Chapter I General Principles
Article 1
These Regulations are promulgated pursuant to Article 36-1 of the Securities and Exchange Act ("the Act").
Article 2
A public company shall comply with these Regulations when making loans to and endorsements/guarantees for others; provided, where financial laws or regulations provide otherwise, such provisions shall govern.
Article 3
Under Article 15 of the Company Act, a public company shall not loan funds to any of its shareholders or any other person except under the following circumstances:
1.Where an inter-company or inter-firm business transaction calls for a loan arrangement; or
2.Where an inter-company or inter-firm short-term financing facility is necessary, provided that such financing amount shall not exceed 40 percent of the lender's net worth.
The term "short-term" as used in the preceding paragraph means one year, or where the company's operating cycle exceeds one year, one operating cycle.
The term "financing amount" as used in paragraph 1, sub-paragraph 2 of this Article means the cumulative balance of the public company's short-term financing.
The restriction in paragraph 1, subparagraph 2 shall not apply to inter-company loans of funds between overseas companies in which the public company holds, directly or indirectly, 100% of the voting shares, nor to loans of fund to the public company by any overseas company in which the public company holds, directly or indirectly, 100% of the voting shares. However, the Public Company shall still prescribe limits on the aggregate amount of such loans and on the amount of such loans permitted to a single borrower, and shall specify limits on the durations of such loans.
If a public company has paid-in capital of not less than NT$1 billion and it furthermore has joined a leasing association and stated that it will comply with the self-regulatory rules, and has complied with the requirements of Article 9, paragraph 2, the restriction in paragraph 1, subparagraph 2 shall not apply to its provision of short-term financing, provided, however, that the amount loaned by it may not exceed 100 percent of its net worth.
When a responsible person of a company violates paragraph 1 or the proviso of the preceding paragraph, the responsible person shall bear joint and several liability with the borrower for repayment; if the company suffers damage, the responsible person also shall be liable for damages.
Article 4
The term "endorsements/guarantees" as used in these Regulations refers to the following:
1.Financing endorsements/guarantees, including:
A.Bill discount financing.
B.Endorsement or guarantee made to meet the financing needs of another company.
C.Issuance of a separate negotiable instrument to a non-financial enterprise as security to meet the financing needs of the company itself.
2.Customs duty endorsement/guarantee, meaning an endorsement or guarantee for the company itself or another company with respect to customs duty matters.
3.Other endorsements/guarantees, meaning endorsements or guarantees beyond the scope of the above two subparagraphs.
Any creation by a public company of a pledge or mortgage on its chattel or real property as security for the loans of another company shall also comply with these Regulations.
Article 5
A public company may make endorsements/guarantees for the following companies:
1.A company with which it does business.
2.A company in which the public company directly and indirectly holds more than 50 percent of the voting shares.
3.A company that directly and indirectly holds more than 50 percent of the voting shares in the public company.
Companies in which the public company holds, directly or indirectly, 90% or more of the voting shares may make endorsements/guarantees for each other, and the amount of endorsements/guarantees may not exceed 10% of the net worth of the public company, provided that this restriction shall not apply to endorsements/guarantees made between companies in which the public company holds, directly or indirectly, 100% of the voting shares.
Where a public company fulfills its contractual obligations by providing mutual endorsements/guarantees for another company in the same industry or for joint builders for purposes of undertaking a construction project, or where all capital contributing shareholders make endorsements/ guarantees for their jointly invested company in proportion to their shareholding percentages, or where companies in the same industry provide among themselves joint and several security for a performance guarantee of a sales contract for pre-construction homes pursuant to the Consumer Protection Act for each other, such endorsements/guarantees may be made free of the restriction of the preceding two paragraphs.
Capital contribution referred to in the preceding paragraph shall mean capital contribution directly by the public company, or through a company in which the public company holds 100% of the voting shares.
Article 6
"Subsidiary" and "parent company" as referred to in these Regulations shall be as determined under the Regulations Governing the Preparation of Financial Reports by Securities Issuers.
Where a public company’s financial reports are prepared according to the International Financial Reporting Standards, "net worth" in these Regulations means the balance sheet equity attributable to the owners of the parent company under the Regulations Governing the Preparation of Financial Reports by Securities Issuers.
Article 7
The term "announce and report" as used in these Regulations means the process of entering data to the information reporting website designated by the Financial Supervisory Commission (FSC).
“Date of occurrence” in these Regulations means the date of contract signing, date of payment, dates of boards of directors resolutions, or other date that can confirm the counterparty and monetary amount of the loan of funds or endorsement/guarantee, whichever date is earlier.