Filed Pursuant to Rule 424(b)(2)
Registration Statement No. 333-211718
The information in this pricing supplement is not complete and may be changed. This pricing supplement is not an offer to sell nor does it seek an offer to buy these Securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted.
Subject to Completion, Dated January 4, 2019.
Pricing Supplement dated January , 2019 to the Product Prospectus Supplement MLN-EI-1 dated June 30, 2016 and Prospectus Dated June 30, 2016 |
The Toronto-Dominion Bank $n Market Linked Securities - Leveraged Upside Participation and Contingent Downside Principal at Risk Securities Linked to the S&P 500® Index due February 5, 2024 |
The Toronto-Dominion Bank (“TD” or “we”) is offering the Principal at Risk Securities (the “Securities”) linked to the S&P 500® Index (the “Reference Asset”) described below.
If the level of the Reference Asset increases from the Initial Level to the Final Level, at maturity, investors will receive the Principal Amount plus a positive return reflecting 125% to 135% (to be determined on the Pricing Date) leveraged participation in the positive return of the Reference Asset. If the level of the Reference Asset remains flat or decreases from the Initial Level to the Final Level but the decrease is not more than 30%, at maturity, investors will receive only the Principal Amount. However, if the level of the Reference Asset decreases from the Initial Level to the Final Level by more than 30%, at maturity, investors will have full exposure to the decrease in the level of the Reference Asset and will lose more than 30%, and possibly all, of the Principal Amount. Specifically, investors will lose 1% of the Principal Amount for each 1% decrease from the Initial Level to the Final Level and may lose all of the Principal Amount. Any payments on the Securities are subject to our credit risk. The Securities will not bear interest.
The Securities are unsecured and are not savings accounts or insured deposits of a bank. The Securities are not insured or guaranteed by the Canada Deposit Insurance Corporation, the U.S. Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other governmental agency or instrumentality of Canada or the United States.
The Securities will not be listed or displayed on any securities exchange or electronic communications network.
The Payment at Maturity will be greater than the Principal Amount only if the Percentage Change (as defined herein) is greater than zero. The Securities do not guarantee the return of the Principal Amount and investors may lose all of their investment in the Securities.
The Securities have complex features and investing in the Securities involves a number of risks. See “Additional Risk Factors” beginning on page P-8 of this pricing supplement, “Additional Risk Factors Specific to the Notes” beginning on page PS-5 of the product prospectus supplement MLN-EI-1 dated June 30, 2016 (the “product prospectus supplement”) and “Risk Factors” beginning on page 1 of the prospectus dated June 30, 2016 (the “prospectus”).
Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or determined that this pricing supplement, the product prospectus supplement or the prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
We will deliver the Securities in book-entry only form through the facilities of The Depository Trust Company on or about February 4, 2019, against payment in immediately available funds.
The estimated value of the Securities on the Pricing Date is expected to be between $900.00 and $930.00 per Security, as discussed further under “Additional Risk Factors — Estimated Value” beginning on page P-10 and “Additional Information Regarding Our Estimated Value of the Securities” on page P-27, respectively. The estimated value is expected to be less than the public offering price of the Securities.
Public Offering Price1 | Underwriting Discount2 | Proceeds to TD | |
Per Security | $1,000.00 | $38.50 | $961.50 |
Total | $ | $ | $ |
1 Certain dealers who purchase the Securities for sale to certain fee-based advisory accounts may forego some or all of their selling concessions, fees or commissions. The price for investors purchasing the Securities in these accounts may be as low as $961.50 (96.15%) per Security.
2 The Agents may receive a commission of up to $38.50 (3.85%) per Security and may use a portion of that commission to allow selling concessions to other dealers in connection with the distribution of the Securities, or will offer the Securities directly to investors. The Agents may resell the Securities to other securities dealers at the Principal Amount less a concession not in excess of $25.00 per Security. Such securities dealers may include Wells Fargo Advisors (“WFA”, the trade name of the retail brokerage business of Wells Fargo Clearing Services, LLC and Wells Fargo Advisors Financial Network, LLC), an affiliate of Wells Fargo Securities, LLC (“Wells Fargo Securities”). The other dealers may forgo, in their sole discretion, some or all of their selling concessions. In addition to the selling concession allowed to WFA, Wells Fargo Securities will pay $1.20 per Security of the underwriting discount to WFA as a distribution expense fee for each Security sold by WFA. TD will reimburse TD Securities (USA) LLC (“TDS”) for certain expenses in connection with its role in the offer and sale of the Securities, and TD will pay TDS a fee in connection with its role in the offer and sale of the Securities. See “Supplemental Plan of Distribution (Conflicts of Interest) –Selling Restrictions” on page P-25 of this pricing supplement.
TD SECURITIES (USA) LLC | WELLS FARGO SECURITIES, LLC |
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Summary
The information in this “Summary” section is qualified by the more detailed information set forth in this pricing supplement, the product prospectus supplement and the prospectus.
Issuer: | The Toronto-Dominion Bank |
Issue: | Senior Debt Securities, Series E |
Type of Security: | Market Linked Securities - Leveraged Upside Participation and Contingent Downside |
Term: | Approximately 5 years |
Reference Asset: | S&P 500® Index (Bloomberg Ticker: SPX) |
CUSIP / ISIN: | 89114QGK8 / US89114QGK85 |
Agents: | TDS and Wells Fargo Securities. The Agents may receive a commission of up to $38.50 and may resell the Securities to other securities dealers, including securities dealers acting as custodians, at the Principal Amount less a concession of not in excess of $25.00 per Security. Such securities dealers may include WFA, an affiliate of Wells Fargo Securities. In addition to the concession allowed to WFA, Wells Fargo Securities will pay $1.20 per Security of the underwriting discount to WFA as a distribution expense fee for each Security sold by WFA. |
Currency: | U.S. Dollars |
Minimum Investment: | $1,000 and minimum denominations of $1,000 in excess thereof. |
Principal Amount: | $1,000 per Security |
Pricing Date: | January 30, 2019 |
Issue Date: | February 4, 2019, which is three Business Days following the Pricing Date. Under Rule 15c6-1 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), trades in the secondary market generally are required to settle in two Business Days (T+2), unless the parties to a trade expressly agree otherwise. Accordingly, purchasers who wish to trade the Securities in the secondary market on any date prior to two Business Days before delivery of the Securities will be required, by virtue of the fact that each Security initially will settle in three Business Days (T+3), to specify alternative settlement arrangements to prevent a failed settlement of the secondary market trade. See “Plan of Distribution” in the prospectus. |
Valuation Date: | January 29, 2024, subject to postponement for market disruption events and non-trading days, as described under “Additional Terms of Your Securities—Market Disruption Events” in this pricing supplement. |
Maturity Date: | February 5, 2024. If the Valuation Date is postponed, the Maturity Date will be the later of (i) February 5, 2024 and (ii) the third business day after the postponed Valuation Date. |
TD SECURITIES (USA) LLC | WELLS FARGO SECURITIES, LLC |
P-2 |
Payment at Maturity: |
If the Final Level is greater than the Initial Level (the Percentage Change is positive), then an investor will receive an amount per Security equal to: Principal Amount + (Principal Amount x Percentage Change x Leverage Factor). If the Final Level is equal to or less than the Initial Level, but greater than or equal to the Threshold Level (the Percentage Change is 0% or negative but not below -30%), then an investor will receive an amount per Security equal to: Principal Amount. If the Final Level is less than the Threshold Level (the Percentage Change is negative and below -30%), then an investor will receive less than the Principal Amount, if anything, calculated using the following formula: Principal Amount + Principal Amount x Percentage Change. If the Final Level is less than the Threshold Level, investors will have full exposure to the decrease in the level of the Reference Asset and will lose more than 30%, and possibly all, of the Principal Amount. Specifically, investors will lose 1% of the Principal Amount for each 1% decrease from the Initial Level to the Final Level and may lose all of the Principal Amount. All amounts used in or resulting from any calculation relating to the Securities, including the Payment at Maturity, will be rounded upward or downward as appropriate, to the nearest cent. |
Leverage Factor: | 125% to 135%, to be determined on the Pricing Date |
Threshold Level: | A level that will be equal to 70% of the Initial Level, to be determined on the Pricing Date |
Percentage Change: | (Final Level – Initial Level) / Initial Level, expressed as a percentage |
Initial Level: | The closing level of the Reference Asset on the Pricing Date |
Final Level: | The closing level of the Reference Asset on the Valuation Date |
Closing Level of the Reference Asset: | The closing level of the Reference Asset will be the official closing level of the Reference Asset or any successor index (as defined in the accompanying product prospectus supplement) published by the Index Sponsor (as defined in the accompanying product prospectus supplement) on any trading day for the Reference Asset. |
Business Day: | Any day that is a Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday or Friday that is neither a legal holiday nor a day on which banking institutions are authorized or required by law to close in New York City or Toronto. |
Limited Events of Default: | Notwithstanding anything to the contrary set forth in the prospectus, the only events of default for the Notes are expected to be (i) principal payment defaults that continue for 30 business days and (ii) certain bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization events. No other breach or default under our indenture or the Notes will result in an event of default for the Notes or permit the trustee or holders to accelerate the maturity of any debt securities – that is, they will not be entitled to declare the principal amount of any Notes to be immediately due and payable. See “Additional Risk Factors — Notwithstanding Anything to the Contrary Set Forth in the Prospectus, the Indenture Will Provide Only Limited Acceleration and Enforcement Rights for the Notes”. |
TD SECURITIES (USA) LLC | WELLS FARGO SECURITIES, LLC |
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Trading Day: |
For purposes of the Securities, the definition of “trading day” set forth in the product prospectus supplement is superseded. For purposes of the Securities, a “trading day” means a day, as determined by the Calculation Agent, on which (i) the relevant stock exchanges with respect to each security underlying the Reference Asset are scheduled to be open for trading for their respective regular trading sessions and (ii) each related futures or options exchange is scheduled to be open for trading for its regular trading session. The “relevant stock exchange” for any security underlying the Reference Asset means the primary exchange or quotation system on which such security is traded, as determined by the Calculation Agent. The “related futures or options exchange” for the Reference Asset means an exchange or quotation system where trading has a material effect (as determined by the Calculation Agent) on the overall market for futures or options contracts relating to the Reference Asset. |
U.S. Tax Treatment: | By purchasing a Security, each holder agrees, in the absence of a statutory or regulatory change or an administrative determination or judicial ruling to the contrary, to characterize the Securities, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, as pre-paid derivative contracts with respect to the Reference Asset. Based on certain factual representations received from us, in the opinion of our special U.S. tax counsel, Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP, it is reasonable to treat the Securities in the manner described above. However, because there is no authority that specifically addresses the tax treatment of the Securities, it is possible that your Securities could alternatively be treated for tax purposes as a single contingent payment debt instrument, or pursuant to some other characterization and the timing and character of your income from the Securities could differ materially and adversely from the treatment described above, as described further below under “Supplemental Discussion of U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences” and in the product prospectus supplement under “Supplemental Discussion of U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences”. |
Canadian Tax Treatment: |
Please see the discussion in the product prospectus supplement under “Supplemental Discussion of Canadian Tax Consequences,” which applies to the Securities. |
Calculation Agent: | TD |
Listing: | The Securities will not be listed or displayed on any securities exchange or electronic communications network. |
Clearance and Settlement: | DTC global (including through its indirect participants Euroclear and Clearstream, Luxembourg, as described under “Forms of the Debt Securities” and “Book-Entry Procedures and Settlement” in the prospectus). |
Canadian Bail-in: | The Securities are not bail-inable notes under the Canada Deposit Insurance Corporation Act. |
The Pricing Date, the Issue Date, the Valuation Date and the Maturity Date are subject to change. These dates will be set forth in the final pricing supplement that will be made available in connection with sales of the Securities.
TD SECURITIES (USA) LLC | WELLS FARGO SECURITIES, LLC |
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Investor Considerations
We have designed the Securities for investors who:
§ | seek 125% to 135% (to be determined on the Pricing Date) exposure to the upside performance of the Reference Asset if the Final Level is greater than the Initial Level; |
§ | desire a payment equal to the Principal Amount at maturity if the Final Level is equal to or greater than the Threshold Level (the Percentage Change is 0% or negative, but not below -30%); |
§ | understand that if the Final Level is less than the Threshold Level, they will have full exposure to the decrease in the level of the Reference Asset and will lose more than 30%, and possibly all, of the Principal Amount; |
§ | are willing to forgo interest payments on the Securities and dividends on securities comprising the Reference Asset (the “Reference Asset Constituents”); |
§ | are willing to accept the credit risk of TD; |
§ | seek exposure to the Reference Asset generally and the Reference Asset Constituents specifically; and |
§ | are willing to hold the Securities until maturity. |
The Securities are not designed for, and may not be a suitable investment for, investors who:
§ | seek a liquid investment or are unable or unwilling to hold the Securities to maturity; |
§ | seek full return of the Principal Amount at maturity and are unwilling to accept the risk that, if the Final Level is less than the Threshold Level, they will lose more than 30%, and possibly all, of the Principal Amount; |
§ | are unwilling to purchase securities with an estimated value that, as of the Pricing Date, is lower than the public offering price and that may be as low as the lower estimated value set forth on the cover hereof; |
§ | seek current income in the form of interest payments on the Securities or dividends on the Reference Asset Constituents; |
§ | seek exposure to the Reference Asset but are unwilling to accept the risk/return trade-offs inherent in the Payment at Maturity for the Securities; |
§ | are unwilling to accept the credit risk of TD; |
§ | do not seek exposure to the Reference Asset generally or the Reference Asset Constituents specifically; or |
§ | prefer the lower risk of fixed income investments with comparable maturities issued by companies with comparable credit ratings. |
TD SECURITIES (USA) LLC | WELLS FARGO SECURITIES, LLC |
P-5 |
Additional Terms of Your Securities
You should read this pricing supplement together with the prospectus, as supplemented by the product prospectus supplement, relating to our Senior Debt Securities, Series E, of which these Securities are a part. Capitalized terms used but not defined in this pricing supplement will have the meanings given to them in the product prospectus supplement. In the event of any conflict the following hierarchy will govern: first, this pricing supplement; second, the product prospectus supplement; and last, the prospectus. The Securities vary from the terms described in the product prospectus supplement in several important ways. You should read this pricing supplement carefully.
This pricing supplement, together with the documents listed below, contains the terms of the Securities and supersedes all prior or contemporaneous oral statements as well as any other written materials including preliminary or indicative pricing terms, correspondence, trade ideas, structures for implementation, sample structures, brochures or other educational materials of ours. You should carefully consider, among other things, the matters set forth in “Additional Risk Factors” beginning on page P-8 of this pricing supplement, “Additional Risk Factors Specific to the Notes” beginning on page PS-5 of the product prospectus supplement and “Risk Factors” on page 1 of the prospectus, as the Securities involve risks not associated with conventional debt securities. We urge you to consult your investment, legal, tax, accounting and other advisors before you invest in the Securities. You may access these documents on the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) website at www.sec.gov as follows (or if that address has changed, by reviewing our filings for the relevant date on the SEC website):
§ | Prospectus dated June 30, 2016: |
https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/947263/000119312516638441/d162493d424b3.htm |
§ | Product Prospectus Supplement MLN-EI-1 dated June 30, 2016: |
https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/947263/000089109216015847/e70323_424b2.htm
Our Central Index Key, or CIK, on the SEC website is 0000947263. As used in this pricing supplement, the “Bank,” “we,” “us,” or “our” refers to The Toronto-Dominion Bank and its subsidiaries. Alternatively, The Toronto-Dominion Bank, any agent or any dealer participating in this offering will arrange to send you the product prospectus supplement and the prospectus if you so request by calling 1-855-303-3234.
Market Disruption Events. For purposes of the Securities, the definition of “market disruption event” and the postponement provisions set forth in the product prospectus supplement are superseded. For purposes of the Securities, a “market disruption event” with respect to the Reference Asset means, any of the following events as determined by the Calculation Agent in its sole discretion:
(A) | The occurrence or existence of a material suspension of or limitation imposed on trading by the relevant stock exchanges or otherwise relating to securities which then comprise 20% or more of the level of the Reference Asset or any successor index at any time during the one-hour period that ends at the close of trading on that day, whether by reason of movements in price exceeding limits permitted by those relevant stock exchanges or otherwise. |
(B) | The occurrence or existence of a material suspension of or limitation imposed on trading by any related futures or options exchange or otherwise in futures or options contracts relating to the Reference Asset or any successor index on any related futures or options exchange at any time during the one-hour period that ends at the close of trading on that day, whether by reason of movements in price exceeding limits permitted by the related futures or options exchange or otherwise. |
(C) | The occurrence or existence of any event, other than an early closure, that materially disrupts or impairs the ability of market participants in general to effect transactions in, or obtain market values for, securities that then comprise 20% or more of the level of the Reference Asset or any successor index on their relevant stock exchanges at any time during the one-hour period that ends at the close of trading on that day. |
(D) | The occurrence or existence of any event, other than an early closure, that materially disrupts or impairs the ability of market participants in general to effect transactions in, or obtain market values for, futures or options contracts relating to the Reference Asset or any successor index on any related futures or options exchange at any time during the one-hour period that ends at the close of trading on that day. |
(E) | The closure on any exchange business day of the relevant stock exchanges on which securities that then comprise 20% or more of the level of the Reference Asset or any successor index are traded or any related futures or options exchange prior to its scheduled closing time unless the earlier closing time is announced by the relevant stock exchange or related futures or options exchange, as applicable, at least one hour prior to the earlier of (1) the actual closing time for the regular trading session on such relevant stock exchange or related futures or options exchange, as applicable, and (2) the submission deadline for orders to be entered into the relevant stock exchange or related futures or options exchange, as applicable, system for execution at such actual closing time on that day. |
(F) | The relevant stock exchange for any security underlying the Reference Asset or successor index or any related futures or options exchange fails to open for trading during its regular trading session. |
For purposes of determining whether a market disruption event has occurred:
(1) | the relevant percentage contribution of a security to the level of the Reference Asset or any successor index will be based on a comparison of (x) the portion of the level of such index attributable to that security and (y) the overall level of the Reference Asset or successor index, in each case immediately before the occurrence of the market disruption event; |
TD SECURITIES (USA) LLC | WELLS FARGO SECURITIES, LLC |
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(2) | the “close of trading” on any trading day for the Reference Asset or any successor index means the scheduled closing time of the relevant stock exchanges with respect to the securities underlying the Reference Asset or successor index on such trading day; provided that, if the actual closing time of the regular trading session of any such relevant stock exchange is earlier than its scheduled closing time on such trading day, then (x) for purposes of clauses (A) and (C) of the definition of “market disruption event” above, with respect to any security underlying the Reference Asset or successor index for which such relevant stock exchange is its relevant stock exchange, the “close of trading” means such actual closing time and (y) for purposes of clauses (B) and (D) of the definition of “market disruption event” above, with respect to any futures or options contract relating to the Reference Asset or successor index, the “close of trading” means the latest actual closing time of the regular trading session of any of the relevant stock exchanges, but in no event later than the scheduled closing time of the relevant stock exchanges; |
(3) | the “scheduled closing time” of any relevant stock exchange or related futures or options exchange on any trading day for the Reference Asset or any successor index means the scheduled weekday closing time of such relevant stock exchange or related futures or options exchange on such trading day, without regard to after hours or any other trading outside the regular trading session hours; and |
(4) | an “exchange business day” means any trading day for the Reference Asset or any successor index on which each relevant stock exchange for the securities underlying the Reference Asset or any successor index and each related futures or options exchange are open for trading during their respective regular trading sessions, notwithstanding any such relevant stock exchange or related futures or options exchange closing prior to its scheduled closing time. |
If the originally scheduled Valuation Date is not a trading day, the Valuation Date will be postponed to the next succeeding trading day. If a market disruption event occurs or is continuing on the Valuation Date, then the Valuation Date will be postponed to the first succeeding trading day on which a market disruption event has not occurred and is not continuing; however, if such first succeeding trading day has not occurred as of the eighth trading day after the originally scheduled Valuation Date, that eighth trading day shall be deemed to be the Valuation Date. If the Valuation Date has been postponed eight trading days after the originally scheduled Valuation Date and a market disruption event occurs or is continuing on such eighth trading day, the Calculation Agent will determine the closing level of the Reference Asset on such eighth trading day in accordance with the formula for and method of calculating the closing level of the Reference Asset last in effect prior to commencement of the market disruption event, using the closing price (or, with respect to any relevant security, if a market disruption event has occurred with respect to such security, its good faith estimate of the value of such security at the scheduled closing time of the relevant stock exchange for such security or, if earlier, the actual closing time of the regular trading session of such relevant stock exchange) on such date of each security included in the Reference Asset. As used herein, “closing price” means, with respect to any security on any date, the relevant stock exchange traded or quoted price of such security as of the scheduled closing time of the relevant stock exchange for such security or, if earlier, the actual closing time of the regular trading session of such relevant stock exchange.
Unavailability of the Level of the Reference Asset. In addition to the provisions set forth under “Unavailability of the Level of the Reference Asset” beginning on page PS-18 of the accompanying product prospectus supplement, the following provision will also apply for purposes of the Securities:
If on the Valuation Date the Index Sponsor fails to calculate and announce the level of the Reference Asset, the Calculation Agent will calculate a substitute closing level of the Reference Asset in accordance with the formula for and method of calculating the Reference Asset last in effect prior to the failure, but using only those securities that comprised the Reference Asset immediately prior to that failure; provided that, if a market disruption event occurs or is continuing on such day, then the provisions set forth above under “—Market Disruption Events” above shall apply in lieu of the foregoing.
TD SECURITIES (USA) LLC | WELLS FARGO SECURITIES, LLC |
P-7 |
Additional Risk Factors
The Securities involve risks not associated with an investment in conventional debt securities. This section describes the most significant risks relating to the terms of the Securities. For additional information as to these risks, please see “Additional Risk Factors Specific to the Notes” in the product prospectus supplement and “Risk Factors” in the prospectus.
You should carefully consider whether the Securities are suited to your particular circumstances before you decide to purchase them. Accordingly, prospective investors should consult their investment, legal, tax, accounting and other advisors as to the risks entailed by an investment in the Securities and the suitability of the Securities in light of their particular circumstances.
Principal at Risk.
If the Final Level is less than the Threshold Level, investors in the Securities will lose more than 30%, and possibly all, of their Principal Amount. Specifically, if the Final Level is less than the Threshold Level, investors will lose 1% of the Principal Amount of their Securities for each 1% that the Final Level is less than the Initial Level and may lose all of the Principal Amount. For example, if the Reference Asset has declined by 30.1% from the Initial Level to the Final Level, you will not receive any benefit of the contingent downside feature and you will lose 30.1% of the Principal Amount per Security.
The Securities Do Not Pay Interest and Your Return on the Securities May Be Lower Than the Return on a Conventional Debt Security of Comparable Maturity.
There will be no periodic interest payments on the Securities as there would be on a conventional fixed-rate or floating-rate debt security having the same term. The return that you will receive on the Securities, which could be negative, may be less than the return you could earn on other investments. Even if your return is positive, your return may be less than the return you would earn if you bought a conventional senior interest bearing debt security of TD.
Investors Are Subject to TD’s Credit Risk, and TD’s Credit Ratings and Credit Spreads May Adversely Affect the Market Value of the Securities.
Although the return on the Securities will be based on the performance of the Reference Asset, the payment of any amount due on the Securities is subject to TD’s credit risk. The Securities are TD’s senior unsecured debt obligations. Investors are dependent on TD’s ability to pay all amounts due on the Securities on the Maturity Date and, therefore, investors are subject to the credit risk of TD and to changes in the market’s view of TD’s creditworthiness. Any decrease in TD’s credit ratings or increase in the credit spreads charged by the market for taking TD’s credit risk is likely to adversely affect the market value of the Securities. If TD becomes unable to meet its financial obligations as they become due, you may not receive any amounts due under the terms of the Securities.
Notwithstanding Anything to the Contrary Set Forth in the Prospectus, the Indenture Will Provide Only Limited Acceleration and Enforcement Rights for the Notes.
In connection with the implementation of certain Canadian federal statutes, and notwithstanding anything to the contrary set forth in the prospectus, the indenture under which the Notes are issued has been supplemented to provide that, for any Notes of a series issued on or after September 23, 2018, including the Notes offered by this pricing supplement, acceleration will only be permitted if (i) we default in the payment of the principal of, or interest on, any note of that series and, in each case, the default continues for a period of 30 business days, or (ii) certain bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization events occur. As a result, before you invest in the Notes, you should consider the risk that your safeguards and your ability to effect remedies under the indenture will be limited. See “Events of Default” herein for additional information.
The Agent Discount, Offering Expenses and Certain Hedging Costs Are Likely to Adversely Affect Secondary Market Prices.
Assuming no changes in market conditions or any other relevant factors, the price, if any, at which you may be able to sell the Securities will likely be lower than the public offering price. The public offering price includes, and any price quoted to you is likely to exclude, the underwriting discount paid in connection with the initial distribution, offering expenses as well as the cost of hedging our obligations under the Securities. In addition, any such price is also likely to reflect dealer discounts, mark-ups and other transaction costs, such as a discount to account for costs associated with establishing or unwinding any related hedge transaction. In addition, because an affiliate of Wells Fargo Securities is to conduct hedging activities for us in connection with the Securities, that affiliate may profit in connection with such hedging activities and such profit, if any, will be in addition to the compensation that the dealer receives for the sale of the Securities to you. You should be aware that the potential to earn fees in connection with hedging activities may create a further incentive for the dealer to sell the Securities to you in addition to the compensation they would receive for the sale of the Securities.
There May Not Be an Active Trading Market for the Securities — Sales in the Secondary Market May Result in Significant Losses.
There may be little or no secondary market for the Securities. The Securities will not be listed or displayed on any securities exchange or electronic communications network. The Agents and their respective affiliates may make a market for the Securities; however, they are not required to do so. The Agents and their respective affiliates may stop any market-making activities at any time. Even if a secondary market for the Securities develops, it may not provide significant liquidity or trade at prices advantageous to you. We expect that transaction costs in any secondary market would be high. As a result, the difference between bid and ask prices for your Securities in any secondary market could be substantial.
If you sell your Securities before the Maturity Date, you may have to do so at a substantial discount from the public offering price irrespective of the level of the Reference Asset, and as a result, you may suffer substantial losses.
TD SECURITIES (USA) LLC | WELLS FARGO SECURITIES, LLC |
P-8 |
If the Level of the Reference Asset Changes, the Market Value of Your Securities May Not Change in the Same Manner.
Your Securities may trade quite differently from the performance of the Reference Asset. Changes in the level of the Reference Asset may not result in a comparable change in the market value of your Securities. Even if the level of the Reference Asset increases above the Initial Level during the life of the Securities, the market value of your Securities may not increase by the same amount and could decline.
The Payment at Maturity Is Not Linked to the Level of the Reference Asset at Any Time Other than the Valuation Date.
The Final Level will be based on the closing level of the Reference Asset on the Valuation Date (subject to adjustment as described elsewhere in this pricing supplement). Therefore, if the closing level of the Reference Asset dropped precipitously on the Valuation
Date, the Payment at Maturity for your Securities may be significantly less than it would have been had the Payment at Maturity been linked to the closing level of the Reference Asset prior to such drop in the level of the Reference Asset. Although the actual level of the Reference Asset on the Maturity Date or at other times during the life of your Securities may be higher than its level on the Valuation Date, you will not benefit from the closing level of the Reference Asset at any time other than the Valuation Date.
You Will Not Have Any Rights to the Reference Asset Constituents and the Reference Asset only Reflects Price Return.
As a holder of the Securities, you will not have voting rights or rights to receive cash dividends or other distributions or other rights that holders of the Reference Asset Constituents would have. Furthermore, the Reference Asset measures price return only and is not a total return index or strategy, meaning the Final Level will not reflect any dividends paid on the Reference Asset Constituents.
The Market Value of Your Securities May Be Influenced by Many Unpredictable Factors.
When we refer to the market value of your Securities, we mean the value that you could receive for your Securities if you choose to sell them in the open market before the Maturity Date. A number of factors, many of which are beyond our control, will influence the market value of your Securities, including:
· | the level of the Reference Asset; |
· | the volatility – i.e., the frequency and magnitude of changes – in the level of the Reference Asset; |
· | the dividend rates, if applicable, of the Reference Asset Constituents; |
· | economic, financial, regulatory and political, military or other events that may affect the level of the Reference Asset; |
· | interest rates in the market; |
· | the time remaining until the Securities mature; and |
· | our creditworthiness, whether actual or perceived, and including actual or anticipated upgrades or downgrades in our credit ratings or changes in other credit measures. |
These factors will influence the price you will receive if you sell your Securities before maturity, including the price you may receive for your Securities in any market-making transaction.
Past Reference Asset Performance is No Guide to Future Performance.
The actual performance of the Reference Asset over the life of the Securities, as well as the Payment at Maturity, may bear little relation to the historical closing levels of the Reference Asset or to the hypothetical return examples set forth elsewhere in this pricing supplement. We cannot predict the future performance of the Reference Asset.
There Are Potential Conflicts of Interest Between You and the Calculation Agent.
The Calculation Agent will, among other things, determine the amount of your payment on the Securities. We will serve as the Calculation Agent and may appoint a different Calculation Agent after the Issue Date without notice to you. The Calculation Agent will exercise its judgment when performing its functions and may take into consideration our ability to unwind any related hedges. For example, the Calculation Agent may have to determine whether a market disruption event affecting the Reference Asset has occurred. This determination may, in turn, depend on the Calculation Agent’s judgment whether the event has materially interfered with our ability or the ability of one of our affiliates to unwind our hedge positions. Since this determination by the Calculation Agent will affect the payment on the Securities, the Calculation Agent may have a conflict of interest if it needs to make a determination of this kind. For additional information as to the Calculation Agent’s role, see “General Terms of the Notes—Role of Calculation Agent” in the product prospectus supplement.
We Have No Affiliation with the Index Sponsor and Will Not Be Responsible for Any Actions Taken by the Index Sponsor.
The Index Sponsor, as defined under Information Regarding the Reference Asset, is not an affiliate of ours and will not be involved in any offerings of the Securities in any way. Consequently, we have no control of any actions of the Index Sponsor, including any actions of the type that would require the Calculation Agent to adjust the Closing Level of the Reference Asset and, therefore, the Payment at Maturity. The Index Sponsor does not have any obligation of any sort with respect to the Securities. Thus, the Index Sponsor has no obligation to take your interests into consideration for any reason, including in taking any actions that might affect the value of the
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Securities. None of our proceeds from any issuance of the Securities will be delivered to the Index Sponsor, except to the extent that we are required to pay the Index Sponsor licensing fees with respect to the Reference Asset.
Trading and Business Activities by the Bank or its Affiliates May Adversely Affect the Market Value of the Securities.
We, the Agents and our respective affiliates may hedge our obligations under the Securities by purchasing securities, futures, options or other derivative instruments with returns linked or related to changes in the level of the Reference Asset and/or the price(s) if one or more Reference Asset Constituents, and we may adjust these hedges by, among other things, purchasing or selling securities, futures, options or other derivative instruments at any time. It is possible that we or one or more of our affiliates could receive substantial returns from these hedging activities while the market value of the Securities declines. We or one or more of our affiliates may also issue or
underwrite other securities or financial or derivative instruments with returns linked or related to changes in the Reference Asset or one or more Reference Asset Constituents.
These trading activities may present a conflict between the holders’ interest in the Securities and the interests we and our affiliates will have in our or their proprietary accounts, in facilitating transactions, including options and other derivatives transactions, for our or their customers’ accounts and in accounts under our or their management. These trading activities could be adverse to the interests of the holders of the Securities.
We, the Agents and our respective affiliates may, at present or in the future, engage in business with one or more issuers of the Reference Asset Constituents (the “Reference Asset Constituent Issuers”), including making loans to or providing advisory services to those companies. These services could include investment banking and merger and acquisition advisory services. These business activities may present a conflict between our, the Agents’ and our affiliates’ obligations, and your interests as a holder of the Securities. Moreover, we, the Agents or our affiliates may have published, and in the future expect to publish, research reports with respect to the Reference Asset or one or more Reference Asset Constituents. This research is modified from time to time without notice and may express opinions or provide recommendations that are inconsistent with purchasing or holding the Securities. Any of these activities by us or one or more of our affiliates or the Agents or their affiliates may affect the price of the Reference Asset or one or more Reference Asset Constituents and, therefore, the market value of the Securities and the Payment at Maturity, if any.
Estimated Value
The Estimated Value of Your Securities Is Expected to Be Lower Than the Public Offering Price of Your Securities.
The estimated value of your Securities on the Pricing Date is expected to be lower than the public offering price of your Securities. The difference between the public offering price of your Securities and the estimated value of the Securities reflects costs and expected profits associated with selling and structuring the Securities, as well as hedging our obligations under the Securities. Because hedging our obligations entails risks and may be influenced by market forces beyond our control, this hedging may result in a profit that is more or less than expected, or a loss.
The Estimated Value of Your Securities Is Based on Our Internal Funding Rate.
The estimated value of your Securities on the Pricing Date is determined by reference to our internal funding rate. The internal funding rate used in the determination of the estimated value of the Securities generally represents a discount from the credit spreads for our conventional fixed-rate debt securities and the borrowing rate we would pay for its conventional fixed-rate debt securities. This discount is based on, among other things, our view of the funding value of the Securities as well as the higher issuance, operational and ongoing liability management costs of the Securities in comparison to those costs for our conventional fixed-rate debt, as well as estimated financing costs of any hedge positions, taking into account regulatory and internal requirements. If the interest rate implied by the credit spreads for our conventional fixed-rate debt securities, or the borrowing rate we would pay for our conventional fixed-rate debt securities were to be used, we would expect the economic terms of the Securities to be more favorable to you. Additionally, assuming all other economic terms are held constant, the use of an internal funding rate for the Securities is expected to increase the estimated value of the Securities at any time.
The Estimated Value of the Securities Is Based on Our Internal Pricing Models; These May Prove to Be Inaccurate and May Be Different from the Pricing Models of Other Financial Institutions.
The estimated value of your Securities on the Pricing Date is based on our internal pricing models. Our pricing models take into account a number of variables, such as our internal funding rate on the Pricing Date, and are based on a number of subjective assumptions, which are not evaluated or verified on an independent basis and may or may not materialize. Further, our pricing models may be different from other financial institutions’ pricing models and the methodologies used by us to estimate the value of the Securities may not be consistent with those of other financial institutions that may be purchasers or sellers of the Securities in the secondary market. As a result, the secondary market price of your Securities may be materially lower than the estimated value of the Securities determined by reference to our internal pricing models. In addition, market conditions and other relevant factors in the future may change, and any assumptions may prove to be incorrect.
The Estimated Value of Your Securities Is Not a Prediction of the Prices at Which You May Sell Your Securities in the Secondary Market, if Any, and Such Secondary Market Prices, if Any, Will Likely Be Lower Than the Public Offering Price of Your Securities and May Be Lower Than the Estimated Value of Your Securities.
The estimated value of the Securities will not be a prediction of the prices at which the Agents, other affiliates of ours or third parties may be willing to purchase the Securities from you in secondary market transactions (if they are willing to purchase, which they are not obligated to do). The price at which you may be able to sell your Securities in the secondary market at any time may be based on pricing models that differ from our pricing models and will be influenced by many factors that cannot be predicted, such as market conditions and any bid and ask spread for similar sized trades, and may be substantially less than our estimated
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value of the Securities. Further, as secondary market prices of your Securities take into account the levels at which our debt securities trade in the secondary market and do not take into account our various costs and expected profits associated with selling and structuring the Securities, as well as hedging our obligations under the Securities, secondary market prices of your Securities will likely be lower than the public offering price of your Securities. As a result, the price at which the Agents, other affiliates of ours or third parties may be willing to purchase the Securities from you in secondary market transactions, if any, will likely be lower than the price you paid for your Securities, and any sale prior to the Maturity Date could result in a substantial loss to you.
The Temporary Price at Which We May Initially Buy the Securities in the Secondary Market May Not Be Indicative of Future Prices of Your Securities.
Assuming that all relevant factors remain constant after the Pricing Date, the price at which the Agents may initially buy or sell the Securities in the secondary market (if the Agents make a market in the Securities, which they are not obligated to do) may exceed our estimated value of the Securities on the Pricing Date, as well as the secondary market value of the Securities, for a temporary period after the Pricing Date of the Securities, as discussed further under “Additional Information Regarding Our Estimated Value of the Securities”. The price at which the Agents may initially buy or sell the Securities in the secondary market may not be indicative of future prices of your Securities.
The Valuation Date, and Therefore the Maturity Date, May be Postponed In the Case of a Market Disruption Event.
The Valuation Date, and therefore the Maturity Date, may be postponed in the case of a Market Disruption Event or a non-trading day as described herein. For a description of what constitutes a market disruption event as well as the consequences of that market disruption event, see “Additional Terms of Your Securities—Market Disruption Events” in this pricing supplement.
Significant Aspects of the Tax Treatment of the Securities Are Uncertain.
Significant aspects of the U.S. tax treatment of the Securities are uncertain. You should consult your tax advisor about your tax situation and should read carefully the section entitled “Supplemental Discussion of U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences” below and in the product prospectus supplement under “Supplemental Discussion of U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences”.
For a more complete discussion of the Canadian federal income tax consequences of investing in the Securities, please see the discussion in the product prospectus supplement under “Supplemental Discussion of Canadian Tax Consequences.”
If you are not a Non-resident Holder (as that term is defined in the prospectus) for Canadian federal income tax purposes or if you acquire the Securities in the secondary market, you should consult your tax advisors as to the consequences of acquiring, holding and disposing of the Securities and receiving the payments that might be due under the Securities.
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Hypothetical Returns
The examples, table and graph set out below are included for illustration purposes only. The hypothetical Percentage Changes of the Reference Asset used to illustrate the calculation of the Payment at Maturity (rounded to two decimal places) are not estimates or forecasts of the Final Level or the level of the Reference Asset on any trading day prior to the Maturity Date throughout the term of the Securities. All examples, the table and the graph are based on a hypothetical Initial Level of 2,400, assume the Threshold Level is equal to 70% of the Initial Level, a Leverage Factor of 130% (the midpoint of the Leverage Factor range of 125% to 135%), that a holder purchased each Security at the public offering price of $1,000 and that no market disruption event occurs on the Valuation Date.
Example 1— | Calculation of the Payment at Maturity where the Percentage Change is positive (the Final Level is greater than the Initial Level). | |
Percentage Change: | 10% | |
Payment at Maturity: |
$1,000 + ($1,000 x 10% x 130%) = $1,000 + $130 = $1,130.00 | |
On a $1,000 investment, a 10% Percentage Change results in a Payment at Maturity of $1,130.00, a 13.00% return on the Securities. |
Example 2— |
Calculation of the Payment at Maturity where the Percentage Change is zero or negative, but not below -30% (the Final Level is less than or equal to the Initial Level, but greater than or equal to the Threshold Level). | |
Percentage Change: | -20% | |
Payment at Maturity: | $1,000 | |
On a $1,000 investment, a -20% Percentage Change results in a Payment at Maturity of $1,000.00, a 0.00% return on the Securities. |
Example 3— | Calculation of the Payment at Maturity where the Percentage Change is negative and below -30% (the Final Level is less than the Threshold Level). | |
Percentage Change: | -50% | |
Payment at Maturity: |
$1,000 + $1,000 x -50% = $1,000 - $500 = $500.00 | |
On a $1,000 investment, a -50% Percentage Change results in a Payment at Maturity of $500.00, a -50.00% return on the Securities. |
If the Final Level is less than the Threshold Level (the Percentage Change is negative and below -30%), investors will have full exposure to the decrease in the level of the Reference Asset and will lose more than 30%, and possibly all, of the Principal Amount.
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The following table and graph show the return profile for the Securities at the Maturity Date, assuming that the investor purchased the Securities on the Pricing Date and held the Securities until the Maturity Date. The returns illustrated in the following table are not estimates or forecasts of the Percentage Change or the return on the Securities. Neither TD nor either Agent is predicting or guaranteeing any gain or particular return on the Securities.
Hypothetical Final Level |
Hypothetical Percentage Change | Hypothetical Payment at Maturity ($) |
Hypothetical Return on Securities2 (%) |
3,360.00 | 40.00% | $1,520.00 | 52.00% |
3,120.00 | 30.00% | $1,390.00 | 39.00% |
3,000.00 | 25.00% | $1,325.00 | 32.50% |
2,880.00 | 20.00% | $1,260.00 | 26.00% |
2,640.00 | 10.00% | $1,130.00 | 13.00% |
2,520.00 | 5.00% | $1,065.00 | 6.50% |
2,460.00 | 2.50% | $1,032.50 | 3.25% |
2,400.001 | 0.00% | $1,000.00 | 0.00% |
2,160.00 | -10.00% | $1,000.00 | 0.00% |
1,920.00 | -20.00% | $1,000.00 | 0.00% |
1,680.00 | -30.00% | $1,000.00 | 0.00% |
1,656.00 | -31.00% | $690.00 | -31.00% |
1,440.00 | -40.00% | $600.00 | -40.00% |
1,200.00 | -50.00% | $500.00 | -50.00% |
960.00 | -60.00% | $400.00 | -60.00% |
720.00 | -70.00% | $300.00 | -70.00% |
480.00 | -80.00% | $200.00 | -80.00% |
0.00 | -100.00% | $0.00 | -100.00% |
1 This is the hypothetical Initial Level; the actual Initial Level will be set on the Pricing Date.
2 The “return” as used in this pricing supplement is the number, expressed as a percentage, that results from comparing the difference between the Payment at Maturity per Security and the Principal Amount.
* These calculations are hypothetical and should not be taken as an indication of the future performance of the Reference Asset as measured from the actual Pricing Date. We cannot give you assurance that the performance of the Reference Asset will result in any positive return on your initial investment.
* The graph above represents a hypothetical payout profile for the Securities. The 45 degree dotted line represents the hypothetical Percentage Change of the Reference Asset and the solid green line represents the hypothetical return on the Securities for a given Percentage Change in the Reference Asset.
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Determining the Payment at Maturity
On the Maturity Date, you will receive a cash payment per Security, if anything, (the Payment at Maturity) calculated as follows:
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Information Regarding the Reference Asset
All disclosures contained in this document regarding the Reference Asset, including, without limitation, its make-up, methods of calculation, and changes in any Reference Asset Constituents, have been derived from publicly available sources. The information reflects the policies of, and is subject to change by, the Index Sponsor. The Index Sponsor, owns the copyright and all other rights to the Reference Asset, has no obligation to continue to publish, and may discontinue publication of, the Reference Asset. No website referenced in the Reference Asset description below, or any materials included in those websites, is incorporated by reference into this document or any document incorporated herein by reference.
The graph below set forth the information relating to historical performance of the Reference Asset for the period specified. We obtained the information regarding the historical performance of the Reference Asset in the graph below from Bloomberg Professional® Service (“Bloomberg”).
We have not independently verified the accuracy or completeness of the information obtained from Bloomberg. The historical performance of the Reference Asset should not be taken as an indication of its future performance, and no assurance can be given as to the Final Level of the Reference Asset. We cannot give you assurance that the performance of the Reference Asset will result in the return of any of your initial investment.
S&P 500® Index
The S&P 500® Index (the “SPX”) includes a representative sample of 500 companies in leading industries of the U.S. economy. The 500 companies are not the 500 largest companies listed on the NYSE and not all 500 companies are listed on the NYSE. The Index Sponsor with respect to the SPX, S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC, chooses companies for inclusion in the SPX with an aim of achieving a distribution by broad industry groupings that approximates the distribution of these groupings in the common stock population of the U.S. equity market. Although the SPX contains 500 constituent companies, at any one time it may contain greater than 500 constituent trading lines since some companies included in the SPX prior to July 31, 2017 may be represented by multiple share class lines in the SPX. The SPX is calculated, maintained and published by the Index Sponsor and is part of the S&P Dow Jones Indices family of indices. Additional information is available on the following websites: us.spindices.com/indices/equity/sp-500 and spdji.com/. We are not incorporating by reference the websites or any material they include in this document.
The Index Sponsor intends for the SPX to provide a performance benchmark for the large-cap U.S. equity markets. Constituent changes are made on an as-needed basis and there is no schedule for constituent reviews. Constituent changes are generally announced one to five business days prior to the change. Relevant criteria for additions to the SPX that are employed by the Index Sponsor include: the company proposed for addition should have an unadjusted company market capitalization of $6.1 billion or more (for spin-offs, eligibility is determined using when-issued prices, if available); using composite pricing and volume, the ratio of annual dollar value traded in the proposed constituent to float-adjusted market capitalization of that company should be 1.00 or greater and the stock should trade a minimum of 250,000 shares in each of the six months leading up to the evaluation date; the company must be a U.S. company (characterized as a Form 10-K filer with its U.S. portion of fixed assets and revenues constituting a plurality of the total and with a primary listing of the common stock on the NYSE, NYSE Arca, NYSE American (formerly NYSE MKT), NASDAQ Global Select Market, NASDAQ Select Market, NASDAQ Capital Market, Bats BZX, Bats BYX, Bats EDGA, Bats EDGX or IEX (each, an “eligible exchange”)); the proposed constituent has a public float of 50% or more of its stock; the inclusion of the company will contribute to sector balance in the SPX relative to sector balance in the market in the relevant market capitalization range; financial viability (the sum of the most recent four consecutive quarters’ Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) earnings (net income excluding discontinued operations) should be positive as should the most recent quarter); and, for IPOs, the company must be traded on an eligible exchange for at least twelve months. In addition, constituents of the S&P MidCap 400® Index and the S&P SmallCap 600® Index can be added to the SPX without meeting the financial viability, public float and/or liquidity eligibility criteria if the S&P Index Committee decides that such an addition will enhance the representativeness of the SPX as a market benchmark. Certain types of organizational structures and securities are always excluded, including business development companies (BDCs), limited partnerships, master limited partnerships, limited liability companies (LLCs), OTC bulletin board issues, closed-end funds, ETFs, ETNs, royalty trusts, tracking stocks, preferred stock and convertible preferred stock, unit trusts, equity warrants, convertible bonds, investment trusts, rights and American depositary receipts (ADRs). SPX Constituents are deleted from the SPX when they are involved in mergers, acquisitions or significant restructurings such that they no longer meet the inclusion criteria, and when they substantially violate one or more of the addition criteria. SPX Constituents that are delisted or moved to the pink sheets or the bulletin board are removed, and those that experience a trading halt may be retained or removed in the Index Sponsor’s discretion. The Index Sponsor evaluates additions and deletions with a view to maintaining SPX continuity.
For constituents included in the SPX prior to July 31, 2017, all publicly listed multiple share class lines are included separately in the SPX, subject to, in the case of any such share class line, that share class line satisfying the liquidity and float criteria discussed above and subject to certain exceptions. It is possible that one listed share class line of a company may be included in the SPX while a second listed share class line of the same company is excluded. For companies that issue a second publicly traded share class to the SPX share class holders, the newly issued share class line is considered for inclusion if the event is mandatory and the market capitalization of the distributed class is not considered to be de minimis.
As of July 31, 2017, companies with multiple share class lines are no longer eligible for inclusion in the SPX. Constituents of the SPX prior to July 31, 2017 with multiple share class lines will be grandfathered in and continue to be included in the SPX. If a constituent company of the SPX reorganizes into a multiple share class line structure, that company will remain in the SPX at the discretion of the S&P Index Committee in order to minimize turnover.
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As of November 30, 2018, the 500 companies included in the SPX were divided into eleven Global Industry Classification Sectors. The Global Industry Classification Sectors include (with the approximate percentage currently included in such sectors indicated in parentheses): Information Technology (19.9%), Health Care (15.8%), Financials (13.7%), Consumer Discretionary (9.9%), Communication Services (9.9%), Industrials (9.4%), Consumer Staples (7.4%), Energy (5.4%), Utilities (3.1%), Real Estate (2.9%) and Materials (2.6%). (Sector designations are determined by the Index Sponsor using criteria it has selected or developed. Index sponsors may use very different standards for determining sector designations. In addition, many companies operate in a number of sectors, but are listed in only one sector and the basis on which that sector is selected may also differ. As a result, sector comparisons between indices with different index sponsors may reflect differences in methodology as well as actual differences in the sector composition of the indices.) As of the close of business on September 21, 2018, the Index Sponsor and MSCI, Inc. updated the Global Industry Classification Sector structure. Among other things, the update broadened the Telecommunications Services sector and renamed it the Communication Services sector. The renamed sector includes the previously existing Telecommunication Services Industry group, as well as the Media Industry group, which was moved from the Consumer Discretionary sector and renamed the Media & Entertainment Industry group. The Media & Entertainment Industry group contains three industries: Media, Entertainment and Interactive Media & Services. The Media industry continues to consist of the Advertising, Broadcasting, Cable & Satellite and Publishing sub-industries. The Entertainment industry contains the Movies & Entertainment sub-industry (which includes online entertainment streaming companies in addition to companies previously classified in such industry prior to September 21, 2018) and the Interactive Home Entertainment sub-industry (which includes companies previously classified in the Home Entertainment Software sub-industry prior to September 21, 2018 (when the Home Entertainment Software sub-industry was a sub-industry in the Information Technology sector)), as well as producers of interactive gaming products, including mobile gaming applications). The Interactive Media & Services industry and sub-industry includes companies engaged in content and information creation or distribution through proprietary platforms, where revenues are derived primarily through pay-per-click advertisements, and includes search engines, social media and networking platforms, online classifieds and online review companies. The Global Industry Classification Sector structure changes were effective for the S&P 500® Index as of the open of business on September 24, 2018 to coincide with the September 2018 quarterly rebalancing.
Calculation of the SPX
The SPX is calculated using a base-weighted aggregative methodology. The level of the SPX on any day for which a level is published is determined by a fraction, the numerator of which is the aggregate of the market price of each SPX Constituent times the number of shares of such Reference Asset Constituent, and the denominator of which is the divisor, which is described more fully below. The “market value” of any Reference Asset Constituent is the product of the market price per share of that Reference Asset Constituent times the number of the then-outstanding shares of such Reference Asset Constituent that are then included in the SPX.
The SPX is also sometimes called a “base-weighted aggregative index” because of its use of a divisor. The “divisor” is a value calculated by the Index Sponsor that is intended to maintain conformity in the SPX levels over time and is adjusted for all changes in the Reference Asset Constituents’ share capital after the “base date” as described below. The level of the SPX reflects the total market value of all Reference Asset Constituents relative to the SPX’s base date of 1941-43.
In addition, the SPX is float-adjusted, meaning that the share counts used in calculating the SPX reflect only those shares available to investors rather than all of a company’s outstanding shares. The Index Sponsor seeks to exclude shares held by certain shareholders concerned with the control of a company, a group that generally includes the following: officers and directors and related individuals whose holdings are publicly disclosed, private equity, venture capital, special equity firms, publicly traded companies that hold shares for control in another company, strategic partners, holders of restricted shares, employee stock ownership plans, employee and family trusts, foundations associated with the company, holders of unlisted share classes of stock, government entities at all levels (except government retirement or pension funds) and any individual person listed as a 5% or greater stakeholder in a company as reported in regulatory filings (collectively, “control holders”). To this end, the Index Sponsor excludes all share-holdings (other than depositary banks, pension funds, mutual funds, exchange-traded fund providers, 401(k) plans of the company, government retirement and pension funds, investment funds of insurance companies, asset managers and investment funds, independent foundations, savings plans and investment plans) with a position greater than 5% of the outstanding shares of a company from the float-adjusted share count to be used in SPX calculations.
The exclusion is accomplished by calculating an Investable Weight Factor (IWF) for each Reference Asset Constituent that is part of the numerator of the float-adjusted index fraction described above:
IWF = (available float shares)/(total shares outstanding)
where available float shares is defined as total shares outstanding less shares held by control holders. In most cases, an IWF is reported to the nearest one percentage point. For companies with multiple share class lines, a separate IWF is calculated for each share class line.
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Maintenance of the SPX
In order to keep the SPX comparable over time the Index Sponsor engages in a SPX maintenance process. The SPX maintenance process involves changing the constituents as discussed above, and also involves maintaining quality assurance processes and procedures, adjusting the number of shares used to calculate the SPX, monitoring and completing the adjustments for company additions and deletions, adjusting for stock splits and stock dividends and adjusting for other corporate actions. In addition to its daily governance of indices and maintenance of the SPX methodology, at least once within any 12 month period, the S&P Index Committee reviews the SPX methodology to ensure the SPX continues to achieve the stated objective, and that the data and methodology remain effective. The S&P Index Committee may at times consult with investors, market participants, security issuers included in or potentially included in the SPX, or investment and financial experts.
Divisor Adjustments
The two types of adjustments primarily used by the Index Sponsor are divisor adjustments and adjustments to the number of shares (including float adjustments) used to calculate the SPX. Set forth below is a table of certain corporate events and their resulting effect on the divisor and the share count. If a corporate event requires an adjustment to the divisor, that event has the effect of altering the market value of the affected Reference Asset Constituent and consequently of altering the aggregate market value of the Reference Asset Constituents following the event. In order that the level of the SPX not be affected by the altered market value (which could be an increase or decrease) of the affected Reference Asset Constituent, the Index Sponsor generally derives a new divisor by dividing the post-event market value of the Reference Asset Constituents by the pre-event SPX level, which has the effect of reducing the SPX’s post-event level to the pre-event level.
Changes to the Number of Shares of a Constituent
The SPX maintenance process also involves tracking the changes in the number of shares included for each of the Reference Asset Constituents. The timing of adjustments to the number of shares depends on the type of event causing the change, and whether the change represents 5% or more of the total share count (for companies with multiple share class lines, the 5% threshold is based on each individual share class line rather than total company shares). Changes as a result of mergers or acquisitions are implemented when the transaction occurs. At the Index Sponsor’s discretion, however, de minimis merger and acquisition changes may be accumulated and implemented with the updates made at the quarterly share updates as described below. Changes in a constituent’s total shares of 5% or more due to public offerings (which must be underwritten, have a publicly available prospectus or prospectus summary filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and include a public confirmation that the offering has been completed) are implemented as soon as reasonably possible. Other changes of 5% or more are made weekly and are announced on Fridays for implementation after the close of trading on the following Friday. For changes of less than 5%, on the third Friday of the last month in each calendar quarter, the Index Sponsor updates the share totals of companies in the SPX as required by any changes in the number of shares outstanding. The Index Sponsor implements a share / IWF freeze beginning after the market close on the Tuesday preceding the second Friday of each quarterly rebalancing month and ending after the market close on the third Friday of the quarterly rebalancing month. During this frozen period, shares and IWFs are not changed except for certain corporate action events (merger activity, stock splits and rights offerings).
Adjustments for Corporate Actions
There is a large range of corporate actions that may affect companies included in the SPX. Certain corporate actions require the Index Sponsor to recalculate the share count or the float adjustment or to make an adjustment to the divisor to prevent the level of the SPX from changing as a result of the corporate action. This helps ensure that the movement of the SPX does not reflect the corporate actions of individual companies in the SPX.
Spin-Offs
As a general policy, a spin-off security is added to the SPX at a zero price at the market close of the day before the ex-date (with no divisor adjustment). The spin-off security will remain in the SPX if it meets all eligibility criteria. If the spin-off security is determined ineligible to remain in the SPX, it will generally be removed after at least one day of regular way trading (with a divisor adjustment). If there is a gap between the ex-date and distribution date (or payable date), or if the spin-off security does not trade regular way on the ex-date, the spin-off security is kept in the SPX until the spin-off security begins trading regular way.
Several additional types of corporate actions, and their related adjustments, are listed in the table below.
Corporate Action | Share Count Revision Required? | Divisor Adjustment Required? | ||
Stock split | Yes – share count is revised to reflect new count. | No – share count and price changes are off-setting | ||
Change in shares outstanding (secondary issuance, share | Yes – share count is revised to reflect new count. | Yes |
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repurchase and/or share buy-back) | ||||
Special dividends | No | Yes – calculation assumes that share price drops by the amount of the dividend; divisor adjustment reflects this change in index market value | ||
Change in IWF | No | Yes – divisor change reflects the change in market value caused by the change to an IWF | ||
Company added to or deleted from the SPX | No | Yes – divisor is adjusted by the net change in market value, calculated as the shares issued multiplied by the price paid | ||
Rights Offering | No | Yes – divisor adjustment reflects increase in market capitalization (calculation assumes that offering is fully subscribed) |
Recalculation Policy
The Index Sponsor reserves the right to recalculate and republish the SPX at its discretion in the event one of the following issues has occurred: (1) incorrect or revised closing price of one or more constituent securities; (2) missed corporate event; (3) incorrect application of corporate action or SPX methodology; (4) late announcement of a corporate event; or (5) incorrect calculation or data entry error. The decision to recalculate the SPX is made at the discretion of the index manager and/or index committee, as further discussed below. The potential market impact or disruption resulting from the potential recalculation is considered when making any such decision. In the event of an incorrect closing price, a missed corporate event or a misapplied corporate action, a late announcement of a corporate event, or an incorrect calculation or data entry error that is discovered within two trading days of its occurrence, the index manager may, at his or her discretion, recalculate the SPX without involving the index committee. In the event any such event is discovered beyond the two trading day period, the index committee shall decide whether the SPX should be recalculated. In the event of an incorrect application of the methodology that results in the incorrect composition and/or weighting of Reference Asset Constituents, the index committee shall determine whether or not to recalculate the SPX following specified guidelines. In the event that the SPX is recalculated, it shall be done within a reasonable timeframe following the detection and review of the issue.
Calculations and Pricing Disruptions
Closing levels for the SPX are calculated by the Index Sponsor based on the closing price of the individual constituents of the SPX as set by their primary exchange. Closing prices are received by the Index Sponsor from one of its third party vendors and verified by comparing them with prices from an alternative vendor. The vendors receive the closing price from the primary exchanges. Real-time intraday prices are calculated similarly without a second verification. Prices used for the calculation of real time SPX levels are based on the “Consolidated Tape”. The Consolidated Tape is an aggregation of trades for each constituent over all regional exchanges and trading venues and includes the primary exchange. If there is a failure or interruption on one or more exchanges, real-time calculations will continue as long as the “Consolidated Tape” is operational.
If an interruption is not resolved prior to the market close, official closing prices will be determined by following the hierarchy set out in NYSE Rule 123C. A notice is published on the S&P website at spdji.com indicating any changes to the prices used in SPX calculations. In extreme circumstances, the Index Sponsor may decide to delay SPX adjustments or not publish the SPX. Real-time indices are not restated.
Unexpected Exchange Closures
An unexpected market/exchange closure occurs when a market/exchange fully or partially fails to open or trading is temporarily halted. This can apply to a single exchange or to a market as a whole, when all of the primary exchanges are closed and/or not trading. Unexpected market/exchange closures are usually due to unforeseen circumstances, such as natural disasters, inclement weather, outages, or other events.
To a large degree, the Index Sponsor is dependent on the exchanges to provide guidance in the event of an unexpected exchange closure. The Index Sponsor’s decision making is dependent on exchange guidance regarding pricing and mandatory corporate actions.
NYSE Rule 123C provides closing contingency procedures for determining an official closing price for listed securities if the exchange is unable to conduct a closing transaction in one or more securities due to a system or technical issue.
3:00 PM ET is the deadline for an exchange to determine its plan of action regarding an outage scenario. As such, the Index Sponsor also uses 3:00 PM ET as the cutoff.
If all major exchanges fail to open or unexpectedly halt trading intraday due to unforeseen circumstances, the Index Sponsor will take the following actions:
Market Disruption Prior to Open of Trading:
(i) If all exchanges indicate that trading will not open for a given day, the Index Sponsor will treat the day as an unscheduled market holiday. The decision will be communicated to clients as soon as possible through the normal channels. Indices containing multiple markets will be calculated as normal, provided that at least one market is open that day. Indices which only contain closed markets will not be calculated.
(ii) If exchanges indicate that trading, although delayed, will open for a given day, the Index Sponsor will begin index calculation when the exchanges open.
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Market Disruption Intraday:
(i) If exchanges indicate that trading will not resume for a given day, the SPX level will be calculated using prices determined by the exchanges based on NYSE Rule 123C. Intraday SPX levels will continue to use the last traded composite price until the primary exchange publishes official closing prices.
License Agreement
S&P® is a registered trademark of Standard & Poor’s Financial Services LLC and Dow Jones® is a registered trademark of Dow Jones Trademark Holdings LLC (“Dow Jones”). These trademarks have been licensed for use by the Index Sponsor. “Standard & Poor’s®,” “S&P 500®” and “S&P®” are trademarks of Standard & Poor’s Financial Services LLC. These trademarks have been sublicensed for certain purposes by us. The SPX is a product of the Index Sponsor and/or its affiliates and has been licensed for use by us.
The Securities are not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by the Index Sponsor, Standard & Poor’s Financial Services LLC or any of their respective affiliates (collectively, “S&P Dow Jones Indices”). S&P Dow Jones Indices make no representation or warranty, express or implied, to the holders of the Securities or any member of the public regarding the advisability of investing in securities generally or in the Securities particularly or the ability of the SPX to track general market performance. S&P Dow Jones Indices’ only relationship to us with respect to the SPX is the licensing of the SPX and certain trademarks, service marks and/or trade names of S&P Dow Jones Indices and/or its third party licensors. The SPX is determined, composed and calculated by S&P Dow Jones Indices without regard to us or the Securities. S&P Dow Jones Indices have no obligation to take our needs or the needs of holders of the Securities into consideration in determining, composing or calculating the SPX. S&P Dow Jones Indices are not responsible for and have not participated in the determination of the prices, and amount of the Securities or the timing of the issuance or sale of the Securities or in the determination or calculation of the equation by which the Securities are to be converted into cash. S&P Dow Jones Indices have no obligation or liability in connection with the administration, marketing or trading of the Securities. There is no assurance that investment products based on the SPX will accurately track SPX performance or provide positive investment returns. S&P and its subsidiaries are not investment advisors. Inclusion of a security or futures contract within an index is not a recommendation by S&P Dow Jones Indices to buy, sell, or hold such security or futures contract, nor is it considered to be investment advice. Notwithstanding the foregoing, CME Group Inc. and its affiliates may independently issue and/or sponsor financial products unrelated to the Securities currently being issued by us, but which may be similar to and competitive with the Securities. In addition, CME Group Inc. and its affiliates may trade financial products which are linked to the performance of the SPX. It is possible that this trading activity will affect the value of the Securities.
S&P DOW JONES INDICES DO NOT GUARANTEE THE ADEQUACY, ACCURACY, TIMELINESS AND/OR THE COMPLETENESS OF THE SPX OR ANY DATA RELATED THERETO OR ANY COMMUNICATION, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO, ORAL OR WRITTEN COMMUNICATION (INCLUDING ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS) WITH RESPECT THERETO. S&P DOW JONES INDICES SHALL NOT BE SUBJECT TO ANY DAMAGES OR LIABILITY FOR ANY ERRORS, OMISSIONS, OR DELAYS THEREIN. S&P DOW JONES INDICES MAKE NO EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, AND EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE OR USE OR AS TO RESULTS TO BE OBTAINED BY US, HOLDERS OF THE SECURITIES, OR ANY OTHER PERSON OR ENTITY FROM THE USE OF THE SPX OR WITH RESPECT TO ANY DATA RELATED THERETO. WITHOUT LIMITING ANY OF THE FOREGOING, IN NO EVENT WHATSOEVER SHALL S&P DOW JONES INDICES BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, PUNITIVE, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO, LOSS OF PROFITS, TRADING LOSSES, LOST TIME OR GOODWILL, EVEN IF THEY HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, TORT, STRICT LIABILITY, OR OTHERWISE. THERE ARE NO THIRD PARTY BENEFICIARIES OF ANY AGREEMENTS OR ARRANGEMENTS BETWEEN S&P DOW JONES INDICES AND US, OTHER THAN THE LICENSORS OF S&P DOW JONES INDICES.
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Historical Information
We obtained the information regarding the historical performance of the Reference Asset in the graph below from Bloomberg and have not conducted any independent review or due diligence. The graph below shows the daily historical Closing Levels of the Reference Asset from January 4, 2014 through January 4, 2019. On January 4, 2019, the Closing Level of the Reference asset was 2,531.94. The historical performance of the Reference Asset should not be taken as an indication of its future performance, and no assurance can be given as to the market price of the Reference Asset on any Valuation Date (including the Final Valuation Date).
PAST PERFORMANCE IS NOT INDICATIVE OF FUTURE RESULTS.
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Supplemental Discussion of U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences
The U.S. federal income tax consequences of your investment in the Securities are uncertain. No statutory, regulatory, judicial or administrative authority directly discusses how the Securities should be treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Some of these tax consequences are summarized below, but we urge you to read the more detailed discussion under “Supplemental Discussion of U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences” in the product prospectus supplement and discuss the tax consequences of your particular situation with your tax advisor. This discussion is based upon the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), final, temporary and proposed U.S. Treasury Department (the “Treasury”) regulations, rulings and decisions, in each case, as available and in effect as of the date hereof, all of which are subject to change, possibly with retroactive effect. Tax consequences under state, local and non-U.S. laws are not addressed herein. No ruling from the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”) has been sought as to the U.S. federal income tax consequences of your investment in the Securities, and the following discussion is not binding on the IRS.
U.S. Tax Treatment. Pursuant to the terms of the Securities, the Bank and you agree, in the absence of a statutory or regulatory change or an administrative determination or judicial ruling to the contrary, to characterize your Securities as pre-paid derivative contracts with respect to the Reference Asset. If your Securities are so treated, you should generally recognize gain or loss upon the taxable disposition of your Securities in an amount equal to the difference between the amount you receive at such time and the amount you paid for your Securities. Such gain or loss should generally be long-term capital gain or loss if you have held your Securities for more than one year (otherwise such gain or loss should be short-term capital gain or loss if held for one year or less). The deductibility of capital losses is subject to limitations.
Based on certain factual representations received from us, our special U.S. tax counsel, Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP, is of the opinion that it would be reasonable to treat your Securities in the manner described above. However, because there is no authority that specifically addresses the tax treatment of the Securities, it is possible that your Securities could alternatively be treated for tax purposes as a single contingent payment debt instrument, or pursuant to some other characterization, such that the timing and character of your income from the Securities could differ materially and adversely from the treatment described above, as described further under “Supplemental Discussion of U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences — Alternative Treatments” in the product prospectus supplement.
Except to the extent otherwise required by law, TD intends to treat your Securities for U.S. federal income tax purposes in accordance with the treatment described above and under “Supplemental Discussion of U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences” of the product prospectus supplement, unless and until such time as the Treasury and the IRS determine that some other treatment is more appropriate.
Section 1297. We will not attempt to ascertain whether any Reference Asset Constituent Issuer would be treated as a “passive foreign investment company” (“PFIC”) within the meaning of Section 1297 of the Code. If any such entity were so treated, certain adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences might apply upon the taxable disposition of a Note. You should refer to information filed with the SEC or the equivalent governmental authority by such entities and consult your tax advisor regarding the possible consequences to you if any such entity is or becomes a PFIC.
Notice 2008-2. In 2007, the IRS released a notice that may affect the taxation of holders of the Securities. According to Notice 2008-2, the IRS and the Treasury are actively considering whether a holder of an instrument such as the Securities should be required to accrue ordinary income on a current basis, and they are seeking taxpayer comments on the subject. It is not possible to determine what guidance they will ultimately issue, if any. It is possible, however, that under such guidance, holders of the Securities will ultimately be required to accrue income currently and this could be applied on a retroactive basis. The IRS and the Treasury are also considering other relevant issues, including whether additional gain or loss from such instruments should be treated as ordinary or capital, whether non-U.S. holders of such instruments should be subject to withholding tax on any deemed income accruals, and whether the special “constructive ownership” rules of Section 1260 of the Code should be applied to such instruments. Both U.S. and non-U.S. holders are urged to consult their tax advisors concerning the significance, and the potential impact, of the above considerations on their investments in the Securities.
Medicare Tax on Net Investment Income. U.S. holders that are individuals, estates, and certain trusts are subject to an additional 3.8% tax on all or a portion of their “net investment income,” or “undistributed net investment income” in the case of an estate or trust, which may include any income or gain with respect to the Securities, to the extent of their net investment income or undistributed net investment income (as the case may be) that when added to their other modified adjusted gross income, exceeds $200,000 for an unmarried individual, $250,000 for a married taxpayer filing a joint return (or a surviving spouse), $125,000 for a married individual filing a separate return or the dollar amount at which the highest tax bracket begins for an estate or trust. The 3.8% Medicare tax is determined in a different manner than the regular income tax. U.S. holders should consult their tax advisors as to the consequences of the 3.8% Medicare tax with respect to their investments in the Securities.
Specified Foreign Financial Assets. U.S. holders may be subject to reporting obligations with respect to their Securities if they do not hold their Securities in an account maintained by a financial institution and the aggregate value of their Securities and certain other “specified foreign financial assets” (applying certain attribution rules) exceeds an applicable threshold. Significant penalties can apply if a U.S. holder is required to disclose its Securities and fails to do so.
Non-U.S. Holders. This section applies only if you are a “non-U.S. holder”. For these purposes, you are a “non-U.S. holder” if you are the beneficial owner of the Securities and are, for U.S. federal income tax purposes:
· | a non-resident alien individual; |
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· | a non-U.S. corporation; or |
· | an estate or trust that, in either case, is not subject to U.S. federal income tax on a net income basis on income or gain from the Securities. |
If you are a non-U.S. holder, subject to Section 871(m) of the Code and FATCA, as discussed below, you should generally not be subject to U.S. withholding tax with respect to payments on your Securities or to generally applicable information reporting and backup withholding requirements with respect to payments on your Securities if you comply with certain certification and identification requirements as to your non-U.S. status including providing us (and/or the applicable withholding agent) a properly executed and fully completed applicable IRS Form W-8. Subject to Section 897 of the Code and Section 871(m) of the Code, as discussed below, gain from the taxable disposition of a Security generally should not be subject to U.S. tax unless (i) such gain is effectively connected with a trade or business conducted by you in the U.S., (ii) you are a non-resident alien individual and are present in the U.S. for 183 days or more during the taxable year of such taxable disposition and certain other conditions are satisfied or (iii) you have certain other present or former connections with the U.S.
Section 897. We will not attempt to ascertain whether any Reference Asset Constituent Issuer would be treated as a “United States real property holding corporation” (a “USRPHC”), within the meaning of Section 897 of the Code. We also have not attempted to determine whether the Securities should be treated as “United States real property interests” (“USRPI”), as defined in Section 897 of the Code. If any such entity and the Securities were so treated, certain adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences could possibly apply, including subjecting any gain to a non-U.S. holder in respect of a Security upon a taxable disposition of the Security to U.S. federal income tax on a net basis, and the proceeds from such a taxable disposition to a 15% withholding tax. Non-U.S. holders should consult their tax advisors regarding the potential treatment of a Reference Asset Constituent Issuer as a USRPHC and the Securities as USRPI.
Section 871(m). A 30% withholding tax (which may be reduced by an applicable income tax treaty) is imposed under Section 871(m) of the Code on certain “dividend equivalents” paid or deemed paid to a non-U.S. holder with respect to a “specified equity-linked instrument” that references one or more dividend-paying U.S. equity securities or indices containing U.S. equity securities. The withholding tax can apply even if the instrument does not provide for payments that reference dividends. Treasury regulations provide that the withholding tax applies to all dividend equivalents paid or deemed paid on specified equity-linked instruments that have a delta of one (“delta one specified equity-linked instruments”) issued after 2016 and to all dividend equivalents paid or deemed paid on all other specified equity-linked instruments issued after 2018. However, the IRS has issued guidance that states that the Treasury and the IRS intend to amend the effective dates of the Treasury regulations to provide that withholding on dividend equivalents paid or deemed paid will not apply to specified equity-linked instruments that are not delta one specified equity-linked instruments and are issued before January 1, 2021.
Based on our determination that the Securities are not “delta-one” with respect to the Reference Asset or any Reference Asset Constituent Issuer, our special U.S. tax counsel is of the opinion that the Securities should not be delta one specified equity-linked instruments and thus should not be subject to withholding on dividend equivalents. Our determination is not binding on the IRS, and the IRS may disagree with this determination. Furthermore, the application of Section 871(m) of the Code will depend on our determinations made upon issuance of the Securities. If withholding is required, we will not make payments of any additional amounts.
Nevertheless, after issuance, it is possible that your Securities could be deemed to be reissued for tax purposes upon the occurrence of certain events affecting the Reference Asset, any Reference Asset Constituent Issuer or your Securities, and following such occurrence your Securities could be treated as delta one specified equity-linked instruments that are subject to withholding on dividend equivalents. It is also possible that withholding tax or other tax under Section 871(m) of the Code could apply to the Securities under these rules if you enter, or have entered, into certain other transactions in respect of the Reference Asset, any Reference Asset Constituent Issuer or the Securities. If you enter, or have entered, into other transactions in respect of the Reference Asset, any Reference Asset Constituent Issuer or the Securities, you should consult your tax advisor regarding the application of Section 871(m) of the Code to your Securities in the context of your other transactions.
Because of the uncertainty regarding the application of the 30% withholding tax on dividend equivalents to the Securities, you are urged to consult your tax advisor regarding the potential application of Section 871(m) of the Code and the 30% withholding tax to an investment in the Securities.
Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act. The Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (“FATCA”) was enacted on March 18, 2010, and imposes a 30% U.S. withholding tax on “withholdable payments” (i.e., certain U.S.-source payments, including interest (and original issue discount), dividends, other fixed or determinable annual or periodical income, and the gross proceeds from a disposition of property of a type that can produce U.S.-source interest or dividends) and “passthru payments” (i.e., certain payments attributable to withholdable payments) made to certain foreign financial institutions (and certain of their affiliates) unless the payee foreign financial institution agrees (or is required), among other things, to disclose the identity of any U.S. individual with an account at the institution (or the relevant affiliate) and to annually report certain information about such account. FATCA also requires withholding agents making withholdable payments to certain foreign entities that do not disclose the name, address, and taxpayer identification number of any substantial U.S. owners (or do not certify that they do not have any substantial U.S. owners) to withhold tax at a rate of 30%. Under certain circumstances, a holder may be eligible for refunds or credits of such taxes.
Pursuant to final and temporary Treasury regulations and other IRS guidance, the withholding and reporting requirements under FATCA will generally apply to certain “withholdable payments”, will not apply to gross proceeds on a sale or disposition, and will apply to certain foreign passthru payments only to the extent that such payments are made after the date that is two years after final regulations defining the term “foreign passthru payment” are published. If withholding is required, we (or the applicable paying agent) will not be required to pay additional amounts with respect to the amounts so withheld. Foreign financial institutions and non-financial
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foreign entities located in jurisdictions that have an intergovernmental agreement with the U.S. governing FATCA may be subject to different rules.
Investors should consult their tax advisors about the application of FATCA, in particular if they may be classified as financial institutions (or if they hold their Securities through a non-U.S. entity) under the FATCA rules.
As discussed above, alternative characterizations of the Securities for U.S. federal income tax purposes are possible. Should an alternative characterization of the Securities cause payments with respect to the Securities to become subject to withholding tax, we (or the applicable withholding agent) will withhold tax at the applicable statutory rate and we will not make payments of any additional amounts.
Proposed Legislation. In 2007, legislation was introduced in Congress that, if it had been enacted, would have required holders of Securities purchased after the bill was enacted to accrue interest income over the term of the Securities despite the fact that there will be no interest payments over the term of the Securities.
Furthermore, in 2013, the House Ways and Means Committee released in draft form certain proposed legislation relating to financial instruments. If it had been enacted, the effect of this legislation generally would have been to require instruments such as the Securities to be marked to market on an annual basis with all gains and losses to be treated as ordinary, subject to certain exceptions.
It is impossible to predict whether any similar or identical bills will be enacted in the future, or whether any such bill would affect the tax treatment of your Securities. You are urged to consult your tax advisor regarding the possible changes in law and their possible impact on the tax treatment of your Securities.
Both U.S. and non-U.S. holders are urged to consult their tax advisors concerning the application of U.S. federal income tax laws to their particular situations, as well as any tax consequences of the purchase, beneficial ownership and disposition of the Securities arising under the laws of any state, local, non-U.S. or other taxing jurisdiction (including that of TD).
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Supplemental Plan of Distribution (Conflicts of Interest) - Selling Restrictions
We have appointed TDS, an affiliate of TD, and Wells Fargo Securities, as the agents for the sale of the Securities. Pursuant to the terms of a distribution agreement, the Agents will purchase the Securities from TD at the public offering price less the underwriting discount set forth on the cover page of this pricing supplement for distribution to other registered broker-dealers, including WFA, or will offer the Securities directly to investors. The Agents may resell the Securities to other registered broker-dealers at the public offering price less a concession not in excess of $25.00 (2.50%) per Security. In addition to the concession allowed to WFA, Wells Fargo Securities will pay $1.20 (0.12%) per Security of the agent’s discount to WFA as a distribution expense fee for each Security sold by WFA. The Agents or other registered broker-dealers will offer the Securities at the public offering price set forth on the cover page of this pricing supplement. Certain dealers who purchase the Securities for sale to certain fee-based advisory accounts may forego some or all of their selling concessions, fees or commissions. The price for investors purchasing the Securities in these accounts may be as low as $961.50 (96.15%) per Security. TD will reimburse TDS for certain expenses in connection with its role in the offer and sale of the Securities, and TD will pay TDS a fee in connection with its role in the offer and sale of the Securities.
We expect that delivery of the Securities will be made against payment for the Securities on or about February 4, 2019, which is the third (3rd) Business Day following the Pricing Date (this settlement cycle being referred to as “T+3”). Under Rule 15c6-1 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, trades in the secondary market generally are required to settle in two business days, unless the parties to a trade expressly agree otherwise. Accordingly, purchasers who wish to trade the Securities in the secondary market on any date prior to two business days before delivery of the Securities will be required, by virtue of the fact that each Security initially will settle in three business days (T+3), to specify alternative settlement arrangements to prevent a failed settlement of the secondary market trade. See “Plan of Distribution” in the prospectus.
Conflicts of Interest. TDS is an affiliate of TD and, as such, has a ‘‘conflict of interest’’ in this offering within the meaning of Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (“FINRA”) Rule 5121. In addition, TD will receive the net proceeds from the initial public offering of the Securities, thus creating an additional conflict of interest within the meaning of FINRA Rule 5121. This offering of the Securities will be conducted in compliance with the provisions of FINRA Rule 5121. In accordance with FINRA Rule 5121, neither TDS nor any other affiliated agent of ours is permitted to sell the Securities in this offering to an account over which it exercises discretionary authority without the prior specific written approval of the account holder.
We may use this pricing supplement in the initial sale of the Securities. In addition, TDS or another of our affiliates may use this pricing supplement in a market-making transaction in the Securities after their initial sale. If a purchaser buys the Securities from us or TDS or another of our affiliates, this pricing supplement is being used in a market-making transaction unless we or TDS or another of our affiliates informs such purchaser otherwise in the confirmation of sale.
Selling Restrictions
Argentina. The Toronto-Dominion Bank U.S. Medium-Term Notes program and the related offer of securities and the sale of securities under the terms and conditions provided herein does not constitute a public offering in Argentina. Consequently, no public offering approval has been requested or granted by the Comisión Nacional de Valores, nor has any listing authorization of the securities been requested on any stock market in Argentina.
Brazil. The securities may not be offered or sold to the public in Brazil. Accordingly, this pricing supplement and the accompanying prospectus supplement and prospectus have not been submitted to the Comissão de Valores Mobiliáros for approval. Documents relating to this offering may not be supplied to the public as a public offering in Brazil or be used in connection with any offer for subscription or sale to the public in Brazil.
Chile. The securities have not been registered with the Superintendencia de Valores y Seguros in Chile and may not be offered or sold publicly in Chile. No offer, sales or deliveries of the securities, or distribution of this pricing supplement or the accompanying prospectus supplement and prospectus, may be made in or from Chile except in circumstances that will result in compliance with any applicable Chilean laws and regulations.
China. This document does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities in the People’s Republic of China (excluding Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan, the “PRC”) to any person to whom it is unlawful to make the offer or solicitation in the PRC. TD does not represent that this document may be lawfully distributed, or that any securities may be lawfully offered, in compliance with any applicable registration or other requirements in the PRC, or pursuant to an exemption available thereunder, or assume any responsibility for facilitating any such distribution or offering. Neither this document nor any advertisement or other offering material may be distributed or published in the PRC, except under circumstances that will result in compliance with any applicable laws and regulations.
Mexico. The securities have not been registered with the National Registry of Securities maintained by the Mexican National Banking and Securities Commission and may not be offered or sold publicly in Mexico. This pricing supplement and the accompanying prospectus supplement and prospectus may not be publicly distributed in Mexico.
Paraguay. This is a private and personal offering. The securities offered have not been approved by or registered with the National Securities Commission (Comisión Nacional de Valores) and are not part of a public offering as defined by the Paraguayan Securities Law. The information contained herein is for informational and marketing purposes only and should not be taken as an investment advice.
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Peru. The securities have not been and will not be registered with the Capital Markets Public Registry of the Capital Markets Superintendence (SMV) nor the Lima Stock Exchange Registry (RBVL) for their public offering in Peru under the Peruvian Capital Markets Law (Law N°861/ Supreme Decree N°093-2002) and the decrees and regulations thereunder.
Consequently, the securities may not be offered or sold, directly or indirectly, nor may this pricing supplement, the accompanying supplements or any other offering material relating to the securities be distributed or caused to be distributed in Peru to the general public. The securities may only be offered in a private offering without using mass marketing, which is defined as a marketing strategy utilising mass distribution and mass media to offer, negotiate or distribute securities to the whole market. Mass media includes newspapers, magazines, radio, television, mail, meetings, social networks, Internet servers located in Peru, and other media or technology platforms.
Taiwan. The securities may be made available outside Taiwan for purchase by Taiwan residents outside Taiwan but may not be offered or sold in Taiwan.
Uruguay. The sale of the securities qualifies as a private placement pursuant to section 2 of Uruguayan law 18,627. The securities must not be offered or sold to the public in Uruguay, except in circumstances which do not constitute a public offering or distribution under Uruguayan laws and regulations. The securities are not and will not be registered with the Financial Services Superintendency of the Central Bank of Uruguay.”
Prohibition of Sales to European Economic Area Retail Investors
The Securities 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 European Economic Area (“EEA”). For these purposes, 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”); (ii) a customer within the meaning of Directive 2002/92/EC, as amended, 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 Directive 2003/71/EC, as amended. Consequently no key information document required by Regulation (EU) No 1286/2014, as amended (the “PRIIPs Regulation”), for offering or selling the Securities or otherwise making them available to retail investors in the EEA has been prepared and therefore offering or selling the Securities or otherwise making them available to any retail investor in the EEA may be unlawful under the PRIIPs Regulation.
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Additional Information Regarding Our Estimated Value of the Securities
The final terms for the Securities will be determined on the date the Securities are initially priced for sale to the public, which we refer to as the Pricing Date, based on prevailing market conditions on the Pricing Date, and will be communicated to investors in a final pricing supplement.
The economic terms of the Securities are based on our internal funding rate (which is our internal borrowing rate based on variables such as market benchmarks and our appetite for borrowing), and several factors, including any sales commissions expected to be paid to TDS or another affiliate of ours, any selling concessions, discounts, commissions or fees expected to be allowed or paid to non-affiliated intermediaries, the estimated profit that we or any of our affiliates expect to earn in connection with structuring the Securities, estimated costs which we may incur in connection with the Securities and an estimate of the difference between the amounts we pay to an affiliate of WFS and the amounts that an affiliate of WFS pays to us in connection with hedging your Securities as described further under “Supplemental Plan of Distribution (Conflicts of Interest) - Selling Restrictions” above. Because our internal funding rate generally represents a discount from the levels at which our benchmark debt securities trade in the secondary market, the use of an internal funding rate for the Securities rather than the levels at which our benchmark debt securities trade in the secondary market is expected to have an adverse effect on the economic terms of the Securities.
On the cover page of this pricing supplement, we have provided the initial estimated value range for the Securities. This range of estimated values was determined by reference to our internal pricing models which take into account a number of variables and are based on a number of assumptions, which may or may not materialize, typically including volatility, interest rates (forecasted, current and historical rates), price-sensitivity analysis, time to maturity of the Securities, and our internal funding rate. For more information about the initial estimated value, see “Additional Risk Factors” beginning on page P-8. Because our internal funding rate generally represents a discount from the levels at which our benchmark debt securities trade in the secondary market, the use of an internal funding rate for the Securities rather than the levels at which our benchmark debt securities trade in the secondary market is expected, assuming all other economic terms are held constant, to increase the estimated value of the Securities. For more information see the discussion under “Additional Risk Factors — The Estimated Value of Your Securities Is Based on Our Internal Funding Rate.”
Our estimated value on the Pricing Date is not a prediction of the price at which the Securities may trade in the secondary market, nor will it be the price at which the Agents may buy or sell the Securities in the secondary market. Subject to normal market and funding conditions, the Agents or another affiliate of ours intends to offer to purchase the Securities in the secondary market but it is not obligated to do so.
Assuming that all relevant factors remain constant after the Pricing Date, the price at which the Agents may initially buy or sell the Securities in the secondary market, if any, may exceed our estimated value on the Pricing Date for a temporary period expected to be approximately five months after the Issue Date because, in our discretion, we may elect to effectively reimburse to investors a portion of the estimated cost of hedging our obligations under the Securities and other costs in connection with the Securities which we will no longer expect to incur over the term of the Securities. We made such discretionary election and determined this temporary reimbursement period on the basis of a number of factors, including the tenor of the Securities and any agreement we may have with the distributors of the Securities. The amount of our estimated costs which we effectively reimburse to investors in this way may not be allocated ratably throughout the reimbursement period, and we may discontinue such reimbursement at any time or revise the duration of the reimbursement period after the Issue Date of the Securities based on changes in market conditions and other factors that cannot be predicted.
We urge you to read the “Additional Risk Factors” beginning on page P-8 of this pricing supplement.
TD SECURITIES (USA) LLC | WELLS FARGO SECURITIES, LLC |
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Events of Default
The indenture provides holders of Securities with remedies if we fail to perform specific obligations, such as making payments on the Securities, or if we become bankrupt. Holders should review the applicable provisions and understand which of our actions would trigger an event of default and which actions would not.
Under the indenture, “event of default” means any of the following:
· | we default in the payment of the principal of or interest on, as applicable, any note of that series and, in each case, the default continues for a period of 30 Business Days; or |
· | we become insolvent or bankrupt or subject to the provisions of the Winding-up and Restructuring Act (Canada), or any statute hereafter enacted in substitution therefor, as such act, or substituted act, may be amended from time to time, (ii) we go into liquidation, either voluntary or under an order of a court of competent jurisdiction or (iii) we pass a resolution for our winding-up, liquidation or dissolution (with certain exceptions). |
The indenture permits the issuance of notes in one or more series, and, in many cases, whether an event of default has occurred is determined on a series by series basis. For purposes of this section, with respect to notes issued on or after September 23, 2018, “series” refers to notes having identical terms, except as to issue date, principal amount and, if applicable, the date from which interest begins to accrue.
The indenture provides that:
· | if an event of default due to the default in payment of principal of or, if applicable, any premium or interest on, any series of senior notes issued under the indenture, or due to any event of default referred to in the last bullet of the preceding paragraph applicable to the senior notes of that series but not applicable to all outstanding senior notes issued under the indenture, occurs and is continuing, either the trustee or the holders of not less than 25% in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding senior notes of each affected series, voting as a single class, by notice in writing to TD, may declare the principal of (or such other amount as may be specified) all senior notes of each affected series and, if applicable, interest accrued thereon to be due and payable immediately; and |
· | if an event of default due to specified events of bankruptcy, insolvency, winding up or liquidation of TD, occurs and is continuing, either the trustee or the holders of not less than 25% in aggregate principal amount of all outstanding senior notes issued under the senior debt indenture, treated as one class, by notice in writing to TD may declare the principal of (or such other amount as may be specified) all those senior notes and, if applicable, interest accrued thereon to be due and payable immediately. |
Annulment of Acceleration and Waiver of Defaults.
In some circumstances, if any and all events of default under the indenture, other than the non-payment of the principal of the securities that has become due as a result of an acceleration, have been cured, waived or otherwise remedied, then the holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of all series of outstanding senior notes affected, voting as one class, may annul past declarations of acceleration of or waive past defaults of the senior notes.
Differences in Events of Default
Notes issued by us prior to September 23, 2018, such as the Series A notes and the Series B notes, contain events of default that are different from those set forth above. In particular, the events of default applicable to the Series A notes and the Series B notes do not provide for a 30-business-day cure period with respect to any failure by us to pay the principal of or, if applicable, interest on those senior notes. Accordingly, if we fail to pay the principal of any series of Series A notes or Series B notes when due, the holders of such notes would be entitled to declare their securities due and payable following a 7-day cure period, whereas holders of Series C notes, Series D notes or Series E notes would not be entitled to accelerate the notes until 30 Business Days after our failure to pay the principal of the notes. In addition, if we fail to pay, if applicable, interest on any series of Series A notes or Series B notes when due, the holders of such notes would be entitled to declare their securities due and payable following a 30-calendar day cure period, whereas holders of Series C notes, Series D notes or Series E notes would not be entitled to accelerate the notes until 30 Business Days after our failure to pay, if applicable, the interest on the notes.
TD SECURITIES (USA) LLC | WELLS FARGO SECURITIES, LLC |
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