Each debt security represents a claim on the legal entity or securitisation fund which issues them.
By way of derogation from article 1349 of the French Civil Code and article L. 228-74 of the French Commercial Code, debt securities may be acquired and held by their issuers for the purpose of promoting their liquidity and, in the case of the securities referred to in 3° below, may be subscribed or acquired and held by their issuers when these issuers have the status of a credit institution, investment firm or finance company:
1° Negotiable debt securities ;
2° Debt securities not giving access to capital admitted to trading on a regulated market or a multilateral trading facility that complies with the legal and regulatory provisions designed to protect investors against insider dealing, price manipulation and the dissemination of false information under the conditions determined by the general regulations of the Autorité des marchés financiers;
3° Bonds not giving access to capital issued by issuers with the status of credit institution, investment firm or finance company.
While they are being held by the issuer, all rights attached to the debt securities referred to in 2° and 3° are suspended.
The general regulations of the Autorité des marchés financiers shall determine the conditions under which the issuer shall make public the redemption of a quantity of the debt securities referred to in 2°.
A decree shall determine the maximum holding period for the debt securities referred to in 2° and 3°, subscribed or acquired and held by the issuer.
An issuer may not hold more than 15% of any single issue of a debt security referred to in 2° and 3°. However, this limit does not apply to securities referred to in 3° subscribed or acquired for placement purposes by the issuer of these securities.
A decree determines the conditions under which the issuer may repurchase negotiable debt securities that it has issued and informs the Banque de France of such repurchases.