Investment Letter for a Private Sale of Securities

Section 4(2) of the Securities Act of 1933 exempts from the registration requirements of that Act "transactions by an issuer not involving any public offering.” This is the so-called "private offering" provision in the Securities Act. The securities involved in transactions effected pursuant to this exemption are referred to as restricted securities because they cannot be resold to the public without prior registration. They are also sometimes referred to as "investment letter securities" because of the practice frequently followed by the seller in such a transaction, in order to substantiate the claim that the transaction does not involve a public offering, of requiring that the buyer furnish an investment letter representing that the purchase is for investment and not for resale to the general public. The private offering exemption of Section 4(2) of the Securities Act is available only where the offerees do not need the protections afforded by the registration procedure.