Title 31—Money and Finance: Treasury--Volume 1
PART 316—OFFERING OF UNITED STATES SAVINGS BONDS, SERIES E
§ 316.1   Offering of bonds.
The Secretary of the Treasury offered for sale to the people of the United States, United States Savings Bonds of Series E, hereinafter generally referred to as “Series E bonds” or “bonds”.
This offer was terminated as of December 31, 1979, except that, as to bonds purchased under payroll savings plans and employee plans, the offer was terminated as of June 30, 1980.
§ 316.2   Description of bonds.
(a) General. Definitive (paper) Series E bonds bear a facsimile of the signature of the Secretary of the Treasury and of the Seal of the Department of the Treasury. They were issued only in registered form and are nontransferable.
(b) Denominations and prices. Series E bonds were issued on a discount basis. The denominations and issue prices were:
1 The $100,000 denomination was available only for purchase by trustees of employee savings and savings and vacation plans (see paragraph (b) of § 316.5).
(c) Inscription and issue. At the time of issue, the issuing agent:
(1) Inscribed on the face of each bond the name, social security number and address of the owner, and the name of the beneficiary, if any, or the name, social security number and address of the first-named coowner and the name of the other coowner (the inscription of the social security number was required for bonds issued on or after January 1, 1974);
(2) Entered the issue date in the upper right-hand portion of the bond; and
(3) Imprinted the agent's validation indicia in the lower right-hand portion to show the date the bond was actually inscribed. A bond was valid only if an authorized issuing agent received payment therefor and duly inscribed, dated and imprinted validation indicia on the bond.
(d) Term. A Series E bond was dated as of the first day of the month in which payment of the purchase price was received by an agent authorized to issue the bonds. This date is the issue date. The bonds mature as shown in § 316.8. The bond may not be called for redemption by the Secretary of the Treasury prior to maturity or the end of any extended maturity period (see paragraph (a) of § 316.8). The bond may be redeemed at the owner's option at any time at fixed redemption values.
(e) Investment yield (interest). The investment yield (interest) on Series E bonds is defined in paragraphs (c) and (d) of § 316.8. Beginning in the third month from its issue date, a bond increased in redemption value on the first day of each month, up to and including the thirtieth month from issue date, so as to provide for such period an investment yield of no less than 4 percent per annum, compounded semiannually. Thereafter, its redemption value increases at the beginning of each successive half-year period. The interest is paid as part of the redemption value.
§ 316.3   Governing regulations.
(a) The regulations in 31 CFR part 315 apply to definitive Series E bonds that have not been converted to book-entry bonds.
(b) The regulations in 31 CFR part 363 apply to definitive Series E bonds that have been converted to book-entry bonds through New Treasury Direct.
§ 316.4   Registration.
Series E bonds were permitted to be registered as set forth in subpart B of 31 CFR part 315, also published as Department of the Treasury Circular No. 530, current revision.
§ 316.5   Limitation on holdings.
(a) General limitation. The amount of Series E bonds, originally issued during any one calendar year, that could be held by any one person, computed in accordance with the governing regulations, ranged from $5,000 (face amount) to $20,000 (face amount), depending upon the issue date.
(b) Special limitation for employee savings plans. A special limitation for employee savings plans was provided, which was $2,000 (face amount) multiplied by the highest number of participants in any employee savings plan, as defined in paragraph (b)(1) of this section, at any time during the year in which the bonds were issued. The plan had to be established, as set forth below.
(1) Definition of plan and conditions of eligibility. (i) The employee savings plan must have been established by the employer for the exclusive and irrevocable benefit of employees or their beneficiaries, afforded employees the means of making regular savings from their wages through payroll deduction, and provided for employer contributions to be added to such savings.
(ii) The entire assets thereof must have been credited to the individual accounts of participating employees and the assets so credited could be distributed only to the employees or their beneficiaries, except as otherwise provided herein.
(iii) Series E bonds were to be purchased only with assets credited to the accounts of participating employees and only if the amount taken from any account at any time for that purpose was equal to the purchase price of a bond or bonds in an authorized denomination or denominations, and shares therein were credited to the accounts of the individuals from whom the purchase price thereof was derived, in amounts corresponding with such shares. For example, if $37.50 credited to the account of John Jones was commingled with funds credited to the accounts of other employees to make a total of $7,500, with which a Series E bond in the denomination of $10,000 (face amount) was purchased in December 1978 and registered in the name and title of the trustee, the plan must have provided, in effect, that John Jones' account would be credited to show that he was the owner of a Series E bond in the denomination of $50 (face amount) bearing the issue date of December 1, 1978.
(iv) Each participating employee has an irrevocable right at any time to demand and receive from the trustee all assets credited to his or her account or the value thereof, if he or she so prefers, without regard to any condition other than the loss or suspension of the privilege of participating further in the plan. However, a plan was not deemed to be inconsistent herewith if it limited or modified the exercise of any such right by providing that the employer's contribution did not vest absolutely until the employee had made contributions under the plan in each of not more than 60 calendar months succeeding the month for which the employer's contribution was made.
(v) Upon the death of an employee, his or her beneficiary has the absolute and unconditional right to demand and receive from the trustee all assets credited to the account of the employee, or the value thereof, if he or she so prefers.
(vi) When settlement is made with an employee, or his or her beneficiary, with respect to any bond registered in the name and title of the trustee in which the employee has a share (see paragraphs (b)(1) (ii) and (iii) of this section), the bond must be submitted for redemption or reissue to the extent of such share. If an employee or his or her beneficiary is to receive distribution in kind, bonds bearing the same issue dates as those credited to the employee's account will be reissued in the name of the distributee to the extent to which he or she is entitled, in any authorized form of registration, upon the request and certification of the trustee, in accordance with the governing reguations.
(2) Definitions of terms used in paragraph (b)—related provisions. (i) The term savings plan includes any regulations issued under the plan with regard to Series E bonds. A trustee desiring to purchase bonds in excess of the general limitation in any calendar year should have submitted to the Federal Reserve Bank of the district a copy of the plan, any such regulations, and the trust agreement, all certified to be true copies, in order to establish eligibility.
(ii) The term assets means all funds, including the employee contributions and employer contributions and assets purchased therewith, as well as accretions thereto, such as dividends on stock, the increment in value on bonds and all other income; but, notwithstanding any other provision of this paragraph, the right to demand and receive all assets credited to the account of an employee shall not be construed to require the distribution of assets in kind when it would not be possible or practicable to make such distribution; for example, Series E bonds may not be reissued in unauthorized denominations, and fractional shares of stock are not readily distributable in kind.
(iii) The term beneficiary means the person or persons, if any, designated by the employee in accordance with the terms of the plan to receive the benefits of the trust upon his or her death, or the estate of the employee, and the term distributee means the employee, or his or her beneficiary.
§ 316.6   Purchase of bonds.
Series E bonds were purchased, as follows:
(a) Over-the-counter for cash —(1) Bonds registered in names of natural persons in their own right only. At such incorporated banks, trust companies, and other agencies as had been duly qualified as issuing agents.
(2) Bonds registered in names of trustees of employee savings plans. At such incorporated bank, trust company, or other agency, duly qualified as an issuing agent, provided the agent was trustee of an approved employee savings plan eligible for the special limitation in paragraph (b) of § 316.5 and prior approval to issue the bonds was obtained from the Federal Reserve Bank of the agent's district.
(3) Bonds registered in all authorized forms. At Federal Reserve Banks and Branches and at the Department of the Treasury, Washington, DC 20226.
(b) On mail order. By mail upon application to any Federal Reserve Bank or Branch or to the Department of the Treasury, accompanied by a remittance to cover the issue price. Any form of exchange, including personal checks, was accepted, subject to collection. Checks or other forms of exchange were to be drawn to the order of the Federal Reserve Bank or the United States Treasury, as the case may be. Checks payable by endorsement were not acceptable. Any depositary qualified pursuant to the provisions of 31 CFR part 203, also published as Department of the Treasury Circular No. 92, current revision, was permitted to make payment by credit for bonds applied for on behalf of its customers up to any amount for which it was qualified in excess of existing deposits, when so notified by the Federal Reserve Bank of its district.
(c) Savings stamps. The sale of United States Savings Stamps was terminated effective June 30, 1970. However, outstanding stamps affixed in fully or partially completed albums could be used to purchase Series E bonds at banks or other financial institutions authorized to issue such bonds. Stamps may be redeemed at banks and other financial institutions, through designated Federal Reserve Banks and the Bureau of the Fiscal Service, Parkersburg, West Virginia.
§ 316.7   Delivery of bonds.
Issuing agents were authorized to deliver Series E bonds either over-the-counter in person, or by mail at the risk and expense of the United States, to the address given by the purchaser, but only within the United States, its territories and possessions, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. No mail deliveries elsewhere were made. If purchased by citizens of the United States temporarily residing abroad, the bonds were delivered to such address in the United States as the purchaser directed.
§ 316.8   Extended terms and yields for outstanding bonds.
(a) General. The terms extended maturity period, second extended maturity period, third extended maturity period and fourth extended maturity period, when used herein, refer to periods of 10 years or less after the original maturity dates during which owners may retain their bonds and continue to earn interest. No special action is required to take advantage of any extensions heretofore or herein granted. Series E bonds cease to accrue interest upon reaching final maturity.
(b) Extended maturity periods —(1) Bonds issued from May 1, 1941 through April 1, 1952. Series E bonds with issue dates of May 1, 1941, through April 1, 1952, reached or will reach final maturity 40 years after their respective issue dates, as shown below.
(2) Bonds issued from May 1, 1952 through November 1, 1965. Bonds with issue dates of May 1, 1952, through November 1, 1965, will receive an additional extension of maturity ranging from 4 months to 2 years and 3 months, as shown below, so that these bonds will reach final maturity 40 years after their respective issue dates.
(3) Bonds issued from December 1, 1965 through June 1, 1980. Bonds with issue dates of December 1, 1965, through June 1, 1980, will receive an additional extension of maturity ranging from 3 years to 5 years, as shown below, so that these bonds will reach final maturity 30 years after their respective issue dates.
(c) Guaranteed minimum investment yield —(1) General. Except as provided in paragraph (c)(2) of this section, the guaranteed minimum investment yields for outstanding Series E bonds are as follows:
(i) For Series E bonds that were in original or extended maturity periods prior to November 1, 1982, the guaranteed minimum investment yield was 8.5 percent per annum, compounded semiannually, effective for the period from the first semiannual interest accrual date on or after May 1, 1981, through the end of such periods, unless the bonds reached final maturity before November 1, 1981. 3 For bonds that entered extensions, see paragraphs (c)(1)(ii) through (c)(1)(iv) of this section.
3 Series E bonds issued from May 1, 1941, through October 1, 1941, had reached final maturity May 1, 1981, through October 1, 1981, before the 8.5 percent yield had become effective.
4 5 [Reserved]
(ii) For Series E bonds that entered extended maturity periods during the period of November 1, 1982, through October 1, 1986, the guaranteed minimum yield was or is 7.5 percent per annum, compounded semiannually, for such periods, including bonds that entered into an extended maturity period, as shown below:
(iii) For Series E bonds that entered into extended maturity periods during the period of November 1, 1986, through February 1, 1993, the guaranteed minimum yield was or is 6 percent per annum, compounded semiannually, for such periods, including bonds that entered into an extended maturity period, as shown below:
4 Interest for interest accrual periods of less than 6 months is prorated.
5 All Series E bonds issued between May 1, 1941 and April 1, 1953, have matured and are no longer earning interest.
(iv) For Series E bonds entering extended maturity periods on or after March 1, 1993, the guaranteed minimum yield is 4 percent per annum, compounded semiannually, or the guaranteed minimum investment yield in effect at the beginning of the period, including bonds that enter extended maturity periods, as shown below: 6
6 Series E bonds with issue dates of July 1 and August 1, 1953, entered a final maturity period of 4 months on March 1, and April 1, 1993, respectively, and received a minimum investment yield of 6 percent per annum, compounded semiannually, for that period.
7 [Reserved]
7 See footnote 2 above.
(2) Eleven-year bonus. If a bond bearing an issue date of January 1, 1951, or thereafter, was held for the 11-year period from the first semianual interest accrual period that began on or after January 1, 1980, its guaranteed minimum investment yield for such period was increased by one-half of one percent per annum, compounded semiannually.
(d) Market-based variable investment yield. In order to be eligible for the market-based variable investment yield, Series E savings bonds had to be held at least five years beginning with the first semiannual interest accrual date occurring on or after November 1, 1982. The market-based variable investment yield shall be determined by the Secretary of the Treasury as follows:
(1) For each 6-month period, starting with the period beginning May 1, 1982, the average market yield on outstanding marketable Treasury securities with a remaining term to maturity of approximately 5 years during such period is determined. Such determination by the Secretary of the Treasury or his or her delegate shall be final and conclusive.
(2) For bonds which entered an extended maturity period prior to May 1, 1989, the market-based variable investment yield from the first semiannual interest accrual date occurring on or after November 1, 1982 to each semiannual interest accrual date occurring on or after November 1, 1987, will be 85 percent, rounded to the nearest one-fourth of one percent, of the arithmetic average of the market yield averages, as determined in accordance with paragraph (d)(1) of this section, for the appropriate number of 6-month periods involved, starting with the period beginning May 1, 1982.
(3) For bonds which entered an extended maturity period on or after May 1, 1989, the market-based variable investment yield from the first semiannual interest accrual date occurring on or after November 1, 1982 to each semiannual interest accrual date occurring on or after November 1, 1989, will be 85 pecent, rounded to the nearest one-hundredth of one percent, of the arithmetic average of the market yield averages, as determined in accordance with paragraph (d)(1) of this section, for the appropriate number of 6-month periods involved, starting with the period beginning May 1, 1982.
(e) Determination of redemption values during any extended maturity period. The redemption value of a bond on a given interest accrual date during any extended maturity period will be the higher of the value produced by using the applicable guaranteed minimum investment yield or the value produced by using the appropriate market-based variable investment yield. The calculation of these values is described below:
(1) Guaranteed minimum investment yield and resulting values during an extended maturity period. A bond has a guaranteed minimum investment yield for each of its extended maturity periods. The applicable guaranteed minimum investment yields for the current extended maturity period and any subsequent periods are specified in paragraph (c) of this section. In order to determine the value of a bond during an extended maturity period, the value of the bond either at the end of the next preceding maturity period or when the guaranteed minimum investment yield last increased, 8 whichever occurs later, is determined using the applicable guaranteed minimum investment yield. This value is then used as the base upon which interest accrues during the extended maturity period at the guaranteed minimum investment yield in effect for savings bonds at the beginning of that period. The resulting semiannual values are then compared with the corresponding values determined by using the applicable market-based variable investment yields.
8 The 11-year bonus was the last increase in the guaranteed minimum investment yield (see paragraph (b)(2)). Series E bonds which were eligible to receive this bonus received it on the first semiannual interest accrual date occuring on or after January 1, 1991.
(2) Market-based variable investment yield and resulting values during an extended maturity period. The market-based variable investment yield from the first semiannual interest accrual date occuring on or after November 1, 1982 to each semiannual interest accrual date occurring on or after November 1, 1987, is determined as specified in paragraph (d) of this section. The value of a bond on its first seimannual interest accrual date occurring on or after November 1, 1982 is used as the base upon which interest accrues during an extended maturity period at the applicable market-based variable investment yield. If redeemed, the bond will receive the higher of the two values produced by using the applicable guaranteed minimum investment yield and the applicable market-based variable investment yield.
(f) Market-based variable investment yields and tables of redemption values. The market-based variable investment yields for bonds redeemed during each 6-month period, beginning on May 1 and November 1 of each year, are made available prior to each of those dates by the Bureau of the Fiscal Service, Parkersburg, West Virginia 26106-1328, accompanied by tables of the redemption values of bonds for the following 6 months, based on either the applicable market-based variable investment yields or guaranteed minimum investment yields.
§ 316.9   Taxation.
(a) General. For the purpose of determining taxes and tax exemptions, the increment in value represented by the difference between the price paid for Series E bonds and the redemption value received therefor constitutes interest. Such interest is subject to all taxes imposed under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended. The bonds are subject to estate, inheritance, gift, or other excise taxes, whether Federal or State, but are exempt from all other taxation now or hereafter imposed on the principal or interest thereof by any State, or any of the possessions of the United States, or by any local taxing authority.
(b) Federal income tax on bonds. An owner of Series E bonds who is a cash-basis taxpayer may use either of the following two methods of reporting the increase in the redemption value of the bonds for Federal income tax purposes:
(1) Defer reporting the increase to the year of final maturity, actual redemption, or other disposition, whichever is earlier; or
(2) Elect to report the increases each year as they accrue, in which case the election applies to all Series E bonds then owned and those subsequently acquired, as well as to any other similar obligations purchased on a discount basis. If the method in paragraph (b)(1) of this section is used, the taxpayer may change to the method in paragraph (b)(2) of this section without obtaining permission from the Internal Revenue Service. However, once the election to use the method in paragraph (b)(2) of this section is made, the taxpayer may not change the method of reporting without permission from the Internal Revenue Service. For further information on Federal income taxes, the Service Center Director, or District Director, Internal Revenue Service, of the taxpayer's district may be contacted.
§ 316.10   Payment or redemption.
(a) General. A Series E bond may be redeemed in accordance with its terms at the appropriate redemption value shown in the applicable table described in paragraph (f) of § 316.8. The redemption values of bonds in the denomination of $100,000 are not shown in the tables. However, the redemption value of a bond in that denomination will be equal to ten times the redemption value of a $10,000 bond of the same issue date. A bond in a denomination higher that $25 (face amount) may be redeemed in part but only in the amount of an authorized denomination or multiple thereof.
(b) Federal Reserve Banks and Branches and United States Treasury. Owners of Series E bonds may obtain payment upon presentation and surrender of the bonds to a Federal Reserve Bank or Branch referred to in § 316.12 or to the Department of the Treasury with the request for payment on the bonds duly executed and certified in accordance with the governing regulations.
(c) Incorporated banks, savings and loan associations and other financial institutions. (1) A financial institution qualified as a paying agent under the provisions of 31 CFR part 321, also published as Department of the Treasury Circular, Fiscal Service Series No. 750, as revised, will pay the current redemption value of a Series E bond presented for payment by an individual whose name is inscribed on the bond as owner or coowner, provided:
(i) The bond is in order for payment; and
(ii) The presenter establishes his or her identity to the satisfaction of the agent, in accordance with Treasury instructions and identification guidelines, and signs and completes the requests for payment.
(2) A paying agent may (but is not required to) pay a Series E bond, at current redemption value, upon the request of a legal representative designated in the bond's registration by name and capacity, a court-appointed legal representative of the last-deceased registrant's estate, or a beneficiary, if he or she survives the owner, provided:
(i) The bond is in order for payment; and
(ii) The presenter establishes his or her identity to the satisfaction of the agent, in accordance with Treasury instructions, indentification guidelines, and otherwise complies with evidentiary requirements.
§ 316.11   Reservation as to issue of bonds.
The Secretary of the Treasury reserved the right to reject any application for purchase of Series E bonds, in whole or in part, and to refuse to issue, or permit to be issued hereunder, any such bonds in any case or any class or classes of cases if such action was deemed to be in the public interest. Any action in any such respect was final.
§ 316.12   Fiscal agents.
(a) Federal Reserve Banks and Branches referred to below, as fiscal agents of the United States, are authorized to perform such services as may be requested of them by the Secretary of the Treasury in connection with the redemption and payment of Series E bonds.
(b)(1) The following Federal Reserve Offices have been designated to provide savings bond services:
(2) Until March 1, 1996, other Federal Reserve Offices may continue to provide some savings bond services, such services will be phased out over the period prior to that date.
§ 316.13   Reservation as to terms of offer.
The Secretary of the Treasury may at any time, or from time to time, supplement or amend the terms of this offering of bonds, or of any amendments or supplements thereto.