§485A-202 - Exempt transactions.

HAWAII STATUTES AND CODES

§485A-202 - Exempt transactions.

§485A-202 Exempt transactions. (a) The following transactions are exempt from the requirements of sections 485A-301 to 485A-305 and 485A-504:

(1) An isolated nonissuer transaction, whether or not effected by or through a broker-dealer;

(2) A nonissuer transaction by or through a broker-dealer registered or exempt from registration under this chapter, and a resale transaction by a sponsor of a unit investment trust registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, in a security of a class that has been outstanding in the hands of the public for at least ninety days, if, at the date of the transaction:

(A) The issuer of the security is engaged in business, the issuer is not in the organizational stage or in bankruptcy or receivership, and the issuer is not a blank check, blind pool, or shell company that has no specific business plan or purpose or has indicated that its primary business plan is to engage in a merger or combination of the business with, or an acquisition of, an unidentified person;

(B) The security is sold at a price reasonably related to its current market price;

(C) The security does not constitute the whole or part of an unsold allotment to, or a subscription or participation by, the broker-dealer as an underwriter of the security or a redistribution;

(D) A nationally recognized securities manual or its electronic equivalent designated by rule adopted or order issued under this chapter or a record filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission that is publicly available and contains:

(i) A description of the business and operations of the issuer;

(ii) The names of the issuer's executive officers and the names of the issuer's directors, if any;

(iii) An audited balance sheet of the issuer as of a date within eighteen months before the date of the transaction or, in the case of a reorganization or merger when the parties to the reorganization or merger each had an audited balance sheet, a pro forma balance sheet for the combined organization; and

(iv) An audited income statement for each of the issuer's two immediate previous fiscal years or for the period of existence of the issuer, whichever is shorter, or, in the case of a reorganization or merger when each party to the reorganization or merger had audited income statements, a pro forma income statement; and

(E) Any one of the following requirements is met:

(i) The issuer of the security has a class of equity securities listed on a national securities exchange registered under section 6 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 or designated for trading on the National Association of Securities Dealers' Automated Quotation System;

(ii) The issuer of the security is a unit investment trust registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940;

(iii) The issuer of the security, including its predecessors, has been engaged in continuous business for at least three years; or

(iv) The issuer of the security has total assets of at least $2,000,000 based on an audited balance sheet as of a date within eighteen months before the date of the transaction or, in the case of a reorganization or merger when the parties to the reorganization or merger each had such an audited balance sheet, a pro forma balance sheet for the combined organization;

(3) A nonissuer transaction by or through a broker-dealer registered or exempt from registration under this chapter in a security of a foreign issuer that is a margin security defined in regulations or rules adopted by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System;

(4) A nonissuer transaction by or through a broker-dealer registered or exempt from registration under this chapter in an outstanding security if the guarantor of the security files reports with the Securities and Exchange Commission under the reporting requirements of section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (15 U.S.C. 78m or 78o(d));

(5) A nonissuer transaction by or through a broker-dealer registered or exempt from registration under this chapter in a security that:

(A) Is rated at the time of the transaction by a nationally recognized statistical rating organization in one of its four highest rating categories; or

(B) Has a fixed maturity or a fixed interest or dividend, if:

(i) A default has not occurred during the current fiscal year or within the three previous fiscal years or during the existence of the issuer and any predecessor if less than three fiscal years, in the payment of principal, interest, or dividends on the security; and

(ii) The issuer is engaged in business, is not in the organizational stage or in bankruptcy or receivership, and is not and has not been within the previous twelve months a blank check, blind pool, or shell company that has no specific business plan or purpose or has indicated that its primary business plan is to engage in a merger or combination of the business with, or an acquisition of, an unidentified person;

(6) A nonissuer transaction by or through a broker-dealer registered or exempt from registration under this chapter effecting an unsolicited order or offer to purchase;

(7) A nonissuer transaction executed by a bona fide pledgee without the purpose of evading this chapter;

(8) A nonissuer transaction by a federal covered investment adviser with investments under management in excess of $100,000,000, acting in the exercise of discretionary authority in a signed record for the account of others;

(9) A transaction between the issuer or other person on whose behalf the offering is made and an underwriter, or among underwriters;

(10) A transaction in a note, bond, debenture, or other evidence of indebtedness secured by a mortgage or other security agreement if:

(A) The note, bond, debenture, or other evidence of indebtedness is offered and sold with the mortgage or other security agreement as a unit;

(B) A general solicitation or general advertisement of the transaction is not made; and

(C) A commission or other remuneration is not paid or given, directly or indirectly, to a person not registered under this chapter as a broker-dealer or as an agent;

(11) A transaction by an executor, administrator of an estate, personal representative, sheriff, marshal, receiver, trustee in bankruptcy, guardian, or conservator;

(12) A sale or offer to sell to:

(A) An institutional investor;

(B) A federal covered investment adviser; or

(13) Any transaction pursuant to a sale or an offer to sell securities of an issuer, if the transaction is part of an issue in which:

(A) There are no more than twenty-five purchasers (other than those designated in paragraph (12)), wherever located, during any twelve consecutive months;

(B) The issuer reasonably believes that all purchasers (other than those designated in paragraph (12)), wherever located, are purchasing for investment purposes and not with the view to, or for sales in connection with, a distribution of the security. The purchase shall be presumed to be made with a view to distribute and not to invest if any resale of a security sold in reliance on this exemption is within twelve months of sale, except a resale pursuant to a registration statement effective under section 485A-301, or to an accredited investor pursuant to an exemption available under this chapter;

(C) No commission, discount, or other remuneration is paid or given, directly or indirectly, to a person, other than a broker-dealer or agent registered under this chapter, for soliciting a prospective purchaser in this State; and

(D) The securities of the issuer are not offered or sold by general solicitation or any general advertisement or other advertising medium;

(14) A transaction under an offer to existing security holders of the issuer, including persons who at the date of the transaction are holders of convertible securities, options, or warrants, if a commission or other remuneration, other than a standby commission, is not paid or given, directly or indirectly, for soliciting a security holder in this State;

(15) (A) A transaction involving the offer or sale of a security by an issuer to an accredited investor that meets the following requirements:

(i) The issuer reasonably believes that the sale is to persons who are accredited investors;

(ii) The issuer is not in the development stage, without specific business plan or purpose;

(iii) The issuer has not indicated that the issuer's business plan is to engage in a merger or acquisition with an unidentified company or companies, or other entity or person; and

(iv) The issuer reasonably believes that all purchasers are purchasing for investment purposes and not with the view to, or for sales in connection with, a distribution of the security. The purchase shall be presumed to be made with a view to distribute and not to invest if any resale of a security sold in reliance on this exemption is within twelve months of sale, except a resale pursuant to a registration statement effective under section 485A-301, or to an accredited investor pursuant to an exemption available under this chapter;

(B) The exemption under this paragraph shall not apply to an issuer if the issuer; any affiliated issuer; any beneficial owner of ten per cent or more of any class of the issuer's equity securities; any issuer's predecessor, director, officer, general partner, or promoter presently connected in any capacity with the issuer; and any underwriter or partner, director, or officer of the underwriter of the securities to be offered:

(i) Within the last five years has filed a registration statement that is the subject of a currently effective registration stop order entered by any state securities administrator or the Securities and Exchange Commission;

(ii) Within the last five years has been convicted of any criminal offense in connection with the offer, purchase, or sale of any security, or involving fraud or deceit;

(iii) Is currently subject to any state or federal administrative enforcement order or judgment entered within the last five years, finding fraud or deceit in connection with the purchase or sale of any security; or

(iv) Is currently subject to any order, judgment, or decree of any court of competent jurisdiction, entered within the last five years, temporarily, preliminarily, or permanently restraining or enjoining such party from engaging in or continuing to engage in any conduct or practice involving fraud or deceit in connection with the purchase or sale of any security;

(i) The party subject to the disqualification is licensed or registered to conduct securities-related business in the state in which the order, judgment, or decree creating the disqualification was entered against such party;

(ii) Before the first offer under this exemption, the commissioner, or the court or regulatory authority that entered the order, judgment, or decree waives the disqualifications; or

(iii) The issuer establishes that the issuer did not know and in the exercise of reasonable care, based on a factual inquiry, could not have known that a disqualification existed under this paragraph; and

(D) An issuer claiming the exemption under this paragraph, within fifteen days after the first sale in this State, shall file with the commissioner a notice of transaction, a consent to service of process, a copy of the offering circular or similar document provided to the accredited investor and a $200 filing fee.

For the purposes of this paragraph, "accredited investor" shall have the same meaning as provided in Rule 501(a) adopted under the Securities Act of 1933 (17 C.F.R. 230.501(a));

(16) An offer to sell, but not a sale, of a security not exempt from registration under the Securities Act of 1933 if:

(A) A registration or offering statement or similar record as required under the Securities Act of 1933 has been filed, but is not effective, or the offer is made in compliance with Rule 165 adopted under the Securities Act of 1933 (17 C.F.R. 230.165); and

(B) A stop order of which the offeror is aware has not been issued against the offeror by the commissioner or the Securities and Exchange Commission, and an audit, inspection, or proceeding that is public and that may culminate in a stop order is not known by the offeror to be pending;

(17) An offer to sell, but not a sale, of a security exempt from registration under the Securities Act of 1933 if:

(A) A registration statement has been filed under this chapter, but is not effective;

(B) A solicitation of interest is provided in a record to offerees in compliance with a rule adopted by the commissioner under this chapter; and

(C) A stop order of which the offeror is aware has not been issued by the commissioner under this chapter and an audit, inspection, or proceeding that may culminate in a stop order is not known by the offeror to be pending;

(18) A transaction involving the distribution of the securities of an issuer to the security holders of another person in connection with a merger, consolidation, exchange of securities, sale of assets, or other reorganization to which the issuer, or its parent or subsidiary and the other person, or its parent or subsidiary, are parties;

(19) A rescission offer, sale, or purchase under section 485A-510;

(20) An offer or sale of a security to a person not a resident of this State and not present in this State if the offer or sale does not constitute a violation of the laws of the state or foreign jurisdiction in which the offeree or purchaser is present and is not part of an unlawful plan or scheme to evade this chapter;

(21) Employees' stock purchase, savings, option, profit-sharing, pension, or similar employees' benefit plan, including any securities, plan interests, and guarantees issued under a compensatory benefit plan or compensation contract, contained in a record, established by the issuer, its parents, its majority-owned subsidiaries, or the majority-owned subsidiaries of the issuer's parent for the participation of their employees, including offers or sales of such securities to:

(A) Directors; general partners; trustees, if the issuer is a business trust; officers; consultants; and advisors;

(B) Family members who acquire the securities from those persons through gifts or domestic relations orders;

(C) Former employees, directors, general partners, trustees, officers, consultants, and advisors if those individuals were employed by or providing services to the issuer when the securities were offered; and

(D) Insurance agents who are exclusive insurance agents of the issuer, or the issuer's subsidiaries or parents, or who derive more than fifty per cent of their annual income from those organizations;

(22) A transaction involving:

(A) A stock dividend or equivalent equity distribution, whether or not the corporation or other business organization distributing the dividend or equivalent equity distribution is the issuer, if nothing of value is given by stockholders or other equity holders for the dividend or equivalent equity distribution other than the surrender of a right to a cash or property dividend if each stockholder or other equity holder may elect to take the dividend or equivalent equity distribution in cash, property, or stock;

(B) An act incident to a judicially approved reorganization in which a security is issued in exchange for one or more outstanding securities, claims, or property interests, or partly in such exchange and partly for cash; or

(C) The solicitation of tenders of securities by an offeror in a tender offer in compliance with Rule 162 adopted under the Securities Act of 1933 (17 C.F.R. 230.162);

(23) A nonissuer transaction in an outstanding security by or through a broker-dealer registered or exempt from registration under this chapter, if the issuer is a reporting issuer in a foreign jurisdiction designated by this paragraph or by rule adopted or order issued under this chapter; has been subject to continuous reporting requirements in the foreign jurisdiction for not less than one hundred eighty days before the transaction; and the security is listed on the foreign jurisdiction's securities exchange that has been designated by this paragraph or by rule adopted or order issued under this chapter, or is a security of the same issuer that is of senior or substantially equal rank to the listed security or is a warrant or right to purchase or subscribe to any of the foregoing. For purposes of this paragraph, Canada, together with its provinces and territories, is a designated foreign jurisdiction and the Toronto Stock Exchange, Inc., is a designated securities exchange. After an administrative hearing in accordance with chapter 91, the commissioner, by rule adopted or order issued under this chapter, may revoke the designation of a securities exchange under this paragraph, if the commissioner finds that revocation is necessary or appropriate in the public interest and for the protection of investors;

(24) Any offer or sale by or through a real estate broker or real estate salesperson licensed under the laws of this State, of a security issued on or after July 1, 1961, by a corporation organized under the laws of this State, the holder of which is entitled solely by reason of the holder's ownership thereof, to occupy for dwelling purposes a house, or an apartment in a building, owned or leased by such corporation; provided that the issuer of the security shall apply for the exemption to the commissioner on such form and containing such information as the commissioner may prescribe. If the commissioner finds that the business applicant's proposed plan and the proposed issuance of securities are fair, just, and equitable, that the applicant intends to transact its business fairly and honestly, and that the securities that the applicant proposes to issue and the method to be used by the applicant in issuing or disposing of the securities will not, in the opinion of the commissioner, work a fraud upon the purchaser thereof, the commissioner shall issue to the applicant a permit authorizing the applicant to issue and dispose of the securities in this State in the manner provided herein and in such amounts and for such consideration as the commissioner may provide in the permit. Otherwise, the commissioner shall deny the application and refuse the permit and notify the applicant of the decision in writing, subject to appeal as provided in section 485A-609. In any permit issued under this paragraph, the commissioner may require the deposit in escrow or impoundment of any or all securities, the proceeds from the sale thereof, approval of advertising material, and any of the conditions as set forth in section 485A-304(f). The commissioner may act as escrow holder for securities required to be deposited in escrow by the commissioner's order or as a necessary signatory on any account in which impounded proceeds from the sale of escrowed securities are deposited;

(25) Any offer or sale by or through a real estate broker or real estate salesperson licensed under the laws of this State of an apartment or unit in a condominium project, and a rental management contract relating to the apartment or unit, including an interest in a partnership formed for the purpose of managing the rental of apartments or units if the rental management contract or the interest in the partnership is offered at the same time as the apartment or unit is offered.

For the purposes of this paragraph, the terms "apartment", "unit", "condominium", and "project" shall have the meanings prescribed in section 514A-3 or 514B-3; and

(26) Any transaction not involving a public offering within the meaning of section 4(2) of the Securities Act of 1933 (15 U.S.C. 77d), but not including any transaction specified in the rules and regulations thereunder.

(b) With respect to the exemption under paragraph (a)(13):

(1) The exemption shall not apply to an issuer if the issuer; any affiliated issuer; any beneficial owner of ten per cent or more of any class of the issuer's equity securities; any issuer's predecessor, director, officer, general partner, or promoter presently connected in any capacity with the issuer; and any underwriter or partner, director, or officer of the underwriter of the securities to be offered:

(A) Within the last five years has filed a registration statement that is the subject of a currently effective registration stop order entered by any state securities administrator or the United States Securities and Exchange Commission;

(B) Within the last five years has been convicted of any criminal offense in connection with the offer, purchase, or sale of any security, or involving fraud or deceit;

(C) Is currently subject to any state or federal administrative enforcement order or judgment entered within the last five years, finding fraud or deceit in connection with the purchase or sale of any security; or

(D) Is currently subject to any order, judgment, or decree of any court of competent jurisdiction, entered within the last five years, temporarily, preliminarily, or permanently restraining or enjoining such party from engaging in or continuing to engage in any conduct or practice involving fraud or deceit in connection with the purchase or sale of any security; and

(2) Paragraph (1) shall not apply if:

(A) The party subject to the disqualification is licensed or registered to conduct securities-related business in the state in which the order, judgment, or decree creating the disqualification was entered against such party;

(B) Before the first offer under this exemption, the commissioner, or the court or regulatory authority that entered the order, judgment, or decree waives the disqualifications; or

(C) The issuer establishes that the issuer did not know and in the exercise of reasonable care, based on a factual inquiry, could not have known that a disqualification existed under this paragraph. [L 2006, c 229, pt of §1; am L 2008, c 28, §23]