Sec. 202.
(1) The following transactions are exempt from the requirements of sections 301 to 306 and 504:
(a) An isolated nonissuer transaction, whether effected by or through a broker-dealer or not.
(b) A nonissuer transaction by or through a broker-dealer registered or exempt from registration under this act, 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 90 days, if all of the following are met at the date of the transaction:
(i) 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.
(ii) The security is sold at a price reasonably related to its current market price.
(iii) 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.
(iv) A nationally recognized securities manual or its electronic equivalent designated by rule or order under this act or a record filed with the securities and exchange commission that is publicly available contains all of the following:
(A) A description of the business and operations of the issuer.
(B) The names of the issuer's executive officers and the names of the issuer's directors, if any.
(C) An audited balance sheet of the issuer as of a date within 18 months before the date of the transaction or, in the case of a reorganization or merger, and when the parties to the reorganization or merger each had an audited balance sheet, a pro forma balance sheet for the combined entity.
(D) An audited income statement for each of the issuer's 2 immediately 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.
(v) Any of the following requirements are met:
(A) 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, 15 USC 78f, or designated for trading on the national association of securities dealers automated quotation system.
(B) The issuer of the security is a unit investment trust registered under the investment company act of 1940.
(C) The issuer of the security, including its predecessors, has been engaged in continuous business for at least 3 years.
(D) The issuer of the security has total assets of at least $2,000,000.00 based on an audited balance sheet as of a date within 18 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 as of a date within 18 months before the date of the transaction, a pro forma balance sheet for the combined entity.
(c) A nonissuer transaction by or through a broker-dealer registered or exempt from registration under this act 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.
(d) A nonissuer transaction by or through a broker-dealer registered or exempt from registration under this act 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 USC 78m or 78o.
(e) A nonissuer transaction by or through a broker-dealer registered or exempt from registration under this act in a security that meets 1 or more of the following:
(i) Is rated at the time of the transaction by a nationally recognized statistical rating organization in 1 of its 4 highest rating categories.
(ii) Has a fixed maturity or a fixed interest or dividend, if both of the following are met:
(A) A default has not occurred during the current fiscal year or within the 3 previous fiscal years or during the existence of the issuer and any predecessor if less than 3 fiscal years, in the payment of principal, interest, or dividends on the security.
(B) 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 12 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.
(f) A nonissuer transaction by or through a broker-dealer registered or exempt from registration under this act effecting an unsolicited order or offer to purchase.
(g) A nonissuer transaction executed by a bona fide pledgee without any purpose of evading this act.
(h) A nonissuer transaction by a federal covered investment adviser with investments under management in excess of $100,000,000.00 acting in the exercise of discretionary authority in a signed record for the account of others.
(i) A transaction in a security, whether or not the security or transaction is otherwise exempt, in exchange for 1 or more bona fide outstanding securities, claims, or property interests, or partly in exchange and partly for cash, if the terms and conditions of the issuance and exchange or the delivery and exchange and the fairness of the terms and conditions have been approved by the administrator at a hearing.
(j) A transaction between the issuer or other person on whose behalf the offering is made and an underwriter, or among underwriters.
(k) A transaction in a note, bond, debenture, or other evidence of indebtedness secured by a mortgage or other security agreement if all of the following are met:
(i) The note, bond, debenture, or other evidence of indebtedness is offered and sold with the mortgage or other security agreement as a unit.
(ii) A general solicitation or general advertisement of the transaction is not made.
(iii) A commission or other remuneration is not paid or given, directly or indirectly, to a person not registered under this act as a broker-dealer or as an agent.
(l) A transaction by an executor, administrator of an estate, sheriff, marshal, receiver, trustee in bankruptcy, guardian, or conservator.
(m) A sale or offer to sell to any of the following:
(i) An institutional investor.
(ii) A federal covered investment adviser.
(iii) Any other person exempted by rule or order under this act.
(n) A sale or an offer to sell securities by or on behalf of an issuer, if the transaction is part of a single issue in which all of the following are met:
(i) There are not more than 50 purchasers in this state during any 12 consecutive months, other than those designated in subdivision (m).
(ii) There is no general solicitation or general advertising used in connection with the offer to sell or sale of the securities.
(iii) A commission or other remuneration is not paid or given, directly or indirectly, to a person other than a broker-dealer registered under this act or an agent registered under this act for soliciting a prospective purchaser in this state.
(iv) The issuer reasonably believes that all the purchasers in this state other than those designated in subdivision (m) are purchasing for investment.
(o) A transaction under an offer to existing security holders of the issuer, including persons that 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.
(p) An offer to sell, but not a sale, of a security not exempt from registration under the securities act of 1933 if both of the following are met:
(i) 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 CFR 230.165.
(ii) A stop order of which the offeror is aware has not been issued against the offeror by the administrator or the securities and exchange commission, and an audit, inspection, or proceeding that is public and may culminate in a stop order is not known by the offeror to be pending.
(q) An offer to sell, but not a sale, of a security exempt from registration under the securities act of 1933 if all of the following are met:
(i) A registration statement has been filed under this act, but is not effective.
(ii) A solicitation of interest is provided in a record to offerees in compliance with a rule adopted by the administrator under this act.
(iii) A stop order of which the offeror is aware has not been issued by the administrator under this act, and an audit, inspection, or proceeding that may culminate in a stop order is not known by the offeror to be pending.
(r) 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.
(s) A rescission offer, sale, or purchase under section 510.
(t) An offer or sale of a security to a person not resident in 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 act.
(u) An offer or sale of a security pursuant to an employee's 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 any of the following:
(i) Offers or sales of those securities to directors; general partners; trustees, if the issuer is a business trust; officers; or consultants and advisors.
(ii) Family members who acquire those securities from those persons through gifts or domestic relations orders.
(iii) 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.
(iv) Insurance agents who are exclusive insurance agents of the issuer, its subsidiaries or parents, or who derive more than 50% of their annual income from those organizations.
(v) A transaction involving any of the following:
(i) A stock dividend or equivalent equity distribution, whether the corporation or other business organization distributing the dividend or equivalent equity distribution is the issuer or not, 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.
(ii) An act incident to a judicially approved reorganization in which a security is issued in exchange for 1 or more outstanding securities, claims, or property interests, or partly in exchange and partly for cash.
(iii) 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 CFR 230.162.
(w) Subject to subsection (2), a nonissuer transaction in an outstanding security by or through a broker-dealer registered or exempt from registration under this act, if both of the following are met:
(i) The issuer is a reporting issuer in a foreign jurisdiction designated in subsection (2)(a), or by rule or order of the administrator, and has been subject to continuous reporting requirements in the foreign jurisdiction for not less than 180 days before the transaction.
(ii) The security is listed on the foreign jurisdiction's securities exchange that has been designated in subsection (2)(a), or by rule or order under this act, 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.
(x) Any offer or sale of a security by an issuer under section 202a.
(y) Any offer or sale of a security that meets the requirements for the federal exemption for a regulation A offering under section 3(b) of the securities act of 1933, 15 USC 77c(b), and SEC rule 251, 17 CFR 230.251, if the offer or sale meets all of the following requirements:
(i) The issuer has filed SEC form 1A with the securities and exchange commission with respect to the regulation A offering, in a manner acceptable to the securities and exchange commission, and in that filing the issuer has satisfied all of the requirements of 17 CFR 230.251 to 230.263 inclusively, including the filing of the regulation A offering circular required under 17 CFR 230.253.
(ii) At least 10 days before commencing an offering of securities in reliance on this exemption or the use of any publicly available website in connection with an offering of securities in reliance on this exemption, the issuer files a notice with the administrator, in writing or in electronic form as specified by the administrator, that contains all of the following:
(A) A notice of claim of exemption from registration, specifying that the issuer intends to conduct an offering in reliance on a regulation A exemption, accompanied by a nonrefundable filing fee of $100.00 for filing the exemption notice. The fees paid to the administrator under this sub-subparagraph shall be used to pay the costs incurred in administering and enforcing this act.
(B) A copy of the completed SEC form 1A and all of the accompanying documents filed with the securities and exchange commission, including the final regulation A offering circular to be provided to prospective purchasers in connection with the offering. Before filing SEC form 1A with the administrator, the issuer may advertise its intent to make a regulation A offering within the state and to solicit interest from prospective purchasers under 17 CFR 230.254.
(iii) The sum of all cash and other consideration to be received for all sales of the security in reliance on this exemption does not exceed the amount set forth in subsection (b) of 17 CFR 230.251, less the aggregate amount received for all sales of securities by the issuer within the 12 months before the first offer or sale made in reliance on this exemption.
(iv) The issuer does not accept more than $10,000.00 from any single purchaser unless the purchaser is an accredited investor as defined by rule 501 of SEC regulation D, 17 CFR 230.501. The issuer may rely on confirmation that the purchaser is an accredited investor from a licensed broker-dealer or another third party in making a determination that the purchaser is an accredited investor. Every fifth year, the administrator shall cumulatively adjust the $10,000.00 limitation amount described in this subparagraph to reflect the change in the consumer price index for all urban consumers published by the federal bureau of labor statistics, rounding the dollar limitation to the nearest $100.00.
(z) Any secondary offer, sale, purchase, or trade of securities facilitated by a Michigan investment market, if the Michigan investment market effects that transaction in accordance with article 4A and has made available to any secondary purchaser, within a reasonable period before effecting the transaction, general management and financial information concerning the issuer of the securities, including the issuer's financial documents for the preceding calendar or fiscal year and interim financial information as of the end of the issuer's most recent calendar or fiscal quarter.
(2) For purposes of subsection (1)(w), both of the following apply:
(a) Canada, together with its provinces and territories, is a designated foreign jurisdiction and the Toronto stock exchange, inc., is a designated securities exchange.
(b) After an administrative hearing in compliance with applicable state law, the administrator, by rule or order under this act, may revoke the designation of a securities exchange under subsection (1)(w) or this subsection if the administrator finds that revocation is necessary or appropriate in the public interest and for the protection of investors.
(3) An issuer that sells securities in this state in reliance on this exemption described in subsection (1)(y) may advertise the offering in any manner, including advertising on website platforms that may be owned and controlled by nonissuer third parties, if no commissions are paid to either employees of the issuer for the sale of the securities or to third parties that facilitate the sale of the securities, unless those third parties are licensed broker-dealers authorized to conduct transactions described in subsection (1)(y).
History: 2008, Act 551, Eff. Oct. 1, 2009 ;-- Am. 2013, Act 264, Imd. Eff. Dec. 30, 2013 ;-- Am. 2014, Act 355, Imd. Eff. Oct. 21, 2014
Last modified: October 10, 2016