Section 240.17h-1T also issued under 15 U.S.C. 78q.

Sections 240.17Ac2-1(c) and 240.17Ac2-2 also issued under secs. 17, 17A and 23(a); 48 Stat. 897, as amended, 89 Stat. 137, 141 and 48 Stat. 901 (15 U.S.C. 78q, 78q-1, 78w(a));

Section 240.17 Ad-1 is also issued under secs. 2, 17, 17A and 23(a); 48 Stat. 841 as amended, 48 Stat. 897, as amended, 89 Stat. 137, 141, and 48 Stat. 901 (15 U.S.C. 78b, 78q, 78q-1, 78w);

Sections 240.17Ad-5 and 240.17Ad-10 are also issued under secs. 3 and 17A; 48 Stat. 882, as amended, and 89 Stat. (15 U.S.C. 78c and 78q1);

Section 240.17Ad-7 also issued under 15 U.S.C. 78b, 78q, and 78q-1.

Sections 240.19c-4 also issued under secs. 6, 11A, 14, 15A, 19 and 23 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (15 U.S.C. 780-3, and 78s); Section 240.19c-5 also issued under Sections 6, 11A, and 19 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, 48 Stat. 885, as amended, 89 Stat. 111, as amended, and 48 Stat. 898, as amended, 15 U.S.C. 78f, 78k-1, and 78s.

Section 240.31-1 is also issued under sec. 31, 48 Stat. 904, as amended (15 U.S.C. 78ee).

EFFECTIVE DATE NOTE: At 66 FR 55837, Nov. 2, 2001, a paragraph was added to the authority citation for part 240, effective May 2, 2003. For the convenience of the user, the added text is set forth as follows:

AUTHORITY: 15 U.S.C. 77c, 77d, 77g, 77j, 77s, 77z-2, 772-3, 77eee, 77ggg, 77nnn, 77sss, 77ttt, 78c, 78d, 78e, 78f, 78g, 781, 78j, 78j-1, 78k, 78k1, 781, 78m, 78n, 780, 78p. 78q, 78s, 78u-5, 78w, 78x, 7811, 78mm, 79q, 79t, 80a-20, 80a-23, 80a-29, 80a-37, 80b-3, 80b-4 and 80b-11, unless otherwise noted.

EDITORIAL NOTE: For nomenclature changes to this part see 57 FR 36501, Aug. 13, 1992, and 57 FR 47409, Oct. 16, 1992.

NOTE: In §§ 240.0-1 to 240.24b-3, the numbers to the right of the decimal point correspond with the respective rule numbers of the rules and regulations under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.

ATTENTION ELECTRONIC FILERS THIS REGULATION SHOULD BE READ IN CONJUNCTION WITH REGULATION S-T (PART 232 OF THIS CHAPTER), WHICH GOVERNS THE PREPARATION AND SUBMISSION OF DOCUMENTS IN ELECTRONIC FORMAT. MANY PROVISIONS RELATING TO THE PREPARATION AND SUBMISSION OF DOCUMENTS IN PAPER FORMAT CONTAINED IN THIS REGULATION ARE SUPERSEDED BY THE PROVISIONS OF REGULATION S-T FOR DOCUMENTS REQUIRED TO BE FILED IN ELECTRONIC FORMAT.

(a) As used in the rules and regulations in this part, prescribed by the Commission pursuant to Title I of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (48 Stat. 881-905; 15 U.S.C. chapter 2B), unless the context otherwise specifically requires:

(1) The term Commission means the Securities and Exchange Commission. (2) The term act means Title I of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.

(3) The term section refers to a section of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.1

(4) The term rules and regulations refers to all rules and regulations adopted by the Commission pursuant to the act, including the forms for registration and reports and the accompanying instructions thereto.

(5) The term electronic filer means a person or an entity that submits filings electronically pursuant to Rules 100 and 101 of Regulation S-T (§§ 232.100 and 232.101 of this chapter, respectively).

(6) The term electronic filing means a document under the federal securities laws that is transmitted or delivered to the Commission in electronic format.

(b) Unless otherwise specifically stated, the terms used in this part shall have the meaning defined in the act.

(c) A rule or regulation which defines a term without express reference to the act or to the rules and regulations, or to a portion thereof, defines such term for all purposes as used both in the act and in the rules and regulations, unless the context otherwise specifically requires.

(d) Unless otherwise specified or the context otherwise requires, the term prospectus means a prospectus meeting the requirements of section 10(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 as amended.

1 The provisions of paragraph (a)(3) of 17 CFR 240.0-1 relate to the terminology of rules and regulations as published by the Securities and Exchange Commission and are inapplicable to the terminology appearing in the Code of Federal Regulations.

CROSS REFERENCES: For definition of "listed", see § 240.3b-1; "officer", § 240.3b-2; "short sale". §240.3b-3. For additional definitions, see § 240.15c1-1.

[13 FR 8178, Dec. 22, 1948, as amended at 13 FR 9321, Dec. 31, 1948; 19 FR 6730, Oct. 20, 1954; 58 FR 14682, Mar. 18, 1993; 62 FR 36459, July 8, 1997]

$240.0-2 Business hours of the Commission.

(a) The principal office of the Commission, at 450 Fifth Street, NW., Washington, DC 20549, is open each day, except Saturdays, Sundays, and federal holidays, from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Eastern Standard Time or Eastern Daylight Saving Time, whichever currently is in effect in Washington, DC, provided that hours for the filing of documents pursuant to the Act or the rules and regulations thereunder are as set forth in paragraphs (b) and (c) of this section.

(b) Submissions made in paper or on magnetic cartridge. Paper documents filed with or otherwise furnished to the Commission, as well as electronic filings and submissions on magnetic cartridge under cover of Form ET (§§ 239.62, 249.445, 259.601, 269.6 and 274.401 of this chapter), may be submitted to the Commission each day, except Saturdays, Sundays and federal holidays, from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Eastern Standard Time or Eastern Daylight Saving Time, whichever is currently in effect.

(c) Electronic filings. Filings made by direct transmission may be submitted to the Commission each day, except Saturdays, Sundays and federal holidays, from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., Eastern Standard Time or Eastern Daylight Saving Time, whichever is currently in effect.

CROSS REFERENCES: For registration and exemption of exchanges, see §§ 240.6a-1 to 240.6a-3. For forms for permanent registration of securities, see §240.12b-1. For regulations relating to registration of securities, see §§ 240.12b-1 to 240.12b-36. For forms for applications for registration of brokers and dealers, see §§ 240.15b1-1 to 240.15b9-1.

[58 FR 14682, Mar. 18, 1993, as amended at 65 FR 24801, Apr. 27, 2000]

$240.0-3 Filing of material with the Commission.

(a) All papers required to be filed with the Commission pursuant to the

Act or the rules and regulations thereunder shall be filed at the principal office in Washington, DC. Material may be filed by delivery to the Commission, through the mails or otherwise. The date on which papers are actually received by the Commission shall be the date of filing thereof if all of the requirements with respect to the filing have been complied with, except that if the last day on which papers can be accepted as timely filed falls on a Saturday, Sunday or holiday, such papers may be filed on the first business day following.

(b) The manually signed original (or in the case of duplicate originals, one duplicate original) of all registrations, applications, statements, reports, or other documents filed under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, shall be numbered sequentially (in addition to any internal numbering which otherwise may be present) by handwritten, typed, printed, or other legible form of notation from the facing page of the document through the last page of that document and any exhibits or attachments thereto. Further, the total number of pages contained in a numbered original shall be set forth on the first page of the document.

(c) Each document filed shall contain an exhibit index, which should immediately precede the exhibits filed with such document. The index shall list each exhibit filed and identify by handwritten, typed, printed, or other legible form of notation in the manually signed original, the page number in the sequential numbering system described in paragraph (b) of this section where such exhibit can be found or where it is stated that the exhibit is incorporated by reference. Further, the first page of the manually signed document shall list the page in the filing where the exhibit index is located.

[44 FR 4666, Jan. 23, 1979, as amended at 45 FR 58828, Sept. 5, 1980]

$240.0 4 Nondisclosure of information

obtained in examinations and investigations.

Information or documents obtained by officers or employees of the Commission in the course of any examination or investigation pursuant to section 17(a) (48 Stat. 897, section 4, 49

em

Stat. 1379; 15 U.S.C. 78q(a)) or 21(a) (48 Stat. 899; 15 U.S.C. 78u(a)) shall, unless made a matter of public record, be deemed confidential. Except as provided by 17 CFR 203.2, officers and employees are hereby prohibited from making such confidential information or documents or any other non-public records of the Commission available to anyone other than a member, officer or employee of the Commission, unless the Commission or the General Counsel, pursuant to delegated authority, authorizes the disclosure of such information or the production of such documents as not being contrary to the public interest. Any officer or ployee who is served with a subpoena requiring the disclosure of such information or the production of such documents shall appear in court and, unless the authorization described in the preceding sentence shall have been given, shall respectfully decline to disclose the information or produce the documents called for, basing his or her refusal upon this section. Any officer or employee who is served with such a subpoena shall promptly advise the General Counsel of the service of such subpoena, the nature of the information or documents sought, and any circumstances which may bear upon the desirability of making available such information or documents.

(Sec. 19, 48 Stat. 85; sec. 20, 48 Stat. 86; sec. 21, 48 Stat. 899; sec. 23, 48 Stat. 901; sec. 18, 49 Stat. 831; sec. 20, 49 Stat. 833; sec. 319, 53 Stat. 1173; sec. 321, 53 Stat. 1174; sec. 38, 54 Stat. 841; sec. 42, 54 Stat. 842; sec. 209, 54 Stat. 853; sec. 211, 54 Stat. 855; sec. 1, 76 Stat. 394. (15 U.S.C. 77s, 77t, 78u, 78w, 79r, 79t, 77sss, 77uuu, 80a-37, 80a-41, 80b-9, 80b-11, 78d-1))

[44 FR 50836, Aug. 30, 1979, as amended at 53 FR 17459, May 17, 1988]

$240.0-5 Reference to rule by obsolete

designation.

Wherever in any rule, form, or instruction book specific reference is made to a rule by number or other designation which is now obsolete, such reference shall be deemed to be made to the corresponding rule or rules in the existing general rules and regulations.

[13 FR 8179, Dec. 22, 1948]

§ 240.0-6 Disclosure detrimental to the national defense or foreign policy.

(a) Any requirement to the contrary notwithstanding, no registration statement, report, proxy statement or other document filed with the Commission or any securities exchange shall contain any document or information which, pursuant to Executive order, has been classified by an appropriate department or agency of the United States for protection in the interests of national defense or foreign policy.

(b) Where a document or information is omitted pursuant to paragraph (a) of this section, there shall be filed, in lieu of such document or information, a statement from an appropriate department or agency of the United States to the effect that such document or information has been classified or that the status thereof is awaiting determination. Where a document is omitted pursuant to paragraph (a) of this section, but information relating to the subject matter of such document is nevertheless included in material filed with the Commission pursuant to a determination of an appropriate department or agency of the United States that disclosure of such information would not be contrary to the interests of national defense or foreign policy, a statement from such department or agency to that effect shall be submitted for the information of the Commission. A registrant may rely upon any such statement in filing or omitting any document or information to which the statement relates.

(c) The Commission may protect any information in its possession which may require classification in the interests of national defense or foreign policy pending determination by an appropriate department or agency as to whether such information should be classified.

(d) It shall be the duty of the registrant to submit the documents or information referred to in paragraph (a) of this section to the appropriate department or agency of the United States prior to filing them with the Commission and to obtain and submit to the Commission, at the time of filing such documents or information, or in lieu thereof, as the case may be, the statements from such department or

agency required by paragraph (b) of this section. All such statements shall be in writing.

[33 FR 7682, May 24, 1968]

$240.0-8 Application of rules to registered broker-dealers.

Any provision of any rule or regulation under the Act which prohibits any act, practice, or course of business by any person if the mails or any means or instrumentality of interstate commerce are used in connection therewith, shall also prohibit any such act, practice, or course of business by any broker or dealer registered pursuant to section 15(b) of the Act, or any person acting on behalf of such a broker or dealer, irrespective of any use of the mails or any means or instrumentality of interstate commerce.

[29 FR 12555, Sept. 3, 1964]

$240.0-9 Payment of fees.

All payment of fees shall be made in cash, certified check or by United States postal money order, bank cashier's check or bank money order payable to the Securities and Exchange Commission, omitting the name or title of any official of the Commission. Payment of fees required by this section shall be made in accordance with the directions set forth in §202.3a of this chapter.

[61 FR 49959, Sept. 24, 1996]

$240.0-10 Small entities under the Securities Exchange Act for purposes of the Regulatory Flexibility Act. For purposes of Commission rulemaking in accordance with the provisions of Chapter Six of the Administrative Procedure Act (5 U.S.C. 601 et seq.), and unless otherwise defined for purposes of a particular rulemaking proceeding, the term small business or small organization shall:

(a) When used with reference to an "issuer" or a "person," other than an investment company, mean an "issuer" or "person" that, on the last day of its most recent fiscal year, had total assets of $5 million or less;

(b) When used with reference to an "issuer" or "person" that is an investment company, have the meaning as

cribed to those terms by $270.0-10 of this chapter;

(c) When used with reference to a broker or dealer, mean a broker or dealer that:

(1) Had total capital (net worth plus subordinated liabilities) of less than $500,000 on the date in the prior fiscal year as of which its audited financial statements were prepared pursuant to § 240.17a-5(d) or, if not required to file such statements, a broker or dealer that had total capital (net worth plus subordinated liabilities) of less than $500,000 on the last business day of the preceding fiscal year (or in the time that it has been in business, if shorter); and

(2) Is not affiliated with any person (other than a natural person) that is not a small business or small organization as defined in this section;

(d) When used with reference to a clearing agency, mean a clearing agency that:

(1) Compared, cleared and settled less than $500 million in securities transactions during the preceding fiscal year (or in the time that it has been in business, if shorter);

(2) Had less than $200 million of funds and securities in its custody or control at all times during the preceding fiscal year (or in the time that it has been in business, if shorter); and

(3) Is not affiliated with any person (other than a natural person) that is not a small business or small organization as defined in this section;

(e) When used with reference to an exchange, mean any exchange that: (1) Has been exempted from the reporting requirements of § 240.11Aa3-1; and

(2) Is not affiliated with any person (other than a natural person) that is not a small business or small organization as defined in this section;

(f) When used with reference to a municipal securities dealer that is a bank (including any separately identifiable department or division of a bank), mean any such municipal securities dealer that:

(1) Had, or is a department of a bank that had, total assets of less than $10 million at all times during the preceding fiscal year (or in the time that it has been in business, if shorter);

(2) Had an average monthly volume of municipal securities transactions in the preceding fiscal year (or in the time it has been registered, if shorter) of less than $100,000; and

(3) Is not affiliated with any person (other than a natural person) that is not a small business or small organization as defined in this section;

(g) When used with reference to a securities information processor, mean a securities information processor that:

(1) Had gross revenues of less than $10 million during the preceding fiscal year (or in the time it has been in business, if shorter);

(2) Provided service to fewer than 100 interrogation devices or moving tickers at all times during the preceding fiscal year (or in the time that it has been in business, if shorter); and

(3) Is not affiliated with any person (other than a natural person) that is not a small business or small organization under this section; and

(h) When used with reference to a transfer agent, mean a transfer agent that:

(1) Received less than 500 items for transfer and less than 500 items for processing during the preceding six months (or in the time that it has been in business, if shorter);

(2) Transferred items only of issuers that would be deemed "small businesses" or "small organizations" as defined in this section; and

(3) Maintained master shareholder files that in the aggregate contained less than 1,000 shareholder accounts or was the named transfer agent for less than 1,000 shareholder accounts at all times during the preceding fiscal year (or in the time that it has been in business, if shorter); and

(4) Is not affiliated with any person (other than a natural person) that is not a small business or small organization under this section.

(i) For purposes of paragraph (c) of this section, a broker or dealer is affiliated with another person if:

(1) Such broker or dealer controls, is controlled by, or is under common control with such other person; a person shall be deemed to control another person if that person has the right to vote 25 percent or more of the voting securities of such other person or is entitled

to receive 25 percent or more of the net profits of such other person or is otherwise able to direct or cause the direction of the management or policies of such other person; or

(2) Such broker or dealer introduces transactions in securities, other than registered investment company securities or interests or participations in insurance company separate accounts, to such other person, or introduces accounts of customers or other brokers or dealers, other than accounts that hold only registered investment company securities or interests or participations in insurance company separate accounts, to such other person that carries such accounts on a fully disclosed basis.

(j) For purposes of paragraphs (d) through (h) of this section, a person is affiliated with another person if that person controls, is controlled by, or is under common control with such other person; a person shall be deemed to control another person if that person has the right to vote 25 percent or more of the voting securities of such other person or is entitled to receive 25 percent or more of the net profits of such other person or is otherwise able to direct or cause the direction of the management or policies of such other person.

(k) For purposes of paragraph (g) of this section, "interrogation device" shall refer to any device that may be used to read or receive securities information, including quotations, indications of interest, last sale data and transaction reports, and shall include proprietary terminals or personal computers that receive securities information via computer-to-computer interfaces or gateway access.

[47 FR 5222, Feb. 4, 1982, as amended at 51 FR 25362, July 14, 1986; 63 FR 35514, June 30, 1998]

§ 240.0-11 Filing fees for certain acquisitions, dispositions and similar transactions.

(a) General. (1) At the time of filing a disclosure document described in paragraphs (b) through (d) of this section relating to certain acquisitions, dispositions, business combinations, consolidations or similar transactions, the person filing the specified document