Section 460-80-108. Exemption for offer and sale to accredited investors pursuant to RCW 19.100.030(5).

For the purpose of the exemption of RCW 19.100.030(5), an "accredited investor" shall mean any person who comes within any of the following categories, or who the franchisor reasonably believes comes within any of the following categories, at the time of the sale of the franchise to that person:

(1) Any bank as defined in section 3 (a)(2) of the Securities Act of 1933, or any savings and loan association or other institution as defined in section 3 (a)(5)(A) of the Securities Act of 1933 whether acting in its individual or fiduciary capacity; any broker or dealer registered pursuant to section 15 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934; any insurance company as defined in section 2 (a)(13) of the Securities Act of 1933; any investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940 or a business development company as defined in section 2 (a)(48) of that act; any small business investment company licensed by the U.S. Small Business Administration under section 301 (c) or (d) of the Small Business Investment Act of 1958; any plan established and maintained by a state, its political subdivisions, or any agency or instrumentality of a state or its political subdivisions, for the benefit of its employees, if such plan has total assets in excess of $5,000,000; any employee benefit plan within the meaning of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, if the investment decision is made by a plan fiduciary, as defined in section 3(21) of such act, which is either a bank, savings and loan association, insurance company, or registered investment adviser, or if the employee benefit plan has total assets in excess of $5,000,000 or, if a self-directed plan, with investment decisions made solely by persons that are accredited investors;

(2) Any private business development company as defined in section 202 (a)(22) of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940;

(3) Any organization described in section 501 (c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, corporation, Massachusetts or similar business trust, or partnership, not formed for the specific purpose of acquiring the franchise offered, with total assets in excess of $5,000,000;

(4) Any director, executive officer, or general partner of the franchisor of the franchises being offered or sold, or any director, executive officer, or general partner of a general partner of that franchisor;

(5) Any natural person whose individual net worth, or joint net worth with that person's spouse, exceeds $1,000,000.

(a) Except as provided in (b) of this subsection, for purposes of calculating net worth under subsection (5) of this section:

(i) The person's primary residence shall not be included as an asset;

(ii) Indebtedness that is secured by the person's primary residence, up to the estimated fair market value of the primary residence at the time of the sale of the franchise, shall not be included as a liability (except that if the amount of such indebtedness outstanding at the time of sale of the franchise exceeds the amount outstanding sixty days before such time, other than as a result of the acquisition of the primary residence, the amount of such excess shall be included as a liability); and

(iii) Indebtedness that is secured by the person's primary residence in excess of the estimated fair market value of the primary residence shall be included as a liability.

(b) Subsection (5)(a) of this section will not apply to any calculation of a person's net worth made in connection with a purchase of additional franchises in accordance with a right to purchase such franchises, provided that:

(i) Such right was held by the person on July 20, 2010;

(ii) The person qualified as an accredited investor on the basis of net worth at the time the person acquired such right; and

(iii) The person operated a franchise of the franchisor, other than such right, on July 20, 2010.

(6) Any natural person who had an individual income in excess of $200,000 in each of the two most recent years or joint income with that person's spouse in excess of $300,000 in each of those years and has a reasonable expectation of reaching the same income level in the current year;

(7) Any trust, with total assets in excess of $5,000,000, not formed for the specific purpose of acquiring the franchise offered, whose purchase is directed by a sophisticated person as described in 17 C.F.R. Sec. 230.506 (b)(2)(ii); and

(8) Any entity in which all of the equity owners are accredited investors.

[Statutory Authority: RCW 19.100.250 and 19.100.030(5). WSR 12-13-043, § 460-80-108, filed 6/13/12, effective 7/14/12; WSR 11-01-139, § 460-80-108, filed 12/21/10, effective 1/21/11. Statutory Authority: Chapter 19.100 RCW, RCW 19.100.250, 19.100.010, 19.100.030, 19.100.040, 19.100.050, 19.100.070, 19.100.080, 19.100.100, and 19.100.110. WSR 09-22-050, § 460-80-108, filed 10/29/09, effective 11/29/09. Statutory Authority: RCW 19.100.250. WSR 92-02-054, § 460-80-108, filed 12/30/91, effective 1/30/92.]

RCW 19.100.250 and 19.100.030(5). WSR 12-13-043, § 460-80-108, filed 6/13/12, effective 7/14/12; WSR 11-01-139, § 460-80-108, filed 12/21/10, effective 1/21/11. Statutory Authority: Chapter 19.100 RCW, RCW 19.100.250, 19.100.010, 19.100.030, 19.100.040, 19.100.050, 19.100.070, 19.100.080, 19.100.100, and 19.100.110. WSR 09-22-050, § 460-80-108, filed 10/29/09, effective 11/29/09. Statutory Authority: RCW 19.100.250. WSR 92-02-054, § 460-80-108, filed 12/30/91, effective 1/30/92.