Linked to the iShares® MSCI ACWI ETF
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The Buffered Auto-Callable Enhanced Return Notes Linked to the iShares® MSCI ACWI ETF, due August 17, 2027 (the “Notes”) priced on August 9, 2024 and will issue on August 14, 2024.
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Approximate 3 year term if not called prior to maturity.
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Payment on the Notes will depend on the performance of the iShares® MSCI ACWI ETF (the “Underlying”).
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Automatically callable at an amount equal to the Call Amount if, on the Call Observation Date, the Observation Value of the Underlying is equal or greater than its Call Value. The Call Observation Date and Call Amount are indicated on page PS-4.
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Assuming the Notes are not called prior to maturity, if the Ending Value of the Underlying is greater than or equal to 100% of its Starting Value, at maturity, you will receive 125.00% upside exposure to increases in the value of the Underlying.
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However, assuming the Notes are not called prior to maturity, if the Underlying declines by more than 15% from its Starting Value, at maturity your investment will be subject to 1:1 downside exposure to decreases in the value of the Underlying beyond a 15% decline, with up to 85% of the principal at risk. Otherwise, if the Notes are not called prior to maturity and the Ending Value of the Underlying is less than 100.00% of its Starting Value but greater than or equal to 85% of its Starting Value, at maturity you will receive the principal amount of your Notes.
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Any payment on the Notes is subject to the credit risk of BofA Finance LLC (“BofA Finance” or the “Issuer”), as issuer of the Notes, and Bank of America Corporation (“BAC” or the “Guarantor”), as guarantor of the Notes.
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No periodic interest payments.
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The Notes will not be listed on any securities exchange.
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The initial estimated value of the Notes as of the pricing date is $1,004.10 per $1,000.00 in principal amount of Notes, which is more than the public offering price listed below. The actual value of your Notes at any time will reflect many factors and cannot be predicted with accuracy. See “Risk Factors” beginning on page PS-7 of this pricing supplement and “Structuring the Notes” on page PS-18 of this pricing supplement for additional information.
There are important differences between the Notes and a conventional debt security. Potential purchasers of the Notes should consider the information in “Risk Factors” beginning on page PS-7 of this pricing supplement, page PS-5 of the accompanying product supplement, page S-6 of the accompanying prospectus supplement, and page 7 of the accompanying prospectus.
None of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), any state securities commission, or any other regulatory body has approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if this pricing supplement and the accompanying product supplement, prospectus supplement and prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
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Public offering price(1)
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Underwriting discount(1)(2)(3)
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Proceeds, before expenses, to BofA Finance(2)
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Per Note
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$1,000.00
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$1.00
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$999.00
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Total
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$750,000.00
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$750.00
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$749,250.00
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(1)
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Certain dealers who purchase the Notes for sale to certain fee-based advisory accounts may forgo some or all of their selling concessions, fees or commissions. The public offering price for investors purchasing the Notes in these fee-based advisory accounts may be as low as $999.00 per $1,000.00 in principal amount of Notes.
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(2)
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The underwriting discount per $1,000.00 in principal amount of Notes may be as high as $1.00, resulting in proceeds, before expenses, to BofA Finance of as low as $999.00 per $1,000.00 in principal amount of Notes. The total underwriting discount and proceeds, before expenses, to BofA Finance specified above reflect the aggregate of the underwriting discounts per $1,000.00 in principal amount of Notes.
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(3)
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In addition to the underwriting discount above, if any, an affiliate of BofA Finance will pay a referral fee of up to $4.00 per $1,000.00 in principal amount of the Notes in connection with the distribution of the Notes to other registered broker-dealers.
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The Notes and the related guarantee:
Are Not FDIC Insured
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Are Not Bank Guaranteed
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May Lose Value
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Buffered Auto-Callable Enhanced Return Notes Linked to the iShares® MSCI ACWI ETF
Terms of the Notes
Issuer:
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BofA Finance
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Guarantor:
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BAC
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Denominations:
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The Notes will be issued in minimum denominations of $1,000.00 and whole multiples of $1,000.00 in excess thereof.
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Term:
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Approximately 3 years, unless previously automatically called.
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Underlying:
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The iShares® MSCI ACWI ETF (Bloomberg symbol: “ACWI”).
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Pricing Date:
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August 9, 2024
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Issue Date:
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August 14, 2024
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Valuation Date:
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August 12, 2027, subject to postponement as described under “Description of the Notes—Certain Terms of the Notes—Events Relating to Observation Dates” in the accompanying product supplement.
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Maturity Date:
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August 17, 2027
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Starting Value:
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$110.53
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Observation Value:
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The Closing Market Price of the Underlying on the applicable Call Observation Date, multiplied by its Price Multiplier.
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Ending Value:
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The Closing Market Price of the Underlying on the Valuation Date.
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Call Value:
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$110.53, which is 100.00% of the Starting Value.
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Price Multiplier:
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1, subject to adjustment for certain events as described in “Description of the Notes — Anti-Dilution and Discontinuance Adjustments Relating to ETFs” beginning on page PS-28 of the accompanying product supplement.
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Redemption Barrier:
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$110.53, which is 100.00% of the Starting Value.
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Upside Participation Rate:
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125.00%
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Threshold Value:
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$93.95, which is 85.00% of the Starting Value (rounded to two decimal places).
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Automatic Call:
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All (but not less than all) of the Notes will be automatically called at an amount equal to the Call Amount if the Observation Value of the Underlying is greater than or equal to the Call Value on the Call Observation Date. If the Notes are automatically called, the Call Amount will be paid on the Call Payment Date. No further amounts will be payable following an Automatic Call.
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Redemption Amount:
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If the Notes have not been automatically called prior to maturity, the Redemption Amount per $1,000.00 in principal amount of Notes will be:
a) If the Ending Value of the Underlying is greater than or equal to the Redemption Barrier:
b) If the Ending Value of the Underlying is less than the Redemption Barrier but is greater than or equal to the Threshold Value:
c) If the Ending Value of the Underlying is less than the Threshold Value:
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BUFFERED AUTO-CALLABLE ENHANCED RETURN NOTES | PS-2
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Buffered Auto-Callable Enhanced Return Notes Linked to the iShares® MSCI ACWI ETF
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In this case, the Redemption Amount will be less than the principal amount and you could lose up to 85.00% of your investment in the Notes.
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Call Observation Date:
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As set forth beginning on page PS-4
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Call Payment Date:
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As set forth beginning on page PS-4
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Call Amount (per $1,000.00 in principal amount):
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As set forth beginning on page PS-4
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Calculation Agent:
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BofA Securities, Inc. (“BofAS”), an affiliate of BofA Finance.
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Selling Agent:
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BofAS
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CUSIP:
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09711DCX8
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Underlying Return:
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Events of Default and Acceleration:
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If an Event of Default, as defined in the senior indenture relating to the Notes and in the section entitled “Description of Debt Securities of BofA Finance LLC—Events of Default and Rights of Acceleration; Covenant Breaches” on page 54 of the accompanying prospectus, with respect to the Notes occurs and is continuing, the amount payable to a holder of the Notes upon any acceleration permitted under the senior indenture will be equal to the amount described under the caption “Redemption Amount” above, calculated as though the date of acceleration were the Maturity Date of the Notes and as though the Valuation Date were the third Trading Day prior to the date of acceleration. In case of a default in the payment of the Notes, whether at their maturity or upon acceleration, the Notes will not bear a default interest rate.
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BUFFERED AUTO-CALLABLE ENHANCED RETURN NOTES | PS-3
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Buffered Auto-Callable Enhanced Return Notes Linked to the iShares® MSCI ACWI ETF
Call Observation Date, Call Payment Date and Call Amount
Call Observation Date*
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Call Payment Date
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Call Amount (per $1,000.00 in principal amount)
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August 12, 2025
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August 15, 2025
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$1,130.00
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* The Call Observation Date is subject to postponement as set forth in “Description of the Notes—Certain Terms of the Notes—Events Relating to Observation Dates” on page PS-21 of the accompanying product supplement, with references to “Observation Dates” being read as references to “Call Observation Dates.”
Any payments on the Notes depend on the credit risk of BofA Finance, as Issuer, and BAC, as Guarantor, and on the performance of the Underlying. The economic terms of the Notes are based on BAC’s internal funding rate, which is the rate it would pay to borrow funds through the issuance of market-linked notes, and the economic terms of certain related hedging arrangements BAC’s affiliates enter into. BAC’s internal funding rate is typically lower than the rate it would pay when it issues conventional fixed or floating rate debt securities. This difference in funding rate, as well as the underwriting discount, if any, the referral fee and the hedging related charges described below (see “Risk Factors” beginning on page PS-7), affects the economic terms of the Notes to you and the initial estimated value of the Notes.
The initial estimated value of the Notes as of the pricing date is set forth on the cover page of this pricing supplement. For more information about the initial estimated value and the structuring of the Notes, see “Risk Factors” beginning on page PS-7 and “Structuring the Notes” on page PS-18.
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BUFFERED AUTO-CALLABLE ENHANCED RETURN NOTES | PS-4
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Buffered Auto-Callable Enhanced Return Notes Linked to the iShares® MSCI ACWI ETF
Automatic Call and Redemption Amount Determination
On each Call Observation Date, your Notes may be automatically called, determined as follows:
![](image_gt1.jpg)
Assuming the Notes have not been automatically called, on the Maturity Date, you will receive a cash payment per $1,000.00 in principal amount of Notes determined as follows:
![](image_gt2.jpg)
All payments described above are subject to the credit risk of BofA Finance, as Issuer, and BAC, as Guarantor.
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BUFFERED AUTO-CALLABLE ENHANCED RETURN NOTES | PS-5
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Buffered Auto-Callable Enhanced Return Notes Linked to the iShares® MSCI ACWI ETF
Hypothetical Payout Profile and Examples of Payments at Maturity
Buffered Auto-Callable Enhanced Return Notes Table
The following table is for purposes of illustration only. It assumes the Notes have not been automatically called prior to maturity and is based on hypothetical values and shows hypothetical returns on the Notes. The table illustrates the calculation of the Redemption Amount and the return on the Notes based on a hypothetical Starting Value of 100, a hypothetical Redemption Barrier of 100 for the Underlying, a hypothetical Threshold Value of 85, the Upside Participation Rate of 125.00% and a range of hypothetical Ending Values of the Underlying. The actual amount you receive and the resulting return will depend on the actual Starting Value, Redemption Barrier, Threshold Value and Ending Value of the Underlying, whether the Notes are automatically called prior to maturity, and whether you hold the Notes to maturity. The following examples do not take into account any tax consequences from investing in the Notes.
For recent actual values of the Underlying, see “The Underlying” section below. The Ending Value of the Underlying will not include any income generated by dividends or other distributions paid with respect to shares or units of the Underlying or on the securities included in the Underlying, as applicable. In addition, all payments on the Notes are subject to Issuer and Guarantor credit risk.
Ending Value
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Underlying Return
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Redemption Amount per Note
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Return on the Notes(1)
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160.00
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60.00%
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$1,750.00
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75.00%
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150.00
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50.00%
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$1,625.00
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62.50%
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140.00
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40.00%
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$1,500.00
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50.00%
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130.00
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30.00%
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$1,375.00
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37.50%
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120.00
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20.00%
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$1,250.00
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25.00%
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110.00
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10.00%
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$1,125.00
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12.50%
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105.00
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5.00%
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$1,062.50
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6.25%
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102.00
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2.00%
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$1,025.00
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2.50%
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100.00(2)(3)
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0.00%
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$1,000.00
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0.00%
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90.00
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-10.00%
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$1,000.00
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0.00%
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85.00(4)
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-15.00%
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$1,000.00
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0.00%
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84.99
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-15.01%
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$999.90
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-0.01%
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80.00
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-20.00%
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$950.00
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-5.00%
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70.00
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-30.00%
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$850.00
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-15.00%
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60.00
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-40.00%
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$750.00
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-25.00%
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50.00
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-50.00%
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$650.00
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-35.00%
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0.00
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-100.00%
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$150.00
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-85.00%
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(1)
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The “Return on the Notes” is calculated based on the Redemption Amount.
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(2)
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The hypothetical Starting Value of 100 used in the table above has been chosen for illustrative purposes only. The actual Starting Value of each Underlying is set forth on page PS-2 above.
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(3)
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This is the hypothetical Redemption Barrier.
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(4)
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This is the hypothetical Threshold Value.
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BUFFERED AUTO-CALLABLE ENHANCED RETURN NOTES | PS-6
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Buffered Auto-Callable Enhanced Return Notes Linked to the iShares® MSCI ACWI ETF
Risk Factors
Your investment in the Notes entails significant risks, many of which differ from those of a conventional debt security. Your decision to purchase the Notes should be made only after carefully considering the risks of an investment in the Notes, including those discussed below, with your advisors in light of your particular circumstances. The Notes are not an appropriate investment for you if you are not knowledgeable about significant elements of the Notes or financial matters in general. You should carefully review the more detailed explanation of risks relating to the Notes in the “Risk Factors” sections beginning on page PS-5 of the accompanying product supplement, page S-6 of the accompanying prospectus supplement and page 7 of the accompanying prospectus, each as identified on page PS-22 below.
Structure-related Risks
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Your investment may result in a loss; there is no guaranteed return of principal. There is no fixed principal repayment amount on the Notes at maturity. If the Notes are not automatically called prior to maturity and the Ending Value of the Underlying is less than the Threshold Value, at maturity, your investment will be subject to 1:1 downside exposure to decreases in the value of the Underlying beyond a 15% decline and you will lose 1% of the principal amount for each 1% that the Ending Value of the Underlying is less than the Threshold Value. In that case, you will lose some or a significant portion of your investment in the Notes.
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The Notes do not bear interest. Unlike a conventional debt security, no interest payments will be paid over the term of the Notes, regardless of the extent to which the Observation Value or Ending Value of the Underlying exceeds its Starting Value, Redemption Barrier, Call Value or Threshold Value.
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The Notes are subject to a potential Automatic Call, which would limit your ability to receive further payment on the Notes. The Notes are subject to a potential Automatic Call. The Notes will be automatically called if, on the Call Observation Date, the Observation Value of each Underlying is greater than or equal to its Call Value. If the Notes are automatically called prior to the Maturity Date, you will be entitled to receive the Call Amount with respect to the Call Observation Date and no further amounts will be payable following the Automatic Call. In this case, you will lose the opportunity to receive payment of any higher Call Amount or Redemption Amount that otherwise would be payable after the date of the Automatic Call. If the Notes are called prior to the Maturity Date, you may be unable to invest in other securities with a similar level of risk that could provide a return that is similar to the Notes.
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Your return on the Notes may be less than the yield on a conventional debt security of comparable maturity. Any return that you receive on the Notes may be less than the return you would earn if you purchased a conventional debt security with the same Maturity Date. As a result, your investment in the Notes may not reflect the full opportunity cost to you when you consider factors, such as inflation, that affect the time value of money.
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The Call Amount or Redemption Amount, as applicable, will not reflect changes in the price of the Underlying other than on the Call Observation Date or Valuation Date, as applicable. The price of the Underlying during the term of the Notes other than on the Call Observation Date or Valuation Date, as applicable, will not affect payments on the Notes. Notwithstanding the foregoing, investors should generally be aware of the performance of the Underlying while holding the Notes, as the performance of the Underlying may influence the market value of the Notes. The calculation agent will determine whether the Notes will be automatically called and will calculate the Call Amount or the Redemption Amount, as applicable, by comparing only the Starting Value, the Call Value, the Redemption Barrier or the Threshold Value, as applicable, to the Observation Value or the Ending Value for the Underlying. No other price of the Underlying will be taken into account. As a result, if the Notes are not automatically called prior to maturity and the Ending Value of the Underlying is less than the Threshold Value, you will receive less than the principal amount at maturity even if the price of the Underlying was always above the Threshold Value prior to the Valuation Date.
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Any payments on the Notes are subject to our credit risk and the credit risk of the Guarantor, and any actual or perceived changes in our or the Guarantor’s creditworthiness are expected to affect the value of the Notes. The Notes are our senior unsecured debt securities. Any payment on the Notes will be fully and unconditionally guaranteed by the Guarantor. The Notes are not guaranteed by any entity other than the Guarantor. As a result, your receipt of any payments on the Notes will be dependent upon our ability and the ability of the Guarantor to repay our respective obligations under the Notes on the applicable payment date, regardless of the performance of the Underlying. No assurance can be given as to what our financial condition or the financial condition of the Guarantor will be at any time after the pricing date of the Notes. If we and the Guarantor become unable to meet our respective financial obligations as they become due, you may not receive the amount(s) payable under the terms of the Notes.
In addition, our credit ratings and the credit ratings of the Guarantor are assessments by ratings agencies of our respective abilities to pay our obligations. Consequently, our or the Guarantor’s perceived creditworthiness and actual or anticipated decreases in our or the Guarantor’s credit ratings or increases in the spread between the yield on our respective securities and the yield on U.S. Treasury securities (the “credit spread”) prior to the Maturity Date may adversely affect the market value of the Notes. However, because your return on the Notes depends upon factors in addition to our ability and the ability of the Guarantor to pay our respective obligations, such as the value of the Underlying, an improvement in our or the Guarantor’s credit ratings will not reduce the other investment risks related to the Notes.
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We are a finance subsidiary and, as such, have no independent assets, operations, or revenues. We are a finance subsidiary of the Guarantor, have no operations other than those related to the issuance, administration and repayment of our debt securities that are guaranteed by the Guarantor, and are dependent upon the Guarantor and/or its other subsidiaries to meet our obligations under the Notes in the ordinary course. Therefore, our ability to make payments on the Notes may be limited.
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BUFFERED AUTO-CALLABLE ENHANCED RETURN NOTES | PS-7
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Buffered Auto-Callable Enhanced Return Notes Linked to the iShares® MSCI ACWI ETF
Valuation and Market-related Risks
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The public offering price you are paying for the Notes is less than their initial estimated value. The initial estimated value of the Notes that is provided on the cover page of this pricing supplement is an estimate only, determined as of the pricing date by reference to our and our affiliates’ pricing models. These pricing models consider certain assumptions and variables, including our credit spreads and those of the Guarantor, the Guarantor’s internal funding rate, mid-market terms on hedging transactions, expectations on interest rates, dividends and volatility, price-sensitivity analysis, and the expected term of the Notes. These pricing models rely in part on certain forecasts about future events, which may prove to be incorrect. If you attempt to sell the Notes prior to maturity, their market value may be lower than the price you paid for them and lower than their initial estimated value. This is due to, among other things, changes in the price of the Underlying, changes in the Guarantor’s internal funding rate, and the inclusion in the public offering price of the underwriting discount, if any, the referral fee and the hedging related charges, all as further described in “Structuring the Notes” below. These factors, together with various credit, market and economic factors over the term of the Notes, are expected to reduce the price at which you may be able to sell the Notes in any secondary market and will affect the value of the Notes in complex and unpredictable ways.
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The initial estimated value does not represent a minimum or maximum price at which we, BAC, BofAS or any of our other affiliates would be willing to purchase your Notes in any secondary market (if any exists) at any time. The value of your Notes at any time after issuance will vary based on many factors that cannot be predicted with accuracy, including the performance of the Underlying, our and BAC’s creditworthiness and changes in market conditions.
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We cannot assure you that a trading market for your Notes will ever develop or be maintained. We will not list the Notes on any securities exchange. We cannot predict how the Notes will trade in any secondary market or whether that market will be liquid or illiquid.
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Conflict-related Risks
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Trading and hedging activities by us, the Guarantor and any of our other affiliates, including BofAS, may create conflicts of interest with you and may affect your return on the Notes and their market value. We, the Guarantor or one or more of our other affiliates, including BofAS, may buy or sell shares or units of the Underlying or the securities held by or included in the Underlying, as applicable, or futures or options contracts or exchange traded instruments on the Underlying or those securities, or other instruments whose value is derived from the Underlying or those securities. While we, the Guarantor or one or more of our other affiliates, including BofAS, may from time to time own shares or units of the Underlying or securities represented by the Underlying, except to the extent that BAC’s common stock may be included in the Underlying, we, the Guarantor and our other affiliates, including BofAS, do not control any company included in the Underlying, and have not verified any disclosure made by any other company. We, the Guarantor or one or more of our other affiliates, including BofAS, may execute such purchases or sales for our own or their own accounts, for business reasons, or in connection with hedging our obligations under the Notes. These transactions may present a conflict of interest between your interest in the Notes and the interests we, the Guarantor and our other affiliates, including BofAS, may have in our or their proprietary accounts, in facilitating transactions, including block trades, for our or their other customers, and in accounts under our or their management. These transactions may adversely affect the price of the Underlying in a manner that could be adverse to your investment in the Notes. On or before the pricing date, any purchases or sales by us, the Guarantor or our other affiliates, including BofAS or others on our or their behalf (including those for the purpose of hedging some or all of our anticipated exposure in connection with the Notes), may have affected the price of the Underlying. Consequently, the price of the Underlying may change subsequent to the pricing date, which may adversely affect the market value of the Notes.
We, the Guarantor or one or more of our other affiliates, including BofAS, also may have engaged in hedging activities that could have affected the price of the Underlying on the pricing date. In addition, these hedging activities, including the unwinding of a hedge, may decrease the market value of your Notes prior to maturity, and may affect the amounts to be paid on the Notes. We, the Guarantor or one or more of our other affiliates, including BofAS, may purchase or otherwise acquire a long or short position in the Notes and may hold or resell the Notes. For example, BofAS may enter into these transactions in connection with any market making activities in which it engages. We cannot assure you that these activities will not adversely affect the price of the Underlying, the market value of your Notes prior to maturity or the amounts payable on the Notes.
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There may be potential conflicts of interest involving the calculation agent, which is an affiliate of ours. We have the right to appoint and remove the calculation agent. One of our affiliates will be the calculation agent for the Notes and, as such, will make a variety of determinations relating to the Notes, including the amounts that will be paid on the Notes. Under some circumstances, these duties could result in a conflict of interest between its status as our affiliate and its responsibilities as calculation agent.
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Underlying-related Risks
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The Notes are subject to foreign currency exchange risk. The ACWI tracks securities traded outside of the United States. The net asset value of the ACWI will depend upon the values of these securities, which will in turn depend in part upon changes in the value of the currencies in which the securities tracked by the ACWI are traded. Accordingly, investors in the Notes will be exposed to currency exchange rate risk with respect to each of the currencies in which the securities tracked by the ACWI are traded. An investor’s net exposure will depend on the extent to which these currencies strengthen or weaken against the U.S. dollar. If the dollar strengthens against these currencies, the net asset value of the ACWI will be adversely affected and the value of the ACWI may decrease.
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BUFFERED AUTO-CALLABLE ENHANCED RETURN NOTES | PS-8
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Buffered Auto-Callable Enhanced Return Notes Linked to the iShares® MSCI ACWI ETF
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The Notes are subject to risks associated with foreign securities markets. The ACWI includes certain foreign equity securities. You should be aware that investments in securities linked to the value of foreign equity securities involve particular risks. The foreign securities markets comprising the ACWI may have less liquidity and may be more volatile than U.S. or other securities markets and market developments may affect foreign markets differently from U.S. or other securities markets. Direct or indirect government intervention to stabilize these foreign securities markets, as well as cross-shareholdings in foreign companies, may affect trading prices and volumes in these markets. Also, there is generally less publicly available information about foreign companies than about those U.S. companies that are subject to the reporting requirements of the SEC, and foreign companies are subject to accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards and requirements that differ from those applicable to U.S. reporting companies.
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Prices of securities in foreign countries are subject to political, economic, financial and social factors that apply in those geographical regions. These factors, which could negatively affect those securities markets, include the possibility of recent or future changes in a foreign government’s economic and fiscal policies, the possible imposition of, or changes in, currency exchange laws or other laws or restrictions applicable to foreign companies or investments in foreign equity securities and the possibility of fluctuations in the rate of exchange between currencies, the possibility of outbreaks of hostility and political instability and the possibility of natural disaster or adverse public health developments in the region. Moreover, foreign economies may differ favorably or unfavorably from the U.S. economy in important respects such as growth of gross national product, rate of inflation, capital reinvestment, resources and self-sufficiency.
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There are risks associated with emerging markets. An investment in the Notes will involve risks not generally associated with investments which have no emerging market component. In particular, many emerging nations are undergoing rapid change, involving the restructuring of economic, political, financial and legal systems. Regulatory and tax environments may be subject to change without review or appeal. Many emerging markets suffer from underdevelopment of capital markets and tax regulation. The risk of expropriation and nationalization remains a threat. Guarding against such risks is made more difficult by low levels of corporate disclosure and unreliability of economic and financial data.
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The performance of the ACWI may not correlate with the performance of its underlying index as well as the net asset value per share or unit of the ACWI, especially during periods of market volatility. The performance of the ACWI and that of its underlying index generally will vary due to, for example, transaction costs, management fees, certain corporate actions, and timing variances. Moreover, it is also possible that the performance of the ACWI may not fully replicate or may, in certain circumstances, diverge significantly from the performance of its underlying index. This could be due to, for example, the ACWI not holding all or substantially all of the underlying assets included in its underlying index and/or holding assets that are not included in its underlying index, the temporary unavailability of certain securities in the secondary market, the performance of any derivative instruments held by the ACWI, differences in trading hours between the ACWI (or the underlying assets held by the ACWI) and its underlying index, or other circumstances. This variation in performance is called the “tracking error,” and, at times, the tracking error may be significant. In addition, because the shares or units of the ACWI are traded on a securities exchange and are subject to market supply and investor demand, the market price of one share or unit of the ACWI may differ from its net asset value per share or unit; shares or units of the ACWI may trade at, above, or below its net asset value per share or unit. During periods of market volatility, securities held by the ACWI may be unavailable in the secondary market, market participants may be unable to calculate accurately the net asset value per share or unit of the ACWI and the liquidity of the ACWI may be adversely affected. Market volatility may also disrupt the ability of market participants to trade shares or units of the ACWI. Further, market volatility may adversely affect, sometimes materially, the prices at which market participants are willing to buy and sell shares or units of the ACWI. As a result, under these circumstances, the market value of shares or units of the ACWI may vary substantially from the net asset value per share or unit of the ACWI.
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The anti-dilution adjustments will be limited. The calculation agent may adjust the Price Multiplier of the ACWI and other terms of the Notes to reflect certain actions by the ACWI, as described in the section “Description of the Notes—Anti-Dilution and Discontinuance Adjustments Relating to ETFs” in the accompanying product supplement. The calculation agent will not be required to make an adjustment for every event that may affect the ACWI and will have broad discretion to determine whether and to what extent an adjustment is required.
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The publisher or the sponsor or investment advisor of the Underlying may adjust the Underlying in a way that affects its price, and the publisher or the sponsor or investment advisor has no obligation to consider your interests. The publisher or the sponsor or investment advisor of the Underlying can add, delete, or substitute the components included in the Underlying or make other methodological changes that could change its price. Any of these actions could adversely affect the value of your Notes.
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Tax-related Risks
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The U.S. federal income tax consequences of an investment in the Notes are uncertain, and may be adverse to a holder of the Notes. No statutory, judicial, or administrative authority directly addresses the characterization of the Notes or securities similar to the Notes for U.S. federal income tax purposes. As a result, significant aspects of the U.S. federal income tax consequences of an investment in the Notes are not certain. Under the terms of the Notes, you will have agreed with us to treat the Notes as single financial contracts, as described below under “U.S. Federal Income Tax Summary—General.” If the Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”) were successful in asserting an alternative characterization for the Notes, the timing and character of gain or loss with respect to the Notes may differ. No ruling will be requested from the IRS with respect to the Notes and no assurance can be given that the IRS will agree with the statements made in the section entitled “U.S. Federal Income Tax Summary.” You are urged to consult with your own tax advisor regarding all aspects of the U.S. federal income tax consequences of investing in the Notes.
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BUFFERED AUTO-CALLABLE ENHANCED RETURN NOTES | PS-9
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Buffered Auto-Callable Enhanced Return Notes Linked to the iShares® MSCI ACWI ETF
The Underlying
All disclosures contained in this pricing supplement regarding the Underlying, including, without limitation, its make-up, method of calculation, and changes in its components, have been derived from publicly available sources. The information reflects the policies of, and is subject to change by, the investment advisor of the ACWI (the “Investment Advisor”). The Investment Advisor, which licenses the copyright and all other rights to the Underlying, has no obligation to continue to publish, and may discontinue publication of, the Underlying. The consequences of any Investment Advisor discontinuing publication of the applicable Underlying are discussed in “Description of the Notes — Anti-Dilution and Discontinuance Adjustments Relating to ETFs — Discontinuance of or Material Change to an ETF” in the accompanying product supplement. None of us, the Guarantor, the calculation agent, or BofAS accepts any responsibility for the calculation, maintenance or publication of the Underlying or any successor underlying. None of us, the Guarantor, BofAS or any of our other affiliates makes any representation to you as to the future performance of the Underlying. You should make your own investigation into the Underlying.
The iShares® MSCI ACWI ETF
The shares of the ACWI are issued by iShares, Inc., a registered investment company. The ACWI seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the MSCI ACWI Index, its underlying index. The ACWI typically earns income dividends from securities included in the ACWI. These amounts, net of expenses and taxes (if applicable), are passed along to the ACWI’s shareholders as “ordinary income.” In addition, the ACWI realizes capital gains or losses whenever it sells securities. Net long-term capital gains are distributed to shareholders as “capital gain distributions.” However, because the Notes are linked only to the share price of the ACWI, you will not be entitled to receive income, dividend, or capital gain distributions from the ACWI or any equivalent payments. The shares of the iShares® MSCI ACWI ETF trade on the NYSE Arca under the ticker symbol “ACWI.”
As investment adviser, BFA has overall responsibility for the general management and administration of the ACWI. For its investment advisory services to the ACWI, BFA is paid a management fee based on the ACWI’s allocable portion of an aggregate management fee calculated based on the aggregate average daily net assets of a group of iShares funds, including the ACWI, as follows: 0.3500% per annum of the aggregate net assets less than or equal to $30.0 billion, plus 0.3200% per annum of the aggregate net assets over $30.0 billion, up to and including $60.0 billion, plus 0.2800% per annum of the aggregate net assets over $60.0 billion, up to and including $90.0 billion, plus 0.2520% per annum of the aggregate net assets over $90.0 billion, up to and including $120.0 billion, plus 0.2270% per annum of the aggregate net assets over $120.0 billion, up to and including $150.0 billion, plus 0.2040% per annum of the aggregate net assets in excess of $150.0 billion.
The shares of the ACWI are registered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act"). Accordingly, information filed with the SEC relating to the ACWI, including its periodic financial reports, may be found on the SEC website.
Investment Objective
The ACWI seeks to provide investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the underlying index, which is a free float-adjusted market capitalization index designed to measure the combined equity market performance of developed and emerging markets countries. The underlying index includes large- and mid-capitalization companies and may change over time. The ACWI’s investment objective and the underlying index may be changed at any time without shareholder approval. Notwithstanding the ACWI’s investment objective, the return on your Notes will not reflect any dividends paid on the ACWI shares, on the securities purchased by the ACWI or on the securities that comprise the underlying index.
The return on your Notes is linked to the performance of the iShares® MSCI ACWI ETF, and not to the performance of the MSCI ACWI Index on which the ACWI is based. Although the ACWI seeks results that correspond generally to the performance of the underlying index, the ACWI follows a strategy of “representative sampling,” which means the ACWI’s holdings do not identically correspond to the holdings and weightings of the underlying index, and may significantly diverge from the underlying index. Additionally, when the ACWI purchases securities not held by the underlying index, the ACWI may be exposed to additional risks, such as counterparty credit risk or liquidity risk, to which the underlying index components are not exposed. Therefore, the ACWI will not directly track the performance of the underlying index and there may be significant variation between the performance of the ACWI and the underlying index on which it is based.
Representative Sampling
BFA uses a representative sampling strategy to track the underlying index. Representative sampling is an indexing strategy that involves investing in a representative sample of securities that collectively has an investment profile similar to that of the underlying index. The securities selected are expected to have, in the aggregate, investment characteristics (based on factors such as market capitalization and industry weightings), fundamental characteristics (such as return variability and yield) and liquidity measures similar to those of the underlying index. The ACWI may or may not hold all of the securities that are included in the underlying index.
The ACWI generally will invest at least 80% of its assets in the component securities of its underlying index and in investments that have economic characteristics that are substantially identical to the component securities of its underlying index (i.e., depositary receipts representing securities of the underlying index) and may invest up to 20% of its assets in certain futures, options and swap contracts, cash and cash equivalents, including shares of money market funds advised by BFA or its affiliates, as well as in securities not included in the underlying index, but which BFA believes will help the
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BUFFERED AUTO-CALLABLE ENHANCED RETURN NOTES | PS-10
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Buffered Auto-Callable Enhanced Return Notes Linked to the iShares® MSCI ACWI ETF
ACWI track the underlying index. Cash and cash equivalent investments associated with a derivative position will be treated as part of that position for the purposes of calculating the percentage of investments included in the underlying index. The ACWI seeks to track the investment results of the underlying index before fees and expenses of the ACWI.
Industry Concentration Policy
The ACWI will concentrate its investments (i.e., hold 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries to approximately the same extent that the underlying index is concentrated in that industry or group of industries. For purposes of this limitation, securities of the U.S. government (including its agencies and instrumentalities) and repurchase agreements collateralized by U.S. government securities are not considered to be issued by members of any industry.
MSCI ACWI Index
The MSCI ACWI Index is a free float adjusted market capitalization index that is designed to measure the performance of the large- and mid-cap segments of certain global emerging markets and developed markets. The MSCI ACWI is one of the MSCI Global Investable Market Indices. The MSCI ACWI Index currently consists of the following 23 developed market country indices and 24 emerging market country indices: developed market countries include Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States; emerging market countries include Brazil, Chile, China, Colombia, Czech Republic, Egypt, Greece, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Korea, Kuwait, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates. The MSCI ACWI Index covers approximately 85% of global investable equities. The MSCI ACWI Index is calculated in U.S. dollars on a net total return basis.
Construction of the MSCI ACWI Index
MSCI undertakes an index construction process at an individual market level, which involves: (i) defining the equity universe for each market; (ii) determining the market investable equity universe for each market; (iii) determining market capitalization size segments for each market; (iv) applying index continuity rules for the standard index; and (v) classifying securities under the Global Industry Classification Standard. The MSCI ACWI Index is a developed market and emerging market index. All of the MSCI Indices are standard indices, meaning that only securities that would qualify for inclusion in a large cap index or a mid-cap index will be included as described below.
Defining the Equity Universe
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Identifying Eligible Equity Securities: The equity universe initially looks at securities listed in any of the countries in the MSCI global index series, which will be classified as either “developed markets” or “emerging markets”. All listed equity securities, including real estate investment trusts (“REIT(s)”) and REIT equivalent structures across different countries tracked by MSCI and certain income trusts in Canada are eligible for inclusion in the equity universe. Limited partnerships, limited liability companies and business trusts, which are listed in the U.S. and are not structured to be taxed as limited partnerships, are likewise eligible for inclusion in the equity universe. Conversely, mutual funds, exchange traded funds, equity derivatives and most investment trusts are not eligible for inclusion in the equity universe. Preferred shares that exhibit characteristics of equity securities are eligible. Securities for which the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission has issued high shareholding concentration notices are not eligible.
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Country Classification of Eligible Securities: Each company and its securities (i.e., share classes) are classified in one and only one country, which allows for a distinctive sorting of each company by its respective country.
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Determining the Market Investable Equity Universes
A market investable equity universe for a market is derived by (i) identifying eligible listings for each security in the equity universe; and (ii) applying investability screens to individual companies and securities in the equity universe that are classified in that market. A market is generally equivalent to a single country. The global investable equity universe is the aggregation of all market investable equity universes.
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Identifying Eligible Listings: A security may have a listing in the country where it is classified (a “local listing”) and/or in a different country (a “foreign listing”). A security may be represented by either a local listing or a foreign listing (including a depositary receipt) in the global investable equity universe. A security may be represented by a foreign listing only if the security is classified in a country that meets the foreign listing materiality requirement (as described below), and the security’s foreign listing is traded on an eligible stock exchange of a developed market country if the security is classified in a developed market country or, if the security is classified in an emerging market country, an eligible stock exchange of a developed market country or an emerging market country.
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In order for a country to meet the foreign listing materiality requirement, the following is determined: all securities represented by a foreign listing that would be included in the country’s MSCI Country Investable Market Index if foreign listings were eligible from that country. The aggregate free-float adjusted market capitalization for all such securities should represent at least (i) 5% of the free float-adjusted market capitalization of the relevant MSCI Country Investable Market Index and (ii) 0.05% of the free-float adjusted market capitalization of the MSCI ACWI Investable Market Index. If a country does not meet the foreign listing materiality requirement, then securities in that country may not be represented by a foreign listing in the global investable equity universe.
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BUFFERED AUTO-CALLABLE ENHANCED RETURN NOTES | PS-11
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Buffered Auto-Callable Enhanced Return Notes Linked to the iShares® MSCI ACWI ETF
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Applying Investability Screens: The investability screens used to determine the investable equity universe in each market are:
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Equity Universe Minimum Size Requirement: This investability screen is applied at the company level. In order to be included in a market investable equity universe, a company must have the required minimum full market capitalization. The equity universe minimum size requirement applies to companies in all markets and is derived as follows:
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First, the companies in the developed market equity universe are sorted in descending order of full market capitalization and the cumulative coverage of the free float-adjusted market capitalization of the developed market equity universe is calculated for each company. Each company’s free float-adjusted market capitalization is represented by the aggregation of the free float-adjusted market capitalization of the securities of that company in the equity universe.
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Second, when the cumulative free float-adjusted market capitalization coverage of 99% of the sorted equity universe is achieved, by adding each company’s free float-adjusted market capitalization in descending order, the full market capitalization of the company that reaches the 99% threshold defines the equity universe minimum size requirement.
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The rank of this company by descending order of full market capitalization within the developed market equity universe is noted, and will be used in determining the equity universe minimum size requirement at the next rebalance.
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As of May 2024, the equity universe minimum size requirement was set at US $371,000,000 for the Developed and Emerging Markets. Companies with a full market capitalization below this level are not included in any market investable equity universe. The equity universe minimum size requirement is reviewed and, if necessary, revised at each quarterly index review, as described below.
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Equity Universe Minimum Free Float-Adjusted Market Capitalization Requirement: This investability screen is applied at the individual security level. To be eligible for inclusion in a market investable equity universe, a security must have a free float-adjusted market capitalization equal to or higher than 50% of the equity universe minimum size requirement.
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Minimum Liquidity Requirement: This investability screen is applied at the individual security level. To be eligible for inclusion in a market investable equity universe, a security must have at least one eligible listing that has adequate liquidity as measured by its 12-month and 3-month annualized traded value ratio (“ATVR”) and 3-month frequency of trading. The ATVR attempts to mitigate the impact of extreme daily trading volumes and takes into account the free float-adjusted market capitalization of securities. A minimum liquidity level of 20% of the 3-month ATVR and 90% of 3-month frequency of trading over the last 4 consecutive quarters, as well as 20% of the 12-month ATVR, are required for inclusion of a security in a market investable equity universe of a developed market. A minimum liquidity level of 15% of the 3-month ATVR and 80% of 3-month frequency of trading over the last 4 consecutive quarters, as well as 15% of the 12-month ATVR, are required for inclusion of a security in a market investable equity universe of an emerging market. Securities in the MSCI China equity universe will not be eligible for inclusion in the MSCI ACWI Index if the security is suspended or has been suspended for 50 consecutive business days or more in the past 12 months.
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Only one listing per security may be included in the market investable equity universe. In instances where a security has two or more eligible listings that meet the above liquidity requirements, then the following priority rules are used to determine which listing will be used for potential inclusion of the security in the market investable equity universe:
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Local listing (if the security has two or more local listings, then the listing with the highest 3-month ATVR will be used).
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Foreign listing in the same geographical region (MSCI classifies markets into three main geographical regions: EMEA, Asia Pacific and Americas. If the security has two or more foreign listings in the same geographical region, then the listing with the highest 3-month ATVR will be used).
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Foreign listing in a different geographical region (if the security has two or more foreign listings in a different geographical region, then the listing with the highest 3-month ATVR will be used).
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Due to liquidity concerns relating to securities trading at very high stock prices, a security that is currently not a constituent of a MSCI Global Investable Markets Index that is trading at a stock price above US$10,000 will fail the liquidity screening and will not be included in any market investable equity universe.
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Global Minimum Foreign Inclusion Factor Requirement: This investability screen is applied at the individual security level. To determine the free float of a security, MSCI considers the proportion of shares of such security available for purchase in the public equity markets by international investors. In practice, limitations on the investment opportunities for international investors include: strategic stakes in a company held by private or public shareholders whose investment objective indicates that the shares held are not likely to be available in the market; limits on the proportion of a security’s share capital authorized for purchase by non-domestic investors; or other foreign investment restrictions which materially limit the ability of foreign investors to freely invest in a particular equity market, sector or security.
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MSCI will then derive a “foreign inclusion factor” for the company that reflects the proportion of shares outstanding that is available for purchase in the public equity markets by international investors. MSCI will then “float-adjust” the weight of each constituent company in an index by the company’s foreign inclusion factor.
Once the free float factor has been determined for a security, the security’s total market capitalization is then adjusted by such free float factor, resulting in the free float-adjusted market capitalization figure for the security.
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BUFFERED AUTO-CALLABLE ENHANCED RETURN NOTES | PS-12
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Buffered Auto-Callable Enhanced Return Notes Linked to the iShares® MSCI ACWI ETF
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Minimum Length of Trading Requirement: This investability screen is applied at the individual security level. For an initial public offering to be eligible for inclusion in a market investable equity universe, the new issue must have started trading at least three months before the implementation of a quarterly index review. This requirement is applicable to small new issues in all markets. Large initial public offerings are not subject to the minimum length of trading requirement and may be included in a market investable equity universe and a standard index, such as the MSCI ACWI Index, outside of a quarterly index review.
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Minimum Foreign Room Requirement: This investability screen is applied at the individual security level. For a security that is subject to a foreign ownership limit to be eligible for inclusion in a market investable equity universe, the proportion of shares still available to foreign investors relative to the maximum allowed (referred to as “foreign room”) must be at least 15%.
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Financial Reporting Requirement: For any companies classified as belonging to the United States, the company must file a Form 10-K/10-Q to be eligible for inclusion in the USA investable equity universe.
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Determining Market Capitalization Size Segments for Each Market
Once a market investable equity universe is defined, it is segmented into the following size-based indices:
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Investable Market Index (Large Cap + Mid Cap + Small Cap)
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Standard Index (Large Cap + Mid Cap)
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Creating the size segment indices in each market involves the following steps: (i) defining the market coverage target range for each size segment; (ii) determining the global minimum size range for each size segment; (iii) determining the market size segment cutoffs and associated segment number of companies; (iv) assigning companies to the size segments; and (v) applying final size-segment investability requirements. For developed market indices, the market coverage for a standard index is 85%. As of April 2024, the global minimum size range for a developed market standard index is a full market capitalization of USD 5.10 billion to USD 11.72 billion.
Index Continuity Rules for Standard Indices
In order to achieve index continuity, as well as provide some basic level of diversification within a market index, notwithstanding the effect of other index construction rules, a minimum number of five constituents will be maintained for a developed market standard index and a minimum number of three constituents will be maintained for an emerging market standard index, and involves the following steps:
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If after the application of the index construction methodology, a developed market standard index contains fewer than five securities or an emerging market standard index contains fewer than three securities, then the largest securities by free float-adjusted market capitalization are added to the MSCI ACWI Index in order to reach the minimum number of required constituents.
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At subsequent quarterly MSCI ACWI Index reviews, if the minimum number of securities described above is not met, then after the market investable equity universe is identified, the securities are ranked by free float-adjusted market capitalization, however, in order to increase stability the free float-adjusted market capitalization of the existing index constituents (prior to review) is multiplied by 1.50, and securities are added until the desired minimum number of securities is reached.
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Constituent index means any of the component country indices comprising the MSCI ACWI Index.
Classifying Securities under the Global Industry Classification Standard
All securities in the global investable equity universe are assigned to the industry that best describes their business activities. The GICS classification of each security is used by MSCI to construct additional indices.
Calculation Methodology for the MSCI ACWI Index
Price Return Methodology
The performance of the MSCI ACWI Index is a free float weighted average of the U.S. dollar values of its component securities.
Prices used to calculate the component securities are the official exchange closing prices or prices accepted as such in the relevant market. In the case of a market closure, or if a security does not trade on a specific day or during a specific period, MSCI carries the latest available closing price. In the event of a market outage resulting in any component security price to be unavailable, MSCI will generally use the last reported price for such component security for the purpose of performance calculation. If MSCI determines that another price is more appropriate based on the circumstances, an announcement would be sent to clients with the related information. Closing prices are converted into U.S. dollars, as applicable, using the closing spot exchange rates calculated by WM/Refinitiv at 4:00 P.M. London Time.
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BUFFERED AUTO-CALLABLE ENHANCED RETURN NOTES | PS-13
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Buffered Auto-Callable Enhanced Return Notes Linked to the iShares® MSCI ACWI ETF
Maintenance of the MSCI ACWI Index
In order to maintain the representativeness of the MSCI Indices, structural changes may be made by adding or deleting component securities. Currently, such changes in the MSCI Indices may generally only be made on four dates throughout the year: after the close of the last business day of each February, May, August and November.
Each country index is maintained with the objective of reflecting, on a timely basis, the evolution of the underlying equity markets. In maintaining each component country index, emphasis is also placed on its continuity, continuous investability of constituents and replicability of the index and on index stability and minimizing turnover.
MSCI classifies index maintenance in three broad categories. The first consists of ongoing event related changes, such as mergers and acquisitions, which are generally implemented in the country indices in which they occur. The second category consists of light rebalancings, aimed at promptly reflecting other significant market events under conditions of market stress. The third category consists of quarterly index reviews that systematically re-assess the various dimensions of the equity universe.
Ongoing event-related changes to the MSCI ACWI Index are the result of mergers, acquisitions, spin-offs, bankruptcies, reorganizations and other similar corporate events. They can also result from capital reorganizations in the form of rights issues, stock bonus issues, public placements and other similar corporate actions that take place on a continuing basis. MSCI will remove from the index as soon as practicable securities of companies that file for bankruptcy or other protection from their creditors, that are suspended and for which a return to normal business activity and trading is unlikely in the near future, or that fail stock exchange listing requirements with a delisting announcement. Securities may also be considered for early deletion in other significant cases, such as decreases in free float and foreign ownership limits, or when a constituent company acquires or merges with a non-constituent company or spins-off another company. In practice, when a constituent company is involved in a corporate event which results in a significant decrease in the company’s free float-adjusted market capitalization or the company decreases its foreign inclusion factor to below 0.15, the securities of that constituent company are considered for early deletion from the indices simultaneously with the event unless, in either case, it is a standard index constituent with a minimum free float-adjusted market capitalization meeting at least two-thirds of 1.8 times one-half of the standard index interim size segment cut-off. Share conversions may also give rise to an early deletion. Changes in number of shares and foreign inclusion factors resulting from primary equity offerings representing at least 5% of the security’s pre-event number of shares are implemented as of the close of the first trading day of the new shares, if all necessary information is available at that time. Otherwise, the event is implemented as soon as practicable after the relevant information is made available. MSCI implements pending number of shares and/or free float updates simultaneously with the event, unless the change in number of shares is less than 1% on a post-event number of shares basis, in which case it will be implemented at a subsequent quarterly index review. Changes in the number of shares smaller than 5% are implemented at a subsequent quarterly index review. Secondary offerings/block sales with sizes representing at least 5% of the security’s pre-event number of shares are implemented at the time of the event. All changes resulting from corporate events are announced prior to their implementation, provided all necessary information on the event is available.
MSCI’s light rebalancing process aims to ensure that the country indices continue to be an accurate reflection of evolving equity markets during conditions of market stress. This goal is achieved by timely reflecting significant market driven changes that were not captured in each index at the time of their actual occurrence and that should not wait until the quarterly index review due to their importance. MSCI will consider switching to a “light rebalancing” in place of the usual quarterly index review only if one of the following two conditions is met within the last ten business days of the month prior to the announcement date of a quarterly index review (the “market monitoring period”): (1) for any 3 days within the market monitoring period, the MSCI ACWI Index-weighted bid-ask spread breaches 0.19% and the MSCI ACWI Index volatility over the past 10 days breaks 0.55 or (2) there are unexpected full day or partial stock exchange closures impacting 20% of MSCI ACWI Index constituents cumulatively over the market monitoring period. The final decision of whether or not to switch to a “light rebalancing” will be taken by relevant MSCI index committee(s). These light rebalancings may result in additions and deletions of component securities from a country index (or a security being removed from one country listing and represented by a different country listing) and changes in “foreign inclusion factors” and in number of shares. Additions and deletions to component securities may result from: the addition of large companies that did not meet the minimum size criterion for inclusion at the time of their initial public offering or secondary offering; the replacement of companies which are no longer suitable industry representatives; the deletion of securities whose overall free float has fallen to less than 15% and that do not meet specified criteria; the deletion of securities that have become very small or illiquid; and the addition or deletion of securities as a result of other market events. During light rebalancings, foreign inclusion factors and number of shares will be reviewed as discussed below. MSCI has noted that consistency is a factor in maintaining each component country index.
MSCI’s quarterly index review is designed to systematically reassess the component securities of the index. During each quarterly index review, the universe of component securities is updated and the global minimum size range for the index is recalculated, which is based on the full market capitalization and the cumulative free float-adjusted market capitalization coverage of each security that is eligible to be included in the index. The following index maintenance activities, among others, are undertaken during each quarterly index review: the list of countries in which securities may be represented by foreign listings is reviewed; the component securities are updated by identifying new equity securities that were not part of the index at the time of the previous quarterly index review; the minimum size requirement for the index is updated and new companies are evaluated relative to the new minimum size requirement; existing component securities that do not meet the minimum liquidity requirements of the index may be removed (or, with respect to any such security that has other listings, a determination is made as to whether any such listing can be used to represent the security in the market investable universe); changes in “foreign inclusion factors” are implemented (provided the change in free float is greater than 1%, except in cases of correction); and changes in number of shares are updated. During a quarterly index review, component securities may be added or deleted from a country index for a range of reasons, including the reasons discussed with respect to component securities changes during quarterly index reviews as discussed above. However, no changes in foreign inclusion factors are implemented if the change in free float estimate is less than 1%, except in cases of correction. As discussed above, small changes in the number of shares are generally updated at the quarterly index review rather
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BUFFERED AUTO-CALLABLE ENHANCED RETURN NOTES | PS-14
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Buffered Auto-Callable Enhanced Return Notes Linked to the iShares® MSCI ACWI ETF
than at the time of the event, provided that the absolute number of shares change is at least 1,000 shares or the relative number of shares change is at least 0.02%. Foreign listings may become eligible to represent securities only from the countries that met the foreign listing materiality requirement at least two quarterly index reviews prior (this requirement is applied only to countries that do not yet include foreign listed securities). Once a country meets the foreign listing materiality requirement at a given quarterly index review, foreign listings will remain eligible for such country even if the foreign listing materiality requirements are not met in the future.
The results of the quarterly index reviews are announced at least two weeks in advance of their effective implementation dates, which are generally set at the close of the last business day of February, May, August and November.
MSCI ACWI Index maintenance also includes monitoring and completing adjustments for share changes, stock splits, stock dividends, and stock price adjustments due to company restructurings or spin-offs as well as deleting constituents that enter ineligible alert boards.
These guidelines and the policies implementing the guidelines are the responsibility of, and, ultimately, subject to adjustment by, MSCI.
Historical Performance of the ACWI
The following graph sets forth the daily historical performance of the ACWI in the period from January 2, 2019 through the pricing date. We obtained this historical data from Bloomberg L.P. We have not independently verified the accuracy or completeness of the information obtained from Bloomberg L.P. On the pricing date, the Closing Market Price of the ACWI was $110.53.
This historical data on the ACWI is not necessarily indicative of the future performance of the ACWI or what the value of the Notes may be. Any historical upward or downward trend in the Closing Market Price of the ACWI during any period set forth above is not an indication that the Closing Market Price of the ACWI is more or less likely to increase or decrease at any time over the term of the Notes.
Before investing in the Notes, you should consult publicly available sources for the Closing Market Prices and trading pattern of the ACWI.
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BUFFERED AUTO-CALLABLE ENHANCED RETURN NOTES | PS-15
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Buffered Auto-Callable Enhanced Return Notes Linked to the iShares® MSCI ACWI ETF
Supplement to the Plan of Distribution; Role of BofAS and Conflicts of Interest
BofAS, a broker-dealer affiliate of ours, is a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (“FINRA”) and will participate as selling agent in the distribution of the Notes. Accordingly, the offering of the Notes will conform to the requirements of FINRA Rule 5121. BofAS may not make sales in this offering to any of its discretionary accounts without the prior written approval of the account holder.
We will deliver the Notes against payment therefor in New York, New York on a date that is greater than one business day following the pricing date. Under Rule 15c6-1 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, trades in the secondary market generally are required to settle in one business day, unless the parties to any such trade expressly agree otherwise. Accordingly, purchasers who wish to trade the Notes more than one business day prior to the original issue date will be required to specify alternative settlement arrangements to prevent a failed settlement.
Under our distribution agreement with BofAS, BofAS will purchase the Notes from us as principal at the public offering price indicated on the cover of this pricing supplement, less the indicated underwriting discount, if any. BofAS will sell the Notes to other broker-dealers that will participate in the offering and that are not affiliated with us, at an agreed discount to the principal amount. Each of those broker-dealers may sell the Notes to one or more additional broker-dealers. BofAS has informed us that these discounts may vary from dealer to dealer and that not all dealers will purchase or repurchase the Notes at the same discount. Certain dealers who purchase the Notes for sale to certain fee-based advisory accounts may forgo some or all of their selling concessions, fees or commissions. The public offering price for investors purchasing the Notes in these fee-based advisory accounts may be as low as $999.00 per $1,000.00 in principal amount of Notes. In addition to the underwriting discount, if any, an affiliate of BofA Finance will pay a referral fee of up to $4.00 per $1,000.00 in principal amount of Notes in connection with the distribution of the Notes to other registered broker-dealers.
BofAS and any of our other broker-dealer affiliates may use this pricing supplement and the accompanying product supplement, prospectus supplement and prospectus for offers and sales in secondary market transactions and market-making transactions in the Notes. However, they are not obligated to engage in such secondary market transactions and/or market-making transactions. These broker-dealer affiliates may act as principal or agent in these transactions, and any such sales will be made at prices related to prevailing market conditions at the time of the sale.
At BofAS’s discretion, for a short, undetermined initial period after the issuance of the Notes, BofAS may offer to buy the Notes in the secondary market at a price that may exceed the initial estimated value of the Notes. Any price offered by BofAS for the Notes will be based on then-prevailing market conditions and other considerations, including the performance of the Underlying and the remaining term of the Notes. However, none of us, the Guarantor, BofAS or any of our other affiliates is obligated to purchase your Notes at any price or at any time, and we cannot assure you that any party will purchase your Notes at a price that equals or exceeds the initial estimated value of the Notes.
Any price that BofAS may pay to repurchase the Notes will depend upon then prevailing market conditions, the creditworthiness of us and the Guarantor, and transaction costs. At certain times, this price may be higher than or lower than the initial estimated value of the Notes.
European Economic Area and United Kingdom
None of this pricing supplement, the accompanying product supplement, the accompanying prospectus or the accompanying prospectus supplement is a prospectus for the purposes of the Prospectus Regulation (as defined below). This pricing supplement, the accompanying product supplement, the accompanying prospectus and the accompanying prospectus supplement have been prepared on the basis that any offer of Notes in any Member State of the European Economic Area (the “EEA”) or in the United Kingdom (each, a “Relevant State”) will only be made to a legal entity which is a qualified investor under the Prospectus Regulation (“Qualified Investors”). Accordingly any person making or intending to make an offer in that Relevant State of Notes which are the subject of the offering contemplated in this pricing supplement, the accompanying product supplement, the accompanying prospectus and the accompanying prospectus supplement may only do so with respect to Qualified Investors. Neither BofA Finance nor BAC has authorized, nor does it authorize, the making of any offer of Notes other than to Qualified Investors. The expression “Prospectus Regulation” means Regulation (EU) 2017/1129.
PROHIBITION OF SALES TO EEA AND UNITED KINGDOM RETAIL INVESTORS – The Notes are not intended to be offered, sold or otherwise made available to and should not be offered, sold or otherwise made available to any retail investor in the EEA or in the United Kingdom. For these purposes: (a) a retail investor means a person who is one (or more) of: (i) a retail client as defined in point (11) of Article 4(1) of Directive 2014/65/EU, as amended (“MiFID II”); or (ii) a customer within the meaning of Directive (EU) 2016/97 (the Insurance Distribution Directive) where that customer would not qualify as a professional client as defined in point (10) of Article 4(1) of MiFID II; or (iii) not a qualified investor as defined in the Prospectus Regulation; and (b) the expression “offer” includes the communication in any form and by any means of sufficient information on the terms of the offer and the Notes to be offered so as to enable an investor to decide to purchase or subscribe for the Notes. Consequently no key information document required by Regulation (EU) No 1286/2014, as amended (the “PRIIPs Regulation”) for offering or selling the Notes or otherwise making them available to retail investors in the EEA or in the United Kingdom has been prepared and therefore offering or selling the Notes or otherwise making them available to any retail investor in the EEA or in the United Kingdom may be unlawful under the PRIIPs Regulation.
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United Kingdom
The communication of this pricing supplement, the accompanying product supplement, the accompanying prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus and any other document or materials relating to the issue of the Notes offered hereby is not being made, and such documents and/or materials have not been approved, by an authorized person for the purposes of Section 21 of the United Kingdom’s Financial Services and Markets Act 2000, as amended (the “FSMA”). Accordingly, such documents and/or materials are not being distributed to, and must not be passed on to, the general public in the United Kingdom. The communication of such documents and/or materials as a financial promotion is only being made to those persons in the United Kingdom who have professional experience in matters relating to investments and who fall within the definition of investment professionals (as defined in Article 19(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005, as amended (the “Financial Promotion Order”)), or who fall within Article 49(2)(a) to (d) of the Financial Promotion Order, or who are any other persons to whom it may otherwise lawfully be made under the Financial Promotion Order (all such persons together being referred to as “Relevant Persons”). In the United Kingdom, the Notes offered hereby are only available to, and any investment or investment activity to which this pricing supplement, the accompanying product supplement, the accompanying prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus relates will be engaged in only with, Relevant Persons. Any person in the United Kingdom that is not a relevant person should not act or rely on this pricing supplement, the accompanying product supplement, the accompanying prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus or any of their contents.
Any invitation or inducement to engage in investment activity (within the meaning of Section 21 of the FSMA) in connection with the issue or sale of the Notes may only be communicated or caused to be communicated in circumstances in which Section 21(1) of the FSMA does not apply to BofA Finance, as Issuer, or BAC, as Guarantor.
All applicable provisions of the FSMA must be complied with in respect to anything done by any person in relation to the Notes in, from or otherwise involving the United Kingdom.
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BUFFERED AUTO-CALLABLE ENHANCED RETURN NOTES | PS-17
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Buffered Auto-Callable Enhanced Return Notes Linked to the iShares® MSCI ACWI ETF
Structuring the Notes
The Notes are our debt securities, the return on which is linked to the performance of the Underlying. The related guarantee is BAC’s obligation. As is the case for all of our and BAC’s respective debt securities, including our market-linked notes, the economic terms of the Notes reflect our and BAC’s actual or perceived creditworthiness at the time of pricing. In addition, because market-linked notes result in increased operational, funding and liability management costs to us and BAC, BAC typically borrows the funds under these types of notes at a rate, which we refer to in this pricing supplement as BAC’s internal funding rate, that is more favorable to BAC than the rate that it might pay for a conventional fixed or floating rate debt security. This generally relatively lower internal funding rate, which is reflected in the economic terms of the Notes, along with the fees and charges associated with market-linked notes, typically results in the initial estimated value of the Notes on the pricing date being less than their public offering price.
In order to meet our payment obligations on the Notes, at the time we issue the Notes, we may choose to enter into certain hedging arrangements (which may include call options, put options or other derivatives) with BofAS or one of our other affiliates. The terms of these hedging arrangements are determined based upon terms provided by BofAS and its affiliates, and take into account a number of factors, including our and BAC’s creditworthiness, interest rate movements, the volatility of the Underlying, the tenor of the Notes and the hedging arrangements. The economic terms of the Notes and their initial estimated value depend in part on the terms of these hedging arrangements.
BofAS has advised us that the hedging arrangements will include hedging related charges, reflecting the costs associated with, and our affiliates’ profit earned from, these hedging arrangements. Since hedging entails risk and may be influenced by unpredictable market forces, actual profits or losses from these hedging transactions may be more or less than any expected amounts.
For further information, see “Risk Factors” beginning on page PS-5 and “Supplemental Use of Proceeds” on page PS-20 of the accompanying product supplement.
Validity of the Notes
In the opinion of McGuireWoods LLP, as counsel to BofA Finance, as issuer, and BAC, as guarantor, when the trustee has made the appropriate entries or notations on Schedule 1 to the master global note that represents the Notes (the “Master Note”) identifying the Notes offered hereby as supplemental obligations thereunder in accordance with the instructions of BofA Finance, and the Notes have been delivered against payment therefor as contemplated in this pricing supplement and the related prospectus, prospectus supplement and product supplement, all in accordance with the provisions of the indenture governing the Notes and the related guarantee, such Notes will be the legal, valid and binding obligations of BofA Finance, and the related guarantee will be the legal, valid and binding obligation of BAC, subject, in each case, to the effects of applicable bankruptcy, insolvency (including laws relating to preferences, fraudulent transfers and equitable subordination), reorganization, moratorium and other similar laws affecting creditors’ rights generally, and to general principles of equity. This opinion is given as of the date of this pricing supplement and is limited to the Delaware General Corporation Law and the Delaware Limited Liability Company Act (including the statutory provisions, all applicable provisions of the Delaware Constitution and reported judicial decisions interpreting either of the foregoing) and the laws of the State of New York as in effect on the date hereof. In addition, this opinion is subject to customary assumptions about the trustee’s authorization, execution and delivery of the indenture governing the Notes and due authentication of the Master Note, the validity, binding nature and enforceability of the indenture governing the Notes and the related guarantee with respect to the trustee, the legal capacity of individuals, the genuineness of signatures, the authenticity of all documents submitted to McGuireWoods LLP as originals, the conformity to original documents of all documents submitted to McGuireWoods LLP as copies thereof, the authenticity of the originals of such copies and certain factual matters, all as stated in the opinion letter of McGuireWoods LLP dated December 8, 2022, which has been filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement (File Nos. 333-268718 and 333-268718-01) of BAC and BofA Finance, filed with the SEC on December 8, 2022.
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BUFFERED AUTO-CALLABLE ENHANCED RETURN NOTES | PS-18
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U.S. Federal Income Tax Summary
The following summary of the material U.S. federal income and estate tax considerations of the acquisition, ownership, and disposition of the Notes supplements, and to the extent inconsistent supersedes, the discussion under “U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations” in the accompanying prospectus and is not exhaustive of all possible tax considerations. This summary is based upon the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), regulations promulgated under the Code by the U.S. Treasury Department (“Treasury”) (including proposed and temporary regulations), rulings, current administrative interpretations and official pronouncements of the IRS, and judicial decisions, all as currently in effect and all of which are subject to differing interpretations or to change, possibly with retroactive effect. No assurance can be given that the IRS would not assert, or that a court would not sustain, a position contrary to any of the tax consequences described below. This summary does not include any description of the tax laws of any state or local governments, or of any foreign government, that may be applicable to a particular holder.
Although the Notes are issued by us, they will be treated as if they were issued by BAC for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Accordingly throughout this tax discussion, references to “we,” “our” or “us” are generally to BAC unless the context requires otherwise.
This summary is directed solely to U.S. Holders and Non-U.S. Holders that, except as otherwise specifically noted, will purchase the Notes upon original issuance and will hold the Notes as capital assets within the meaning of Section 1221 of the Code, which generally means property held for investment, and that are not excluded from the discussion under “U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations” in the accompanying prospectus.
You should consult your own tax advisor concerning the U.S. federal income tax consequences to you of acquiring, owning, and disposing of the Notes, as well as any tax consequences arising under the laws of any state, local, foreign, or other tax jurisdiction and the possible effects of changes in U.S. federal or other tax laws.
General
Although there is no statutory, judicial, or administrative authority directly addressing the characterization of the Notes, in the opinion of our counsel, Sidley Austin LLP, and based on certain factual representations received from us, the Notes should be treated as single financial contracts with respect to the Underlying and under the terms of the Notes, we and every investor in the Notes agree, in the absence of an administrative determination or judicial ruling to the contrary, to treat the Notes in accordance with such characterization. This discussion assumes that the Notes constitute single financial contracts with respect to the Underlying for U.S. federal income tax purposes. If the Notes did not constitute single financial contracts, the tax consequences described below would be materially different.
This characterization of the Notes is not binding on the IRS or the courts. No statutory, judicial, or administrative authority directly addresses the characterization of the Notes or any similar instruments for U.S. federal income tax purposes, and no ruling is being requested from the IRS with respect to their proper characterization and treatment. Due to the absence of authorities on point, significant aspects of the U.S. federal income tax consequences of an investment in the Notes are not certain, and no assurance can be given that the IRS or any court will agree with the characterization and tax treatment described in this pricing supplement. Accordingly, you are urged to consult your tax advisor regarding all aspects of the U.S. federal income tax consequences of an investment in the Notes, including possible alternative characterizations.
Unless otherwise stated, the following discussion is based on the characterization described above. The discussion in this section assumes that there is a significant possibility of a significant loss of principal on an investment in the Notes.
We will not attempt to ascertain whether the issuer of the Underlying would be treated as a “passive foreign investment company” (“PFIC”), within the meaning of Section 1297 of the Code, or a United States real property holding corporation, within the meaning of Section 897(c) of the Code. If the issuer of the Underlying were so treated, certain adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences could possibly apply to a holder of the Notes. You should refer to information filed with the SEC by the issuer of the Underlying and consult your tax advisor regarding the possible consequences to you, if any, if the issuer of the Underlying is or becomes a PFIC or is or becomes a United States real property holding corporation.
U.S. Holders
Upon receipt of a cash payment at maturity or upon a sale, exchange, or redemption of the Notes prior to maturity, a U.S. Holder generally will recognize capital gain or loss equal to the difference between the amount realized and the U.S. Holder’s tax basis in the Notes. A U.S. Holder’s tax basis in the Notes will equal the amount paid by that holder to acquire them. Subject to the discussion below concerning the possible application of the “constructive ownership” rules of Section 1260 of the Code, this capital gain or loss generally will be long-term capital gain or loss if the U.S. Holder held the Notes for more than one year. The deductibility of capital losses is subject to limitations.
Possible Application of Section 1260 of the Code. Since the Underlying is the type of financial asset described under Section 1260 of the Code (including, among others, any equity interest in pass-through entities such as exchange traded funds, regulated investment companies, real estate investment trusts, partnerships, and passive foreign investment companies, each a “Section 1260 Financial Asset”), while the matter is not entirely clear, there may exist a risk that an investment in the Notes will be treated , in whole or in part, as a “constructive ownership transaction” to which Section 1260 of the Code applies. If Section 1260 of the Code applies, all or a portion of any long-term capital gain recognized by a U.S. Holder in respect of the Notes will be recharacterized as ordinary income (the “Excess Gain”). In addition, an interest charge will also apply to any deemed underpayment of tax in respect of any Excess Gain to the extent such gain would have resulted in gross income inclusion for the U.S. Holder in taxable years prior to the taxable year of the sale, exchange, redemption, or settlement (assuming such income accrued at a constant rate equal to the applicable federal rate as
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BUFFERED AUTO-CALLABLE ENHANCED RETURN NOTES | PS-19
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of the date of sale, exchange, redemption, or settlement).
If an investment in the Notes is treated as a constructive ownership transaction, it is not clear to what extent any long-term capital gain of a U.S. Holder in respect of the Notes will be recharacterized as ordinary income. It is possible, for example, that the amount of the Excess Gain (if any) that would be recharacterized as ordinary income in respect of the Notes will equal the excess of (i) any long-term capital gain recognized by the U.S. Holder in respect of the Notes and attributable to Section 1260 Financial Assets, over (ii) the “net underlying long-term capital gain” (as defined in Section 1260 of the Code) such U.S. Holder would have had if such U.S. Holder had acquired an amount of the corresponding Section 1260 Financial Assets at fair market value on the original issue date for an amount equal to the portion of the issue price of the Notes attributable to the corresponding Section 1260 Financial Assets and sold such amount of Section 1260 Financial Assets at maturity or upon sale, exchange or redemption of the Notes at fair market value. Unless otherwise established by clear and convincing evidence, the net underlying long-term capital gain is treated as zero and therefore it is possible that all long-term capital gain recognized by a U.S. Holder in respect of the Notes will be recharacterized as ordinary income if Section 1260 of the Code applies to an investment in the Notes. U.S. Holders should consult their tax advisors regarding the potential application of Section 1260 of the Code to an investment in the Notes.
As described below, the IRS, as indicated in Notice 2008-2 (the “Notice”), is considering whether Section 1260 of the Code generally applies or should apply to the Notes, including in situations where the Underlyings are not the type of financial asset described under Section 1260 of the Code.
Alternative Tax Treatments. Due to the absence of authorities that directly address the proper tax treatment of the Notes, prospective investors are urged to consult their tax advisors regarding all possible alternative tax treatments of an investment in the Notes. In particular, the IRS could seek to subject the Notes to the Treasury regulations governing contingent payment debt instruments. If the IRS were successful in that regard, the timing and character of income on the Notes would be affected significantly. Among other things, a U.S. Holder would be required to accrue original issue discount every year at a “comparable yield” determined at the time of issuance. In addition, any gain realized by a U.S. Holder at maturity or upon a sale, exchange, or redemption of the Notes generally would be treated as ordinary income, and any loss realized at maturity or upon a sale, exchange, or redemption of the Notes generally would be treated as ordinary loss to the extent of the U.S. Holder’s prior accruals of original issue discount, and as capital loss thereafter.
The Notice sought comments from the public on the taxation of financial instruments currently taxed as “prepaid forward contracts.” This Notice addresses instruments such as the Notes. According to the Notice, the IRS and Treasury are considering whether a holder of an instrument such as the Notes should be required to accrue ordinary income on a current basis, regardless of whether any payments are made prior to maturity. It is not possible to determine what guidance the IRS and Treasury will ultimately issue, if any. Any such future guidance may affect the amount, timing and character of income, gain, or loss in respect of the Notes, possibly with retroactive effect.
The IRS and Treasury are also considering additional issues, including whether additional gain or loss from such instruments should be treated as ordinary or capital, whether foreign holders of such instruments should be subject to withholding tax on any deemed income accruals, whether Section 1260 of the Code, concerning certain “constructive ownership transactions,” generally applies or should generally apply to such instruments, and whether any of these determinations depend on the nature of the underlying asset.
In addition, proposed Treasury regulations require the accrual of income on a current basis for contingent payments made under certain notional principal contracts. The preamble to the regulations states that the “wait and see” method of accounting does not properly reflect the economic accrual of income on those contracts, and requires current accrual of income for some contracts already in existence. While the proposed regulations do not apply to prepaid forward contracts, the preamble to the proposed regulations expresses the view that similar timing issues exist in the case of prepaid forward contracts. If the IRS or Treasury publishes future guidance requiring current economic accrual for contingent payments on prepaid forward contracts, it is possible that you could be required to accrue income over the term of the Notes.
Because of the absence of authority regarding the appropriate tax characterization of the Notes, it is also possible that the IRS could seek to characterize the Notes in a manner that results in tax consequences that are different from those described above. For example, the IRS could possibly assert that any gain or loss that a holder may recognize at maturity or upon the sale, exchange, or redemption of the Notes should be treated as ordinary gain or loss.
Non-U.S. Holders
Except as discussed below, a Non-U.S. Holder generally will not be subject to U.S. federal income or withholding tax for amounts paid in respect of the Notes provided that the Non-U.S. Holder complies with applicable certification requirements and that the payment is not effectively connected with the conduct by the Non-U.S. Holder of a U.S. trade or business. Notwithstanding the foregoing, gain from the sale, exchange, or redemption of the Notes or their settlement at maturity may be subject to U.S. federal income tax if that Non-U.S. Holder is a non-resident alien individual and is present in the U.S. for 183 days or more during the taxable year of the sale, exchange, redemption, or settlement and certain other conditions are satisfied.
If a Non-U.S. Holder of the Notes is engaged in the conduct of a trade or business within the U.S. and if any gain realized on the settlement at maturity, or upon sale, exchange, or redemption of the Notes, is effectively connected with the conduct of such trade or business (and, if certain tax treaties apply, is attributable to a permanent establishment maintained by the Non-U.S. Holder in the U.S.), the Non-U.S. Holder, although exempt from U.S. federal withholding tax, generally will be subject to U.S. federal income tax on such gain on a net income basis in the same manner as if it were a U.S. Holder. Such Non-U.S. Holders should read the material under the heading “—U.S. Holders,” for a description of the U.S. federal income tax consequences of acquiring, owning, and disposing of the Notes. In addition, if such Non-U.S. Holder is a foreign corporation, it may also be subject to a branch profits tax
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equal to 30% (or such lower rate provided by any applicable tax treaty) of a portion of its earnings and profits for the taxable year that are effectively connected with its conduct of a trade or business in the U.S., subject to certain adjustments.
A “dividend equivalent” payment is treated as a dividend from sources within the United States and such payments generally would be subject to a 30% U.S. withholding tax if paid to a Non-U.S. Holder. Under Treasury regulations, payments (including deemed payments) with respect to equity-linked instruments (“ELIs”) that are “specified ELIs” may be treated as dividend equivalents if such specified ELIs reference an interest in an “underlying security,” which is generally any interest in an entity taxable as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes if a payment with respect to such interest could give rise to a U.S. source dividend. However, IRS guidance provides that withholding on dividend equivalent payments will not apply to specified ELIs that are not delta-one instruments and that are issued before January 1, 2027. Based on our determination that the Notes are not delta-one instruments, Non-U.S. Holders should not be subject to withholding on dividend equivalent payments, if any, under the Notes. However, it is possible that the Notes could be treated as deemed reissued for U.S. federal income tax purposes upon the occurrence of certain events affecting the Underlying or the Notes, and following such occurrence the Notes could be treated as subject to withholding on dividend equivalent payments. Non-U.S. Holders that enter, or have entered, into other transactions in respect of the Underlying or the Notes should consult their tax advisors as to the application of the dividend equivalent withholding tax in the context of the Notes and their other transactions. If any payments are treated as dividend equivalents subject to withholding, we (or the applicable paying agent) would be entitled to withhold taxes without being required to pay any additional amounts with respect to amounts so withheld.
As discussed above, alternative characterizations of the Notes for U.S. federal income tax purposes are possible. Should an alternative characterization, by reason of change or clarification of the law, by regulation or otherwise, cause payments as to the Notes to become subject to withholding tax, tax will be withheld at the applicable statutory rate. As discussed above, the IRS has indicated in the Notice that it is considering whether income in respect of instruments such as the Notes should be subject to withholding tax. Prospective Non-U.S. Holders should consult their own tax advisors regarding the tax consequences of such alternative characterizations.
U.S. Federal Estate Tax. Under current law, while the matter is not entirely clear, individual Non-U.S. Holders, and entities whose property is potentially includible in those individuals’ gross estates for U.S. federal estate tax purposes (for example, a trust funded by such an individual and with respect to which the individual has retained certain interests or powers), should note that, absent an applicable treaty benefit, a Note is likely to be treated as U.S. situs property, subject to U.S. federal estate tax. These individuals and entities should consult their own tax advisors regarding the U.S. federal estate tax consequences of investing in a Note.
Backup Withholding and Information Reporting
Please see the discussion under “U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations — General — Backup Withholding and Information Reporting” in the accompanying prospectus for a description of the applicability of the backup withholding and information reporting rules to payments made on the Notes.
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BUFFERED AUTO-CALLABLE ENHANCED RETURN NOTES | PS-21
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Where You Can Find More Information
The terms and risks of the Notes are contained in this pricing supplement and in the following related product supplement, prospectus supplement and prospectus, which can be accessed at the following links:
This pricing supplement and the accompanying product supplement, prospectus supplement and prospectus have been filed as part of a registration statement with the SEC, which may, without cost, be accessed on the SEC website at www.sec.gov or obtained from BofAS by calling 1-800-294-1322. Before you invest, you should read this pricing supplement and the accompanying product supplement, prospectus supplement and prospectus for information about us, BAC and this offering. Any prior or contemporaneous oral statements and any other written materials you may have received are superseded by this pricing supplement and the accompanying product supplement, prospectus supplement and prospectus. Certain terms used but not defined in this pricing supplement have the meanings set forth in the accompanying product supplement or prospectus supplement. Unless otherwise indicated or unless the context requires otherwise, all references in this document to “we,” “us,” “our,” or similar references are to BofA Finance, and not to BAC.
The Notes are our senior debt securities. Any payments on the Notes are fully and unconditionally guaranteed by BAC. The Notes and the related guarantee are not insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or secured by collateral. The Notes will rank equally in right of payment with all of our other unsecured and unsubordinated obligations, except obligations that are subject to any priorities or preferences by law. The related guarantee will rank equally in right of payment with all of BAC’s other unsecured and unsubordinated obligations, except obligations that are subject to any priorities or preferences by law, and senior to its subordinated obligations. Any payments due on the Notes, including any repayment of the principal amount, will be subject to the credit risk of BofA Finance, as Issuer, and BAC, as Guarantor.
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BUFFERED AUTO-CALLABLE ENHANCED RETURN NOTES | PS-22
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