Bank of America
Code of Ethics and General Policy
on Insider Trading
Bank of America Corporation Code of Ethics
General statement
Bank of America Corporation is committed to the
highest standards of ethical and professional conduct, and this Code of
Ethics provides you guidance in how to uphold these standards. In
addition, the General Policy on Insider Trading, which is included in this
booklet, sets forth the policies of the Corporation1 with
respect to personal securities transactions. Additional direction is
provided in the job-related manuals, policies and procedures of certain
areas because of the areas' particular activities, operating risks or
individual responsibilities, and in other publications that address
associate conduct, such as the Associate Handbook and the policies
included therein. The Code of Ethics, the General Policy on Insider
Trading, the Associate Handbook, any work-related manuals, policies or
procedures applicable to you, and any other publications that address
associate conduct are collectively referred to as the
"Documents."
This Code supersedes and replaces any prior
communications, policies, rules, practices, standards and/or guidelines to
the contrary, whether written or oral. To the extent there are any
conflicts with the Associate Handbook, the language of this Code controls.
This Code consists of basic standards of business
practice as well as professional and personal conduct. Such standards
require honesty and candor in our activities, including the observance of
the spirit and the letter of the law. As set forth below, these standards
have both personal and corporate implications.
Personal conduct. Because the Corporation is
judged by the collective performance and public perception of its
associates, you must always act in a manner that merits public trust and
confidence. The following are our basic principles of personal conduct:
- You must not take any action, either personally or on behalf of the
Corporation, which will violate any law or regulation affecting our
business.
- You must perform your assigned duties to the best of your ability
and in the best interests of the Corporation, its customers,
associates and shareholders.
- You must avoid all circumstances that could produce conflicts or the
appearance of conflicts between your personal interests and those of
the Corporation.
- You must comply with security and safety procedures established by
the Corporation.
- You must adhere to and fully comply with all of the Corporation's
policies and procedures, including the Code, the Policy and the
Associate Handbook.
- You must respect the confidentiality of information obtained in the
course of business, including information related to the financial
affairs of customers or to the investment value of any business
enterprise.
- You must exercise absolute candor and fully cooperate in providing
facts and information in connection with company investigations, or if
requested of you by management or other authorized persons, to the
fullest extent permitted by law.
- You must not use corporate resources or your corporate position in
pursuit of personal interests that violate the Documents or any law or
regulation.
Some specific examples of prohibited conduct are set forth in the
Associate Handbook for your guidance, but such examples are not meant to
be all-inclusive.
1The terms "Corporation" and "Bank of
America" refer to Bank of America Corporation and its subsidiaries.
For convenience, we use these terms because various companies within Bank
of America Corporation use this booklet. The use of these terms here or in
other publications does not mean you are an employee of Bank of America
Corporation. You remain solely an employee of the company that directly
pays your wages, and the use of these terms or issuance of this booklet
does not change your existing at-will employee status.
Corporate conduct. Our corporate activities should earn the
confidence and trust of our customers, associates and shareholders. The
following are our basic principles of corporate conduct:
- The Corporation will not cause or tolerate any violation of law or
regulation in the conduct of its business or related activities.
- The Corporation is committed to maintaining a level of earnings that
provides an equitable return on investment for its shareholders;
providing satisfying employment opportunities in its various
communities; and providing financial services and resources that meet
the needs of its customers and the communities it serves.
- The Corporation will cooperate fully with its regulators and
auditors and will disclose, on a timely basis, information required
for judging the soundness of its condition and its merits as an
investment.
- The Corporation will maintain and uphold standards and procedures
that are designed to safeguard the legitimate confidentiality of
information pertaining to customers and associates.
- The Corporation will conduct its business in fair and open
competition and will not enter into illegal arrangements with
competitors affecting pricing or marketing policies.
Associate responsibilities
The reputation of any financial institution depends upon the conduct and
values of its associates. Building and ensuring an unblemished reputation
involves:
- creating a culture of personal accountability;
- shaping the judgment of each associate on basic matters of policy;
- providing specific direction for each associate's approach to a
variety of situations;
- accepting responsibility for decisions based on these directions;
and
- calling upon each associate's individual pride and spirit in being
recognized as part of a respected professional entity.
As an associate within Bank of America, you must:
- be thoroughly familiar with, and periodically review, the Documents;
- be sensitive to situations that could result in inadvertent actions
by yourself or your associates which could appear to be, or are
directly in violation of, the Documents, or any law or regulation;
- ensure that job-related manuals, policies and procedures support the
other Documents, and that these manuals, policies and procedures
address ethical issues specific to your particular business activity;
- help other associates uphold the highest ethical standards;
- maintain a working environment that is supportive of your
responsibilities as set forth in the Documents; and
- seek counsel regarding ethical issues through your manager or the
Ethics and Compliance Helpline.
This Helpline is maintained by an independent third party.
All associates are bound by both law and policy not to retaliate in
any way against an associate who, in good faith, reports information
in accordance with this policy.
Conflicts of interest
You must avoid conflicts between personal interests and the interests of
Bank of America, or even the appearance of such conflicts. You must not
act on behalf of Bank of America in any transaction involving persons or
organizations with which you, or a family member2, has any
financial or residual interest, other than through a compensation or
similar plan sponsored by Bank of America.
Defined broadly, a conflict of interest includes any situation in which
you are engaged in two or more activities or relationships that, to some
degree, are incompatible. Such situations might include activities,
conduct or investments that could conflict with your duty to Bank of
America, or that could adversely affect your judgment or job performance.
The appearance of a conflict of interest can often be as detrimental as a
conflict itself. You should exercise sound judgment before committing to
any activity or participating in any transaction that could potentially be
a conflict. In general, you should consider the following factors to avoid
conflict of interest situations:
- Perception. Could the activity or transaction be perceived as
a conflict of interest or a potential conflict by others, including
associates, customers, suppliers, competitors, regulators or the
public? If all the facts of the activity or transaction were made
public, would you or the Corporation be embarrassed?
- Intent. Is the activity or transaction being offered in an
attempt to influence your judgment?
- Impact. Will the Corporation be disadvantaged if you
participate in the activity or transaction?
- Objectivity. Will participation in the activity or
transaction in any way affect your ability to be objective with regard
to any decision concerning a customer, associate or supplier?
- Time considerations. Will the time required for the activity
or transaction interfere with your ability to effectively carry out
your job responsibilities at Bank of America?
Work conflicts and outside activities. If you decide to pursue
additional employment, engage in an independent business venture or
perform services for another business organization, you must disclose such
activities to your manager and obtain his or her preapproval to avoid any
potential conflicts. You must not pursue such activities during Bank of
America business hours or allow any outside business, civic or charitable
activities to interfere with your job performance.
A conflict of interest may arise when you or one of your family members
is a significant shareholder, director, officer, employee, consultant or
agent of an organization that is a competitor, or that has current or
prospective business with Bank of America as a customer, supplier or
contractor. In such event, you must take steps to protect confidential
information, remove yourself from situations where conflicts may arise and
otherwise take steps to ensure that outside activities do not conflict
with or impair your ability to perform your responsibilities for Bank of
America and do not adversely affect the integrity, goodwill or public
perception of Bank of America.
2As used in the Bank of America Corporation Code of Ethics,
"family member" means your spouse or domestic partner, child,
parent, grandparent, sibling or parent-in-law. "Family member"
may be defined differently in other policies that are incorporated by
reference into the Code.
Outside directorships of associates. Although you are encouraged to
take part in community and charitable activities, due to the time demands
and potential conflicts of interest, you are encouraged to advise your
manager before serving on a board of a nonprofit organization.
Directorships that will involve significant time away from the
Corporation, or that might otherwise interfere with efficient performance
of normal duties or pose a conflict of interest, require the written
approval of your manager.
If you wish to serve as a director of any for-profit organization, you
must first obtain approval in accordance with the procedures established
by the Finance Committee.
You should avoid directorships that might pose a conflict of interest
or create the appearance of a conflict of interest. If an apparent or
actual conflict of interest develops and cannot be immediately resolved,
you must withdraw promptly from service as a director of the outside
corporation or organization. You should also be aware that you have sole
responsibility for your actions and that the Corporation does not provide
indemnification for associates who serve as directors of outside entities
unless such service is at the specific written direction of an authorized
representative of a Bank of America company.
You are to abstain from, and not be physically present during,
negotiations, preparations, recommendations or approvals of any extensions
of credit or other business transactions between any company in the Bank
of America family and any outside organization on whose board of directors
you sit.
Corporate opportunities. You owe a duty to the Corporation to
advance its legitimate interests whenever the opportunity arises. You must
not deprive the Corporation of an opportunity, take for your own advantage
an opportunity that belongs to the Corporation, or help others do so if
they are in a position to divert a corporate opportunity for their own
benefit. Further, you must not compete with the Corporation or use
corporate property, information or position for improper personal gain.
Gifts. You must not solicit, and are discouraged from accepting,
gifts from current or prospective customers or suppliers who are not
family members. Gifts valued in excess of $200 U.S. ($100 U.S. for
broker-dealer associates) may not be accepted. Gifts of money, in any
amount, may not be accepted. You may accept gifts valued at $200 U.S.
($100 U.S., if applicable) or less, if declining the gift would damage the
relationship, and the circumstances are appropriate when the conflict of
interest factors enumerated above are taken into consideration, and you
have not accepted gifts from the same source within the previous 12
months. Under no circumstance, however, may you receive gifts or anything
of value from current or prospective customers or suppliers if there is a
corrupt intent. You are also prohibited, on behalf of the Corporation,
from giving, offering or promising anything of value to an employee of
another financial institution in connection with any business of that
financial institution if there is a corrupt intent.
You should dedicate the same careful consideration and thought for the
appropriateness of gifts to customers and suppliers of Bank of America as
you would apply to any gifts you receive.
Certain of the Corporation's business units have more restrictive
policies with respect to gifts. You must become familiar with the policies
and procedures applicable to you, and are encouraged to discuss the
appropriateness of any gift, given the circumstances, with your manager.
Hospitality. You must not accept hospitality or entertainment
that is:
- solicited;
- lavish or unusual;
- not a normal or customary type of amenity; or
- an expense reimbursed by a customer or supplier that the Corporation
would not pay.
In addition, you should consider the following:
- Reciprocity. Are you in a position where you could provide
reciprocal hospitality at Bank of America expense? You should consider
not only the nature of the hospitality being offered, but also the
organizational stature of the person making the offer.
- Reasonableness. Is the nature of the hospitality being
offered typical for the size and status of the customer or supplier
relationship? The type of hospitality being offered should be
customary and appropriate with regard to your job responsibilities.
You are encouraged to discuss the appropriateness of any offer of
hospitality, given the circumstances, with your manager. If there remains
any question as to the appropriateness of such offer, the matter should be
escalated to the Ethics and Compliance Helpline.
Supplier relationships. If you are authorized to approve or
award orders, contracts and commitments to suppliers of goods or services,
you must do so based on objective business standards to avoid any real or
perceived personal favoritism. Bank of America business of this nature
must be conducted strictly on an arm's-length basis with due regard to
Bank of America policies involving public relations, community
reinvestment and other business considerations.
Fair dealing. Bank of America will conduct its business
equitably, fostering fair and open competition. You must not imply the
possibility of, or enter into arrangements with, customers, competitors or
suppliers that appear to or directly violate applicable laws and
regulations with regard to fair and open competition. Further, you must
not take unfair advantage of anyone through manipulation, concealment,
abuse of privileged information, misrepresentation of material facts, or
any other unfair-dealing practice.
Confidentiality
Confidentiality is a fundamental principle of our business that is
particularly applicable to nonpublic information concerning Bank of
America and to information received by Bank of America from a customer or
supplier for an express business purpose. It applies with equal force to
oral or informal communications as well as to written, printed or
computer-generated information.
Specific corporate policies exist regarding the use of information and
adequate control of critical and secured information. These policies
include the General Policy on Insider Trading, the Global Policies and
Procedures regarding Information Walls and Inside Information, the
Corporate Information Security Policy and the Privacy Policy for
Consumers. You must be familiar with these policies and understand how
such policies impact your work.
Bank of America information. Nonpublic information regarding
Bank of America is to be conveyed to others only on a reasonable
need-to-know basis that furthers a legitimate business purpose of Bank of
America. Information is to be conveyed with the express understanding that
the information is confidential and is to be used solely for the limited
purpose for which it was received and given. Unless otherwise instructed,
you must treat internal Bank of America activities and plans as
confidential, to be disseminated within the internal structure of Bank of
America only on a need-to-know basis.
Customer information. Bank of America subscribes to extremely
high standards of protection for personally identifiable confidential
information obtained from or about a customer, and recognizes its
obligation to keep such customer information secure and confidential. Such
confidential information may include account balances and transaction
data, financial condition, and anticipated changes in management, business
plan, or financial projections. The Corporation's comprehensive Privacy
Policy for Consumers covers consumer customer information and is provided
to consumer customers as required by law.
It is the policy of Bank of America to provide customer information to
outside companies only in order to conduct our business, comply with
applicable law, protect against fraud or other suspected illegal activity,
provide products and services to our customers, provide a good customer
experience or comply with a customer's request. Information shared will be
limited to that needed or legally required and subject to confidentiality
agreements, where applicable. In addition, you are authorized to access
customer information only for legitimate business purposes on a
need-to-know basis. You are responsible for understanding your obligations
to protect the confidentiality and security of customer information. Bank
of America provides associate training, as appropriate, to help you
understand your obligations with respect to confidentiality of customer
information.
Supplier information. Confidential competitive information
submitted to Bank of America in connection with the purchase of products
or services must be maintained in strictest confidence in order to avoid
giving or receiving any improper competitive advantage with respect to any
supplier.
Associate privacy. Information and communications on the
Corporation's private computer systems are subject to review, monitoring
and recording at any time without notice or permission. Unauthorized use
or access may be subject to prosecution or disciplinary action. Additional
information regarding associate privacy is set forth in the Associate
Handbook.
Dealing with assets of Bank of America
Proper use and ownership of Bank of America assets. Proper use of
Bank of America assets and appropriate recording and documentation of such
use is essential to the financial soundness and integrity of Bank of
America. You must not misuse (including inappropriate Internet usage) or
remove from our facilities furnishings, equipment, technology or supplies,
unless specifically authorized. Further, you must not use Bank of America
assets, or your position, for personal gain or another's advantage.
Additional information regarding your use of the Internet and intranet is
set forth in the Associate Handbook.
This policy applies equally to property created, obtained or copied by
Bank of America for its exclusive use, such as computer software, customer
lists or information, databases, data processing systems, files, reference
materials, reports, and the like. Neither originals nor copies may be used
for any purpose other than Bank of America business.
Any assets you create and any tangible contributions you make to the
development and implementation of Bank of America assets, whether directly
or indirectly, while employed within Bank of America are Bank of America
property and remain its property even if you leave employment with Bank of
America.
Intellectual property. Bank of America owns all rights, title
and interest in intellectual property, including inventions, improvements,
works of authorship, ideas, data, processes, computer software programs,
and discoveries, conceived or developed by you during your term of
employment, relating to actual or anticipated business of, or research or
development by, Bank of America. You must disclose all intellectual
property promptly to your manager and execute all documents and do all
things necessary to assist Bank of America, at the Corporation's expense,
in obtaining protection for intellectual property.
Record retention. The Corporation has a long-standing record
retention policy to prevent, when appropriate, the destruction of records
that would normally be purged in the ordinary course of business.
References in this section to "company records" include all
recorded information, regardless of medium or characteristics (for
example, paper, microfilm, magnetic disks/tapes, electronic or optical),
whether centrally stored or retained as desk files at your work areas.
"Company records" does not include customer records that may be
subject to subpoenas in actions, proceedings or investigations not
involving the Corporation. Such customer records are produced and retained
in accordance with policies and procedures that are separate from this
Code.
Company records that might normally be destroyed under the
Corporation's standard Records Retention Schedule must not be destroyed if
those records are relevant to a pending, threatened or reasonably
anticipated legal or administrative action or proceeding against or by the
Corporation or internal, regulatory or governmental investigation
involving the Corporation (for purposes of this section, collectively
referred to as "Actions"). In general, this means you must cease
record destruction (and prevent others from destroying records) if you are
aware or are notified that:
- there is an Action that may reasonably require production of company
records;
- company records are covered by a request for production, subpoena or
similar request; or
- the Corporation is voluntarily cooperating with governmental or
regulatory authorities or other outside parties in any action,
proceeding or investigation that may reasonably require production of
company records.
If there is any question as to whether a particular record should be
maintained, written approval must be obtained from an authorized Legal
Department representative prior to its destruction.
Company records destroyed after the Corporation is on notice of an
Action may result in penalties to the Corporation and to the individuals
involved.
Misappropriation. Anyone who embezzles, steals or willfully
misappropriates any monies, funds or anything of value from Bank of
America may be subject to fine, imprisonment, restitution payment and
other such actions conferred by law or Bank of America policy, in addition
to disciplinary action.
Official documentation. You must not use official Bank of
America stationery, the corporate brand or other official documentation or
use the name "Bank of America" for any personal or nonofficial
purpose since such use implies endorsement by Bank of America.
Personal financial responsibility
Financial conduct. You should conduct your financial affairs in a
responsible and prudent manner, so as to be above criticism.
Borrowing. You may not personally borrow money from or lend to
suppliers, customers or other associates unless such loan is to or from a
family member or from an institution normally in the business of lending,
and there is no conflict of interest. You may make an occasional loan of
nominal value (such as for lunch) to another associate as long as no
interest is charged.
Certain borrowing from correspondent banks must be reported to the
Office of the Corporate Secretary. Those specific individuals who must
report such borrowing will be advised directly by the Office of the
Corporate Secretary.
Business expenses. You are responsible for the accurate and
timely reporting of expenses. All expenditures must be ordinary and
necessary to accomplish expected business purposes, include required
approvals and be in accordance with existing expense policies. Further,
you must not use your business credit card for any purpose other than
appropriate business expenses.
Personal fees. Unless specifically authorized by Bank of
America, you may not accept personal fees or commissions in connection
with any transaction on behalf of Bank of America.
Compliance with law
You must not take any action, either personally or on behalf of the
Corporation that will violate any law, regulation or internal policy.
Trading in mutual fund securities. The fundamental principles of
honesty, truthfulness, good judgment and high ethical standards contained
in our Code of Ethics apply without exception across our organization,
including all areas touching upon mutual fund practices. Further to these
principles, Bank of America prohibits mutual fund market timing, late
trading and the unauthorized dissemination of confidential information
concerning mutual fund portfolio positions. These prohibitions apply
whether you are engaged in a personal securities transaction or one on
behalf of others, including trading for proprietary or fiduciary accounts
of the Corporation. Further, these prohibitions apply to trading in Bank
of America proprietary funds as well as third-party mutual funds. In
addition to the principles set forth herein, you also must adhere to the
Corporation's Mutual Fund Share Trading Policy.
- Market timing. You must comply with each fund's disclosed
market timing policy. Bank of America believes that the interests of a
mutual fund's long-term shareholders and the ability of a mutual fund
to manage its investments may be adversely affected when fund shares
are repeatedly bought and sold (or exchanged) by any individual or
entity within short periods of time to take advantage of short-term
differentials in the net asset values of such funds. This practice,
known as "market timing," can occur in several ways: either
in direct purchases and sales of mutual fund shares, through rapid
reallocations of funds held in 401(k) or similarly structured
retirement or other accounts invested in mutual fund assets, or
through the rapid reallocation of funds held in variable annuity and
variable life policies invested in mutual fund assets.
- Late trading. Late trading of mutual funds is illegal. You
must not knowingly accept any mutual fund order for a specific trading
date's closing price when such order was submitted after the specified
trading deadline established by the fund to receive that day's closing
price.
- Dissemination of portfolio holdings information. You must not
disclose any mutual fund portfolio holdings information unless such
information has been derived from information publicly disseminated in
accordance with the disclosure policies and procedures of the
pertinent mutual fund. Bank of America believes that all mutual fund
shareholders are entitled to a "level playing field" with
regard to portfolio holdings information. Selective disclosure of
portfolio holdings information can facilitate market timing or other
improper trading by giving an advantage to certain shareholders over
others. It can also damage the funds by revealing proprietary
portfolio management strategies to competitors.
- Personal investing. The prohibitions on market timing and
late trading apply to direct investments in mutual fund shares as well
as to allocation decisions involving investments in mutual fund shares
held in 401(k) savings plans, excess benefit plans, variable annuity
and variable life insurance policies, or other retirement, insurance,
deferred compensation or similar investment vehicle. In addition,
these prohibitions apply to both Bank of America proprietary mutual
funds and to any and all third-party sponsored mutual funds.
- Reporting. If you become aware of any activity inconsistent
with the foregoing policies on mutual fund trading, you should
immediately report such activity to the Ethics and Compliance
Helpline.
Anti-money laundering compliance. Bank of America will cooperate
fully, in accordance with applicable laws, with the efforts of law
enforcement agencies to prevent, detect and prosecute money laundering and
the financing of terrorism. The Corporation will not knowingly do business
with existing or prospective customers (for purposes of this section,
collectively referred to as "customers") whose money is believed
to be derived from or used to support criminal or terrorist activity. If
the Corporation becomes aware of facts that lead to the reasonable
presumption that a customer is engaged in such activities or that a
customer's transactions are themselves criminal in purpose, appropriate
measures, consistent with the law, will be taken. Such measures could
include, for example, terminating business dealings with the customer,
closing or freezing the customer's accounts, and filing reports with
governmental authorities.
You must make reasonable efforts to determine the true identity of all
customers of the Corporation's products and services to help keep the
global financial and trading systems from being used as a channel for
financing crime and terrorism. Business transactions will not be conducted
with customers who fail to provide appropriate evidence of their identity,
or who seek to deceive regulatory or law enforcement agencies by providing
altered, incomplete or misleading information. It is vital for all
associates to understand fully those actions that may constitute a
violation of applicable anti-money laundering statutes and to report any
potential violation in the manner set forth in the appropriate Anti-Money
Laundering Compliance procedures.
Bribes and other improper payments. You may not utilize, either
directly or indirectly, Bank of America funds or property for any unlawful
or improper use. Accordingly, you must not give any bribes, kickbacks,
promises or any other thing of value to any person or entity or accept any
such thing of value from any person or entity to obtain or retain business
or for any reason whatsoever. In addition, you shall not make any unlawful
preferential extension of credit to any officer, customer, director or
principal shareholder of any customer or prospective customer. This policy
should not be construed to limit the use of Bank of America funds and
other assets in the ethical pursuit of acquiring additional business for
Bank of America in the normal course of business.
Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. You must not give or promise to
give money or anything of value to any executive, official or employee of
any government, governmental agency, political party (including candidates
for political office) or other organization if it could reasonably be
construed as being intended to influence a Bank of America business
relationship with such entity. Such payments must not be made by you or
any agent of Bank of America to obtain or retain business or secure any
improper advantage.
Political contributions. It is the policy of Bank of America to
encourage informed participation in governmental, regulatory and elective
processes. You may elect to make personal political contributions, either
directly or through political action committees as prescribed and
permitted by applicable local, state and federal laws, as well as the laws
of any applicable jurisdiction outside of the United States.
Federal statutes make it unlawful for a national bank to make any
contribution or expenditure through the use of funds, services, property
or other resources in conjunction with any federal, state or local
election. Additionally, corporations are also restricted from making
campaign contributions and expenditures in federal elections and in many
states.
Certain broker-dealer associates and other associates who may refer
municipal securities business to Banc of America Securities LLC are
subject to additional conditions regarding political contribution and
volunteer activities. These associates should consult their job-related
policy manual or their manager for specific guidance.
Accounting. To ensure the integrity and objectivity of its
consolidated financial statements, Bank of America has established
internal accounting and operating controls and procedures, including
disclosure controls and procedures and a Disclosure Committee. All
associates responsible for the preparation of the Corporation's financial
statements, or who provide information as part of that process (including
the Corporation's principal executive officer, principal financial officer
and principal accounting officer), must maintain and adhere to these
controls so that all underlying transactions, both within Bank of America
and with third parties, are properly documented, recorded and reported.
Further, all associates have the responsibility to promote full, fair,
accurate, timely and understandable disclosure in reports and documents
that Bank of America files with, or submits to, the Securities and
Exchange Commission and in other public communications made by the
Corporation.
The Audit Committee of the Board of Directors has established
procedures for the receipt, retention and treatment of complaints
regarding accounting, internal accounting controls, or auditing matters.
You may raise any such concerns to the Ethics and Compliance Helpline. The
procedure mandated by the Audit Committee ensures that these complaints
can be submitted anonymously and in complete confidence.
Investigations. You must cooperate fully with any investigation,
internal audit, external audit or regulatory examination. If you become
aware that you are or have been the subject of any external investigation,
you must immediately inform your manager, unless otherwise prohibited by
law, regulation or the investigating authority.
Reporting certain conduct
Bank of America can be held criminally liable if one of its associates,
directors or agents commits certain crimes. Accordingly, you must promptly
report any knowledge or information about employment-related conduct by
another associate, director or agent of the Corporation that you
reasonably believe to be a crime, a material violation of law or
regulation, a dishonest act (including misappropriation of funds or
anything of value from Bank of America or the improper recording of the
Corporation's assets or liabilities), a breach of trust or any other
conduct that might affect the reputation of Bank of America. You must
report the relevant facts, as well as any other circumstances or
activities that may conflict with the Code, to the Ethics and Compliance
Helpline. You will not be retaliated against for reporting information in
good faith in accordance with this policy.
Also under federal law, any crime or suspicious activity against or
involving a financial institution must be reported to its regulators. You
should be alert to situations that may constitute criminal wrongdoing
against or involving Bank of America. You have the responsibility to
identify and report the relevant facts to the Ethics and Compliance
Helpline.
Escalation path
In the event specific guidance is not available in the Documents or other
corporate publications regarding a particular situation, you should first
contact your manager. If the situation cannot be resolved, or if you feel
uncomfortable using internal resources for reporting your concerns, you
may contact the Ethics and Compliance Helpline.
With respect to the resolution of any particular issue, the Ethics and
Compliance Helpline will:
- coordinate the involvement of the appropriate internal teams (such
as Compliance, Corporate Audit, Corporate Security, Personnel, Risk
Management, executive management, internal legal counsel and/or the
Ethics Oversight Committee) as needed; and
- serve as a necessary step in the escalation path for the resolution
of major deviations from policy, including the responsibility to
promptly report significant matters to the appropriate internal team,
as needed.
Ethics Oversight Committee
Any policy exceptions or the resolution of any particular issue under the
Code may be escalated to any member of the Ethics Oversight Committee. The
Ethics Oversight Committee includes the internal General Auditor, General
Counsel, Principal Compliance Executive and Principal Personnel Executive.
The Ethics Oversight Committee will periodically review the activities of
the Ethics and Compliance Helpline and provide general oversight to
institute appropriate processes to detect and deter any violations of the
Code.
Waivers of code
The Board of Directors must approve any waiver of the Code for the
principal executive officer, the principal financial officer, the
principal accounting officer and any executive officer or director. The
Corporation will promptly disclose any such waiver on its website or via a
press release or other public filing as required by law, regulation or
applicable stock exchange rule.
Supplemental policies and procedures
As previously indicated, you may be subject to policies and procedures
supplemental to this Code depending on your job function or your area of
responsibility. From time to time, the Corporation may publish additional
policies as deemed necessary or appropriate. Your manager should provide
you with a copy of all policies applicable to you.
Discipline
Violation of the Code or the other Documents (including the Associate
Handbook) constitutes grounds for disciplinary action, including
termination of employment.
Bank of America Corporation
General Policy on Insider Trading
Purpose
This General Policy on Insider Trading sets forth standards of conduct
applicable to the directors and associates of Bank of America Corporation
and its direct and indirect subsidiaries whenever they are conducting
securities transactions, whether for themselves or on behalf of others.
Background
Federal and state laws prohibit you from buying, selling, recommending or
making other transfers of securities if you are aware of material,
nonpublic information about the issuer of the securities. These laws also
prohibit you from disclosing this information to others who may trade in
those securities. The consequences of an insider trading violation can be
severe, both for you and for the Corporation. The Corporation has adopted
this Policy to protect you and the Corporation from the serious
liabilities and penalties that can result from violations of the insider
trading laws.
This Policy applies to all directors and associates, as well as to your
family members who reside in your household or whose securities
transactions are subject to your influence or control.
This Policy is incorporated in the Bank of America Corporation Code of
Ethics. A booklet including the Code and the Policy is provided to each
associate upon his or her commencement of employment, as well as to those
directors who are not associates. You are required to execute the attached
Acknowledgment stating that you have read, and understand and agree to
comply with, the Policy and the Code. The Corporation will periodically
issue communications reminding associates and directors of their
individual responsibility to comply with Corporation policies, including
those that relate to insider trading and personal securities transactions.
Statement of policy
You may, from time to time, have access to material, nonpublic information
concerning the Corporation, its customers or suppliers, or other
companies. The following statement regarding the use and disclosure of
this information applies to all your activities, whether related to your
official duties for the Corporation or to your personal affairs:
You must not buy, sell, recommend or otherwise trade in any
security, either personally or on behalf of others, including trading for
proprietary or fiduciary accounts of the Corporation, while in possession
of material, nonpublic information relating to such security, or
communicate or disclose, in any manner, material, nonpublic information to
others in violation of a duty to keep such information confidential.
You should consider information "material" if a reasonable
investor would consider it important in deciding whether to buy, sell or
hold a company's securities (in other words, if the information is
reasonably certain to have an effect on the price of the securities,
whether such effect is positive or negative). You should consider
information "nonpublic" if it is not generally available to the
public or investment community. For example, the Corporation generally
considers information nonpublic until the expiration of 24 hours following
a press release, a public filing with the Securities and Exchange
Commission or the appearance of an article in a newspaper or other
publication of general circulation.
You must not disclose or disseminate to others material, nonpublic
information about a company, either within or outside the Corporation,
except on a reasonable need-to-know basis that furthers a legitimate
business purpose of the Corporation or the subject company. Unlawfully
disclosing or "tipping" information about a company to others
who then trade while in possession of the information may give rise to
claims against the person tipping the information.
The Corporation expects you to conduct your personal financial affairs
in a responsible and prudent manner. Further, Bank of America encourages
you to manage and develop personal financial resources responsibly within
your means, to maintain a sound financial condition and to invest in a
responsible manner with a view to achieving long-term financial goals. You
must never engage in investment practices that, by nature or practice are,
or appear to be, inconsistent with the Policy, or that are illegal,
improper, unethical or present a real or apparent conflict of interest.
Speculative trading. You must not engage in speculative trading
with respect to the Corporation's securities. This generally prohibits
short sales and trading in puts, calls and other options or derivatives
with respect to the Corporation's securities unless the transaction is for
legitimate, non-speculative purposes and you have obtained prior approval
for such transaction from the Control Room. In the event the Control Room
approves any such transaction, the Corporation encourages you to effect
such transaction through an affiliated broker-dealer of the Corporation.
The Policy does not prohibit or require the approval of the Control Room
for the exercise of a stock option granted by the Corporation pursuant to
one of its stock option plans.
Blackout periods and preclearance procedures. From time to time,
the Corporation will designate certain senior officers as
"Insiders" for purposes of the Policy. Those officers who have
been designated as "Insiders," as well as directors of the
Corporation, are prohibited from trading in the Corporation's stock during
the period 15 days before the end of each fiscal quarter through the end
of the trading day on which financial results for that quarter are
released to the public. Further, whether or not the Corporation is in a
trading blackout, if you are a designated "Insider" or director
of the Corporation, you must preclear any transaction in Bank of America
stock through a designated Legal Department representative. The
Corporation will notify you if you are a designated "Insider"
and provide you the names of appropriate Legal Department contacts.
Exception to policy for blind trust and pre-arranged trading
programs. Notwithstanding the general prohibition set forth above, you
may effect transactions in Corporation securities during a trading
blackout or at a time when you are in possession of material, nonpublic
information if your transactions are pursuant to a blind trust or trading
program that complies with the requirements of Rule 10b5-1 under the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934. If you are a director or designated
"Insider" subject to the blackout policy and preclearance
procedures, you must obtain preclearance from a designated Legal
Department representative prior to establishing a blind trust or a
pre-arranged trading program in Bank of America securities.
The Corporation reserves the right to bar any transactions pursuant to
a 10b5-1 trading program in Bank of America securities if the Board of
Directors, in consultation with executive management and the Legal
Department, determines that such a bar is in the best interests of the
Corporation.
Information wall between commercial and
investment banking and fiduciary activitiesThe Corporation has
a policy to prevent the flow of material, nonpublic information from those
associates engaged in commercial and investment banking to those
associates who have trust or fiduciary responsibilities within the
Corporation. Therefore, you must not provide any material, nonpublic
information that may influence a credit or investment decision to anyone
who has fiduciary responsibilities within the Corporation. Likewise, if
you have fiduciary responsibilities within the Corporation, you must not
make any investment decision based upon any such information from the
commercial or investment banking side of the Corporation.
Other information walls and supplemental
policies and procedures for associates of designated units
In addition to the foregoing, there are other "Information
Walls" and further supplemental policies and procedures (for purposes
of this Policy, collectively referred to as the "Supplemental
Policies") applicable to subsidiaries of the Corporation, or
departments or groups within the Corporation or such subsidiaries, which,
because of their specific activities, may have enhanced access to, or an
enhanced potential to misuse, material, nonpublic information (for
purposes of this Policy, collectively referred to as the "Designated
Units"). It is your responsibility to become familiar with,
understand and comply with all policies and procedures that relate to your
area of responsibility. The Supplemental Policies generally are designed
to (i) prevent the flow of information from associates in units that may
receive material, nonpublic information about issuers of securities to
associates in units that buy, sell or recommend securities to fiduciary
and non-fiduciary accounts and (ii) address other issues raised by the
specific activities of each Designated Unit. The Supplemental Policies
also may impose additional restrictions on personal securities
transactions.
Your manager should inform you as to whether you are in a Designated
Unit and should provide you a copy of any Supplemental Policies applicable
to you at the time of the commencement of your employment (or assumption
of duties). All associates in each Designated Unit generally are required
to acknowledge that they have read, and understand and agree to comply
with, the Supplemental Policies applicable to their Designated Unit. In
addition, all associates deemed by their manager to be in one of the
Designated Units are required, among other things, to attend periodic
informational and compliance sessions relating to insider trading, and to
provide data relating to personal securities transactions to the Control
Room, or as directed by their manager.
Penalties
Violations of any portion of the Policy may result in disciplinary action,
including termination of employment. In addition, violations of insider
trading requirements may subject you to civil and criminal penalties,
fines and jail terms, and serious sanctions could be imposed against your
managers and the Corporation.
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