Article 3.

Exemptions.

§ 78A-16.  Exempt securities.

The following securities are exempted from G.S. 78A-24 and 78A-49(d):

(1) Any security (including a revenue obligation) issued or guaranteed by the United States, any state, any political subdivision of a state, or any agency or corporate or other instrumentality of one or more of the foregoing; or any certificate of deposit for any of the foregoing;

(2) Any security issued or guaranteed by Canada, any Canadian province, any political subdivision of any such province, any agency of one or more of the foregoing, or any other foreign government with which the United States currently maintains diplomatic relations, if the security is recognized as a valid obligation by the issuer or guarantor;

(3) Any security issued by and representing an interest in or a debt of, or guaranteed by, any bank organized under the laws of the United States, or any bank, savings institution, or trust company organized and supervised under the laws of any state;

(4) Any security issued by and representing an interest in or a debt of, or guaranteed by, any federal savings and loan association, or any building and loan or similar association organized under the laws of any state and authorized to do business in this State;

(5) Any security issued by and representing an interest in or a debt of, or guaranteed by, any insurance company organized under the laws of any state and authorized to do business in this State; but this exemption does not apply to an annuity contract, investment contract, or similar security under which the promised payments are not fixed in dollars but are substantially dependent upon the investment results of a segregated fund or account invested in securities unless the issuing or delivering company has satisfied the Commissioner of Insurance that it is in compliance with G.S. 58-7-95;

(6) Any security issued or guaranteed by any federal credit union or any credit union, industrial loan association, or similar association organized and supervised under the laws of this State;

(7) Any security issued or guaranteed by any railroad, other common carrier, public utility, or holding company of one of the foregoing which is (i) subject to the jurisdiction of the Interstate Commerce Commission; (ii) a registered holding company under the Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935 or a subsidiary of such a company within the meaning of that act; (iii) regulated in respect of its rates and charges by a governmental authority of the United States or any state; or (iv) regulated in respect of the issuance or guarantee of the security by a governmental authority of the United States, any state, Canada, or any Canadian province;

(8) Repealed by Session Laws 2001, c. 149, s. 1.

(9) Any security issued by any person organized and operated not for private profit but exclusively for religious, educational, benevolent, charitable, fraternal, social, athletic, or reformatory purposes, or as a chamber of commerce or trade or professional association provided, however, that the Administrator may by rule or order impose conditions upon this exemption either generally or in relation to specific securities or transactions;

(10) Any commercial paper which arises out of a current transaction or the proceeds of which have been or are to be used for current transactions, and which evidences an obligation to pay cash within nine months of the date of issuance, exclusive of days of grace, or any renewal of such paper which is likewise limited, or any guarantee of such paper or of any such renewal;

(11) Any interest in an employees' stock or equity purchase, option, savings, pension, profit-sharing or other similar benefit plan;

(12) Any bond or note secured by lien on vessels shown by policies of marine insurance taken out in responsible companies to be of value, after deducting any and all other indebtedness secured by prior lien, of not less than one hundred twenty-five percent (125%) of the par amount of such bonds or notes;

(13) Any capital stock issued by a professional corporation organized pursuant to the provisions of the Professional Corporation Act, Chapter 55B;

(14) Any security issued by (i) any mutual association or agricultural marketing association organized or domesticated and existing under Subchapter IV or Subchapter V, respectively, of Chapter 54 of the General Statutes of North Carolina; or (ii) any electric or telephone membership corporation organized or domesticated and existing under Chapter 117 of the General Statutes of North Carolina.

(15) Any security listed or approved for listing upon notice of issuance on an exchange registered with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission or quoted or approved for quotation upon notice of issuance on an automated quotation system operated by a national securities association registered with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, provided such security or class of securities, exchange or system is approved by rule of the Administrator; any other security of the same issuer which is of senior or substantially equal rank; any security called for by subscription rights or warrants so listed or approved; or any warrant or right to purchase or subscribe to any of the foregoing. (1925, c. 190, s. 3; 1927, c. 149, s. 3; 1931, c. 243, s. 5; 1955, c. 436, s. 2; 1967, c. 1233, s. 1; 1973, c. 1380; 1981, c. 624, s. 1; 1983, c. 817, ss. 4, 5; 1989 (Reg. Sess., 1990) c. 803, s. 1; 2001-149, s. 1; 2001-201, s. 7.)