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Chapter III Case Evaluation
Section II Endorsements/Guarantees for Others
Article 17
Before making an endorsement/guarantee for others, a public company shall carefully evaluate whether the endorsement/guarantee is in compliance with these Regulations and the company's Operational Procedures for Endorsements/Guarantees for Others. The company may make an endorsement/guarantee only after the evaluation results under this paragraph and Article 12, paragraph 5 have been submitted to and resolved upon by the board of directors, or approved by the chairman of the board, where empowered by the board of directors under Article 12, paragraph 8 to grant endorsements/guarantees within a specific limit, for subsequent submission to and ratification by the next board of directors' meeting.
Before making any endorsement/guarantee pursuant to Article 5, paragraph 2, a subsidiary in which the public company holds, directly or indirectly, 90% or more of the voting shares shall submit the proposed endorsement/guarantee to the public company’s board of directors for a resolution, 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 has appointed independent directors, when it makes endorsements/guarantees for others, it shall take into full consideration each independent director's opinions; independent directors' opinions specifically expressing assent or dissent and their reasons for dissent shall be included in the minutes of the board of directors' meeting.
A public company shall use the corporate chop registered with the Ministry of Economic Affairs as the dedicated chop for endorsements/guarantees. The chop shall be kept in the custody of a designated person approved by the board of directors and may be used to seal or issue negotiable instruments only in prescribed procedures.
When making a guarantee for an overseas company, a public company shall have the Guarantee Agreement signed by a person authorized by the board of directors.
Article 18
A public company shall prepare a memorandum book for its endorsement/guarantee activities and record in detail the following information for the record: the entity for which the endorsement/guarantee is made, the amount, the date of passage by the board of directors or of authorization by the chairman of the board, the date the endorsement/guarantee is made, and the matters to be carefully evaluated under paragraph 1 of the preceding article.
The public company's internal auditors shall audit the Operational Procedures for Endorsements/Guarantees for Others and the implementation thereof no less frequently than quarterly and prepare written records accordingly. They shall promptly notify all the supervisors in writing of any material violation found.
Article 19
Where a public company needs to exceed the limits set out in the Operational Procedures for Endorsements/Guarantees to satisfy its business requirements, and where the conditions set out in the Operational Procedures for Endorsements/Guarantees are complied with, it shall obtain approval from the board of directors and half or more of the directors shall act as joint guarantors for any loss that may be caused to the company by the excess endorsement/guarantee. It shall also amend the Operational Procedures for Endorsements/Guarantees accordingly and submit the same to the shareholders' meeting for ratification after the fact. If the shareholders' meeting does not give consent, the company shall adopt a plan to discharge the amount in excess within a given time limit.
Where the public company has appointed independent directors, when it makes endorsements/guarantees for others, it shall take into full consideration the opinions of each independent director; independent directors' opinions specifically expressing assent or dissent and the reasons for dissent shall be included in the minutes of the board of directors' meeting.
Article 20
Where as a result of changes of condition the entity for which an endorsement/guarantee is made no longer meets the requirements of these Regulations, or the amount of endorsement/guarantee exceeds the limit, a public company shall adopt rectification plans and submit the rectification plans to all the supervisors, and shall complete the rectification according to the timeframe set out in the plan.