(a) Scope. The definitions in this section apply to §§24.709 through 24.717, unless otherwise specified in those sections.

(b) Small and very small business.

(1) A small business is an entity that, together with its affiliates and persons or entities that hold interest in such entity and their affiliates, has average annual gross revenues that are not more than $40 million for the preceding three years.

(2) A very small business is an entity that, together with its affiliates and persons or entities that hold interests in such entity and their affiliates, has average annual gross revenues that are not more than $15 million for the preceding three years.

(c) Institutional Investor. An institutional investor is an insurance company, a bank holding stock in trust accounts through its trust department, or an investment company as defined in 15 U.S.C. 80a-3(a), including within such definition any entity that would otherwise meet the definition of investment company under 15 U.S.C. 80a-3(a) but is excluded by the exemptions set forth in 15 U.S.C. 80a-3(b) and (c), without regard to whether such entity is an issuer of securities; provided that, if such investment company is owned, in whole or in part, by other entities, such investment company, such other entities and the affiliates of such other entities, taken as a whole, must be primarily engaged in the business of investing, reinvesting or trading in securities or in distributing or providing investment management services for securities.

(d) Nonattributable Equity—

(1) Nonattributable equity shall mean:

(i) For corporations, voting stock or non-voting stock that includes no more than twenty-five percent of the total voting equity, including the right to vote such stock through a voting trust or other arrangement;

(ii) For partnerships, joint ventures and other non-corporate entities, limited partnership interests and similar interests that do not afford the power to exercise control of the entity.

(2) For purposes of assessing compliance with the equity limits in §24.709 (b)(1)(iii)(A) and (b)(1)(iv)(A), where such interests are not held directly in the applicant, the total equity held by a person or entity shall be determined by successive multiplication of the ownership percentages for each link in the vertical ownership chain.

(e) Control Group. A control group is an entity, or a group of individuals or entities, that possesses de jure control and de facto control of an applicant or licensee, and as to which the applicant's or licensee's charters, bylaws, agreements and any other relevant documents (and amendments thereto) provide:

(1) That the entity and/or its members own unconditionally at least 50.1 percent of the total voting interests of a corporation;

(2) That the entity and/or its members receive at least 50.1 percent of the annual distribution or any dividends paid on the voting stock of a corporation;

(3) That, in the event of dissolution or liquidation of a corporation, the entity and/or its members are entitled to receive 100 percent of the value of each share of stock in its possession and a percentage of the retained earnings of the concern that is equivalent to the amount of equity held in the corporation; and

(4) That, for other types of businesses, the entity and/or its members have the right to receive dividends, profits and regular and liquidating distributions from the business in proportion to the amount of equity held in the business.

(f) Publicly Traded Corporation with Widely Dispersed Voting Power. A publicly traded corporation with widely dispersed voting power is a business entity organized under the laws of the United States:

(1) Whose shares, debt, or other ownership interests are traded on an organized securities exchange within the United States;

(2) In which no person:

(i) Owns more than 15 percent of the equity; or

(ii) Possesses, directly or indirectly, through the ownership of voting securities, by contract or otherwise, the power to control the election of more than 15 percent of the members of the board of directors or other governing body of such publicly traded corporation; and

(3) Over which no person other than the management and members of the board of directors or other governing body of such publicly traded corporation, in their capacities as such, has de facto control.

(4) The term person shall be defined as in section 13(d) of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (15 U.S.C. 78(m)), and shall also include investors that are commonly controlled under the indicia of control set forth in the definition of affiliate in §1.2110(c)(5) of the Commission's rules.

(g) Qualifying investor.

(1) A qualifying investor is a person who is (or holds an interest in) a member of the applicant's (or licensee's) control group and whose gross revenues and total assets, when aggregated with those of all other attributable investors and affiliates, do not exceed the gross revenues and total assets limits specified in §24.709(a), or, in the case of an applicant (or licensee) that is a small business, do not exceed the gross revenues limit specified in paragraph (b) of this section.

(2) For purposes of assessing compliance with the minimum equity requirements of §24.709(b)(1)(v) and (b)(1)(vi), where such equity interests are not held directly in the applicant, interests held by qualifying investors shall be determined by successive multiplication of the ownership percentages for each link in the vertical ownership chain.

(3) For purposes of §24.709(b)(1)(v)(A)(3) and (b)(1)(vi)(A)(3), a qualifying investor is a person who is (or holds an interest in) a member of the applicant's (or licensee's) control group and whose gross revenues and total assets do not exceed the gross revenues and total assets limits specified in §24.709(a).

(h) Preexisting entity; Existing investor. A preexisting entity is an entity that was operating and earning revenues for at least two years prior to December 31, 1994. An existing investor is a person or entity that was an owner of record of a preexisting entity's equity as of November 10, 1994, and any person or entity acquiring de minimis equity holdings in a preexisting entity after that date.

[67 FR 45372, July 9, 2002, as amended at 68 FR 42999, July 21, 2003; 68 FR 57829, Oct. 7, 2003]