(a) Permitted trading in domestic government obligations. The prohibition contained in § 255.3(a) does not apply to the purchase or sale by a banking entity of a financial instrument that is:
(1) An obligation of, or issued or guaranteed by, the United States;
(2) An obligation, participation, or other instrument of, or issued or guaranteed by, an agency of the United States, the Government National Mortgage Association, the Federal National Mortgage Association, the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation, a Federal Home Loan Bank, the Federal Agricultural Mortgage Corporation or a Farm Credit System institution chartered under and subject to the provisions of the Farm Credit Act of 1971 (12 U.S.C. 2001 et seq.);
(3) An obligation of any State or any political subdivision thereof, including any municipal security; or
(4) An obligation of the FDIC, or any entity formed by or on behalf of the FDIC for purpose of facilitating the disposal of assets acquired or held by the FDIC in its corporate capacity or as conservator or receiver under the Federal Deposit Insurance Act or Title II of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act.
(b) Permitted trading in foreign government obligations -
(1) Affiliates of foreign banking entities in the United States. The prohibition contained in § 255.3(a) does not apply to the purchase or sale of a financial instrument that is an obligation of, or issued or guaranteed by, a foreign sovereign (including any multinational central bank of which the foreign sovereign is a member), or any agency or political subdivision of such foreign sovereign, by a banking entity, so long as:
(i) The banking entity is organized under or is directly or indirectly controlled by a banking entity that is organized under the laws of a foreign sovereign and is not directly or indirectly controlled by a top-tier banking entity that is organized under the laws of the United States;
(ii) The financial instrument is an obligation of, or issued or guaranteed by, the foreign sovereign under the laws of which the foreign banking entity referred to in paragraph (b)(1)(i) of this section is organized (including any multinational central bank of which the foreign sovereign is a member), or any agency or political subdivision of that foreign sovereign; and
(iii) The purchase or sale as principal is not made by an insured depository institution.
(2) Foreign affiliates of a U.S. banking entity. The prohibition contained in § 255.3(a) does not apply to the purchase or sale of a financial instrument that is an obligation of, or issued or guaranteed by, a foreign sovereign (including any multinational central bank of which the foreign sovereign is a member), or any agency or political subdivision of that foreign sovereign, by a foreign entity that is owned or controlled by a banking entity organized or established under the laws of the United States or any State, so long as:
(i) The foreign entity is a foreign bank, as defined in section 211.2(j) of the Board's Regulation K (12 CFR 211.2(j)), or is regulated by the foreign sovereign as a securities dealer;
(ii) The financial instrument is an obligation of, or issued or guaranteed by, the foreign sovereign under the laws of which the foreign entity is organized (including any multinational central bank of which the foreign sovereign is a member), or any agency or political subdivision of that foreign sovereign; and
(iii) The financial instrument is owned by the foreign entity and is not financed by an affiliate that is located in the United States or organized under the laws of the United States or of any State.
(c) Permitted trading on behalf of customers -
(1) Fiduciary transactions. The prohibition contained in § 255.3(a) does not apply to the purchase or sale of financial instruments by a banking entity acting as trustee or in a similar fiduciary capacity, so long as:
(i) The transaction is conducted for the account of, or on behalf of, a customer; and
(ii) The banking entity does not have or retain beneficial ownership of the financial instruments.
(2) Riskless principal transactions. The prohibition contained in § 255.3(a) does not apply to the purchase or sale of financial instruments by a banking entity acting as riskless principal in a transaction in which the banking entity, after receiving an order to purchase (or sell) a financial instrument from a customer, purchases (or sells) the financial instrument for its own account to offset a contemporaneous sale to (or purchase from) the customer.
(d) Permitted trading by a regulated insurance company. The prohibition contained in § 255.3(a) does not apply to the purchase or sale of financial instruments by a banking entity that is an insurance company or an affiliate of an insurance company if:
(1) The insurance company or its affiliate purchases or sells the financial instruments solely for:
(i) The general account of the insurance company; or
(ii) A separate account established by the insurance company;
(2) The purchase or sale is conducted in compliance with, and subject to, the insurance company investment laws, regulations, and written guidance of the State or jurisdiction in which such insurance company is domiciled; and
(3) The appropriate Federal banking agencies, after consultation with the Financial Stability Oversight Council and the relevant insurance commissioners of the States and foreign jurisdictions, as appropriate, have not jointly determined, after notice and comment, that a particular law, regulation, or written guidance described in paragraph (d)(2) of this section is insufficient to protect the safety and soundness of the covered banking entity, or the financial stability of the United States.
(e) Permitted trading activities of foreign banking entities.
(1) The prohibition contained in § 255.3(a) does not apply to the purchase or sale of financial instruments by a banking entity if:
(i) The banking entity is not organized or directly or indirectly controlled by a banking entity that is organized under the laws of the United States or of any State;
(ii) The purchase or sale by the banking entity is made pursuant to paragraph (9) or (13) of section 4(c) of the BHC Act; and
(iii) The purchase or sale meets the requirements of paragraph (e)(3) of this section.
(2) A purchase or sale of financial instruments by a banking entity is made pursuant to paragraph (9) or (13) of section 4(c) of the BHC Act for purposes of paragraph (e)(1)(ii) of this section only if:
(i) The purchase or sale is conducted in accordance with the requirements of paragraph (e) of this section; and
(ii)
(A) With respect to a banking entity that is a foreign banking organization, the banking entity meets the qualifying foreign banking organization requirements of section 211.23(a), (c) or (e) of the Board's Regulation K (12 CFR 211.23(a), (c) or (e)), as applicable; or
(B) With respect to a banking entity that is not a foreign banking organization, the banking entity is not organized under the laws of the United States or of any State and the banking entity, on a fully-consolidated basis, meets at least two of the following requirements:
(1) Total assets of the banking entity held outside of the United States exceed total assets of the banking entity held in the United States;
(2) Total revenues derived from the business of the banking entity outside of the United States exceed total revenues derived from the business of the banking entity in the United States; or
(3) Total net income derived from the business of the banking entity outside of the United States exceeds total net income derived from the business of the banking entity in the United States.
(3) A purchase or sale by a banking entity is permitted for purposes of this paragraph (e) if:
(i) The banking entity engaging as principal in the purchase or sale (including relevant personnel) is not located in the United States or organized under the laws of the United States or of any State;
(ii) The banking entity (including relevant personnel) that makes the decision to purchase or sell as principal is not located in the United States or organized under the laws of the United States or of any State; and
(iii) The purchase or sale, including any transaction arising from risk-mitigating hedging related to the instruments purchased or sold, is not accounted for as principal directly or on a consolidated basis by any branch or affiliate that is located in the United States or organized under the laws of the United States or of any State.
(4) For purposes of this paragraph (e), a U.S. branch, agency, or subsidiary of a foreign banking entity is considered to be located in the United States; however, the foreign bank that operates or controls that branch, agency, or subsidiary is not considered to be located in the United States solely by virtue of operating or controlling the U.S. branch, agency, or subsidiary.
(f) Permitted trading activities of qualifying foreign excluded funds. The prohibition contained in § 255.3(a) does not apply to the purchase or sale of a financial instrument by a qualifying foreign excluded fund. For purposes of this paragraph (f), a qualifying foreign excluded fund means a banking entity that:
(1) Is organized or established outside the United States, and the ownership interests of which are offered and sold solely outside the United States;
(2)
(i) Would be a covered fund if the entity were organized or established in the United States, or
(ii) Is, or holds itself out as being, an entity or arrangement that raises money from investors primarily for the purpose of investing in financial instruments for resale or other disposition or otherwise trading in financial instruments;
(3) Would not otherwise be a banking entity except by virtue of the acquisition or retention of an ownership interest in, sponsorship of, or relationship with the entity, by another banking entity that meets the following:
(i) The banking entity is not organized, or directly or indirectly controlled by a banking entity that is organized, under the laws of the United States or of any State; and
(ii) The banking entity's acquisition or retention of an ownership interest in or sponsorship of the fund meets the requirements for permitted covered fund activities and investments solely outside the United States, as provided in § 255.13(b);
(4) Is established and operated as part of a bona fide asset management business; and
(5) Is not operated in a manner that enables the banking entity that sponsors or controls the qualifying foreign excluded fund, or any of its affiliates, to evade the requirements of section 13 of the BHC Act or this part.
[79 FR 5779, 5805, Jan. 31, 2014, as amended at 84 FR 62244, Nov. 14, 2019; 85 FR 46522, July 31, 2020]