As
filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on
November 30, 2007
Registration
No. 333-104778
SECURITIES
AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington,
D.C. 20549
POST-EFFECTIVE AMENDMENT NO. 3
TO
FORM
F-3
REGISTRATION
STATEMENT UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
ABN
AMRO Holding N.V.
ABN AMRO
Bank N.V.
(Exact
name of each registrant as specified in its charter)
The
Netherlands |
|
N/A |
(State
of other jurisdiction of incorporation or
organization) |
|
(I.R.S.
Employer Identification No.)
|
Gustav
Mahlerlaan 10
1082 PP Amsterdam
The
Netherlands
(31-20) 383 68 21
(Address
and telephone number of registrants’ principal
executive offices)
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ABN
AMRO Capital Funding Trust V (Exact
name of
registrant as specified in its charter)
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Delaware |
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56-6616232 |
(State
of other jurisdiction of incorporation or
organization) |
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(I.R.S.
Employer Identification No.)
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ABN
AMRO Capital Funding Trust VI (Exact
name of
registrant as specified in its charter)
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Delaware |
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56-6616233
|
(State
of other jurisdiction of incorporation or
organization) |
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(I.R.S.
Employer Identification No.)
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ABN
AMRO Capital Funding Trust VII (Exact
name of
registrant as specified in its charter)
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Delaware
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56-6616236
|
(State
of other jurisdiction of incorporation or
organization)
|
|
(I.R.S.
Employer Identification No.)
|
|
c/o
ABN AMRO
Bank N.V.
Attn: Corporate Secretariat
55 East 52nd Street, 10th
Floor New York, NY 10055 (Address
and telephone number of Registrants’
principal executive offices) |
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ABN
AMRO Capital Funding LLC V (Exact
name of
registrant as specified in its charter)
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Delaware |
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To
be applied for |
(State
of other jurisdiction of incorporation or
organization) |
|
(I.R.S.
Employer Identification No.)
|
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ABN
AMRO Capital Funding LLC VI (Exact
name of
registrant as specified in its charter)
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Delaware |
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To
be applied for |
(State
of other jurisdiction of incorporation or
organization) |
|
(I.R.S.
Employer Identification No.)
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ABN
AMRO Capital Funding LLC VII (Exact
name of
registrant as specified in its charter)
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Delaware |
|
To
be applied for |
(State
of other jurisdiction of incorporation or
organization) |
|
(I.R.S.
Employer Identification No.)
|
135
South LaSalle Street
Chicago,
IL 60603
(Address and telephone number of
Registrants’ principal executive offices)
Laura
Schisgall
General Counsel, North
America
AANA Legal Department
ABN AMRO
Bank NV
55 East 52nd Street
New York,
NY 10055
(212) 409-5341
(Name, address and telephone
number of agent for
service)
Copies
to:
Ray
Ibrahim
Davis Polk
& Wardwell
450 Lexington Avenue
New York, NY 10017
(212)
450–4000
Approximate
date of
commencement of proposed sale to the public: From
time to time after this Registration Statement becomes
effective.
If
the only securities being
registered on this form are being offered pursuant to dividend or interest
reinvestment plans, please check the following box.o
If
any of the securities
being registered on this form are to be offered on a delayed or continuous
basis
pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933, check the following
box.
x
If
this form is filed to
register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under
the
Securities Act, please check the following box and list the Securities Act
registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement
for the same offering. o
If
this form is a
post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the Securities
Act,
check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement
number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering.
o
If
delivery of the prospectus
is expected to be made pursuant to Rule 434, please check the following box.
o
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Title
of Each Class of Securities to be Registered (1)
|
Amount
to be
Registered
(1)(2)(3) |
Proposed
maximum
aggregate offering price (2)(4) |
Amount
of
registration fee (5)(6) |
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ABN
AMRO Holding
N.V. Ordinary Shares (6) |
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ABN
AMRO Holding
N.V. Preference Shares (7) |
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ABN
AMRO Holding
N.V. Purchase Contracts(7) (8) (9) |
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ABN
AMRO Holding
N.V. Warrants (7)
(8)
(9) |
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ABN
AMRO Holding
N.V. Units (7) (8) (11) |
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ABN
AMRO Holding
N.V. Debt Securities(7)
(8) |
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ABN
AMRO Bank
N.V. Debt Securities(7)
(8) |
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ABN
AMRO Capital
Funding Trust V Preferred Securities |
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ABN
AMRO Capital
Funding Trust VI Preferred Securities |
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ABN
AMRO Capital
Funding Trust VII Preferred Securities |
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ABN
AMRO Capital
Funding LLC V Preferred Securities |
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ABN
AMRO Capital
Funding LLC VI Preferred Securities |
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ABN
AMRO Capital
Funding LLC VII Preferred Securities |
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Guarantees
of
Preferred Securities of each ABN AMRO Capital Funding Trust
(12) |
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Guarantees
of
Preferred Securities of each ABN AMRO Capital Funding LLC
(12) |
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Guarantees
of
Securities issued hereunder by ABN Amro Bank N.V. (13) |
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Total |
$4,127,259,000
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$4,127,259,000
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$333,895.25
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(1)
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These
offered securities may be sold separately,
together or as units with other offered
securities. |
(2)
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An
indeterminate number or amount of
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- ordinary
shares, preference shares, Purchase Contracts, Units, Warrants
and debt securities of ABN AMRO Holding N.V.;
- debt
securities of ABN AMRO Bank N.V.;
- preferred
securities of each of ABN AMRO Capital Funding Trusts V-VII;
and
- preferred
securities of each of ABN AMRO Capital Funding LLCs V-VII,
|
as
may from time to time be issued at indeterminate prices, in U.S. Dollars.
In no event will the aggregate maximum offering price of all securities
issued pursuant to this Registration Statement exceed $4,127,259,000,
or
if any debt securities are issued with original issue discount, such
greater amount as shall result in an aggregate offering price not to
exceed $4,127,259,000, in each case reduced by previous issuances under
this Registration Statement. |
(3) |
This
Registration Statement also relates to offers and sales of offered
securities and securities previously registered pursuant to Registration
Statement No. 333-9224 and Registration Statement No. 333-10144 in
connection with market-making transactions by and through affiliates
of
the registrants, including ABN AMRO Incorporated and ABN AMRO Rothschild
LLC. |
(4) |
Estimated
solely for the purpose of calculating the registration
fee, which is calculated in accordance with Rule 457(o) of the rules
and
regulations under the Securities Act of 1933. Rule 457(o) permits the
registration fee to be calculated on the basis of the maximum offering
price of all the securities listed. The table does not specify by each
class information as to the amount to be registered, proposed maximum
offering price per unit or proposed maximum aggregate offering price.
|
(5) |
Pursuant
to Rule 457(p) of the Securities Act of 1933, $333,895.25
of filing fees were previously paid to the
Commission. |
(6) |
A
separate registration statement on form F-6EF filed by ABN AMRO Holding
N.V. on September 20, 2001 (Registration No. 333-13922) has been used
for
the registration of American Depositary Shares evidenced by the American
Depositary Receipts issuable upon deposit of the ordinary shares of
ABN
AMRO Holding registered hereby. |
(7) |
Also
includes
such currently indeterminate number of ordinary shares of ABN AMRO
Holding
N.V. as may be issued upon conversion of or exchange for any securities
that provide for conversion or exchange into such ordinary
shares. |
(8) |
Also
includes
such currently indeterminate number of preference shares of ABN AMRO
Holding N.V. as may be issued upon conversion of or exchange for any
securities that provide for conversion or exchange into such preference
shares. |
(9) |
There
are being
registered hereby such indeterminate number of Purchase Contracts as
may
be issued at indeterminate prices. Such Purchase Contracts may be issued
together with any of the other securities being registered hereby.
Purchase Contracts may require the holder thereof to purchase or sell
any
of the other securities registered hereby or to purchase or sell (i)
securities of an entity unaffiliated with any of the registrants, a
basket
of such securities, an index or indices of such securities or any
combination of the above, (ii) currencies or (iii)
commodities. |
(10) |
There
are being
registered hereby such indeterminate number of Warrants as may be issued
at indeterminate prices. Such Warrants may be issued together with
any of
the securities registered hereby. Warrants may be exercised to purchase
any of the other securities registered hereby or to purchase or sell
(i)
securities of an entity unaffiliated with any of the registrants, a
basket
of such securities, an index or indices of such securities or any
combination of the above, (ii) currencies or (iii)
commodities. |
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(11) |
There
are being
registered hereby such indeterminate number of Units as may be issued
at
indeterminate prices. Units may consist of any combination of the
securities being registered hereby. |
(12) |
The
guarantees
will be issued by ABN AMRO Holding N.V. or ABN AMRO Bank N.V. No separate
consideration will be received for any of these
guarantees. |
(13) |
The
guarantees will be issued by ABN AMRO Holding N.V. No separate
consideration will be received for any of these
guarantees. |
Explanatory
Note
This
Post-Effective Amendment No. 3 to the Registration Statement
(File No. 333-104778) is being filed by ABN AMRO Holding N.V. and ABN AMRO
Bank
N.V. for the purpose of (i) removing LaSalle Funding LLC (“LaSalle”), a limited
liability company formed under the laws of the State of Delaware, and ABN Amro
Capital Funding Trust VIII, ABN Amro Capital Funding Trust IX, ABN Amro Capital
Funding LLC VIII and ABN Amro Capital Funding LLC IX (together, the “ABN Amro
Capital Funding Entities VIII and IX”) as co-registrants under the Registration
Statement and removing from the Registration Statement any debt securities
of
LaSalle and any preferred securities of the ABN Amro Capital Funding Entities
VIII and IX, as well as any guarantees of debt securities of LaSalle or
preferred securities of the ABN AMRO Capital Funding Entities VIII and IX and
(ii) filing a revised base prospectus that does not include the debt securities
of LaSalle, any preferred securities of the ABN Amro Capital Funding Entities
VIII and IX or any guarantees of debt securities of LaSalle or preferred
securities of the ABN Amro Capital Funding Entities VIII and
IX.
PROSPECTUS
$6,478,380,000
ABN
AMRO
HOLDING N.V.
American Depositary
Shares, each representing one Ordinary Share,
Preference Shares, Debt
Securities,
Purchase Contracts, Units and Warrants
ABN
AMRO BANK
N.V.
Debt Securities,
fully and unconditionally
guaranteed by
ABN AMRO Holding N.V.
ABN AMRO CAPITAL FUNDING TRUST V
ABN AMRO
CAPITAL FUNDING TRUST VI
ABN AMRO CAPITAL FUNDING TRUST
VII
Preferred
Securities,
fully and unconditionally guaranteed by
ABN AMRO Bank N.V. or
ABN AMRO Holding N.V.
ABN
AMRO CAPITAL
FUNDING LLC V
ABN AMRO CAPITAL FUNDING LLC VI
ABN AMRO CAPITAL FUNDING LLC
VII
Preferred
Securities,
fully and unconditionally guaranteed by
ABN AMRO Bank N.V. or
ABN AMRO Holding N.V.
We may
offer and sell from time to time
securities in one or more offerings up to a total dollar amount of
$6,478,380,000, less amounts previously issued hereunder. This prospectus
provides you with a general description of the securities we may
offer.
ABN
AMRO Holding N.V. may offer and sell
American Depositary Shares, or ADSs, each representing one ordinary share,
preference shares, Purchase Contracts, Units, Warrants or senior or subordinated
debt securities.
ABN
AMRO Bank N.V. may offer and sell
senior or subordinated debt securities all of which will be fully and
unconditionally guaranteed by ABN AMRO Holding N.V.
Each
of the ABN AMRO Capital Funding Trusts
V through VII may offer and sell preferred securities, which will be guaranteed
by ABN AMRO Bank N.V. or ABN AMRO Holding N.V.
Each
of the ABN AMRO Capital Funding LLCs V
through VII may offer and sell preferred securities, which will be guaranteed
by
ABN AMRO Bank N.V. or ABN AMRO Holding N.V.
Each
time that securities are sold using
this prospectus, we will provide a supplement to this prospectus that contains
specific information about the offering. The supplement may also add, update
or
change information contained in this prospectus. You should read this prospectus
and any supplement carefully before you invest.
The
securities will be offered through
underwriters, dealers or agents or directly to investors. The supplements to
this prospectus will provide the specific terms of the plan of
distribution.
ABN
AMRO Holding N.V.’s ADSs, each of which
represents one ordinary share, are listed on the New York Stock Exchange under
the trading symbol “ABN.” If we decide to list any of these other securities on
a national securities exchange upon issuance, the applicable prospectus
supplement to this prospectus will identify the exchange and the date when
we
expect trading to begin.
Neither
the Securities and Exchange
Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved
of
these securities or passed upon the adequacy or accuracy of this prospectus.
Any
representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
The
securities of ABN AMRO Holding N.V. and
ABN AMRO Bank N.V. may not be offered or sold anywhere in the world except
in
compliance with the requirements of the Dutch Securities Market Supervision
Act
of 1995 (Wet toezicht effectenverkeer 1995).
The
date of this prospectus is November 30, 2007.
TABLE
OF CONTENTS
About
This Prospectus |
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1 |
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Where
You Can Find More Information |
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2 |
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Cautionary
Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements |
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3 |
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ABN
AMRO Holding N.V. and ABN AMRO Bank N.V. |
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4 |
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ABN
AMRO Capital Funding Trusts |
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4 |
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ABN
AMRO Capital Funding LLCs |
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5 |
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Use
of Proceeds |
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6 |
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Accounting
Treatment |
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6 |
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Capital
Stock of ABN AMRO Holding N.V. |
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7 |
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Description
of Purchase Contracts |
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7 |
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Description
of Units |
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7 |
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Description
of Warrants |
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7 |
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Description
of American Depositary Shares |
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8 |
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Description
of Debt Securities |
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12 |
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Description
of Trust Preferred Securities |
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17 |
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Description
of LLC Preferred Securities |
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19 |
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Description
of Preferred Securities Guarantees |
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20 |
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Taxation
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22 |
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Plan
of Distribution |
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22 |
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Experts
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24 |
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Legal
Matters |
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24 |
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ERISA
Matters for Pension Plans and Insurance Companies |
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24 |
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Enforcement
of Civil Liabilities |
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24 |
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Information
Not Required in Prospectus |
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II-1 |
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ABOUT
THIS
PROSPECTUS
This
prospectus is part of a Registration
Statement that ABN AMRO Holding, the Bank, the Trusts and the LLCs (each as
defined below) filed with the SEC utilizing a “shelf” registration process.
Under this shelf process, any of the registrants may, from time to time, sell
the securities described in this prospectus in one or more offerings up to
a
total dollar amount of $6,478,380,000, less any amounts previously issued
hereunder.
This
prospectus provides you with a general
description of the securities which we may offer and the related guarantees,
if
any, of those securities. Each time we sell securities we will provide a
prospectus supplement that will contain specific information about the terms
of
the offering. The prospectus supplement may also add, update or change
information contained in this prospectus. You should read both this prospectus
and any prospectus supplement together with additional information described
under the heading “Where You Can Find More Information” beginning on page 2 of
this prospectus before purchasing any of our securities.
Following
the initial distribution of an
offering of securities, ABN AMRO Incorporated and other of our affiliates may
offer and sell those securities in the course of their businesses as
broker-dealers acting either as a principal or agent in these transactions.
This
prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement will also be used in
connection with those transactions. Sales in any of those transactions will
be
made at varying prices related to prevailing market prices and other
circumstances at the time of sale.
You
should rely only on the information
contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus. “Incorporated by
reference” means that we can disclose important information to you by referring
you to another document filed separately with the SEC. We have not authorized
any other person to provide you with different information. If anyone provides
you with different or inconsistent information, you should not rely on it.
We
are not making, nor will we make, an offer to sell securities in any
jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted. You should assume that
the information appearing in this prospectus and any supplement to this
prospectus is current only as of the dates on their respective covers. Our
business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have
changed since that date.
Unless
the context otherwise requires,
references in this prospectus and any supplement to this prospectus to “ABN
AMRO”, “ABN AMRO Holding,” “Holding,” “we,” “us” and “our” refer to ABN AMRO
Holding N.V. and its subsidiaries, collectively. References to “ABN AMRO Bank”
and the “Bank” refer to ABN AMRO Bank N.V. and its subsidiaries, collectively.
References to “ABN AMRO Capital Funding Trusts” or the “Trusts” refer to ABN
AMRO Capital Funding Trust V, ABN AMRO Capital Funding Trust VI and ABN AMRO
Capital Funding Trust VII, each a Delaware statutory trust. References to “ABN
AMRO Capital Funding LLCs” or the “LLCs” refer to ABN AMRO Capital Funding LLC
V, ABN AMRO Capital Funding LLC VI and ABN AMRO Capital Funding LLC VII, each
a
Delaware limited liability company.
References
to the “ordinary shares” refer
to ABN AMRO Holding’s ordinary shares, nominal value EUR 0.56 per share.
References to “EUR” and “€” are to the Euro, the currency introduced at the
start of the third stage of European economic and monetary union pursuant to
the
treaty establishing the European Community. References to “$” are to United
States currency, and the terms “United States” and “U.S.” mean the United States
of America, its states, its territories, its possessions and all areas subject
to its jurisdiction.
CERTAIN
PERSONS PARTICIPATING IN THE
OFFERING MADE HEREBY MAY ENGAGE IN TRANSACTIONS THAT STABILIZE, MAINTAIN OR
OTHERWISE AFFECT THE PRICE OF THE SECURITIES, INCLUDING OVER-ALLOTMENT,
STABILIZING AND SHORT-COVERING TRANSACTIONS IN THE SECURITIES AND THE IMPOSITION
OF A PENALTY BID, IN CONNECTION WITH THE OFFERING MADE HEREBY.
1
WHERE
YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION
Available
Information
This
prospectus is part of a registration
statement that we filed with the SEC. The registration statement, including
the
attached exhibits, contains additional relevant information about us. The rules
and regulations of the SEC allow us to omit some of the information included
in
the registration statement from this prospectus. In addition, ABN AMRO Holding
is subject to the information requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of
1934 and, in accordance with the Exchange Act, ABN AMRO Holding files reports
and other information with the SEC. You may read and copy any of this
information in the SEC’s Public Reference Room, 450 Fifth Street, N.W., Room
1024, Washington, D.C. 20549. You may also obtain copies of this information
by
mail from the Public Reference Section of the SEC, 450 Fifth Street, N.W.,
Room
1024, Washington, D.C. 20549, at prescribed rates. You may obtain information
on
the operation of the SEC’s Public Reference Room in Washington, D.C. by calling
the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330.
The
SEC also maintains an Internet web site
that contains reports, proxy statements and other information about issuers,
like us, that file electronically with the SEC. The address of that site is
http://www.sec.gov. The SEC file number for documents filed by ABN AMRO Holding
under the Exchange Act is 1-14624.
Our
American Depositary Shares, or ADSs,
each of which represents one ordinary share, are listed on the New York Stock
Exchange under the trading symbol “ABN.” You can inspect reports and other
information concerning ABN AMRO Holding at the offices of the New York Stock
Exchange at 20 Broad Street, New York, New York 10005. For further information
on obtaining copies of our public filings at the NYSE, you should call (212)
656-5060.
Incorporation
by Reference
The
rules of the SEC allow us to
incorporate by reference information into this prospectus. The information
incorporated by reference is considered to be a part of this prospectus, and
information that we file later with the SEC will automatically update and
supersede this information. This prospectus incorporates by reference the
documents listed below:
|
(a) |
Annual
Report on Form 20-F of ABN AMRO Holding for the year ended
December 31, 2006, filed on April 2, 2007, as amended on August 3,
2007,
which we refer to as our 20-F for 2006; and |
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(b) |
each
Report of Foreign Private Issuer of ABN Amro Holding filed on Form 6-K on and
after January 1, 2007 up
to and including the date of this Prospectus (other than on August
2, 2007
(both reports filed on that date)).
|
All
documents filed by ABN AMRO Holding
pursuant to Section 12, 13(a), 13(c) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act after the
date
of this prospectus, and any Form 6-K subsequently submitted to the SEC
specifying that they are being incorporated by reference in this prospectus,
shall be deemed to be incorporated by reference and to be a part of this
prospectus from the respective dates of filing of those documents. Any statement
contained in this prospectus, or in a document all or any portion of which
is
incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference into this prospectus,
shall be deemed to be modified or superseded for purposes of this prospectus
to
the extent that a statement contained herein or in any other subsequently
filed
document which also is deemed to be incorporated by reference in this prospectus
modifies or supersedes such statement. Any statement that is modified or
superseded in this way shall not be deemed to constitute a part of this
prospectus, except as so modified or superseded.
Upon
request, we will provide without
charge to each person to whom a copy of this prospectus has been delivered
a
copy of any of these filings other than exhibits not specifically incorporated
by reference. You may request a copy of these filings by writing or telephoning
us at:
ABN
AMRO Bank N.V.
ABN AMRO Investor Relations Department
Gustav
Mahlerlaan 10
P.O. Box 283
1000 EA Amsterdam, The Netherlands
(31-20) 6
28 78 35
2
CAUTIONARY
NOTE
REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
Certain
statements included in this
prospectus are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements can be
identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as “believe”,
“expect”, “may”, “intend”, “will”, “should”, “anticipate”, “Value-at-Risk”, or
by the use of similar expressions or variations on such expressions, or by
the
discussion of strategy or objectives. Forward-looking statements are based
on
current plans, estimates and projections, and are subject to inherent risks,
uncertainties and other factors which could cause actual results to differ
materially from the future results expressed or implied by such forward-looking
statements.
In particular,
this prospectus and certain
documents incorporated into this prospectus by reference include forward-looking
statements relating but not limited to management objectives, trends in results
of operations, margins, costs, return on equity, and risk management, including
our potential exposure to various types of market risk, such as interest rate
risk, currency risk and equity risk. For example, certain of the market risk
disclosures are dependent on choices about key model characteristics,
assumptions and estimates, and are subject to various limitations. By their
nature, certain market risk disclosures are only estimates and could be
materially different from what actually occurs in the future.
We have
identified some of the risks
inherent in forward-looking statements in Item 3 of our 20-F for 2006, “Key
Information – Risk Factors”. Other factors that could cause actual results to
differ materially from those estimated by the forward-looking statements in
this
report include, but are not limited to:
- general
economic and business conditions in The Netherlands, the European Union,
the
United States, Brazil and other countries or territories in which we operate;
- changes
in
applicable laws and regulations, including taxes;
- the
monetary, interest rate and other policies of central banks in The
Netherlands, the European Union, the United States and elsewhere;
- changes
or
volatility in interest rates, foreign exchange rates (including the euro-U.S.
dollar rate), asset prices, equity markets, commodity prices, inflation or
deflation;
- the
effects of competition in the markets in which we operate, which may be
influenced by regulation or deregulation;
- changes
in
consumer spending and savings habits, including changes in government policies
which may influence investment decisions;
- our
ability to hedge certain risks economically;
- our
success in managing the risks involved in the foregoing, which depends, among
other things, on our ability to anticipate events that cannot be captured
by
the statistical models we use; and
- force
majeure and other events beyond our control.
Other
factors could also adversely affect
our results or the accuracy of forward-looking statements in this prospectus,
and you should not consider the factors discussed here or in Item 3 of our
20-F
for 2006 “Key Information – Risk Factors” to be a complete set of all potential
risks or uncertainties.
The
forward-looking statements made in this
prospectus speak only as of the date of this prospectus. We do not intend to
publicly update or revise these forward-looking statements to reflect events
or
circumstances after the date of this prospectus, and we do not assume any
responsibility to do so.
3
ABN
AMRO HOLDING N.V.
AND ABN AMRO BANK N.V.
History
and
Incorporation
ABN
AMRO Holding N.V. is incorporated under
the laws of The Netherlands by deed of May 30, 1990 as the holding company
of
ABN AMRO Bank N.V. The Articles of Association of Holding were last amended
by
deed of May 26, 2003 executed before Mr. R.J.C. van Helden, Notary Public of
Amsterdam. Holding’s main purpose is to own ABN AMRO Bank N.V. and its
subsidiaries. Holding owns 100 percent of the shares of ABN AMRO Bank N.V.
and
is jointly and severally liable for all liabilities of ABN AMRO Bank N.V. All
of
the securities, including guarantees, to be issued by ABN AMRO Bank N.V.
hereunder will be fully and unconditionally guaranteed by ABN AMRO Holding
N.V.
ABN
AMRO Bank N.V. traces its origin to the
formation of the “Nederlandsche Handel-Maatschappij, N.V.” in 1825 pursuant to a
Dutch Royal Decree of 1824. ABN AMRO Bank N.V.’s Articles of Association were
last amended by deed of May 17, 2001.
ABN
AMRO Bank N.V. is registered in the
Commercial Register of Amsterdam under number 33002587. The registered office
of
ABN AMRO Bank N.V. is at Gustav Mahlerlaan 10, 1082 PP Amsterdam, The
Netherlands.
For
further information, see Item 4
“Information On The Company” of our 20-F for 2006.
RATIO
OF
EARNINGS TO FIXED CHARGES
See Item 3 “Key Information—Selected financial
data” and Exhibit 7
“Statement regarding computation of ratio of earnings to fixed charges” of our
20-F for 2006 and Item 6. “Consolidated ratios of earnings to fixed charges” of
our 6-K filed on August 31, 2007.
ABN
AMRO CAPITAL
FUNDING TRUSTS
The
Trusts are Delaware statutory trusts
each formed pursuant to separate trust agreements entered into between the
depositor named therein, and The Bank of New York (Delaware), as trustee, on
April 1, 2003. We have filed a copy of each initial trust agreement as an
exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. The
initial trust agreement for each of the Trusts will be replaced by an amended
and restated trust agreement, referred to in this prospectus as the trust
agreement, which will state the terms and conditions for each Trust to issue
and
sell its preferred securities and common securities.
Unless
otherwise specified in the
applicable prospectus supplement, each Trust exists solely to:
- issue
and
sell its preferred securities, representing undivided beneficial interests
in
its assets, to the public;
- issue
and
sell its common securities, if any, representing undivided beneficial
interests in its assets to Holding or a wholly owned direct or indirect
subsidiary of Holding;
- use
the
proceeds from the sale of its preferred and common securities to purchase
intercompany securities, which will consist of either preferred securities
of
an ABN AMRO Capital Funding LLC or fixed income or preferred securities of
Holding or an affiliate thereof;
- distribute
the cash payments it receives from the fixed income securities it owns to
the
holders of the preferred and common securities;
- unless
the
proceeds from the sale of its securities are used to purchase preferred
securities of an ABN AMRO Capital Funding LLC, enter into and enforce for
the
benefit of the holders of its preferred securities an agreement for a
contingent guarantee issued by Holding or the Bank, enforceable by the Trust
in the event of certain failure by the applicable guarantor to pay under
the
guarantee applicable to the Trust’s preferred securities; and
- engage
in
other activities that are necessary or incidental to these purposes.
All
the common securities, if issued, will
be held by Holding or a wholly owned direct or indirect subsidiary of Holding
which is deemed to be a “company controlled by the parent company” under Rule
3a-5, as amended, of the Investment Company Act of 1940. The preferred
securities will represent the remaining portion of each Trust’s total
capitalization. The common securities will have terms substantially identical
to, and will rank equal in priority of payment with, the preferred securities.
However, if the holder of the common securities defaults on the related fixed
income securities, then cash distributions and liquidation, redemption and
other
amounts payable on the common securities will be subordinate in priority of
payment to these amounts payable on the preferred securities.
The
preferred securities of each Trust will
be fully and unconditionally guaranteed by Holding or the Bank as described
later in this prospectus.
Unless
otherwise specified in the
applicable prospectus supplement, the depositor will appoint the following
trustees to conduct each Trust’s business and affairs:
- a property
trustee to be named in the applicable prospectus supplement;
- a Delaware
trustee, to the extent the property trustee does not maintain its principal
place of business in the State of Delaware, to be named in the applicable
prospectus supplement; and
- three
employees of Holding or one of its affiliates, as regular trustees.
Except
under specified limited
circumstances, only the depositor or one of its affiliates can remove or replace
the trustees. In addition, the depositor or one of its affiliates can increase
or decrease the number of trustees.
The
property trustee for each Trust will
act as indenture trustee for purposes of compliance with the provisions of
the
Trust Indenture Act. The property trustee will hold title to the securities
purchased by the Trust, except for any accompanying guarantees to such
securities which may be held by a guarantee trustee, for the benefit of the
holders of the trust securities, and it will have the power to exercise all
rights, powers and privileges relating to such securities of the Trust. The
property trustee will also maintain exclusive control of an account to hold
all
payments received in respect of the securities held by it as assets of the
Trust
for the benefit of the holders of the trust securities.
The
depositor, or one of its affiliates,
will pay all fees and expenses related to each Trust and the offering of the
preferred securities and will pay all ongoing costs and expenses of each Trust,
except each Trust’s obligations under its preferred and common
securities.
The
Trusts will not have any independent
operations and exist solely for the reasons summarized above. Accordingly,
the
Trusts do not have separate financial statements. Holding files consolidated
financial information regarding the Trusts.
Each
Trust’s principal executive offices
are located at 1209 Orange Street, Wilmington, DE 19801, and its telephone
number is (302) 658-7581.
4
ABN
AMRO CAPITAL
FUNDING LLCS
Each
LLC is a limited liability company
that was formed on March 28, 2003 under the Delaware Limited Liability Company
Act, as amended, pursuant to an initial limited liability company agreement
by
ABN AMRO North America Holding Company as the sole initial member. The initial
limited liability company agreement will be amended and restated in its
entirety, and as such referred to as the LLC Agreement, to state the terms
and
conditions for each LLC to issue and sell its preferred securities and common
securities. The LLC Agreement will be qualified as an indenture under the Trust
Indenture Act. All of the common securities of each LLC will be owned at all
times by Holding or a wholly owned direct or indirect subsidiary of Holding.
As
described below under “Description of the Preferred Securities Guarantees”, the
preferred securities issued by any LLC and any Trust will be guaranteed by
either Holding or the Bank. Where the preferred securities issued by an LLC
are
held by a Trust, such Trust will be referred to as an affiliated Trust of such
LLC. Each LLC will also enter into an agreement for a contingent guarantee
issued by Holding or the Bank, enforceable by the LLC, in the event of certain
failure by the applicable guarantor to pay under the guarantee applicable to
the
LLC’s preferred securities or any affiliated Trust’s preferred securities.
Unless
otherwise set forth in the
applicable prospectus supplement, each LLC exists solely to:
- issue
and
sell preferred securities representing undivided beneficial interests in
its
assets, other than senior preferred securities, to the public or an affiliate,
including a Trust;
- issue
and
sell its common securities, and senior preferred securities, if any, each
representing undivided beneficial interests in its assets to Holding or a
wholly owned direct or indirect subsidiary of Holding;
- use
the
proceeds from the sale of its preferred and common securities to purchase
intercompany securities, which will consist of a series of fixed income or
preferred securities of Holding or an affiliate thereof;
- reinvest
from time to time the proceeds from the sale of its preferred and common
securities in other fixed income securities of Holding or a subsidiary of
Holding, so long as such reinvestment will not result in the LLC being
required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company
Act
or cause any withholding taxes to be imposed by the United States or any
taxing authority of or in the United States with respect to payments by the
LLC or, if applicable, the Trust holding the LLC preferred securities;
- distribute
the cash payments it receives from the fixed income securities or preferred
securities it owns to the holders of the preferred and common securities;
- enter
into
and enforce the contingent guarantee for the benefit of the holders of its
preferred securities; and
- engage
in
other activities that are necessary or incidental to these purposes.
For
so long as the preferred securities
remain outstanding, ABN AMRO Holding will covenant
- that
100%
of the common securities will be held by ABN AMRO Holding or a wholly owned
direct or indirect subsidiary of ABN AMRO Holding which is deemed to be a
“company controlled by the parent company” under Rule 3a-5, as amended, of the
Investment Company Act of 1940;
- to
cause
the LLC to remain a limited liability company and not to voluntarily dissolve,
liquidate, wind up or be terminated, except as permitted by the LLC Agreement;
and
- to
use its
commercially reasonable efforts to ensure that the LLC will not be an
association or a publicly traded partnership taxable as a corporation for
United States federal income tax purposes.
Unless
otherwise specified in the
applicable prospectus supplement, the common securities may be transferred
to
Holding or a wholly owned direct or indirect subsidiary of ABN AMRO Holding
which is deemed to be a “company controlled by the parent company” under Rule
3a-5, as amended, of the Investment Company Act of 1940, provided that
prior to such transfer the transferor has received an opinion of a nationally
recognized law firm experienced in such matters to the effect that:
- the
LLC
will continue to be treated as a partnership for United States federal income
tax purposes and such transfer will not cause the LLC to be classified as
an
association or publicly traded partnership taxable as a corporation for United
States federal income tax purposes;
- the
transfer will not cause the LLC or an affiliated Trust to be required to
register under the Investment Company Act; and
- the
transfer will not adversely affect the limited liability of the holders of
the
preferred securities.
Unless
otherwise specified in the
applicable prospectus supplement, the LLC Agreement will provide that: Each
LLC’s business and affairs will be conducted by its Board, which consist
initially of four members. Holders of preferred securities issued by the LLC
will be entitled to appoint two independent members of the Board if, for four
consecutive dividend periods or any six dividend periods, dividends (whether
declared or deemed to have been declared), and any additional amounts in respect
of such dividends, have not been paid in full on the preferred securities by
the
LLC or by the applicable guarantor under the guarantee applicable to the holders
of the LLC preferred securities or the holders of the affiliated Trust preferred
securities. Furthermore, as described below under “Description of the Preferred
Securities Guarantees”, the holders of preferred securities issued by the LLC
may also be entitled to elect an independent member of the Board to enforce
the
contingent guarantee.
For
so long as any preferred securities are
outstanding, certain amendments of the LLC Agreement require the unanimous
approval of all of the holders of the preferred securities, including any
provisions with respect to the independent members of the Board that may be
appointed by the holders of the preferred securities, enforcement of the
conditional guarantee, the contingent distribution or dividends. Certain other
amendments of the LLC Agreement require the approval by the affirmative vote
of
the holders of not less than 66-2/3% of the outstanding preferred securities.
All
officers and employees of the LLCs may
also be officers or employees of one or more affiliates of ABN AMRO
Holding.
Each
LLC will enter into a services
agreement with ABN AMRO Holding or an affiliate.
Holding,
or an affiliate thereof, will pay
all fees and expenses related to each LLC and the offering of the preferred
securities and will pay all ongoing costs and expenses of each LLC, except
each
LLC’s obligations under its preferred and common securities.
The
LLCs will not have any independent
operations and exist solely for the reasons summarized above. Accordingly,
the
LLCs do not have separate financial statements. Holding files consolidated
financial information regarding the LLCs.
The
location of the principal executive
offices of each LLC is 1209 Orange Street, Wilmington, DE 19801, and its
telephone number is (302) 658-7581.
5
USE
OF PROCEEDS
Unless
the applicable prospectus supplement
states otherwise, the net proceeds from the sale of securities offered by ABN
AMRO Holding or the Bank will be used for general corporate purposes. General
corporate purposes may include additions to working capital, investments in
or
extensions of credit to our subsidiaries and the repayment of
indebtedness.
All
of the proceeds from the sale of
preferred securities by a Trust or an LLC will be invested in fixed income
securities or preferred securities of ABN AMRO Holding or an affiliate. Unless
the applicable prospectus supplement states otherwise, the net proceeds from
the
sale of the fixed income securities or preferred securities will be used for
general corporate purposes. General corporate purposes may include additions
to
working capital, investments in or extensions of credit to our subsidiaries
and
the repayment of indebtedness.
ACCOUNTING
TREATMENT
There
are no separate financial statements
of the Bank or the Trusts in this prospectus because these entities are, or
will
be treated as, subsidiaries of ABN AMRO Holding for financial reporting
purposes. We do not believe the financial statements would be significant to
the
holders of the securities of these entities because:
- Holding
is
a reporting company under the Exchange Act and owns, or will own, directly
or
indirectly, all of the voting interests of these entities;
- Holding’s
consolidated financial statements contain the Bank's financial information,
as
described below;
- the
Trusts
and the LLCs do not have any independent operation and do not propose to
engage in any activities other than issuing securities and investing the
proceeds in debt securities of its affiliates; and
- these
entities’ obligations under the securities will be fully and unconditionally
guaranteed by Holding.
Accordingly,
these entities’ financial
statements will be included in the consolidated financial statements of ABN
AMRO
Holding. The Bank’s financial information will be included in a footnote
containing condensed consolidating financial information with separate columns
for Holding, the Bank, other subsidiaries of Holding on a combined basis,
together with other appropriate disclosure. The Trusts’ or LLCs’ preferred
securities will be presented as a separate line item in the consolidated
statements of financial condition of ABN AMRO Holding and appropriate
disclosures about the Trusts’ or LLCs’ preferred securities will be included in
the notes to the consolidated financial statements. For financial reporting
purposes, ABN AMRO Holding will record distributions payable on the preferred
securities as a component of interest expense in the consolidated statements
of
operations of ABN AMRO Holding.
These
entities are not currently subject
to, and subsequent to the effectiveness of the registration statement that
contains this prospectus will be exempt from, the information reporting
requirements of the Exchange Act.
In its
future financial reports, Holding
will:
- include
in
its financial statements a footnote containing condensed consolidating
financial information with separate columns for Holding, the Bank, other
subsidiaries of Holding on a combined basis, and other appropriate
disclosure;
- present
the preferred securities on its consolidated financial statements of financial
condition as a separate line item and
- include
in
a footnote to the financial statements disclosure that the sole assets of
the
Trusts and LLCs are the fixed income securities specifying the principal
amount, interest rate and maturity date of the securities held.
6
CAPITAL
STOCK OF ABN
AMRO HOLDING N.V.
Holding’s authorized
share capital consists
of EUR 4,704,000,224 nominal value, which consists of:
- 4,000,000,400
ordinary shares, nominal value 0.56 EUR per share, of
which 1,936,847,516 ordinary shares were outstanding as of December 31, 2006;
- 100,000,000
preference shares, nominal value 2.24 EUR per share, each
of which is convertible into four ordinary shares, subdivided into one series
of 20,000,000 formerly convertible preference shares and eight series of
10,000,000 preference shares, of which 44,988 formerly convertible preference
shares were outstanding as of December 31, 2006;
- 1,000,000,000
convertible financing preference shares, nominal value
2.24 EUR per share, divided into one series of 1,600,000,000 convertible
financing preference shares and six series of 100,000,000 convertible
financing preference shares, of which 1,369,815,864 convertible financing
preference shares were outstanding as of December 31, 2006.
For
additional information, see Item 10
“Additional Information – B. Memorandum and Articles of Association” of our 20-F
for 2002.
DESCRIPTION
OF
PURCHASE CONTRACTS
ABN
AMRO Holding may issue purchase
contracts for the purchase or sale of:
- debt
or
equity securities issued by ABN AMRO Holding or securities of third parties,
a
basket of such securities, an index or indices of such securities or any
combination of the above as specified in the applicable prospectus supplement;
- currencies;
or
- commodities.
Each
purchase contract will entitle the
holder thereof to purchase or sell, and obligate us to sell or purchase, on
specified dates, such securities, currencies or commodities at a specified
purchase price, which may be based on a formula, all as set forth in the
applicable prospectus supplement. ABN AMRO Holding may, however, satisfy its
obligations, if any, with respect to any purchase contract by delivering the
cash value of such purchase contract or the cash value of the property otherwise
deliverable or, in the case of purchase contracts on underlying currencies,
by
delivering the underlying currencies, as set forth in the applicable prospectus
supplement. The applicable prospectus supplement will also specify the methods
by which the holders may purchase or sell such securities, currencies or
commodities and any acceleration, cancellation or termination provisions or
other provisions relating to the settlement of a purchase contract.
The
purchase contracts may require ABN AMRO
Holding to make periodic payments to the holders thereof or vice versa, which
payments may be deferred to the extent set forth in the applicable prospectus
supplement, and those payments may be unsecured or prefunded on some basis.
The
purchase contracts may require the holders thereof to secure their obligations
in a specified manner to be described in the applicable prospectus supplement.
Alternatively, purchase contracts may require holders to satisfy their
obligations thereunder when the purchase contacts are issued. ABN AMRO Holdings’
obligation to settle such pre-paid purchase contacts on the relevant settlement
date may constitute indebtedness. Accordingly, pre-paid purchase contracts
will
be issued under either the senior indenture or the subordinated indenture.
DESCRIPTION
OF UNITS
As specified
in the applicable prospectus
supplement, ABN AMRO Holding may issue units consisting of one or more purchase
contracts, warrants, debt securities, shares of preferred stock, shares of
common stock, ADSs or any combination of such securities. The applicable
prospectus supplement will describe:
- the
terms
of the units and of the purchase contracts, warrants, debt securities,
preferred stock and common stock comprising the units, including whether
and
under what circumstances the securities comprising the units may be traded
separately;
- a
description of the terms of any unit agreement governing the units; and
- a
description of the provisions for the payment, settlement, transfer or
exchange of the units.
DESCRIPTION
OF
WARRANTS
ABN
AMRO Holding may issue warrants to
purchase its debt or equity securities or securities of third parties or other
rights, including rights to receive payment in cash or securities based on
the
value, rate or price of one or more specified commodities, currencies,
securities or indices, or any combination of the foregoing. Warrants may be
issued independently or together with any other securities and may be attached
to, or separate from, such securities. Each series of warrants will be issued
under a separate warrant agreement to be entered into between ABM AMRO Holding
and a warrant agent. The terms of any warrants to be issued and a description
of
the material provisions of the applicable warrant agreement will be set forth
in
the applicable prospectus supplement.
The
applicable prospectus supplement will
describe the following terms of any warrants in respect of which this prospectus
is being delivered:
- the
title
of such warrants;
- the
aggregate number of such warrants;
- the
price
or prices at which such warrants will be issued;
- the
currency or currencies, in which the price of such warrants will be payable;
- the
securities or other rights, including rights to receive payment in cash or
securities based on the value, rate or price of one or more specified
commodities, currencies, securities or indices, or any combination of the
foregoing, purchasable upon exercise of such warrants may be purchased;
- the
date
on which the right to exercise such warrants shall commence and the date
on
which such right shall expire;
- if
applicable, the minimum or maximum amount of such warrants which may be
exercised at any one time;
- if
applicable, the designation and terms of the securities with which such
warrants are issued and the number of such warrants issued with each such
security;
- if
applicable, the date on and after which such warrants and the related
securities will be separately transferable;
- information
with respect to book-entry procedures, if any;
- if
applicable, a discussion of any material United States Federal income tax
considerations; and
- any
other
terms of such warrants, including terms, procedures and limitations relating
to the exchange and exercise of such warrants.
7
DESCRIPTION OF AMERICAN DEPOSITARY
SHARES
The
following is a summary of the material
provisions of an Amended and Restated Deposit Agreement, which we refer to
in
this prospectus as the deposit agreement, among Holding, JPMorgan Chase Bank,
as
depositary, and the registered holders from time to time of the ADSs issued
under the deposit agreement. This summary does not purport to be complete and
is
qualified in its entirety by reference to the deposit agreement, a copy of
which
is included as Exhibit 4.27 to the registration statement of which this
prospectus is a part.
ADRs
are issuable by the depositary
pursuant to the terms of the deposit agreement. Each ADS represents, as of
the
date hereof, the right to receive one ordinary share deposited under the deposit
agreement together with any additional ordinary shares deposited, and all other
securities, property and cash received and held, under the deposit agreement
at
any time in respect of or in lieu of the deposited shares, which we refer to
in
this prospectus as the deposited securities, with the custodian, which is
currently ABN AMRO Bank N.V. in Amsterdam. An ADR may evidence any number of
ADSs. Only persons in whose names ADSs are registered on the books of the
depositary will be treated by the depositary and Holding as holders of the
ADSs.
Deposit,
Transfer and Withdrawal
In connection
with the deposit of ordinary
shares under the deposit agreement, the depositary or the custodian may require
the following in form satisfactory to it:
- a written
order directing the depositary to execute and deliver to, or upon the written
order of, the person or persons designated in the order an ADR or ADRs
evidencing the number of ADSs representing the deposited ordinary shares,
which we refer to in this prospectus as a delivery order;
- proper
endorsements or duly executed instruments of transfer in respect of the
deposited ordinary shares;
- instruments
assigning to the custodian or its nominee any distribution
on or in respect of the deposited ordinary shares or indemnity for the
deposited ordinary shares; and
- proxies
entitling the custodian to vote the deposited ordinary shares until the
deposited ordinary shares are registered in the name of the depositary or
its
nominee or the custodian or its nominee.
As
soon as practicable
after the custodian receives deposited securities pursuant to any deposit or
pursuant to the form of ADR, the custodian shall present the deposited
securities for registration of transfer into the name of the depositary or
its
nominee or the custodian or its nominee, to the extent registration is
practicable, at the cost and expense of the person making the deposit, or for
whose benefit the deposit is made, and shall obtain evidence satisfactory to
it
of the registration. Deposited securities shall be held by the custodian for
the
account and to the order of the depositary at a place or places and in a manner
as the depositary shall determine. Deposited securities may be delivered by
the
custodian to any person only under the circumstances expressly contemplated
in
the deposit agreement.
After
any deposit of
ordinary shares, the custodian shall notify the depositary of the deposit and
of
the information contained in any related delivery order by letter, first class
airmail postage prepaid, or, at the request, risk and expense of the person
making the deposit, by cable, telex or facsimile transmission. After receiving
this notice from the custodian, the depositary, subject to the terms and
conditions of the deposit agreement, shall execute and deliver at the transfer
office of the depositary, to or upon the order of any person named in the
notice, an ADR or ADRs registered as requested and evidencing the aggregate
number of ADSs to which the person is entitled.
Subject
to the terms
and conditions of the deposit agreement, the depositary may issue ADRs for
delivery at the transfer office only against deposit with the custodian of:
- ordinary
shares in form satisfactory to the custodian;
- rights
to
receive ordinary shares from Holding or any registrar, transfer agent,
clearing agent or other entity recording ordinary share ownership or
transactions; or
- other
rights to receive ordinary shares until the ordinary shares are actually
deposited pursuant to the above, which we refer to in this prospectus as
pre-released ADRs, only if:
- pre-released
ADRs are fully collateralized, marked to market daily,
with cash or U.S. government securities held by the depositary for the
benefit of holders the ADRs, but this collateral shall not constitute
deposited securities,
- each
recipient of pre-released ADRs agrees in writing with the depositary
that
the recipient:
- owns
the ordinary shares,
- assigns
all beneficial right, title and interest in the ordinary
shares to the depositary for the benefit of the holders of the ADSs,
- holds
the ordinary shares for the account of the depositary and
- will
deliver the ordinary shares to the custodian as soon as practicable
and
promptly upon demand for the ordinary shares, and
- all
pre-released ADRs evidence not more than 20% of all ADSs, excluding those
evidenced by pre-released ADRs, except to the extent that the depositary,
in
its sole discretion, determines that unusual market conditions require
the
issuance of pre-released ADRs in addition to 20% of all of these ADSs.
The
depositary may
retain for its own account any earnings on collateral for pre-released ADRs
and
its charges for their issuance. At the request, risk and expense of the person
depositing ordinary shares, the depositary may accept deposits together with
other specified instruments for forwarding to the custodian and may deliver
ADRs
at a place other than its office. Every person depositing ordinary shares under
the deposit agreement shall represent and warrant that the ordinary shares
are
validly issued and outstanding, fully paid and free of pre-emptive rights,
that
the person making the deposit is authorized so to do and that the shares:
- are
not
“restricted securities” as that term is defined in Rule 144 under the
Securities Act unless at the time of deposit they may be freely transferred
in
accordance with Rule 144(k) and may otherwise be offered and sold freely
in
the United States, or
- have
been
registered under the Securities Act.
These
representations
and warranties shall survive the deposit of ordinary shares and issuance of
ADRs. The depositary will not knowingly accept for deposit under the deposit
agreement any ordinary shares required to be registered under the Securities
Act
and not so registered. The depositary may refuse to accept for deposit any
ordinary shares identified by Holding in order to facilitate Holding’s
compliance with the Securities Act.
Subject
to the terms
and conditions of the deposit agreement, upon surrender of an ADR in form
satisfactory to the depositary at its transfer office, a holder of ADSs is
entitled to delivery at the custodian’s office of the deposited securities at
the time represented by the ADSs evidenced by the ADR. At the request, risk
and
expense of the holder of the ADRs, the depositary may deliver the deposited
securities at any other place as may have been requested by the holder.
Notwithstanding any other provision of the deposit agreement or the ADR, the
withdrawal of deposited securities may be restricted only under limited
circumstances as set forth in the Securities Act, which provides that the holder
of the ADRs is entitled to withdraw the deposited securities at any time subject
only to:
- temporary
delays caused by closing transfer books of the depositary or Holding of the
deposited securities or the deposit of shares in connection with voting at
a
shareholders’ meeting, or the payment of dividends,
- the
payment of fees, taxes, and similar charges, and
- compliance
with any laws or governmental regulations relating to ADSs or to the
withdrawal of deposited securities.
8
Distributions on Deposited Securities
Subject
to the terms
and conditions of the deposit agreement, to the extent practicable, the
depositary will distribute by mail to each holder on the record date set by
the
depositary at the holder’s address shown on the ADR register, in proportion to
the number of deposited securities, on which the following distributions on
deposited securities are received by the custodian, represented by ADSs
evidenced by the holder’s ADRs:
- Cash.
Any U.S. dollars available to the
depositary resulting from a cash dividend or other cash distribution or the
net proceeds of sales of any other distribution or portion of a distribution
authorized in the deposit agreement, on an averaged or other practicable
basis, subject to:
- appropriate
adjustments for taxes withheld,
- the
distribution being impermissible or impracticable with respect to certain
Holders, and
- deduction
of the Depositary’s expenses in:
- converting
any foreign currency to U.S. dollars by sale or in any
other manner as the depositary may determine, to the extent that
it
determines that the conversion may be made on a reasonable basis,
- transferring
foreign currency to U.S. dollars to the United States
by means as the depositary may determine, to the extent that
it determines that the transfer may be made on a reasonable
basis,
- obtaining
any approval or license of any governmental authority
required for the conversion or transfer, to the extent obtainable
at a
reasonable cost and within a reasonable time, and
- making
any sale by public or private means in any commercially reasonable
manner.
- Shares
of Stock.
- Additional
ADRs evidencing whole ADSs representing any ordinary
shares available to the depositary resulting from a dividend or free
distribution on deposited securities consisting of ordinary shares, which
we
refer to in this prospectus as a Share Distribution, and
- U.S.
dollars available to it resulting from the net proceeds of sales of ordinary
shares received in a share distribution, which ordinary shares would
give
rise to fractional ADSs if additional ADRs were issued for the ordinary
shares, as in the case of cash.
- Rights.
- Warrants
or other instruments, in the discretion of the depositary, representing
rights to acquire additional ADRs in respect of any rights to subscribe
for
additional ordinary shares or rights of any nature available to the
depositary as a result of a distribution on deposited securities, which
we
refer to in this prospectus as rights, to the extent that Holding timely
furnishes to the depositary evidence satisfactory to it that it may lawfully
distribute the same, or
- to
the
extent Holding does not furnish this evidence and sales of rights are
practicable, any U.S. dollars available to the depositary from the net
proceeds of sales of rights as in the case of cash, or
- to
the
extent Holding does not furnish this evidence and sales cannot practicably
be accomplished by reason of the non-transferability of the rights, limited
markets for the rights, their short duration or otherwise, nothing, and
any
rights may lapse.
- Other
Distributions.
- Securities
or property available to the depositary resulting from any
distribution on deposited securities other than cash, share distributions
and rights, which we refer to in this prospectus as other distributions,
by
any means that the depositary may deem equitable and practicable, or
- to
the
extent the depositary deems distribution of securities or property not
to be
equitable and practicable, any U.S. dollars available to the depositary
from
the net proceeds of sales of other distributions as in the case of cash.
U.S. dollars available will be distributed by checks drawn on a bank
in the
United States for whole dollars and cents, any fractional cents being
withheld without liability for interest and added to future cash
distributions.
To
the extent that the
depositary determines in its discretion that any distribution is not practicable
with respect to any holder, the depositary may make the distribution as it
determines is practicable, including the distribution of foreign currency,
securities or property, or appropriate documents evidencing the right to receive
foreign currency, securities or property, or the retention thereof as deposited
securities with respect to such holder’s ADRs without liability for interest
thereon or the investment thereof.
Disclosure of Interests
To the extent that the
provisions of or governing any deposited securities may:
- require
disclosure of, or impose limits on, beneficial or other ownership of deposited
securities, ordinary shares and other securities, and
- may
provide for blocking transfer, voting or other rights to enforce this
disclosure or limits,
holders and all persons holding
ADRs agree to comply with all disclosure requirements and ownership limitations
and to cooperate with the depositary in the depositary’s compliance with any
instructions from Holding in respect of disclosure requirements and ownership
limitations. The depositary will use reasonable efforts to comply with all
of
Holding’s instructions, as well.
Record Dates
The depositary shall, after
consultation with Holding if practicable, fix a record date, which shall be
as
near as practicable to any corresponding record date set by Holding, for the
determination of the holders of ADSs who shall be entitled to receive any
distribution on or in respect of deposited securities, to give instructions
for
the exercise of any voting rights, to receive any notice or to act in respect
of
other matters, and only these holders shall be so entitled.
Voting of Deposited Securities
As
soon as
practicable after receipt from Holding of notice of any meeting or solicitation
of consents or proxies of holders of ADSs or other deposited shares, the
depositary shall mail to holders of ADSs a notice stating:
- the
information contained in the notice and any solicitation materials,
- that
each
holder of ordinary shares on the record date set by the depositary will be
entitled to instruct the depositary as to the exercise of the voting rights,
if any, pertaining to the deposited securities represented by the ADSs
evidenced by the holder’s ADRs, and
- the
manner
in which the instructions may be given, including instructions to give a
discretionary proxy to a person designated by Holding.
Upon
receipt of
instructions of a holder of ordinary shares, on the record date in the manner
and on or before the date established by the depositary for this purpose, the
depositary shall endeavor, insofar as practicable and permitted under the
provisions of or governing the deposited securities, to vote or cause to be
voted, or to grant a discretionary proxy to a person designated by Holding
to
vote, the deposited securities represented by the ADSs evidenced by that
holder’s ADRs in accordance with the holder’s instructions. The depositary will
not itself exercise any voting discretion in respect of any deposited
securities.
Inspection of Transfer Books
The
deposit
agreement provides that the depositary will keep books at its transfer office
for the registration, registration of transfer, combination and split-up of
ADSs, which, at all reasonable times, will be open for inspection by the holders
of ADSs and Holding for the purpose of communicating with these holders in
the
interest of the business of Holding or a matter related to the deposit
agreement.
9
Reports and Other Communications
On
or before the
first date on which Holding makes any communication available to holders of
deposited securities by publication or otherwise or publicly files or submits
any communication to any securities regulatory authority or stock exchange,
Holding shall transmit to the depositary a copy of the communication in English
or with an English translation or summary to the extent required under the
Exchange Act. The deposit agreement, the provisions of or governing the
deposited securities and any written communications from Holding, which are
received by the custodian or its nominee as a holder of deposited securities
and
made generally available to the holders of deposited securities, are available
for inspection by holders of ADSs at the offices of the depositary and the
custodian and at the depositary’s transfer office. The depositary will mail
copies of these communications, or English translations or summaries of the
communications, to holders of ADSs when furnished by Holding.
In
connection
with any registration statement under the Securities Act relating to the ADSs
or
with any undertaking contained in the registration statement, Holding and the
depositary shall each furnish to the other and to the SEC or any successor
governmental agency the necessary information to make these filings or comply
with the undertakings. Holding has delivered to the depositary, the custodian
and any transfer office, a copy of all provisions of or governing the ordinary
shares and any other deposited securities issued by Holding or any affiliate
of
Holding and, promptly upon any change thereto, Holding shall delver to the
depositary, the custodian and any transfer office, a copy, in English or with
an
English translation, of the provisions as changed. The depositary and its agent
may rely upon Holding’s delivery of these changes for all purposes of the
deposit agreement.
Changes Affecting Deposited Securities
Generally,
the
depositary may, in its discretion, amend the form of ADR or distribute
additional or amended ADRs, with or without calling the ADRs for exchange,
or
cash, securities or property on the record date set by the depositary to reflect
any change in par value, split-up, consolidation, cancellation or other
reclassification of deposited securities, any share distribution or other
distribution not distributed to holders of ADSs or any cash, securities or
property available to the depositary in respect of deposited securities from,
and in the deposit agreement, the depositary is authorized to surrender any
deposited securities to any person and to sell by public or private sale any
property received in connection with, any recapitalization, reorganization,
merger, consolidation, liquidation, receivership, bankruptcy or sale of all
or
substantially all of the assets of Holding. Additionally, to the extent the
depositary does not amend the ADRs or make a distribution to the holders of
the
ADSs to reflect any of the above, or the net proceeds, whatever cash, securities
or property results from any of the above shall constitute deposited securities
and each ADS evidenced by the ADRs shall automatically represent its pro rata
interest in the deposited securities as then constituted.
Amendment and Termination of Deposit Agreement
Generally,
the
ADRs and the deposit agreement may be amended by Holding and the depositary.
However, any amendment that imposes or increases any fees or charges, other
than
stock transfer or other taxes and other governmental charges, transfer or
registration fees, cable, telex or facsimile transmission costs, delivery costs
or other similar expenses, or that shall otherwise prejudice any substantial
existing right of the holders of ADSs, shall become effective 30 days after
notice of the amendment has been given to the holders. Every holder of an ADR
at
the time any amendment to the deposit agreement becomes effective shall be
deemed, by continuing to hold the ADR, to consent and agree to the amendment
and
to be bound by the deposit agreement as amended. In no event shall any amendment
impair the right of the holder of any ADR to surrender the ADR and receive
the
deposited securities represented by the ADR, except in order to comply with
mandatory provisions of applicable law.
The
depositary
shall, at the written direction of Holding, terminate the deposit agreement
and
the ADRs by mailing notice of termination to the holders of ADSs at least 30
days prior to the date fixed in the notice for termination. The depositary
may
terminate the deposit agreement, after giving this notice at any time 30 days
after the depositary has delivered to Holding its written resignation. However,
no successor depositary may be appointed or accept its appointment before the
end of this 30 day period. After the date fixed for termination, the depositary
and its agents will perform no further acts under the deposit agreement and
the
ADRs, except:
- to
advise
holders of the ADSs of the termination,
- receive
and hold, or sell, distributions on the deposited securities, and
- deliver
the deposited securities being withdrawn.
As
soon as
practicable after the expiration of six months from the date fixed for
termination, the depositary shall sell the deposited securities and shall
thereafter and as long as it may lawfully do so hold in a segregated account
the
net proceeds of these sales, together with any other cash then held by it under
the deposit agreement, without liability for interest, in trust for the pro
rata
benefit of the holders of the ADRs not already surrendered. After making this
sale, the depositary shall be discharged from all obligations in respect of
the
deposit agreement and the ADRs, except to account for the net proceeds and
other
cash. After the date fixed for termination, Holding shall be discharged from
all
obligations under the deposit agreement, except for its obligations to the
depositary and its agents.
Charges of Depositary
The
depositary
may charge each person to whom ADRs are issued against deposits of ordinary
shares, including deposits in respect of share distributions, rights and other
distributions, and each person surrendering ADRs for withdrawal of deposited
securities, $5.00 for each 100 ADSs or portion of ADSs evidenced by the ADRs
delivered or surrendered. The depositary may sell by public or private sale
sufficient securities and property received in respect of share distributions,
rights and other distributions prior to the deposit to pay this charge. Holding
will pay all other charges and expenses of the depositary and any agent of
the
depositary, except the custodian, pursuant to agreements from time to time
between Holding and the depositary, except:
- stock
transfer or other taxes and other governmental charges, which are payable
by
the holders of the ADSs or persons depositing ordinary shares;
- cable,
telex and facsimile transmission and delivery charges incurred at the request
of persons depositing, or holders delivering, ordinary shares, ADRs or
deposited securities, which are payable by these persons or holders of
ADSs;
- transfer
or registration fees for the registration of transfer of deposited securities
on any applicable register in connection with the deposit or withdrawal of
deposited securities, which are payable by persons depositing ordinary shares
or holders of ADSs withdrawing deposited securities; there are no similar
fees
in respect of the ordinary shares as of the date of the deposit agreement;
and
- expenses
of the depositary in connection with the conversion of foreign currency into
U.S. dollars, which are paid out of the foreign currency.
Liability of Holders for Taxes
If
any tax or
other governmental charge shall become payable by or on behalf of the custodian
or the depositary with respect to the ADRs, any deposited securities represented
by the ADSs evidenced by the ADRs, or any distribution on the ADSs, this tax
or
other governmental charge shall be paid by the holder of the ADRs to the
depositary. The depositary may refuse to effect any registration, registration
of transfer, split-up or combination of ADRs or, generally, any withdrawal
of
the deposited securities until this payment is made. The depositary may also
deduct from any distributions on or in respect of deposited securities, or
may
sell by public or private sale in a commercially reasonable manner for the
account of the holder of the ADRs any part or all of the deposited securities,
after attempting by reasonable means to notify the holder of the ADRs prior
to
that sale. The depositary may apply this deduction or the proceeds of any sale
in payment of the tax or other governmental charge and shall reduce the number
of ADSs evidenced by the ADRs to reflect any sales of deposited securities.
The
holder of the ADRs shall remain liable for any deficiency. In connection with
any distribution to holders of ADSs, Holding or its agent will remit to the
appropriate governmental authority or agency all amounts, if any, required
to be
withheld and owing to that governmental authority or agency by Holding. The
depositary and the custodian will remit to the appropriate governmental
authority or agency all amounts, if any, required to be withheld and owing
to
that authority or agency by the depositary or the custodian. The depositary
shall forward to Holding or its agent the information from its records as
Holding may reasonably request to enable Holding or its agent to file necessary
reports with governmental authorities or agencies. If the depositary determines
that any distribution in property other than cash, including ordinary shares
or
rights, on deposited securities is subject to any tax that the depositary or
the
custodian is obligated to withhold, the depositary may dispose of all or a
portion of the property in amounts and in the manner as the depositary deems
necessary and practicable to pay the taxes, by public or private sale in a
commercially reasonable manner. The depositary shall distribute the net proceeds
of any sale or the balance of any property after deduction of the taxes to
the
holders of the ADSs entitled to the proceeds or property.
10
General Limitations
The
depositary,
Holding, their respective agents and each of them shall:
- incur
no
liability if any present or future law, regulation of any country or of any
governmental or regulatory authority or stock exchange, the provisions of
or
governing any deposited security, act of God, war or other circumstance beyond
its control shall prevent, delay or subject to any civil or criminal penalty
any act which the deposit agreement or the ADRs provides shall be done or
performed by it, or by reason of any exercise or failure to exercise any
discretion given it in the deposit agreement or the ADRs;
- assume
no
liability except to perform its obligations to the extent they are
specifically set forth in the ADRs and the deposit agreement without gross
negligence or bad faith;
- except
in
the case of Holding and its agents be under no obligation to appear in,
prosecute or defend any action, suit or other proceeding in respect of any
deposited securities or the ADRs;
- in
the
case of Holding and its agents hereunder be under no obligation to appear
in,
prosecute or defend any action, suit or other proceeding in respect of any
deposited securities or the ADRs, which, in its opinion, may involve it in
expense or liability, unless indemnity satisfactory to it against all expense,
including fees and disbursements of counsel, and liability be furnished as
often as may be required; or
- not
be
liable for any action or inaction by it in reliance upon the advice of or
information from legal counsel, accountants, any person presenting ordinary
shares for deposit, any holder of ADSs, or any other person believed by it
in
good faith to be competent to give this advice or information.
The
depositary,
Holding and their respective agents may relay and shall be protected in acting
upon any written notice, request, direction or other document believed by them
to be genuine and to have been signed or presented by the proper party or
parties. The depositary and its agents will not be responsible for any failure
to carry out any instructions to vote any of the deposited securities, provided
that any omission is in good faith, for the manner in which any vote is cast,
provided that the act is in good faith, or for the effect of any vote, provided
that the action or omission is in good faith. The depositary and its agents
may
own and deal in any class of securities of Holding and its affiliates and in
ADRs. Holding has agreed to indemnify the depositary and its duly authorized
agents under specified circumstances and the depositary and its authorized
agents have agreed to indemnify Holding against losses incurred by Holding
to
the extent the losses are due to negligence or bad faith. No disclaimer of
liability under the Securities Act is intended by any provision of the deposit
agreement.
Prior
to the
issue, registration, registration of transfer, split-up or combination of any
ADR, the delivery of any distribution in respect of the ADRs, or, generally,
the
withdrawal of any deposited securities, Holding, the depositary or the custodian
may require:
- payment
with respect to the ADRs of:
- any
stock transfer or other tax or other governmental charge,
- any
stock transfer or registration fees in effect for the registration of
transfers of ordinary shares or other deposited securities upon any
applicable register and
- any
applicable charges as provided in the deposit agreement;
- the
production of proof satisfactory to it of:
- the
identity and genuineness of any signature and
- any
other information, including without limitation, information as to
citizenship, residence, exchange control approval, beneficial ownership
of
any securities, compliance with applicable law, regulations, provisions
of
or governing the deposited securities and terms of the deposit agreement
and
the ADRs, in each case as it may deem necessary or proper; and
- compliance
with regulations as the depositary may establish consistent with the deposit
agreement.
At
the written
request and expense of Holding, the depositary shall provide Holding with copies
of the information the depositary receives pursuant to the production of proof
above. The issuance of ADRs, the acceptance of deposits of ordinary shares,
the
registration, registration of transfer, split-up or combination of ADRs or,
subject to the terms of the deposit agreement, the withdrawal of deposited
securities may be suspended, generally or in particular instances, when the
ADR
register or any register for deposited securities is closed or when this type
of
action is deemed advisable by the depositary or Holding.
Governing Law
The
deposit
agreement is governed by and shall be construed in accordance with the laws
of
the State of New York.
Depositary
The
depositary
is JPMorgan Chase Bank, a New York banking corporation, which has its principal
office located in New York, New York.
11
DESCRIPTION OF DEBT SECURITIES
We
or the Bank may
elect to offer debt securities. The following description of debt securities
sets forth the material terms and provisions of the debt securities to which
any
prospectus supplement may relate. Holding’s senior debt securities would be
issued under a senior indenture, between Holding and a trustee to be named
in
the appropriate prospectus supplement. Holding’s subordinated debt securities
would be issued under a subordinated indenture between Holding and a trustee
to
be named in the appropriate supplemental indenture. The senior or subordinated
indenture, a form of each of which is included as an exhibit to the registration
statement of which this prospectus is a part, will be executed at the time
we
issue any debt securities. Any supplemental indentures will be filed with the
SEC on a Form 6-K or by a post-effective amendment to the registration statement
of which this prospectus is a part.
The Bank’s senior debt securities
would be issued under a senior
indenture between the Bank, Holding, as guarantor, and a trustee to be named
in
the appropriate prospectus supplement. The Bank’s subordinated debt securities,
as the case may be, would be issued under a subordinated indenture between
the
Bank, Holding, as guarantor, and a trustee to be named in the appropriate
prospectus supplement.
All
of the
indentures are sometimes referred to in this prospectus collectively as the
“indentures” and each, individually, as an “indenture.” All senior indentures
are sometimes referred to in this prospectus collectively as the “senior
indentures” and each, individually, as a “senior indenture.” All subordinated
indentures are sometimes referred to in this prospectus collectively as the
“subordinated indentures” and each, individually, as a “subordinated indenture.”
The particular terms of the debt securities offered by any prospectus
supplement, and the extent to which the general provisions described below
may
apply to the offered debt securities, will be described in the applicable
prospectus supplement. The indentures will be qualified under the Trust
Indenture Act of 1939, as amended. The terms of the debt securities will include
those stated in the indentures and those made part of the indentures by
reference to the Trust Indenture Act.
Because
the
following summaries of the material terms and provisions of the indentures
and
the related debt securities are not complete, you should refer to the forms
of
the indentures and the debt securities for complete information on some of
the
terms and provisions of the indentures, including definitions of some of the
terms used below, and the debt securities. The senior indentures and
subordinated indentures are substantially identical to one another, except
for
specific provisions relating to subordination contained in the subordinated
indentures.
General
The
senior debt
securities will be the issuer’s direct, unsecured and unsubordinated general
obligations and will have the same rank in liquidation as all of the issuer’s
other unsecured and unsubordinated debt. The subordinated debt securities will
be unsecured obligations of the issuer, subordinated in right of payment to
the
prior payment in full of all senior indebtedness of the issuer with respect
to
such series, as described below under “Subordination of the Subordinated Debt
Securities” and in the applicable prospectus supplement.
Payments
The
issuer may
issue debt securities from time to time in one or more series. The provisions
of
the indentures allow the issuer to “reopen” a previous issue of a series of debt
securities and issue additional debt securities of that series. The debt
securities may be denominated and payable in U.S. dollars or foreign currencies.
The issuer may also issue debt securities from time to time with the principal
amount or interest payable on any relevant payment date to be determined by
reference to one or more currency exchange rates, securities or baskets of
securities, commodity prices or indices. Holders of these types of debt
securities will receive payments of principal or interest that depend upon
the
value of the applicable currency, security or basket of securities, commodity
or
index on the relevant payment dates.
Debt
securities
may bear interest at a fixed rate, which may be zero, a floating rate, or a
rate
which varies during the lifetime of the debt security. Debt securities bearing
no interest or interest at a rate that at the time of issuance is below the
prevailing market rate may be sold at a discount below their stated principal
amount.
Terms Specified in the Applicable Prospectus
Supplement
The
applicable
prospectus supplement will contain, where applicable, the following terms of
and
other information relating to any offered debt securities:
- the
specific designation;
- the
aggregate principal amount, purchase price and denomination;
- the
currency in which the debt securities are denominated and/or in which
principal, premium, if any, and/or interest, if any, is payable;
- the
date
of maturity;
- the
interest rate or rates or the method by which the calculation agent will
determine the interest rate or rates, if any;
- the
interest payment dates, if any;
- the
place
or places for payment of the principal of and any premium and/or interest
on
the debt securities;
- any
repayment, redemption, prepayment or sinking fund provisions, including any
redemption notice provisions;
- whether
we
will issue the debt securities in registered form or bearer form or both
and,
if we are offering debt securities in bearer form, any restrictions applicable
to the exchange of one form for another and to the offer, sale and delivery
of
those debt securities in bearer form;
- whether
we
will issue the debt securities in definitive form and under what terms and
conditions;
- the
terms
on which holders of the debt securities may convert or exchange these
securities into or for stock or other securities of an entity unaffiliated
with us, any specific terms relating to the adjustment of the conversion
or
exchange feature and the period during which the holders may make the
conversion or exchange;
- information
as to the methods for determining the amount of principal
or interest payable on any date and/or the currencies, securities or baskets
of securities, commodities or indices to which the amount payable on that
date
is linked;
- any
agents
for the debt securities, including trustees, depositaries, authenticating
or
paying agents, transfer agents or registrars;
- any
applicable United States federal income tax consequences and Netherlands
income tax consequences, including, but not limited to:
- whether
and under what circumstances the issuer will pay additional amounts on
debt
securities for any tax, assessment or governmental charge withheld or
deducted and, if so, whether we will have the option to redeem those
debt
securities rather than pay the additional amounts;
- tax
considerations applicable to any discounted debt securities or to debt
securities issued at par that are treated as having been issued at a
discount for United States federal income tax purposes; and
- tax
considerations applicable to any debt securities denominated and payable
in
foreign currencies;
- whether
certain payments on the debt securities will be guaranteed under a financial
insurance guaranty policy and the terms of that guaranty;
- any
applicable selling restrictions; and
- any
other
specific terms of the debt securities, including any modifications to or
additional events of default, covenants or modified or eliminated acceleration
rights, and any terms required by or advisable under applicable laws or
regulations, including laws and regulations relating attributes required
for
the debt securities to be afforded certain capital treatment for bank
regulatory or other purposes.
Some
of the debt
securities may be issued as original issue discount debt securities. Original
issue discount securities bear no interest or bear interest at below-market
rates and may be sold at a discount below their stated principal amount. The
applicable prospectus supplement will contain information relating to federal
income tax, accounting, and other special considerations applicable to these.
12
Registration
and Transfer of Debt Securities
Holders
may present
debt securities for exchange, and holders of registered debt securities may
present these securities for transfer, in the manner, at the places and subject
to the restrictions stated in the debt securities and described in the
applicable prospectus supplement. The issuer will provide these services without
charge except for any tax or other governmental charge payable in connection
with these services and subject to any limitations or requirements provided
in
the applicable indenture or the supplemental indenture or issuer order under
which that series of debt securities is issued. Holders may transfer debt
securities in bearer form and/or the related coupons, if any, by delivery to
the
transferee. If any of the securities are held in global form, the procedures
for
transfer of interests in those securities will depend upon the procedures of
the
depositary for those global securities.
Events
of Default
Each
indenture
provides holders of debt securities with remedies if the issuer and/or
guarantor, as the case may be, fails to perform specific obligations, such
as
making payments on the debt securities, or if the issuer and/or guarantor,
as
the case may be, becomes bankrupt. Holders should review these provisions and
understand which actions trigger an event of default and which actions do not.
Each indenture permits the issuance of debt securities in one or more series,
and, in many cases, whether an event of default has occurred is determined
on a
series-by-series basis.
An event
of
default is defined under the indentures, with respect to any series of debt
securities issued under that indenture, as any one or more of the following
events, subject to modification in a supplemental indenture, each of which
we
refer to in this prospectus as event of default, having occurred and be
continuing:
- default
is
made for more than 30 days in the payment of interest, premium or principal
in
respect of the securities;
- the
issuer
and/or guarantor, as the case may be, fails to perform or observe any of
its
other obligations under the securities and this failure has continued for
the
period of 60 days next following the service on us of notice requiring the
same to be remedied;
- issuer’s
and/or guarantor’s, as the case may be, bankruptcy, insolvency or
reorganization under any applicable bankruptcy, insolvency or insolvency
related reorganization law (including Chapter X of the Act on the Supervision
of the Credit System (Wet toezicht kredietwezen 1992) of The Netherlands);
- an
order
is made or an effective resolution is passed for the winding up or liquidation
of the issuer and/or guarantor, as the case may be; or
- any
other
event of default provided in the supplemental indenture or issuer order,
if
any, under which that series of debt securities is issued.
Acceleration
of Debt Securities Upon an Event of
Default
Each
indenture
provides that, unless otherwise set forth in a supplemental indenture:
- if
an
event of default occurs due to the default in payment of principal of, or
any
premium or interest on, any series of debt securities issued under the
indenture, or due to the default in the performance or breach of any other
covenant or warranty of the issuer and/or guarantor, as the case may be,
applicable to that series of debt securities but not applicable to all
outstanding debt securities issued under that indenture occurs and is
continuing, either the trustee or the holders of not less than 25% in
aggregate principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of each affected
series, voting as one class, by notice in writing to the issuer and guarantor,
as the case may be, may declare the principal of and accrued interest on
the
debt securities of such affected series (but not any other debt securities
issued under that indenture) to be due and payable immediately;
- if
an
event of default occurs due to specified events of bankruptcy, insolvency
or
reorganization of the issuer and/or the guarantor, as the case may be, the
principal of all debt securities and interest accrued on the debt securities
to be due and payable immediately; and
- if
an
event of default due to a default in the performance of any other of the
covenants or agreements in the indenture applicable to all outstanding debt
securities issued under the indenture occurs and is continuing, either the
trustee or the holders of not less than 25% in aggregate principal amount
of
all outstanding debt securities issued under the indenture for which any
applicable supplemental indenture does not prevent acceleration under the
relevant circumstances, voting as one class, by notice in writing to the
issuer and/or guarantor, as the case may be, may declare the principal of
all
debt securities and interest accrued on the debt securities to be due and
payable immediately.
Annulment
of Acceleration and Waiver of Defaults
In
some circumstances,
if any and all events of default under the indenture, other than the non-payment
of the principal of the securities that has become due as a result of an
acceleration, have been cured, waived or otherwise remedied, then the holders
of
a majority in aggregate principal amount of all series of outstanding debt
securities affected, voting as one class, may annul past declarations of
acceleration or waive past defaults of the debt securities.
Indemnification
of Trustee for Actions Taken on Your
Behalf
Each
indenture
provides that the trustee shall not be liable with respect to any action taken
or omitted to be taken by it in good faith in accordance with the direction
of
the holders of debt securities issued under that indenture relating to the
time,
method and place of conducting any proceeding for any remedy available to the
trustee, or exercising any trust or power conferred upon the trustee. In
addition, each indenture contains a provision entitling the trustee, subject
to
the duty of the trustee to act with the required standard of care during a
default, to be indemnified by the holders of debt securities issued under the
indenture before proceeding to exercise any right or power at the request of
holders. Subject to these provisions and specified other limitations, the
holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of each series of
outstanding debt securities of each affected series, voting as one class, may
direct the time, method and place of conducting any proceeding for any remedy
available to the trustee, or exercising any trust or power conferred on the
trustee.
Limitation
on Actions by You as an Individual
Holder
Each
indenture
provides that no individual holder of debt securities may institute any action
against us under that indenture, except actions for payment of overdue principal
and interest, unless the following actions have occurred:
- the
holder
must have previously given written notice to the trustee of the continuing
default;
- the
holders of not less than 25% in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding
debt securities of each affected series, treated as one class, must have:
- requested
the trustee to institute that action and
- offered
the trustee reasonable indemnity;
- the
trustee must have failed to institute that action within 60 days after receipt
of the request referred to above; and
- the
holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities
of each affected series, voting as one class, must not have given directions
to the trustee inconsistent with those of the holders referred to above.
Each
indenture
contains a covenant that the issuer and guarantor, if applicable, will file
annually with the trustee a certificate of no default or a certificate
specifying any default that exists.
13
Discharge,
Defeasance and Covenant Defeasance
The
issuer has the
ability to eliminate most or all of its obligations on any series of debt
securities prior to maturity if it complies with the following
provisions:
Discharge
of
Indenture. The issuer may discharge all of its obligations, other than as to
transfers and exchanges, under the indenture after it has:
- paid
or
caused to be paid the principal of and interest on all of the outstanding
debt
securities in accordance with their terms;
- delivered
to the applicable trustee for cancellation all of the outstanding debt
securities; or
- irrevocably
deposited with the applicable trustee cash or, in the case
of a series of debt securities payable only in U.S. dollars, U.S. government
obligations in trust for the benefit of the holders of any series of debt
securities issued under the indenture that have either become due and payable,
or are by their terms due and payable, or are scheduled for redemption, within
one year, in an amount certified to be sufficient to pay on each date that
they become due and payable, the principal of and interest on, and any
mandatory sinking fund payments for, those debt securities. However, the
deposit of cash or U.S. government obligations for the benefit of holders
of a
series of debt securities that are due and payable, or are scheduled for
redemption, within one year will discharge obligations under the applicable
indenture relating only to that series of debt securities.
Defeasance
of a
Series of Securities at Any Time. The issuer may also discharge all of its
obligations, other than as to transfers and exchanges, under any series of
debt
securities at any time, which we refer to as defeasance in this prospectus.
The
issuer may be released with respect to any outstanding series of debt securities
from the obligations imposed by the covenants described above limiting
consolidations, mergers, asset sales and leases, and elect not to comply with
those sections without creating an event of default. Discharge under those
procedures is called covenant defeasance.
Defeasance
or covenant defeasance may be
effected only if, among other things:
- the
issuer
irrevocably deposits with the relevant trustee cash or, in the case of debt
securities payable only in U.S. dollars, U.S. government obligations, as
trust
funds in an amount certified to be sufficient to pay on each date that they
become due and payable, the principal of and interest on, and any mandatory
sinking fund payments for, all outstanding debt securities of the series
being
defeased; and
- the
issuer
delivers to the relevant trustee an opinion of counsel to the effect that:
- the
holders of the series of debt securities being defeased will not recognize
income, gain or loss for United States federal income tax purposes as a
result of the defeasance or covenant defeasance; and
- the
defeasance or covenant defeasance will not otherwise alter those holders’
United States federal income tax treatment of principal and interest
payments on the series of debt securities being defeased; in the case of
a
defeasance, this opinion must be based on a ruling of the Internal Revenue
Service or a change in United States federal income tax law occurring after
the date of this prospectus, since that result would not occur under current
tax law.
Modification
of the Indenture
Modification
without Consent of Holders. The issuer and the relevant trustee may enter
into supplemental indentures without the consent of the holders of debt
securities issued under each indenture to:
- secure
any
debt securities;
- evidence
the assumption by a successor corporation of our obligations;
- add
covenants for the protection of the holders of debt securities;
- cure
any
ambiguity or correct any inconsistency;
- establish
the forms or terms of debt securities of any series; or
- evidence
the acceptance of appointment by a successor trustee.
Modification
with
Consent of Holders. Each issuer and the trustee, with the consent of the
holders of not less than a majority in aggregate principal amount of each
affected series of outstanding debt securities, voting as one class, may add
any
provisions to, or change in any manner or eliminate any of the provisions of,
the indenture or modify in any manner the rights of the holders of those debt
securities. However, the issuer and the trustee may not make any of the
following changes to any outstanding debt security without the consent of each
holder that would be affected by the change:
- extend
the
final maturity of the security;
- reduce
the
principal amount;
- reduce
the
rate or extend the time of payment of interest;
- reduce
any
amount payable on redemption;
- change
the
currency in which the principal, including any amount of original issue
discount, premium, or interest on the security is payable;
- modify
or
amend the provisions for conversion of any currency into another currency;
- reduce
the
amount of any original issue discount security payable upon acceleration
or
provable in bankruptcy;
- alter
the
terms on which holders of the debt securities may convert or exchange debt
securities for stock or other securities or for other property or the cash
value of the property, other than in accordance with the antidilution
provisions or other similar adjustment provisions included in the terms of
the
debt securities;
- impair
the
right of any holder to institute suit for the enforcement of any payment
on
any debt security when due; or
- reduce
the
percentage of debt securities the consent of whose holders is required for
modification of the Indenture.
Form
of Debt Security
Each
debt security
will be represented either by a certificate issued in definitive form to a
particular investor or by one or more global securities representing the entire
issuance of securities. Both certificated securities in definitive form and
global securities may be issued either:
- in
registered form, where the issuer’s obligation runs to the holder of the
security named on the face of the security or
- in
bearer
form, where the issuer’s obligation runs to the bearer of the security.
Definitive
securities
name you or your nominee as the owner of the security, other than definitive
bearer securities, which name the bearer as owner, and in order to transfer
or
exchange these securities or to receive payments other than interest or other
interim payments, you or your nominee must physically deliver the securities
to
the trustee, registrar, paying agent or other agent, as applicable.
Global
securities name
a depositary or its nominee as the owner of the debt securities represented
by
these global securities, other than global bearer securities, which name the
bearer as owner. The depositary maintains a computerized system that will
reflect each investor’s beneficial ownership of the securities through an
account maintained by the investor with its broker/dealer, bank, trust company
or other representative, as we explain more fully below.
14
Global
Securities
Registered
Global
Securities. The issuer may issue the debt securities in the form of one or
more fully registered global securities that will be deposited with a depositary
or its nominee identified in the applicable prospectus supplement and registered
in the name of that depositary or nominee. In those cases, one or more
registered global securities will be issued in a denomination or aggregate
denominations equal to the portion of the aggregate principal or face amount
of
the securities to be represented by registered global securities. Unless and
until it is exchanged in whole for securities in definitive registered form,
a
registered global security may not be transferred except as a whole by and
among
the depositary for the registered global security, the nominees of the
depositary or any successors of the depositary or those nominees. If not
described below, any specific terms of the depositary arrangement with respect
to any securities to be represented by a registered global security will be
described in the prospectus supplement relating to those securities. We
anticipate that the following provisions will apply to all depositary
arrangements:
Ownership
of
beneficial interests in a registered global security will be limited to persons,
called participants, that have accounts with the depositary or persons that
may
hold interests through participants. Upon the issuance of a registered global
security, the depositary will credit, on its book-entry registration and
transfer system, the participants’ accounts with the respective principal or
face amounts of the securities beneficially owned by the participants. Any
dealers, underwriters or selling agents participating in the distribution of
the
securities will designate the accounts to be credited. Ownership of beneficial
interests in a registered global security will be shown on, and the transfer
of
ownership interests will be effected only through, records maintained by the
depositary, with respect to interests of participants, and on the records of
participants, with respect to interests of persons holding through participants.
The laws of some states may require that some purchasers of securities take
physical delivery of these securities in definitive form. These laws may impair
your ability to own, transfer or pledge beneficial interests in registered
global securities. So long as the depositary, or its nominee, is the registered
owner of a registered global security, that depositary or its nominee, as the
case may be, will be considered the sole owner or holder of the securities
represented by the registered global security for all purposes under the
applicable indenture.
Except
as described
below, owners of beneficial interests in a registered global security will
not
be entitled to have the securities represented by the registered global security
registered in their names, will not receive or be entitled to receive physical
delivery of the securities in definitive form and will not be considered the
owners or holders of the securities under the applicable indenture. Accordingly,
each person owning a beneficial interest in a registered global security must
rely on the procedures of the depositary for that registered global security
and, if that person is not a participant, on the procedures of the participant
through which the person owns its interest, to exercise any rights of a holder
under the applicable indenture. We understand that under existing industry
practices, if we request any action of holders or if an owner of a beneficial
interest in a registered global security desires to give or take any action
that
a holder is entitled to give or take under the applicable indenture, the
depositary for the registered global security would authorize the participants
holding the relevant beneficial interests to give or take that action, and
the
participants would authorize beneficial owners owning through them to give
or
take that action or would otherwise act upon the instructions of beneficial
owners holding through them.
Principal,
premium, if
any, and interest payments on debt securities represented by a registered global
security registered in the name of a depositary or its nominee will be made
to
the depositary or its nominee, as the case may be, as the registered owner
of
the registered global security. None of the issuer, the guarantor, if
applicable, the trustee or any other agent of the issuer, guarantor or agent
of
the trustee will have any responsibility or liability for any aspect of the
records relating to payments made on account of beneficial ownership interests
in the registered global security or for maintaining, supervising or reviewing
any records relating to those beneficial ownership interests. We expect that
the
depositary for any of the securities represented by a registered global
security, upon receipt of any payment of principal, premium, interest or other
distribution of underlying securities or other property to holders on that
registered global security, will immediately credit participants’ accounts in
amounts proportionate to their respective beneficial interests in that
registered global security as shown on the records of the depositary. We also
expect that payments by participants to owners of beneficial interests in a
registered global security held through participants will be governed by
standing customer instructions and customary practices, as is now the case
with
the securities held for the accounts of customers in bearer form or registered
in “street name,” and will be the responsibility of those
participants.
If
the depositary for
any of these securities represented by a registered global security is at any
time unwilling or unable to continue as depositary or ceases to be a clearing
agency registered under the Exchange Act, and a successor depositary registered
as a clearing agency under the Exchange Act is not appointed by the issuer
within 90 days, the issuer will issue securities in definitive form in exchange
for the registered global security that had been held by the depositary. In
addition, the issuer may, at any time and in its sole discretion, decide not
to
have any of the securities represented by one or more registered global
securities. If the issuer makes that decision, it will issue securities in
definitive form in exchange for all of the registered global security or
securities representing those securities. Any securities issued in definitive
form in exchange for a registered global security will be registered in the
name
or names that the depositary gives to the relevant trustee or other relevant
agent of ours or theirs. It is expected that the depositary’s instructions will
be based upon directions received by the depositary from participants with
respect to ownership of beneficial interests in the registered global security
that had been held by the depositary.
Bearer
Global
Securities. The securities may also be issued in the form of one or more
bearer global securities that will be deposited with a common depositary for
the
Euroclear System and Clearstream Banking, société anonyme or with a nominee for
the depositary identified in the prospectus supplement relating to those
securities. The specific terms and procedures, including the specific terms
of
the depositary arrangement, with respect to any securities to be represented
by
a bearer global security will be described in the prospectus supplement relating
to those securities.
Limitations
on
Issuance of Bearer Securities. In compliance with United States federal
income tax laws and regulations, bearer securities, including bearer securities
in global form, will not be offered, sold or delivered, directly or indirectly,
in the United States or its possessions or to United States persons, as defined
below, except as otherwise permitted by United States Treasury Regulations
Section 1.163-5(c)(2)(i)(D). Any underwriters, selling agents or dealers
participating in the offerings of bearer securities, directly or indirectly,
must agree that they will not, in connection with the original issuance of
any
bearer securities or during the restricted period with respect to the bearer
notes as defined in United States Treasury Regulations Section
1.163-5(c)(2)(i)(D)(7), which we refer to in this prospectus as the restricted
period, offer, sell or deliver, directly or indirectly, any bearer securities
in
the United States or its possessions or to United States persons, other than
as
permitted by the applicable Treasury Regulations described above. In addition,
any underwriters, selling agents or dealers must have procedures reasonably
designed to ensure that their employees or agents who are directly engaged
in
selling bearer securities are aware of the above restrictions on the offering,
sale or delivery of bearer securities.
Bearer
securities,
other than temporary global debt securities and bearer securities that satisfy
the requirements of United States Treasury Regulations Section
1.163-5(c)(2)(i)(D)(3)(iii), and any coupons appertaining to these securities,
will not be delivered in definitive form, and no interest will be paid on these
securities, unless the issuer has received a signed certificate in writing
or an
electronic certificate described in United States Treasury Regulations Section
1.163-5(c)(2)(i)(D)(3)(ii), stating that on the date of that certificate the
bearer security:
- is
owned
by a person that is not a United States person;
- is
owned
by a United States person that:
- is
a
foreign branch of a United States financial institution, as defined in
applicable United States Treasury Regulations, which we refer to in this
prospectus as a financial institution, purchasing for its own account
or for
resale, or
- is
acquiring the bearer security through a foreign branch of a United States
financial institution and who holds the bearer security through that
financial institution through that date, and in either of these cases,
each
of those United States financial institutions agrees, on its own behalf
or
through its agent, that the issuer may be advised that it will comply
with
the requirements of Section 165(j)(3)(A), (B) or (C) of the Internal
Revenue
Code of 1986 and the regulations thereunder; or
- is
owned
by a United States or foreign financial institution for the purposes of resale
during the restricted period and, in addition, if the owner of the bearer
security is a United States or foreign financial institution described in
this
clause, whether or not also described in the first or second clause above,
the
financial institution certifies that it has not acquired the bearer security
for purposes of resale directly or indirectly to a United States person or
to
a person within the United States or its possessions.
15
We
will make payments
on bearer securities only outside the United States and its possessions except
as permitted by the above regulations. Bearer securities, other than temporary
global securities, and any coupons issued with bearer securities, will bear
the
following legend:
Any
United States person who holds this obligation will be subject to
limitations under the United States income tax laws, including the
limitations provided in sections 165(j) and 1287(a) of the Internal Revenue
Code.
The
sections referred
to in this legend provide that, with exceptions, a United States person who
holds the bearer security or coupon will not be permitted to deduct any loss,
and will not be eligible for capital gain treatment with respect to any gain,
realized on the sale, exchange or redemption of that bearer security or
coupon.
As used
herein, United States person means
a citizen or resident of the United States for United States federal income
tax
purposes, a corporation or partnership, including an entity treated as a
corporation or partnership for United States federal income tax purposes,
created or organized in or under the laws of the United States, or any state
of
the United States or the District of Columbia, or an estate or a trust the
income of which is subject to United States federal income taxation regardless
of its source. In addition, some trusts treated as United States persons before
August 20, 1996 may elect to continue to be so treated to the extent provided
in
the Treasury Regulations.
Guarantee
Debt securities
and guarantees issued by ABN AMRO Bank will be fully and
unconditionally guaranteed by ABN AMRO Holding. The guarantee is set forth
in,
and forms part of, the indenture under which the debt securities will be issued.
If, for any reason, the Bank does not make any required payment in respect
of
its debt securities when due, the guarantor will cause the payment to be made
to
or to the order of the trustee. The guarantee will be on a senior basis when
the
guaranteed debt securities are issued under the senior indenture, and on a
subordinated basis to the extent the guaranteed debt securities are issued
under
the subordinated indenture. The extent to which the guarantee is subordinated
to
other indebtedness of the guarantor will be substantially the same as the extent
to which the subordinated debt issued by the issuer is subordinated to the
other
indebtedness of the issuer as described below under “—Subordination of the
Subordinated Debt Securities.” The holder of the guaranteed security may sue the
guarantor to enforce its rights under the guarantee without first suing any
other person or entity.
Subordination
of the Subordinated Debt Securities
Subordinated
debt
securities issued by an issuer will, to the extent set forth in the applicable
subordinated indenture, be subordinate in right of payment to the prior payment
in full of all senior indebtedness of the issuer, whether outstanding at the
date of the subordinated indenture or incurred after that date. In the event
of:
- any
insolvency or bankruptcy case or proceeding, or any receivership, liquidation,
reorganization or other similar case or proceeding in connection therewith,
relative to the issuer or to its creditors, as such, or to its assets; or
- any
voluntary or involuntary liquidation, dissolution or other winding up of
the
issuer, whether or not involving insolvency or bankruptcy; or
- any
assignment for the benefit of creditors or any other marshalling of assets
and
liabilities of the issuer,
then
the
holders of senior indebtedness of the issuer will be entitled to receive payment
in full of all amounts due or to become due on or in respect of all its senior
indebtedness, or provision will be made for the payment in cash, before the
holders of the subordinated debt securities of the issuer are entitled to
receive or retain any payment on account of principal of, or any premium or
interest on, or any additional amounts with respect to, the subordinated debt
securities. The holders of senior indebtedness of the issuer will be entitled
to
receive, for application to the payment of the senior indebtedness, any payment
or distribution of any kind or character, whether in cash, property or
securities, including any payment or distribution which may be payable or
deliverable by reason of the payment of any other indebtedness of the issuer
being subordinated to the payment of its subordinated debt securities. This
payment may be payable or deliverable in respect of its subordinated debt
securities in any case, proceeding, dissolution, liquidation or other winding
up
event.
By
reason of
subordination, in the event of liquidation or insolvency of the issuer, holders
of senior indebtedness of the issuer and holders of other obligations of the
issuer that are not subordinated to its senior indebtedness may recover more
ratably than the holders of subordinated debt securities of the
issuer.
Subject
to the payment
in full of all senior indebtedness of the issuer, the rights of the holders
of
subordinated debt securities of the issuer will be subrogated to the rights
of
the holders of its senior indebtedness to receive payments or distributions
of
cash, property or securities of the issuer applicable to its senior indebtedness
until the principal of, any premium and interest on, and any additional amounts
with respect to, its subordinated debt securities have been paid in
full.
No
payment of
principal, including redemption and sinking fund payments, of, or any premium
or
interest on, or any additional amounts with respect to the subordinated debt
securities of the issuer, or payments to acquire these securities, other than
pursuant to their conversion, may be made:
- if
any
senior indebtedness of the issuer is not paid when due and any applicable
grace period with respect to the default has ended and the default has not
been cured or waived or ceased to exist, or
- if
the
maturity of any senior indebtedness of the issuer has been accelerated because
of a default.
The
subordinated
indentures do not limit or prohibit the issuer from incurring additional senior
indebtedness, which may include indebtedness that is senior to its subordinated
debt securities, but subordinate to the issuer’s other obligations.
The
subordinated
indentures provide that these subordination provisions, insofar as they relate
to any particular issue of subordinated debt securities by the issuer, may
be
changed prior to the issuance. Any change would be described in the applicable
prospectus supplement.
New
York Law to Govern
The
indentures and the
debt securities will be governed by the laws of the State of New York.
Information
Concerning the Trustee
Information
about the
indenture trustee will be set forth by amendment hereof or in the applicable
prospectus supplement. The trustee under one indenture may also serve as trustee
under some or all of the other indentures, and may also serve as property
trustee and guarantee trustee with respect to the preferred securities issued
by
the ABN AMRO Capital Funding Trusts. We and our subsidiaries may maintain
ordinary banking relationships and custodial facilities with the trustee and
affiliates of the trustee.
16
DESCRIPTION
OF TRUST
PREFERRED SECURITIES
The
trust preferred
securities will be issued pursuant to an amended and restated trust agreement
between the depositor named therein, the trustees of the trust and the holders
from time to time of the trust’s preferred and common securities. The depositor
may assign all of its rights and obligations under one or more of the trust
agreements to Holding or a direct or indirect wholly owned subsidiary of
Holding. The amended and restated trust agreement will be executed at the time
we issue any preferred securities and will be filed with the SEC on Form 6-K
or
by a post-effective amendment to the registration statement of which this
prospectus is a part. The amended and restated trust agreement may be qualified
under the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended. The terms of the trust
securities will include those stated in the amended and restated trust agreement
and those made part of the amended and restated trust agreement by reference
to
the Trust Indenture Act. The specific terms of the preferred securities will
be
described in the applicable supplement to this prospectus. The prospectus
supplement will also indicate whether the general terms and provisions described
in this prospectus apply to those preferred securities.
General
Each
trust agreement
will authorize the regular trustees to issue on behalf of the applicable Trust,
referred to in this section collectively as a trust, one series of preferred
securities that have the terms described in a prospectus supplement. The
proceeds from the sale of a trust’s preferred and common securities will be used
by the trust to purchase either a series of fixed income securities or preferred
securities from Holding or an affiliate thereof, including an LLC. Such
securities are referred to in this prospectus as intercompany securities. The
intercompany securities will be held in trust by the property trustee for the
benefit of the holders of the preferred and common securities issued by the
trust.
Unless
otherwise set
forth in the applicable prospectus supplement, the trust preferred securities
will be perpetual and non-cumulative. The terms of the preferred securities
issued by the trust will mirror the terms of the intercompany securities held
by
the trust, and the trust will pass through the payments it receives on the
intercompany securities. Such payments will be used to make payments on, or
redeem, the trust preferred securities in accordance with the trust agreement
as
described in the applicable prospectus supplement. The assets of the trust
available for distribution to the holders of its preferred securities generally
will be limited to payments from the issuer of the intercompany securities
held
by the trust. If the issuer of the intercompany securities fails to make a
payment on the intercompany securities, the trust will not have sufficient
funds
to make related payments, including distributions, on its preferred
securities.
Under
the securities
guarantee of the trust’s preferred securities, Holding or the Bank, as
guarantor, will agree to make payments of distributions and payments on
redemption or liquidation with respect to the Trust’s preferred securities, but
only to the extent the trust has funds available to make those payments and
has
not made the payments. Where the intercompany securities are not preferred
shares issued by an ABN AMRO Capital Funding LLC, the trust will itself enter
into a contingent guarantee with Holding or Bank, enforceable, as described
below under “Description of the Preferred Securities Guarantees,” in connection
with certain failure by the applicable guarantor to pay under the guarantee
applicable to the holders of the preferred securities issued by the trust.
The
preferred
securities guarantees, when taken together with the obligations of the issuer
under intercompany securities, any contingent guarantee and related agreements,
will provide a full and unconditional guarantee by ABN AMRO Holding or the
Bank
of amounts due on the preferred securities issued by the trust.
It
is intended that
the trust will be capable of issuing preferred securities that qualify as Tier
1
capital for Holding or Bank, in accordance with the laws of The Netherlands
and
other applicable rules and regulations. The prospectus supplement relating
to
the preferred securities of the trust will describe the specific terms of the
preferred securities, including:
- the
name
of the preferred securities;
- the
dollar
amount and number of securities issued;
- the
annual
distribution rate, or method of determining the rate, of distributions on
the
preferred securities, and date or dates from which any distributions will
accrue;
- the
payment date and the record date used to determine the holders who are to
receive distributions;
- the
right,
if any, to defer distributions on the preferred securities upon extension
of
the payment periods of the related intercompany securities;
- the
trust’s obligation, if any, to redeem or purchase the preferred securities and
the terms and conditions on which the preferred securities may be redeemed
or
purchased;
- the
terms
and conditions, if any, on which the preferred securities may be redeemed
at
the trust’s option or at the option of the holders;
- the
terms
and conditions, if any, upon which the related intercompany securities may
be
distributed to holders of the preferred securities;
- the
voting
rights, if any, of the holders of the preferred securities;
- whether
the preferred securities are to be issued in book-entry form and represented
by one or more global certificates and, if so, the depository for the global
certificates and the specific terms of the depositary arrangements;
- circumstances
under which the trust will be dissolved, and provisions
relating to liquidation and distribution upon dissolution;
- circumstances
that constitute an event of default, and the consequences
thereof;
- restrictions
on, and conditions for, merger and amalgamation of the
trust;
- restrictions
on the right to amend the trust agreement following
issuance of any securities by the trust;
- restrictions
and requirements for the removal and replacement of
trustees; and
- any
other
relevant rights, preferences, privileges, limitations or restrictions of
the
preferred securities.
The
prospectus
supplement may also describe the relevant United States federal income tax
and
ERISA considerations applicable to the purchase, holding and disposition of
the
preferred securities of the trust.
17
Information
Concerning the Property Trustee
For
matters relating
to compliance with the Trust Indenture Act, the property trustee will have
all
of the duties and responsibilities of an indenture trustee under the Trust
Indenture Act. The property trustee, other than during the occurrence and
continuance of an event of default under the trust agreement, undertakes to
perform only the duties as are specifically set forth in the trust agreement
and, after an event of default, must use the same degree of care and skill
as a
prudent person would exercise or use in the conduct of his or her own affairs.
Subject to this provision, the property trustee is under no obligation to
exercise any of the powers given it by the trust agreement at the request of
any
holder of the preferred securities unless it is offered reasonable security
or
indemnity against the costs, expenses and liabilities that it might
incur.
The
property trustee
which may be the property trustee for each ABN AMRO Capital Funding Trust,
also
may serve as the guarantee trustee under the preferred securities guarantee
described below. We and some of our and its affiliates may maintain banking
relationships with the trustee.
Miscellaneous
The
regular trustees
of each ABN AMRO Capital Funding Trust will be authorized and directed to
conduct the affairs of and to operate the trust in such a way that:
- it
will
not be taxable as a corporation or classified as other than a grantor trust
for United States federal income tax purposes;
- the
intercompany securities held by it will be treated as indebtedness of us
or
the holder of the trust’s common securities, as the case may be, for United
States federal income tax purposes; and
- it
will
not be deemed to be an investment company required to be registered under
the
Investment Company Act.
The
issuer of the
related intercompany securities and the trustees of the trust will be authorized
to take any action, so long as it is consistent with applicable law, the
certificate of trust or trust agreement, that the issuer of the related
intercompany securities and the trustees of the trust determine to be necessary
or desirable for the above purposes.
Registered
holders of
the preferred securities will have no preemptive or similar rights.
No
ABN AMRO Capital
Funding Trust may incur indebtedness or place a lien on any of its
assets.
Governing
Law
The
trust agreement
and the preferred securities will be governed by the laws of the State of
Delaware.
Guarantee
The
payment
obligations with respect to the preferred securities issued by any ABN AMRO
Capital Funding Trust hereunder will be fully and unconditionally guaranteed
by
ABN AMRO Holding or the Bank as described below under “Description of the
Preferred Securities Guarantees.” Guarantees issued by ABN AMRO Bank will be
fully and unconditionally guaranteed by ABN AMRO Holding.
18
DESCRIPTION
OF LLC
PREFERRED SECURITIES
The
LLC preferred
securities will be issued pursuant to an amended and restated LLC Agreement
between the holders from time to time of the LLC’s preferred and common
securities. The amended and restated LLC Agreement will be executed at the
time
the LLC issues any preferred securities and will be filed with the SEC on Form
6-K or by a post-effective amendment to the registration statement of which
this
prospectus is a part. The amended and restated LLC Agreement may be qualified
under the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended. The terms of the preferred
securities will include those stated in the amended and restated LLC Agreement
and those made part of the amended and restated LLC Agreement by reference
to
the Trust Indenture Act. The specific terms of the preferred securities will
be
described in the applicable supplement to this prospectus. The prospectus
supplement will also indicate whether the general terms and provisions described
in this prospectus apply to those preferred securities.
Each
LLC will issue
limited liability company interests consisting of common securities, and one
or
more series of preferred securities. A series of preferred securities will
either be of a class with certain senior rights, referred to as senior preferred
securities, or a class that does not have such rights, referred to as junior
preferred securities. The LLC Agreement will authorize the LLC to issue the
junior preferred securities, either to an ABN AMRO Capital Funding Trust or
otherwise, and the common securities and senior preferred securities initially
to Holding or one or more wholly owned subsidiaries of Holding. Unless otherwise
set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement, the LLC preferred securities
will be perpetual and non-cumulative.
The
proceeds from the
sale of the preferred and common securities will be used by the LLC to purchase
either a series of fixed income securities or preferred securities from Holding
or an affiliate thereof. Such securities are referred to in this prospectus
as
intercompany securities.
Under
the securities
guarantee of the LLC’s preferred securities, Holding or the Bank, as guarantor,
will agree to make payments of distributions and payments on redemption or
liquidation with respect to the LLC’s preferred securities. The LLC will itself
enter into a contingent guarantee with Holding or Bank, enforceable, as
described below under “Description of the Preferred Securities Guarantees,” in
connection with certain failure by the applicable guarantor to pay under the
guarantee applicable to the holders of the preferred securities issued by the
LLC or, where the preferred securities are issued to an ABN AMRO Capital Funding
Trust, failure to pay under the guarantee applicable to the holders of the
preferred securities issued by such trust.
The
preferred
securities guarantees, when taken together with the obligations of the issuer
under intercompany securities, any contingent guarantee and related agreements,
will provide a full and unconditional guarantee by ABN AMRO Holding or the
Bank
of amounts due on the preferred securities issued by the LLC.
It
is intended that
the LLC will be capable of issuing preferred securities that qualify as Tier
1
capital for Holding or Bank, in accordance with the laws of The Netherlands
and
other applicable rules and regulations. In a offering of securities intended
to
qualify for Tier 1 treatment by Holding or the Bank, unless otherwise specified
in the applicable prospectus supplement, the holders of the junior preferred
securities will be afforded liquidation and dividend payments similar to those
of Tier 1 eligible preferred securities, with economic terms substantially
similar to those of the junior preferred securities, that could be issued
directly by Holding or the Bank. The prospectus supplement relating to the
preferred securities of the LLC will describe the specific terms of the
preferred securities, including:
- the
designations of the LLC preferred securities;
- the
number
and liquidation preference of the LLC preferred securities;
- the
relative rights of the securities issued by the LLC;
- the
dividend rate, or method of determining rate, and date or dates from which
any
dividends will accumulate;
- whether
the dividend will be non-cumulative;
- any
limitations on the LLC’s authorization to declare dividends on the one or more
series of LLC preferred securities, and the criteria for determining whether
and to what extent the LLC will be required to pay dividends on its preferred
securities;
- the
LLC’s
obligation, if any, to redeem or purchase the preferred securities and the
terms and conditions on which the preferred securities may be redeemed or
purchased;
- the
terms
and conditions, if any, on which the preferred securities may be redeemed
at
the LLC’s option or at the option of the holders;
- the
terms
and conditions, if any, upon any conversion or exchange of preferred
securities of the LLC into other securities, including shares of Holding;
- the
voting
rights, if any, of the holders of the LLC’s securities;
- whether
the preferred securities are to be issued in book-entry form and represented
by one or more global certificates and, if so, the depository for the global
certificates and the specific terms of the depositary arrangements;
- whether
and to what extent the LLC will be required to pay any additional amounts
in
respect of withholding tax or other taxes;
- the
right,
if any, of the LLC to change the dividend preference of the preferred
securities;
- circumstances
under which the LLC will be dissolved, and provisions
relating to liquidation and distribution upon dissolution;
- circumstances
that constitute an event of default, and the consequences
thereof;
- restrictions
on, and conditions for, merger and amalgamation of the
LLC;
- restrictions
on the right to amend the LLC Agreement following issuance
of any securities by the LLC; and
- any
other
relevant rights, preferences, privileges, limitations or restrictions of
the
preferred securities.
The
prospectus
supplement may also, if relevant, describe the relevant United States federal
income tax and ERISA considerations applicable to the purchase, holding and
disposition of the preferred securities.
Miscellaneous
Unless
otherwise set
forth in the applicable supplement to this prospectus, the Board of each LLC
will be authorized and directed to conduct the affairs of the LLC in such a
way
that (i) the LLC will not be deemed to be required to register under the
Investment Company Act and (ii) the LLC will not be treated as an association
or
as a ‘‘publicly traded partnership’’ (within the meaning of Section 7704 of the
Code) taxable as a corporation for United States federal income tax purposes.
In
this connection, the Board of each LLC will be authorized to take any action,
not inconsistent with applicable law or the LLC Agreement, that the Board
determines in its discretion to be necessary or desirable for such purposes,
so
long as such action does not adversely affect the interests of the holders
of
the junior preferred securities. Any amendment of the applicable LLC Agreement
relating to dividends or the guarantee will require consent of each holder
of
the junior preferred securities.
Guarantee
The
payment
obligations with respect to any securities issued by any of the LLCs hereunder
will be fully and unconditionally guaranteed by ABN AMRO Holding or the Bank
as
described below under “Description of the Preferred Securities Guarantees.” The
payment obligations under such guarantee will be further guaranteed by the
conditional guarantee between the guarantor and each LLC. Guarantees issued
by
ABN AMRO Bank will be fully and unconditionally guaranteed by ABN AMRO Holding.
19
DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED SECURITIES
GUARANTEES
ABN
AMRO Holding
or ABN AMRO Bank, referred to in this prospectus as the guarantor, will
guarantee payment in full to the holders of the securities listed herein to
be
issued by each of the Trusts and each of the LLCs. This guarantee, in
combination with certain other agreements, as discussed below under
“—Relationships Defining the Scope of the Guarantee,” will constitute a full and
unconditional guarantee. Each guarantee will constitute a guarantee of payment
and not of collection. This means that the holder of the guaranteed security
may
sue the guarantor to enforce its rights under the guarantee without first suing
any other person or entity.
The
guarantee
for the preferred securities of the Trusts and the LLCs will be issued pursuant
to a guarantee agreement between the Bank or Holding, as guarantor, and a
guarantee trustee to be specified in the applicable prospectus supplement.
The
guarantee agreement will be executed at the time we issue any preferred
securities and will be filed with the SEC on a Form 6-K or by a post-effective
amendment to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part.
The
guarantee agreement will be held by the guarantee trustee for the benefit of
the
holders of preferred securities of the Trusts.
Each
agreement
establishing the guarantee may be qualified under the Trust Indenture Act of
1939, as amended. The terms of each guarantee will include those stated in
the
applicable guarantee agreement and those made part of such guarantee agreement
by reference to the Trust Indenture Act. The documents establishing such
guarantee, and the specific terms of such guarantee, including its seniority,
are described in greater detail in the accompanying prospectus supplement.
Unless
otherwise
set forth herein or in the prospectus supplement, each securities guarantee
will
constitute an unsecured obligation of the Bank or Holding as guarantor, and
will
rank junior to all other obligations of Holding or the Bank, as the case may
be,
and effectively rank senior to Holding’s and the Bank’s ordinary shares. As a
result, in the event of the guarantor’s bankruptcy, liquidation or
reorganization or upon acceleration of any series of debt securities due to
an
event also triggering payment obligations on other debt, the guarantor’s assets
will be available to pay its obligations on the guarantee only after all secured
indebtedness and other indebtedness senior to the guarantee has been paid in
full in cash or other payment satisfactory to the holders of the secured and
senior indebtedness has been made. There may not be sufficient assets remaining
to pay amounts due on any or all of the guarantees. Each guarantee also will
be
effectively subordinated to the indebtedness and other liabilities of the
guarantor’s subsidiaries.
The
specific
terms of any guarantee will be explained in the applicable prospectus
supplement, and such prospectus supplement will also set forth the extent to
which the general terms of the guarantee set forth in this prospectus
apply.
General
The
guarantor
will irrevocably agree to pay in full, to the holders of the Trust and LLC
preferred securities, the guarantee payments described below, except to the
extent previously paid. The guarantor will pay the guarantee payments when
and
as due, regardless of any defense, right of set-off or counterclaim that the
trust may have or assert. The following payments, to the extent not paid by
the
Trust or LLC, as applicable, will be covered by the guarantee of the preferred
securities:
- any
accumulated and unpaid distributions required to be paid on the preferred
securities, to the extent that the applicable Trust or LLC has funds available
to make the payment;
- the
redemption price, to the extent that the applicable Trust or LLC has funds
available to make the payment; and
- upon
a
voluntary or involuntary dissolution, termination, winding–up or liquidation
of the applicable Trust or LLC, other than in connection with a distribution
of related intercompany securities to holders of the preferred securities,
the
lesser of:
- the
aggregate of the liquidation amounts specified in the prospectus supplement
for each preferred security plus all accumulated and unpaid distributions
on
the preferred security to the date of payment, to the extent the applicable
Trust or LLC has funds available to make the payment; and
- the
amount of assets of the applicable Trust or LLC remaining available for
distribution to holders of its preferred securities upon its liquidation.
The
guarantor’s
obligation to make a guarantee payment may be satisfied by directly paying
the
required amounts to the holders of the preferred securities or by causing the
applicable Trust or LLC to pay the amounts to the holders.
The
preferred
securities guarantee will be subject to the subordination provisions described
below and will not apply to the payment of distributions and other payments
on
the preferred securities when the applicable Trust or LLC does not have
sufficient funds legally and immediately available to make the distributions
or
other payments.
In
addition, the
guarantor will enter into a contingent guarantee with each LLC. The guarantor
will also enter into a contingent guarantee with any Trust that has issued
preferred shares to the public, to the extent the intercompany securities of
a
Trust do not consist of preferred shares issued by an LLC, on substantially
the
same terms as described herein with respect to the contingent guarantee of
the
LLC preferred securities.
Unless
otherwise
specified in the applicable prospectus supplement, the contingent guarantee
will
require the guarantor to pay to the other party to the contingent guarantee
the
payments under the guarantee, to the extent that any such payments remain
unpaid, plus interest accrued since the date of the claim under the guarantee.
If a claim has been made under the guarantee by the guarantee trustee or a
holder of a security issued by the LLC or any affiliated Trust, and such claim
remains unpaid for 180 days or more, then the independent director appointed
by
the holders of the junior preferred securities pursuant to the terms of the
LLC
Agreement, shall enforce the claim of the LLC without prejudice to the claims
of
the guarantee trustee or the holders of the junior preferred securitiesor the
Trust’s preferred securities under the guarantee. The independent director
appointed to enforce the contingent guarantee will be elected by the holders
of
the junior preferred securities upon the non-payment within one day following
the making of a claim by the guarantee trustee or a holder of the junior
preferred securities or the trust preferred securities under the guarantee.
Pursuant to the LLC Agreement, the LLC will distribute any distribution received
with respect to the contingent guarantee to the holders of junior preferred
securities pro rata, except to the extent that any such holder or holder of
trust preferred securities received payments under the guarantee. To the extent
the LLC junior preferred securities are held by an affiliated trust, such trust
will, in turn, be distributed pro rata by the trust to the holders of the trust
preferred securities, but without duplication with any prior payments under
the
securities, the guarantee or the contingent guarantee.
20
Status
of Guarantee
The
guarantee of
preferred securities of the Trusts and the LLCs will constitute an unsecured
obligation of the Bank or Holding, as guarantor, and will rank:
- subordinate
and junior in right of payment to all of the guarantor’s
other liabilities except those that rank equally or are subordinate by their
terms; and
- equal
with
any other preferred securities guarantee now or hereafter issued by the
guarantor of the related intercompany securities on behalf of the holders
of
the preferred securities issued by any other trust or LLC, as applicable.
Unless
otherwise
specified in the applicable prospectus supplement, the Bank or Holding, as
applicable, will make all payments of principal of and premium, if any, interest
and any additional amounts on, or in respect of, the trust preferred securities
without withholding or deduction at source for, or on account of, any present
or
future taxes, fees, duties, assessments or governmental charges of whatever
nature imposed or levied by or on behalf of The Netherlands or any other
jurisdiction in which any of its successors under the applicable guarantee
may
be organized.
Amendments
and Assignment
No
consent of the
holders of the preferred securities will be required with respect to any changes
to the guarantee of Trust or LLC issued preferred securities that do not
adversely affect the rights of the holders of the preferred securities in any
material respect. Other amendments to the guarantee of Trust or LLC issued
preferred securities may be made only with the prior approval of the holders
of
at least a majority in aggregate liquidation amount of the preferred securities
unless otherwise stated in the applicable prospectus supplement. All guarantees
and agreements contained in the guarantee of Trust or LLC issued preferred
securities will be binding on the guarantor’s successors, assigns, receivers,
trustees and representatives and are for the benefit of the holders of the
preferred securities.
Events
of Default
Unless
otherwise
specified in the applicable prospectus supplement, an event of default under
the
guarantee relating to the preferred securities issued by a Trust or LLC occurs
if the guarantor fails to make any of its required payments or fails to perform
any of its other obligations under the relevant securities guarantee, and this
failure continues for at least 30 days.
The
holders of at
least a majority in aggregate liquidation amount of the relevant preferred
securities will have the right to direct the time, method and place of
conducting any proceeding for any remedy available to the guarantee trustee
relating to the relevant preferred securities guarantee or to direct the
exercise of any trust or power given to the guarantee trustee under the relevant
securities guarantee.
The
holders of a
majority in liquidation amount of relevant preferred securities may waive any
past event of default and its consequences.
Information
Concerning Guarantee Trustee
The
guarantee trustee
under each guarantee of Trust or LLC issued preferred securities, other than
during the occurrence and continuance of an event of default under the
securities guarantee, will perform only the duties that are specifically
described in the preferred securities guarantee. After any event of default,
the
guarantee trustee will exercise the same degree of care and skill as a prudent
person would exercise or use in the conduct of his or her own affairs. Subject
to this provision, a guarantee trustee is under no obligation to exercise any
of
its powers as described in the relevant preferred securities guarantee at the
request of any holder of preferred securities unless it is offered reasonable
security and indemnity against the costs, expenses and liabilities that it
might
incur.
The
guarantee trustee
may also serve as the indenture trustee and the property trustee for any or
all
the trusts. Holding and some of its affiliates may maintain banking
relationships with the trustee.
Termination
of the Preferred Securities Guarantees
The
guarantee with
respect to the preferred securities issued by a Trust or an LLC will terminate
once the relevant preferred securities are paid in full or redeemed in full
or
upon distribution of the related intercompany securities to the holders of
the
relevant trust or LLC preferred securities in accordance with the applicable
trust or LLC Agreement. The securities guarantee will continue to be effective
or will be reinstated if at any time any holder of preferred securities must
restore payment of any sums paid under the preferred securities or the preferred
securities guarantee.
Governing
Law, Jurisdiction
The
guarantee of the
securities issued by any Trust or any LLC will be governed by the laws of The
Netherlands, except that, all the rights and duties of the trustee relating
to
such guarantee towards the holders of the securities issued to the public
subject to such guarantee will be governed by New York law. The guarantee will
require that any claim or proceeding brought by a holder to enforce the
obligations of Holding or the Bank, as applicable, as guarantor be brought
in a
court of competent jurisdiction in The Netherlands.
Relationships
Defining the Scope of the Guarantee
No
single document
executed by the guarantor in connection with the issuance of the preferred
securities will provide for a full, irrevocable and unconditional guarantee
of
the preferred securities. It is only the combined operation of the guarantor’s
obligations under the guarantee of the preferred securities, the contingent
guarantee, the trust agreement and/or LLC agreement, as applicable, the
agreements governing the intercompany securities, the related intercompany
securities and the expense agreement that has the effect of providing a full,
irrevocable and unconditional guarantee of each Trust’s and LLC’s obligations
under the preferred securities.
As
long as the issuer
of the intercompany securities makes payments of interest and other payments
when due on the intercompany securities held by the trust or the LLC, as
applicable, the payments will be sufficient to cover the payment of
distributions and redemption and liquidation payments due on the preferred
securities, primarily because:
- the
aggregate principal amount of the intercompany securities will be equal to
the
sum of the aggregate liquidation amounts of the preferred and common
securities;
- the
interest rate and interest and other payment dates on the intercompany
securities will match the distribution rate and distribution and other payment
dates for the preferred securities;
- the
guarantor has agreed to pay for any and all costs, expenses and liabilities
of
the trust and LLC, except the obligations under their preferred securities;
and
- the
Trust
agreements and LLC Agreements will provide that none of the Trusts or the
LLCs
will engage in any activity that is inconsistent with their limited purposes.
If
and to the extent
that the issuer of the intercompany securities held by a Trust or an LLC, as
applicable, fails to make any payments due on the intercompany securities held
by the Trust or the LLC, as applicable, the holder of such intercompany
securities will not have funds available to make payments of distributions
or
other amounts due on the preferred securities. In those circumstances, a holder
of the preferred securities issued by such entity will not be able to rely
upon
the preferred securities guarantee for payment of these amounts. Instead the
holder may directly sue the guarantor to collect its pro rata share of payments
owed. If a holder sues the guarantor to collect payment, then the guarantor
will
assume the holder’s rights as a holder of preferred securities under the trust
agreement or LLC Agreement, as applicable, to the extent the guarantor makes
a
payment to the holder in any legal action.
21
TAXATION
The
material Dutch tax
and U.S. federal income tax consequences relating to the purchase and ownership
of any of the securities offered by this prospectus will be set forth in the
prospectus supplement offering those securities.
PLAN
OF DISTRIBUTION
We
may sell our
securities in any one or more of the following ways from time to time:
- to
or
through underwriters;
- to
or
through dealers;
- through
agents; or
- directly
to purchasers, including our affiliates.
The
prospectus
supplement with respect to any offering of our securities will set forth the
terms of the offering, including:
- the
name
or names of any underwriters, dealers or agents;
- the
purchase price of the securities and the proceeds to us from the sale;
- any
underwriting discounts and commissions or agency fees and other items
constituting underwriters’ or agents’ compensation; and
- any
delayed delivery arrangements.
The
distribution of
the securities may be effected from time to time in one or more transactions
at
a fixed price or prices, which may be changed, at market prices prevailing
at
the time of sale, at prices related to the prevailing market prices or at
negotiated prices.
If
securities are sold
by means of an underwritten offering, we will execute an underwriting agreement
with an underwriter or underwriters, and the names of the specific managing
underwriter or underwriters, as well as any other underwriters, and the terms
of
the transaction, including commissions, discounts and any other compensation
of
the underwriters and dealers, if any, will be set forth in the prospectus
supplement which will be used by the underwriters to sell the securities. If
underwriters are utilized in the sale of the securities, the securities will
be
acquired by the underwriters for their own account and may be resold from time
to time in one or more transactions, including negotiated transactions, at
fixed
public offering prices or at varying prices determined by the underwriters
at
the time of sale.
Our
securities may be
offered to the public either through underwriting syndicates represented by
managing underwriters or directly by the managing underwriters. If any
underwriter or underwriters are utilized in the sale of the securities, unless
otherwise indicated in the prospectus supplement, the underwriting agreement
will provide that the obligations of the underwriters are subject to conditions
precedent and that the underwriters with respect to a sale of securities will
be
obligated to purchase all of those securities if they purchase any of those
securities.
We
may grant to the
underwriters options to purchase additional securities to cover over-allotments,
if any, at the public offering price with additional underwriting discounts
or
commissions. If we grant any over-allotment option, the terms of any
over-allotment option will be set forth in the prospectus supplement relating
to
those securities.
If
a dealer is
utilized in the sales of securities in respect of which this prospectus is
delivered, we will sell those securities to the dealer as principal. The dealer
may then resell those securities to the public at varying prices to be
determined by the dealer at the time of resale. Any reselling dealer may be
deemed to be an underwriter, as the term is defined in the Securities Act of
1933, of the securities so offered and sold. The name of the dealer and the
terms of the transaction will be set forth in the related prospectus supplement.
Offers
to purchase
securities may be solicited by agents designated by us from time to time. Any
agent involved in the offer or sale of the securities in respect of which this
prospectus is delivered will be named, and any commissions payable by us to
the
agent will be set forth, in the applicable prospectus supplement. Unless
otherwise indicated in the prospectus supplement, any agent will be acting
on a
reasonable best efforts basis for the period of its appointment. Any agent
may
be deemed to be an underwriter, as that term is defined in the Securities Act
of
1933, of the securities so offered and sold.
Offers
to purchase
securities may be solicited directly by us and the sale of those securities
may
be made by us directly to institutional investors or others, who may be deemed
to be underwriters within the meaning of the Securities Act of 1933 with respect
to any resale of those securities. The terms of any sales of this type will
be
described in the related prospectus supplement.
Underwriters,
dealers,
agents and remarketing firms may be entitled under relevant agreements entered
into with us to indemnification by us against certain civil liabilities,
including liabilities under the Securities Act of 1933, that may arise from
any
untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact or any omission
or alleged omission to state a material fact in this prospectus, any supplement
or amendment hereto, or in the registration statement of which this prospectus
forms a part, or to contribution with respect to payments which the agents,
underwriters or dealers may be required to make.
22
If
so indicated in the
prospectus supplement, we will authorize underwriters or other persons acting
as
our agents to solicit offers by institutions to purchase securities from us
pursuant to contracts providing for payments and delivery on a future date.
Institutions with which contracts of this type may be made include commercial
and savings banks, insurance companies, pension funds, investment companies,
educational and charitable institutions and others, but in all cases those
institutions must be approved by us. The obligations of any purchaser under
any
contract of this type will be subject to the condition that the purchase of
the
securities shall not at the time of delivery be prohibited under the laws of
the
jurisdiction to which the purchaser is subject. The underwriters and other
persons acting as our agents will not have any responsibility in respect of
the
validity or performance of those contracts.
One
or more firms,
referred to as “remarketing firms,” may also offer or sell the securities, if
the prospectus supplement so indicates, in connection with a remarketing
arrangement upon their purchase. Remarketing firms will act as principals for
their own accounts or as agents for ABN AMRO Holding, Bank or any of its
subsidiaries. These remarketing firms will offer or sell the securities in
accordance with a redemption or repayment pursuant to the terms of the
securities. The prospectus supplement will identify any remarketing firm and
the
terms of its agreement, if any, with ABN AMRO Holding, Bank or any of its
subsidiaries and will describe the remarketing firm’s compensation. Remarketing
firms may be deemed to be underwriters in connection with the securities they
remarket. Remarketing firms may be entitled under agreements that may be entered
into with ABN AMRO Holding, Bank or any of its subsidiaries to indemnification
by ABN AMRO Holding, Bank or any of its subsidiaries against certain civil
liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act, and may be
customers of, engage in transactions with or perform services for ABN AMRO
Holding, Bank or any of its subsidiaries in the ordinary course of
business.
Disclosure
in the
prospectus supplement of our use of delayed delivery contracts will include
the
commission that underwriters and agents soliciting purchases of the securities
under delayed contracts will be entitled to receive in addition to the date
when
we will demand payment and delivery of the securities under the delayed delivery
contracts. These delayed delivery contracts will be subject only to the
conditions that we describe in the prospectus supplement.
In
connection with the
offering of securities, persons participating in the offering, such as any
underwriters, may purchase and sell securities in the open market. These
transactions may include over-allotment and stabilizing transactions and
purchases to cover syndicate short positions created in connection with the
offering. Stabilizing transactions consist of bids or purchases for the purpose
of preventing or retarding a decline in the market price of the securities,
and
syndicate short positions involve the sale by underwriters of a greater number
of securities than they are required to purchase from Holding, the Bank, any
of
the ABN AMRO Capital Funding LLCs or any of the ABN AMRO Capital Funding Trusts,
as the case may be, in the offering. Underwriters also may impose a penalty
bid,
whereby selling concessions allowed to syndicate members or other broker-dealers
in respect of the securities sold in the offering for their account may be
reclaimed by the syndicate if the securities are repurchased by the syndicate
in
stabilizing or covering transactions. These activities may stabilize, maintain
or otherwise affect the market price of the securities, which may be higher
than
the price that might prevail in the open market, and these activities, if
commenced, may be discontinued at any time. These transactions may be effected
on the New York Stock Exchange, in the over-the-counter market or
otherwise.
Our
American
Depositary Shares, each of which represents one ordinary share, are listed
on
the New York Stock Exchange under the trading symbol “ABN.”
Underwriters,
dealers,
agents and remarketing firms may be customers of, engage in transactions with,
or perform services for, us and our subsidiaries in the ordinary course of
business.
To the
extent an initial offering of the
securities will be distributed by an affiliate of ABN AMRO Holding, each such
offering of securities will be conducted in compliance with the requirements
of
Rule 2720 of the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc., which is
commonly referred to as the NASD, regarding a NASD member firm’s distribution of
securities of an affiliate. Following the initial distribution of any of these
securities, affiliates of ABN AMRO Holding may offer and sell these securities
in the course of their businesses as broker-dealers. Such affiliates may act
as
principals or agents in these transactions and may make any sales at varying
prices related to prevailing market prices at the time of sale or otherwise.
Such affiliates may also use this prospectus in connection with these
transactions. None of our affiliates is obligated to make a market in any of
these securities and may discontinue any market-making activities at any time
without notice.
In the
event that any NASD member
participates in a public offering of these securities: (a) the actual price
and
selling terms will be disclosed in post-effective amendments or prospectus
or
pricing supplements; (b) the maximum compensation to be received by any NASD
member in this distribution will be disclosed and submitted for approval with
the NASD’s Corporate Financing Department (the “Department”); and (c) prior to
the commencement of the distribution, underwriting documents proposed for use
will be submitted to the Department for review. Underwriting discounts and
commissions on securities sold in the initial distribution will not exceed
8% of
the offering proceeds.
All
post-effective amendments or prospectus
supplements disclosing actual price and selling terms will be submitted to
the
Department at the same time they are filed with the SEC.
The
Department will be advised if,
subsequent to the filing of the offering, any 5% or greater shareholder of
the
issuer is or becomes an affiliate or associated person of an NASD member
participating in the distribution.
All
NASD members participating in the
offering understand the requirements that have to be met in connection with
SEC
Rule 415 and Notice-to-Members 88-101.
23
EXPERTS
Our
consolidated
financial statements and the related financial statement schedules incorporated
in this prospectus by reference to the Annual Report on Form 20-F for the year
ended December 31, 2006 have been so incorporated in reliance on the report
of
Ernst & Young, independent accountants, given on the authority of the firm
as experts in accounting and auditing.
LEGAL
MATTERS
Certain legal matters
with respect to United States and New York law with respect to the validity
of
certain of the offered securities will be passed upon for the issuers by Davis
Polk & Wardwell, New York, New York.
ERISA
MATTERS FOR
PENSION PLANS AND INSURANCE COMPANIES
We
and some of our
affiliates may each be considered a “party in interest” within the meaning of
the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1975, which is commonly referred
to as ERISA, or a “disqualified person” within the meaning of the Internal
Revenue Code with respect to many employee benefit plans. Prohibited
transactions with the meaning of ERISA or the IRC may arise, for example, if
the
securities offered pursuant to this prospectus are acquired by or with the
assets of a pension or other employee benefit plan with respect to which we
or
any of our affiliates is a service provider, unless those securities are
acquired pursuant to an exemption for transactions effected on behalf of one
of
these plans by a “qualified professional asset manager” or pursuant to any other
available exemption. The assets of a pension or other employee benefit plan
may
include assets held in the general account of an insurance company that are
deemed to be “plan assets” under ERISA. Any insurance company or pension or
employee benefit plan, proposing to invest in the securities should consult
with
its legal counsel.
ENFORCEMENT
OF CIVIL
LIABILITIES
ABN
AMRO Holding and
ABN AMRO Bank are organized under the laws of The Netherlands and the members
of
their Supervisory Boards, with one exception, and their Managing Boards are
residents of The Netherlands or other countries outside the United States.
Although some of our affiliates have substantial assets in the United States,
substantially all of Holding’s assets and the assets of the members of the
Supervisory Board and the Managing Board are located outside the United States.
As a result, it may not be possible for investors to effect service of process
within the United States upon Holding or these persons or to enforce against
Holding or these persons in United States courts judgments of United States
courts predicated upon the civil liability provisions of United States
securities laws. The United States and The Netherlands do not currently have
a
treaty providing for reciprocal recognition and enforcement of judgments in
civil and commercial matters. Therefore, a final judgment for the payment of
money rendered by any federal or state court in the United States based on
civil
liability, whether or not predicated solely upon United States federal
securities laws, would not be enforceable in The Netherlands. However, if the
party in whose favor such judgment is rendered brings a new suit in a competent
court in The Netherlands, that party may submit to a Dutch court the final
judgment which has been rendered in the United States. If the Dutch court finds
that the jurisdiction of the federal or state court in the United States has
been based on grounds that are internationally acceptable and that the final
judgment concerned results from proceedings compatible with Dutch concepts
of
due process, to the extent that the Dutch court is of the opinion that
reasonableness and fairness so require, the Dutch court would, in principle,
under current practice, recognize the final judgment that has been rendered
in
the United States and generally grant the same claim without relitigation on
the
merits, unless the consequences of the recognition of such judgment contravene
public policy in The Netherlands.
24
PART
II
INFORMATION
NOT
REQUIRED IN PROSPECTUS
Item
8. Indemnification of Officers and Directors.
ABN
AMRO Holding N.V. and ABN AMRO Bank N.V.
The
Articles of Association of ABN AMRO
Bank N.V. and ABN AMRO Holding N.V. contain no provisions under which any member
of the respective supervisory boards or the respective managing boards or any
officer is indemnified in any manner against any liability which he or she
may
incur in his or her capacity as such. However, Article 34 of the Articles of
Association of ABN AMRO Bank N.V. provides that the annual accounts require
approval by the shareholders meeting. Similarly, the current Articles of
Association of ABN AMRO Holding N.V. provides that the annual accounts that
have
been adopted by its supervisory board, require the approval of the shareholders
meeting and that the shareholders meeting shall ratify the conduct of ABN AMRO
Holding N.V.’s managing board and supervisory board. At the 2003 shareholders
meeting it was resolved to amend ABN AMRO Holding N.V.’s Articles of Association
so that the annual accounts require adoption at the shareholders meeting and
that the shareholders meeting shall make all decisions regarding the discharge
of the members of ABN AMRO Holding N.V.’s managing board and supervisory board
in respect of their management and supervision respectively. The unconditional
approval of ABN AMRO Bank N.V.’s annual accounts shall discharge members of ABN
AMRO Bank N.V.’s managing board from liability to ABN AMRO Bank N.V or ABN AMRO
Holding N.V. as its shareholder as set forth below. The unconditional approval
of ABN AMRO Holding N.V.’s annual accounts shall similarly discharge members of
ABN AMRO Holding N.V.’s managing board from liability to ABN AMRO Holding N.V.
and its shareholders. The liability so discharged is, for each managing board
with respect to the conduct of its management activities during the financial
year concerned, and for each supervisory board for its supervision thereof,
insofar as such management and supervision is reflected in the annual accounts.
Shareholder ratification or approval of other management or supervisory conduct
will correspondingly discharge liability. Under Dutch law, this discharge is
not
absolute and would not be effective as to any matters not disclosed to the
Bank’s or Holding’s shareholders, as applicable. Furthermore, this discharge may
not set aside general rules regarding liability of each managing board with
regard to the proper fulfillment of such managing board’s task.
The
members of the supervisory board, the
managing board and certain officers of the Bank and Holding, respectively,
are,
to a limited extent, insured under an insurance policy against damages resulting
from their conduct when acting in their capacities as such.
Item
9. Exhibits.
Reference
is made to the Exhibit Index
included herewith which is incorporated herein by reference.
Item
10. Undertakings.
Each
undersigned registrant hereby
undertakes:
(1) To file,
during any period in
which offers or sales are being made, a post-effective amendment to this
registration statement:
(a) to
include
any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act of
1933;
(b) to
reflect in
the prospectus any facts or events arising after the effective date of the
registration statement (or the most recent post-effective amendment thereof)
which, individually or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental change in
the
information set forth in the registration statement. Notwithstanding the
foregoing, any increase or decrease in the volume of securities offered (if
the
total dollar value of securities offered would not exceed that which was
registered) and any deviation from the low or high end of the estimated maximum
offering range may be reflected in the form of a prospectus filed with the
SEC
pursuant to Rule 424(b) if, in the aggregate, the changes in volume and price
represent no more than a 20% change in the maximum aggregate offering price
set
forth in the “Calculation of Registration Fee” table in the effective
registration statement; and
II
- 1
(c) to
include
any material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously
disclosed in the registration statement or any material change to such
information in the registration statement;
provided,
however, that (a) and (b) do not apply if the information required to be
included in a post-effective amendment by those paragraphs is contained in
periodic reports filed with or furnished to the SEC by the registrant pursuant
to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 that
are
incorporated by reference in the registration statement.
(2) That,
for the purpose of
determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each post-effective
amendment shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the
securities offered in the post-effective amendment, and the offering of those
securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide
offering thereof.
(3) To remove
from registration by
means of post-effective amendment any of the securities being registered which
remain unsold at the termination of the offering.
(4) To file
a post-effective amendment
to the registration statement to include any financial statements required
by
§210.3-19 of this chapter at the start of any delayed offering or throughout
a
continuous offering. Financial statements and information otherwise required
by
Section 10(a)(3) of the Act need not be furnished, provided that the
registrant includes in the prospectus, by means of a post-effective amendment,
financial statements required pursuant to this paragraph (a)(4) and other
information necessary to ensure that all other information in the prospectus
is
at least as current as the date of those financial statements. Notwithstanding
the foregoing, with respect to registration statements on Form F-3 (§239.33 of
this chapter), a post-effective amendment need not be filed to include financial
statements and information required by Section 10(a)(3) of the Act or §210.3-19
of this chapter if such financial statements and information are contained
in
periodic reports filed with or furnished to the Commission by the registrant
pursuant to section 13 or section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
that are incorporated by reference in the Form F-3.
(5) That,
for purposes of determining
any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each filing of each of Holding’s
and the Bank’s annual reports pursuant to Section 13(a) or Section 15(d) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934 that is incorporated by reference in this
registration statement shall be deemed to be a new registration statement
relating to the securities offered in this registration statement, and the
offering of those securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial
bona fide offering thereof.
(6) To supplement
the prospectus,
after the expiration of the subscription period, to set forth the results of
the
subscription offer, the transactions by the underwriters during the subscription
period, the amount of unsubscribed securities to be purchased by the
underwriters, and the terms of any subsequent reoffering thereof. If any public
offering by the underwriters is to be made on terms differing from those set
forth on the cover page of the prospectus, a post-effective amendment will
be
filed to set forth the terms of such offering.
(7) Insofar
as indemnification for
liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933 may be permitted to
directors, officers or persons controlling the registrant pursuant to the
foregoing provisions, the registrant has been informed that in the opinion
of
the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public
policy as expressed in the Act and is therefore unenforceable. In the event
that
a claim for indemnification against these types of liabilities (other than
the
payment by the registrants of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer
or controlling person in the successful defense of any action, suit or
proceeding) is asserted by any director, officer or controlling person in
connection with the securities being registered, the registrants will, unless
in
the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent,
submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether the asserted
indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Act and
will
be governed by the final adjudication of the issue.
II
- 2
(8) To
file an application for the purpose of
determining the eligibility of the trustees to act under subsection (a) of
Section 310 of the Trust Indenture Act in accordance with the rules and
regulations prescribed by the SEC under Section 305(b)(2) of the Securities
Act.
II
- 3
SIGNATURES
Pursuant
to the requirements of the
Securities Act of 1933, each of ABN AMRO Holding N.V. and ABN AMRO Bank N.V.
certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the
requirements for filing on Form F-3 and has duly caused this post-effective
amendment to the registration statement to be signed on its behalf by the
undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, as of
the
30th day of November, 2007.
ABN
AMRO Holding N.V. |
|
|
By: |
* |
|
|
|
Name: R.W.
J. Groenink
|
|
Title: Chairman
of the Managing
Board Chief
Executive Officer |
|
|
|
|
By: |
* |
|
|
|
Name: H.
G. Boumeester |
|
Title: Member
of the Managing
Board
Chief Financial Officer |
|
|
ABN
AMRO Bank N.V. |
|
|
By: |
* |
|
|
|
Name: R.W.
J. Groenink
|
|
Title: Chairman
of the Managing
Board Chief
Executive Officer |
|
|
|
|
By: |
* |
|
|
|
Name: H.
G. Boumeester |
|
Title: Member
of the Managing
Board
Chief Financial Officer |
|
|
Pursuant
to the requirements of the
Securities Act of 1933, this post-effective amendment to the registration
statement has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of each
of
the Registrants and in the capacities indicated as of the 30th day of November,
2007.
Signature
|
|
Title
|
|
|
|
*
|
|
Chairman
of the Managing Board
|
|
|
Chief
Executive Officer |
R.
W.
J. Groenink
|
|
|
|
|
|
*
|
|
Member
of the Managing Board
|
|
|
Chief
Financial Officer |
H.
G.
Boumeester
|
|
|
|
|
|
*
|
|
Member
of the Managing Board
|
|
|
|
W.
G.
Jiskoot
|
|
|
|
|
|
*
|
|
Member
of the Managing Board
|
|
|
|
J.
Ch. L. Kuiper
|
|
|
|
|
|
*
|
|
Member
of the Managing Board
|
|
|
|
P.S.
Overmars
|
|
|
|
|
|
*
|
|
Member
of the Managing Board
|
|
|
|
R.
Teerlink
|
|
|
|
|
*By: |
/s/
Laura Schisgall |
|
|
|
Name: Laura
Schisgall
|
|
Title: Attorney-in-fact |
|
|
*By: |
/s/
Russell Brenner |
|
|
|
Name: Russell
Brenner
|
|
Title: Attorney-in-fact |
|
|
|
/s/
Laura Schisgall |
|
Authorized
Representative in the United States |
|
|
|
Laura
Schisgall |
|
|
II
- 4
SIGNATURES
Pursuant
to the requirements of the
Securities Act of 1933, ABN AMRO Capital Funding Trust V certifies that it
has
reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements for filing
on Form F-3 and has duly caused this post-effective amendment to the
registration statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto
duly authorized, in Chicago, Illinois, as of the 30th day of November,
2007.
ABN
AMRO CAPITALFUNDING
TRUST V |
|
|
|
|
By: |
/s/
Martin Eisenberg |
|
|
|
Name:
Martin Eisenberg
|
|
Title: Vice
President |
|
|
Pursuant
to the requirements of the
Securities Act of 1933, ABN AMRO Capital Funding Trust VI certifies that
it has
reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements for filing
on Form F-3 and has duly caused this post-effective amendment to the
registration statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto
duly authorized, in Chicago, Illinois, as of the 30th day of November,
2007.
ABN
AMRO CAPITAL FUNDING
TRUST VI |
|
|
|
|
By: |
/s/
Martin Eisenberg |
|
|
|
Name:
Martin Eisenberg
|
|
Title: Vice
President
|
|
|
Pursuant
to the requirements of the
Securities Act of 1933, ABN AMRO Capital Funding Trust VII certifies that
it has
reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements for filing
on Form F-3 and has duly caused this post-effective amendment to the
registration statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto
duly authorized, in Chicago, Illinois, as of the 30th day of November,
2007.
ABN
AMRO CAPITAL FUNDING
TRUST VII |
|
|
|
|
By: |
/s/
Martin Eisenberg |
|
|
|
Name:
Martin Eisenberg
|
|
Title: Vice
President
|
II
- 5
SIGNATURES
Pursuant
to the requirements of the
Securities Act of 1933, ABN AMRO Capital Funding LLC V certifies that it has
reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements for filing
on Form F-3 and has duly caused this post-effective
amendment to the registration statement to be signed on its
behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in Chicago, Illinois,
as
of the 30th day of November, 2007.
ABN
AMRO CAPITAL FUNDING
LLC V |
|
|
|
|
By: |
/s/
Martin Eisenberg |
|
|
|
Name:
Martin Eisenberg
|
|
Title: Vice
President
|
|
|
Pursuant
to the requirements of the
Securities Act of 1933, ABN AMRO Capital Funding LLC VI certifies that it
has
reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements for filing
on Form F-3 and has duly caused this post-effective
amendment to the registration statement to be signed on its
behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in Chicago, Illinois,
as
of the 30th day of November, 2007.
ABN
AMRO CAPITAL FUNDING
LLC VI |
|
|
By: |
/s/
Martin Eisenberg |
|
|
|
Name:
Martin Eisenberg
|
|
Title: Vice
President
|
|
|
Pursuant
to the requirements of the
Securities Act of 1933, ABN AMRO Capital Funding LLC VII certifies that it
has
reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements for filing
on Form F-3 and has duly caused this post-effective
amendment to the registration statement to be signed on its
behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in Chicago, Illinois,
as
of the 30th day of November, 2007.
ABN
AMRO CAPITAL FUNDING
LLC VII |
|
|
By: |
/s/
Martin Eisenberg |
|
|
|
Name:
Martin Eisenberg
|
|
Title: Vice
President
|
II
- 6
EXHIBIT
INDEX
*1.1
|
|
Underwriting
Agreement relating to ordinary shares issued by ABN
AMRO Holding N.V.
|
*1.2
|
|
Underwriting
Agreement relating to preference shares issued by ABN
AMRO Holding N.V.
|
*1.3
|
|
Underwriting
Agreement relating to purchase contracts issued by ABN
AMRO Holding N.V.
|
*1.4
|
|
Underwriting
Agreement relating to units issued by ABN AMRO Holding
N.V.
|
*1.5
|
|
Underwriting
Agreement relating to warrants issued by ABN AMRO
Holding N.V.
|
*1.6
|
|
Underwriting
Agreement relating to debt securities issued by ABN
AMRO Holding N.V.
|
*1.7
|
|
Underwriting
Agreement relating to debt securities issued by ABN
AMRO Bank N.V.
|
1.8
|
|
Reserved
|
*1.9
|
|
Underwriting
Agreement relating to preferred securities issued by
ABN AMRO Capital Funding Trust V
|
*1.10
|
|
Underwriting
Agreement relating to preferred securities issued by
ABN AMRO Capital Funding Trust VI
|
*1.11
|
|
Underwriting
Agreement relating to preferred securities issued by
ABN AMRO Capital Funding Trust VII
|
1.12
|
|
Reserved |
|
|
|
1.13
|
|
Reserved |
|
|
|
*1.14
|
|
Form
of U.S. Distribution Agreement
|
*1.15
|
|
Form
of Euro Distribution Agreement
|
4.1
|
|
Specimen
ABN AMRO Holding N.V. American Depository Receipt
(incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 2.2 to its Annual Report
on
Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2002 (Nos. 1-14624,
5-52647))
|
*4.2
|
|
Specimen
ABN AMRO Holding N.V. preference share certificate
|
**4.3
|
|
Form
of Senior ABN AMRO Holding N.V. Indenture
|
**4.4
|
|
Form
of Senior ABN AMRO Bank N.V. Indenture
|
4.5
|
|
Reserved
|
**4.6
|
|
Form
of Subordinated ABN AMRO Holding N.V. Indenture
|
**4.7
|
|
Form
of Subordinated ABN AMRO Bank N.V. Indenture
|
4.8
|
|
Reserved
|
II
- 7
**4.9
|
|
Trust
Agreement of ABN AMRO Capital Funding Trust V
|
**4.10
|
|
Trust
Agreement of ABN AMRO Capital Funding Trust VI
|
**4.11
|
|
Trust
Agreement of ABN AMRO Capital Funding Trust VII
|
4.12
|
|
Reserved
|
4.13
|
|
Reserved
|
**4.14
|
|
Form
of Amended and Restated Trust Agreement of ABN AMRO Capital Funding
Trusts
V through VII
|
**4.15
|
|
Limited
Liability Company Agreement of ABN AMRO Capital Funding LLC
V
|
**4.16
|
|
Limited
Liability Company Agreement of ABN AMRO Capital Funding LLC
VI
|
**4.17
|
|
Limited
Liability Company Agreement of ABN AMRO Capital Funding LLC
VII
|
4.18 |
|
Reserved |
|
|
|
4.19 |
|
Reserved |
|
|
|
**4.20
|
|
Form
of Amended and Restated LLC Agreement of ABN AMRO Capital Funding
LLCs V
through VII
|
**4.21
|
|
Form
of Guarantee of preferred securities issued by ABN AMRO Capital Funding
Trusts V throughVII
|
**4.22
|
|
Form
of Guarantee of preferred securities issued by ABN AMRO Capital Funding
LLCs V through VII
|
**4.23
|
|
Form
of Contingent Guarantee
|
*4.24
|
|
Form
of Purchase Contract Agreement
|
*4.25
|
|
Form
of Warrant Agreement
|
*4.26
|
|
Form
of Expense Agreements
|
4.27
|
|
Amended
and Restated Deposit Agreement dated as of May 20, 1997,
between ABN AMRO Holding N.V. and Morgan Guarantee Trust Company
of New
York (succeeded through merger by JPMorgan Chase Bank), as Depositary
(incorporated herein by reference to the Registration Statement on
Form
F-6/EF filed by ABN AMRO Holding N.V. on September 20, 2001 (File
No.
333-13922))
|
**5.1
|
|
Opinion
of Clifford Chance Limited Liability Partnership as to the
validity of the ordinary shares, preference shares and preferred
securities guarantees of ABN AMRO Holding N.V. and as to the validity
of
the preferred securities guarantees of ABN AMRO Bank N.V. (Dutch
law)
|
**5.2
|
|
Opinion
of Davis Polk & Wardwell as to the validity of the
ADSs, purchase contracts, units, warrants, debt securities and the
debt
securities guarantees of ABN AMRO Holding N.V., the debt securities
and
the debt securities guarantees of ABN AMRO Bank N.V.
|
**5.3
|
|
Opinion
of Richards, Layton & Finger, P.A. as to the validity
of the preferred securities of each of ABN AMRO Capital Funding Trusts
V
through VII and each of ABN AMRO Capital Funding LLCs V through
VII
|
12.1
|
|
Statement
regarding the computation of consolidated ratio of
earnings to fixed charges and preference dividends to earnings for
the
year ended December 31, 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2006 only (incorporated
herein by reference to Exhibit 7.1 to the Annual Report on Form 20-F
for
the year ended December 31, 2006 (No. 1-14624))
|
II
- 8
23.1
|
|
Consent
of Ernst & Young
|
**23.2
|
|
Consent
of Clifford Chance Limited Liability Partnership (included
in Exhibit 5.1)
|
**23.3
|
|
Consent
of Davis Polk & Wardwell (included in Exhibit
5.2)
|
**23.4
|
|
Consent
of Richards, Layton & Finger, P.A. (included in Exhibit
5.3)
|
**24.1
|
|
Powers
of Attorney (included on the signature pages)
|
*25.1
|
|
Statements
of Eligibility of the Trustees under the
Indentures
|
_______________________
* To
be
filed.
** Previously
filed.
II
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