(a) Contingent rights, convertible securities, options, and warrants.

(1) A person that controls a security, option, warrant, or other financial instrument that is convertible into, exercisable for, exchangeable for, or otherwise may become a security controls each security that could be acquired as a result of such conversion, exercise, exchange, or similar occurrence.

(2) If a financial instrument of the type described in paragraph (a)(1) of this section is convertible into, exercisable for, exchangeable for, or otherwise may become a number of securities that varies according to a formula, rate, or other variable metric, the number of securities controlled under paragraph (a)(1) of this section is the maximum number of securities that the financial instrument could be converted into, be exercised for, be exchanged for, or otherwise become under the formula, rate, or other variable metric.

(3) Notwithstanding paragraph (a)(1) of this section, a person does not control voting securities due to controlling a financial instrument if the financial instrument:

(i) By its terms is not convertible into, is not exercisable for, is not exchangeable for, and may not otherwise become voting securities in the hands of the person or an affiliate of the person; and

(ii) By its terms is only convertible into, exercisable for, exchangeable for, or may otherwise become voting securities in the hands of a transferee after a transfer:

(A) In a widespread public distribution;

(B) To the issuing company;

(C) In transfers in which no transferee (or group of associated transferees) would receive 2 percent or more of the outstanding securities of any class of voting securities of the issuing company; or

(D) To a transferee that would control more than 50 percent of every class of voting securities of the issuing company without any transfer from the person.

(4) Notwithstanding paragraph (a)(1) of this section, a person that has agreed to acquire securities or other financial instruments pursuant to a securities purchase agreement does not control such securities or financial instruments until the person acquires the securities or financial instruments.

(5) Notwithstanding paragraph (a)(1) of this section, a right that provides a person the ability to acquire securities in future issuances or to convert nonvoting securities into voting securities does not cause the person to control the securities that could be acquired under the right, so long as the right does not allow the person to acquire a higher percentage of the class of securities than the person controlled immediately prior to the future acquisition.

(6) Notwithstanding paragraph (a)(1) of this section, a preferred security that would be a nonvoting security but for a right to vote on directors that activates only after six or more quarters of unpaid dividends is not considered to be a voting security until the security holder is entitled to exercise the voting right.

(7) For purposes of determining the percentage of a class of voting securities or the total equity percentage of a company controlled by a person that controls a financial instrument of the type described in paragraph (a)(1) of this section:

(i) The securities controlled by the person under paragraphs (a)(1) through (6) of this section are deemed to be issued and outstanding; and

(ii) Any securities controlled by anyone other than the person under paragraph (a)(1) through (6) of this section are not deemed to be issued and outstanding, unless by the terms of the financial instruments the securities controlled by the other persons must be issued and outstanding in order for the securities of the person to be issued and outstanding.

(b) Restriction on securities. A person that enters into an agreement or understanding with a second person under which the rights of the second person are restricted in any manner with respect to securities that are controlled by the second person, controls the securities of the second person, unless the restriction is:

(1) A requirement that the second person offer the securities for sale to the first person for a reasonable period of time prior to transferring the securities to a third party;

(2) A requirement that, if the second person agrees to sell the securities, the second person provide the first person with the opportunity to participate in the sale of the securities by the second person;

(3) A requirement under which the second person agrees to sell its securities to a third party if a majority of security holders agrees to sell their securities to the third party;

(4) Incident to a bona fide loan transaction in which the securities serve as collateral;

(5) A short-term and revocable proxy;

(6) A restriction on transferability that continues only for a reasonable amount of time necessary to complete an acquisition by the first person of the securities from the second person, including the time necessary to obtain required approval from an appropriate government authority with respect to the acquisition;

(7) A requirement that the second person vote the securities in favor of a specific acquisition of control of the issuing company, or against competing transactions, if the restriction continues only for a reasonable amount of time necessary to complete the transaction, including the time necessary to obtain required approval from an appropriate government authority with respect to an acquisition or merger; or

(8) An agreement among security holders of the issuing company intended to preserve the tax status or tax benefits of the company, such as qualification of the issuing company as a Subchapter S corporation, as defined in 26 U.S.C. 1361(a)(1) or any successor statute, or prevention of events that could impair deferred tax assets, such as net operating loss carryforwards, as described in 26 U.S.C. 382 or any successor statute.

(c) Securities held by senior management officials or controlling equity holders of a company. A company that controls 5 percent or more of any class of voting securities of another company controls all securities issued by the second company that are controlled by senior management officials, directors, or controlling shareholders of the first company, or by immediate family members of such persons, unless the first company controls less than 15 percent of each class of voting securities of the second company and the senior management officials, directors, and controlling shareholders of the first company, and immediate family members of such persons, control 50 percent or more of each class of voting securities of the second company.

(d) Reservation of authority. Notwithstanding paragraphs (a) through (c) of this section, the Board may determine that securities are or are not controlled by a company based on the facts and circumstances presented.

[85 FR 12421, Mar. 2, 2020]