§ 78A-17.  Exempt transactions.

Except as otherwise provided in this Chapter, the following transactions are exempted from G.S. 78A-24 and G.S. 78A-49(d):

(1) Any isolated nonissuer transaction, whether effected through a dealer or not.

(2) Any nonissuer distribution other than by a controlling person of an outstanding security if

a. A recognized securities manual contains the names of the issuer's officers and directors, a balance sheet of the issuer as of a date within 18 months, and a profit and loss statement for either the fiscal year preceding that date or the most recent year of operations, or

b. A registered dealer files with the Administrator such information relating to the issuer as the Administrator may by rule or order require, or

c. The security has a fixed maturity or a fixed interest or dividend provision and there has been no default during the current fiscal year or within the three preceding fiscal years, or during the existence of the issuer and any predecessors if less than three years, in the payment of principal, interest, or dividends on the security.

(3) Any nonissuer transaction effected by or through a registered dealer pursuant to an unsolicited order or offer to buy; but the Administrator may by rule require that the customer acknowledge upon a specified form that the sale was unsolicited, and that a signed copy of each such form be preserved by the dealer for a specified period.

(4) Any transaction between the issuer or other person on whose behalf the offering is made and an underwriter, or among underwriters.

(5) Any transaction in a bond or other evidence of indebtedness secured by a lien or security interest in real or personal property, or by an agreement for the sale of real estate or chattels, if the entire security interest or agreement, together with all the bonds or other evidences of indebtedness secured thereby, is offered and sold as a unit.

(6) Any transaction by an executor, administrator, sheriff, marshal, receiver, trustee in bankruptcy, guardian, or conservator.

(7) Any transaction executed by a person holding a bona fide security interest without any purpose of evading this Chapter.

(8) Any offer or sale to an entity which has a net worth in excess of one million dollars ($1,000,000) as determined by generally accepted accounting principles, bank, savings institution, trust company, insurance company, investment company as defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940, pension or profit-sharing trust, or other financial institution or institutional buyer, or to a dealer, whether the purchaser is acting for itself or in some fiduciary capacity.

(9) Any transaction pursuant to an offer directed by the offeror to not more than 25 persons, other than those persons designated in subdivision (8), in this State during any period of 12 consecutive months, whether or not the offeror or any of the offerees is then present in this State, if the seller reasonably believes that all the buyers in this State are purchasing for investment. The Administrator may by rule or order withdraw, amend, or further condition this exemption for any security or security transaction. There is established a fee of one hundred fifty dollars ($150.00) to recover costs for any filing required.

(10) Any offer or sale of a preorganizational certificate or subscription if: (i) no commission or other remuneration is paid or given directly or indirectly for soliciting any prospective subscriber; (ii) no public advertising or solicitation is used in connection with the offer or sale; (iii) the number of subscribers does not exceed 10 and the number of offerees does not exceed 25; and (iv) no payment is made by any subscriber.

(11) Any transaction pursuant to an offer to existing security holders of the issuer, including persons who at the time of the transaction are holders of convertible securities, nontransferable warrants, or transferable warrants exercisable within not more than 90 days of their issuance, if (i) no commission or other remuneration (other than a standby commission) is paid or given directly or indirectly for soliciting any security holder in this State, or (ii) the issuer first files a notice specifying the terms of the offer and the Administrator does not by order disallow the exemption within the next 10 full business days.

(12) Any offer (but not a sale) of a security for which registration statements have been filed under both this Chapter and the Securities Act of 1933 if no stop order or refusal order is in effect and no public proceeding or examination looking toward such an order is pending under either act.

(13) Any offer or sale by a domestic entity of its own securities if (i) the entity was organized for the purpose of promoting community, agricultural or industrial development of the area in which the principal office is located, (ii) the offer or sale has been approved by resolution of the county commissioners of the county in which its principal office is located, and, if located in a municipality or within two miles of the boundaries thereof, by resolution of the governing body of such municipality, (iii) no commission or other remuneration is paid or given directly or indirectly for soliciting any prospective buyer in this State, and (iv) the entity is both organized and operated principally to promote some community, industrial, or agricultural development that confers a public benefit rather than organized and operated principally to generate a pecuniary profit.

(14) Any offer, sale or issuance of securities pursuant to an employees' stock or equity purchase, option, savings, pension, profit-sharing, or other similar benefit plan that is exempt under the provisions of G.S. 78A-16(11).

(15) Any offer or sale of limited partnership interests in a partnership organized under the North Carolina Uniform Limited Partnership Act for the sole purpose of constructing, owning and operating a low and moderate income rental housing project located in North Carolina if the total amount of the offering and the total number of limited partners, both within and without this State for each such partnership, does not exceed five hundred thousand dollars ($500,000) and 100 respectively. This exemption shall be allowed without limitation as to (i) the number, either in total or within any time period, of separate partnerships which may be formed by the same general partner or partners, sponsors or individuals in which partnership interests are offered; (ii) the period over which such offerings can be made; (iii) the amount of each limited partner's investment; or (iv) the period over which such investment is payable to the partnership. For purposes of this subdivision (15), the term "low and moderate rental housing project" means:

a. Any housing project with respect to which a mortgage is insured or guaranteed under section 221(d)(3) or 221(d)(4) or 236 of the National Housing Act, or any housing project financed or assisted by direct loan, mortgage insurance or guaranty, or tax abatement under similar provisions of federal, State or local laws, whether now existing or hereafter enacted; or

b. Any housing project, some or all of the units of which are available for occupancy by families or individuals eligible to receive subsidies under section 8 of the United States Housing Act of 1937, as amended, or under the provisions of other federal, State or local law authorizing similar levels of subsidy for lower income families, whether now existing or hereafter enacted; or

c. Any housing project with respect to which a loan is made, insured or guaranteed under Title V, section 515, of the Housing Act of 1949, or under similar provisions of other federal, State or local laws, whether now existing or hereafter enacted.

(16) Any offer to purchase or to sell or any sale or issuance of a security, other than a security covered under federal law, pursuant to a plan approved by the Administrator after a hearing conducted pursuant to the provisions of G.S. 78A-30 or any transaction incident to any other judicially or governmentally 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 cash.

(17) Any transaction that is exempt pursuant to rules established by the Administrator creating limited offering transactional exemptions that are consistent with the objectives of compatibility with federal limited offering exemptions and uniformity among the states. There is established a fee of one hundred fifty dollars ($150.00) to recover costs for any filing required by such rules.

(18) Any transaction incident to a class vote by security holders, pursuant to the articles of incorporation or similar organizational document or the applicable statute governing the internal affairs of the entity, on a merger, conversion, consolidation, share exchange, reclassification of securities, or sale of an entity's assets in consideration of the issuance of securities of another entity.

(19) Any offer or sale of any viatical settlement contract or any fractionalized or pooled interest therein by the issuer in a transaction that meets all of the following criteria:

a. The underlying viatical settlement transaction with the viator was not in violation of any applicable state or federal law; and

b. The offer and sale of such contract or interest therein is conducted in accordance with such conditions as the Administrator requires by rule or order, including conditions governing advertising, suitability standards, financial statements, the investor's right of rescission, and the disclosure of information to offerees and purchasers.

The Administrator may establish a fee to recover costs for any filing required by such rules, not to exceed five hundred dollars ($500.00).

(20) Any offer or sale of a security by an issuer if the offer or sale is conducted in accordance with G.S. 78A-17.1. (1925, c. 190, s. 4; 1927, c. 149, s. 4; 1935, cc. 90, 154; 1955, c. 436, s. 3; 1959, c. 1185; 1967, c. 1233, ss. 2, 3; 1971, c. 572, s. 1; 1973, c. 1380; 1977, c. 162; c. 610, s. 1; 1979, c. 647, s. 1; 1981, c. 624, s. 2; 1981 (Reg. Sess., 1982), c. 1263, ss. 1, 2; 1983, c. 509, ss. 1, 2; c. 817, ss. 6, 7; 1997-419, s. 5; 2001-197, s. 1; 2001-201, ss. 8, 9, 10, 11, 12; 2001-436, s. 8; 2002-126, ss. 29A.22, 29A.23; 2004-203, s. 6; 2016-103, s. 1.)