    (i) The customer's right or ability to sell, pledge, or otherwise 
dispose of margin stock owned by the customer is in any way restricted 
while the credit remains outstanding; or
    (ii) The exercise of such right is or may be cause for accelerating 
the maturity of the credit.
    (2) Does not include such an arrangement if:
    (i) After applying the proceeds of the credit, not more than 25 
percent of the value (as determined by any reasonable method) of the 
assets subject to the arrangement is represented by margin stock;
    (ii) It is a lending arrangement that permits accelerating the 
maturity of the credit as a result of a default or renegotiation of 
another credit to the customer by another lender that is not an 
affiliate of the lender;
    (iii) The lender holds the margin stock only in the capacity of 
custodian, depositary, or trustee, or under similar circumstances, and, 
in good faith, has not relied upon the margin stock as collateral; or
    (iv) The lender, in good faith, has not relied upon the margin stock 
as collateral in extending or maintaining the particular credit.
    Lender means:
    (1) Any bank; or
    (2) Any person subject to the registration requirements of this 
part.
    Margin stock means:
    (1) Any equity security registered or having unlisted trading 
privileges on a national securities exchange;

[[Page 37]]

    (2) Any OTC security designated as qualified for trading in the 
National Market System under a designation plan approved by the 
Securities and Exchange Commission (NMS security);
    (3) Any debt security convertible into a margin stock or carrying a 
warrant or right to subscribe to or purchase a margin stock;
    (4) Any warrant or right to subscribe to or purchase a margin stock; 
or
    (5) Any security issued by an investment company registered under 
section 8 of the Investment Company Act of 1940 (15 U.S.C. 80a-8), other 
than:
    (i) A company licensed under the Small Business Investment Company 
Act of 1958, as amended (15 U.S.C. 661); or
    (ii) A company which has at least 95 percent of its assets 
continuously invested in exempted securities (as defined in 15 U.S.C. 
78c(a)(12)); or
    (iii) A company which issues face-amount certificates as defined in 
15 U.S.C. 80a-2(a)(15), but only with respect of such securities; or
    (iv) A company which is considered a money market fund under SEC 
Rule 2a-7 (17 CFR 270.2a-7).
    Maximum loan value is the percentage of current market value 
assigned by the Board under Sec. 221.7 (the Supplement) to specified 
types of collateral. The maximum loan value of margin stock is stated as 
a percentage of its current market value. Puts, calls and combinations 
thereof that do not qualify as margin stock have no loan value. All 
other collateral has good faith loan value.
    Nonbank lender means any person subject to the registration 
requirements of this part.
    Purpose credit is any credit for the purpose, whether immediate, 
incidental, or ultimate, of buying or carrying margin stock.