June
5, 2009
Relating
to Preliminary Pricing Supplement Nos. 879 to
Registration
Statement Nos. 333-137691, 333-137691-02
Dated
September 29, 2006
|
ABN AMRO Bank N.V. Reverse
Exchangeable Securities
S-NOTESSM
|
Preliminary
Pricing Sheet – June 5, 2009
FOUR OFFERINGS OF KNOCK-IN REXSM SECURITIES DUE DECEMBER 31, 2009
OFFERING PERIOD: JUNE 5, 2009 – JUNE 25, 2009
|
SUMMARY
INFORMATION
|
|
|
Issuer:
|
ABN AMRO Bank
N.V. (Senior Long Term Debt Rating: Moody’s Aa2, S&P
A+)**
|
|
Lead
Agent:
|
ABN AMRO
Incorporated
|
|
Offerings:
|
This
prospectus relates to four separate offerings of securities (“the
Securities”). Each Security offered is
linked to one, and only one, Underlying Stock. The Underlying Stocks are
set forth in the table below.
You may participate in any of the four Securities offerings or, at your
election, in two or more of the
offerings. This prospectus does not, however, allow you to purchase a
Security linked to a basket
of some or all of the Underlying Stocks described
below. Each Security has a term of six
months.
|
|
Interest
Payment Dates:
|
Interest on
the Securities is payable monthly in arrears on the last day of each month
starting on July 31, 2009
and ending on the Maturity Date.
|
|
Underlying
Stock
|
Ticker
|
Coupon
Rate
Per
Annum*
|
Interest
Rate
|
Put
Premium
|
Knock-in
Level
|
CUSIP
|
ISIN
|
|
First Solar,
Inc.
|
FSLR
|
23.75%
|
1.10%
|
22.65%
|
70%
|
00083JBS6
|
US00083JBS69
|
|
Cummins
Inc.
|
CMI
|
23.50%
|
1.10%
|
22.40%
|
80%
|
00083JBT4
|
US00083JBT43
|
|
Freeport-McMoRan
Copper & Gold
Inc.
|
FCX
|
18.10%
|
1.10%
|
17.00%
|
60%
|
00083JBU1
|
US00083JBU16
|
|
General
Electric Company
|
GE
|
15.00%
|
1.10%
|
13.90%
|
70%
|
00083JBV9
|
US00083JBV98
|
|
|
*The
Securities have a term of six months, so you will receive a pro rata
amount of this per annum rate based on
such six-month period.
|
|
Denomination/Principal:
|
$1,000
|
|
Issue
Price:
|
100%
|
|
Payment
at Maturity:
|
The payment
at maturity for each Security is based on the performance of the
Underlying Stock linked to such Security:
i)
If the closing price of the applicable Underlying Stock on the primary
U.S. exchange or market for such Underlying Stock has not fallen below the
applicable Knock-In Level on any trading day from but not including the
Pricing Date to and including the Determination Date, we will pay you the
principal amount of each Security in cash.
ii)
If the closing price of the applicable Underlying Stock on the primary
U.S. exchange or market for such Underlying Stock has fallen below the
applicable Knock-In Level on any trading day from but not including the
Pricing Date to and including the Determination Date:
a)
we will deliver to you a number of shares of the applicable Underlying
Stock equal to the applicable Stock Redemption Amount, in the event that
the closing price of the applicable Underlying Stock on the Determination
Date is below the applicable Initial Price; or
b)
we will pay you the principal amount of each Security in cash, in the
event that the closing price of the applicable Underlying Stock on the
Determination Date is at or above the applicable Initial
Price.
You will
receive cash in lieu of fractional shares. If due to events beyond our
reasonable control, as determined by us in our sole discretion, shares of
the applicable Underlying Stock are not available for delivery at maturity
we may pay you, in lieu of the applicable Stock Redemption Amount, the
cash value of the applicable Stock Redemption Amount, determined by
multiplying the applicable Stock Redemption Amount by the Closing Price of
the applicable Underlying Stock on the Determination
Date.
|
|
Initial
Price:
|
100% of the
Closing Price of the applicable Underlying Stock on the Pricing
Date.
|
|
Stock
Redemption Amount:
|
For each
$1,000 principal amount of Security, a number of shares of the applicable
Underlying Stock linked to such
Security equal to $1,000 divided by the applicable Initial
Price.
|
|
|
A percentage
of the applicable Initial Price as set forth in the table
above.
|
|
Indicative
Secondary Pricing:
|
• Internet
at: www.s-notes.com
• Bloomberg
at: REXS2 <GO>
|
|
Status:
|
Unsecured,
unsubordinated obligations of the Issuer
|
|
Trustee:
|
Wilmington
Trust Company
|
|
Securities
Administrator:
|
Citibank,
N.A.
|
|
Settlement:
|
DTC, Book
Entry, Transferable
|
|
Selling
Restrictions:
|
Sales in the
European Union must comply with the Prospectus
Directive
|
|
Proposed
Pricing Date:
|
June 25,
2009, subject to certain adjustments as described in the related pricing
supplement
|
|
Proposed
Settlement Date:
|
June 30,
2009
|
|
Determination
Date:
|
December 28,
2009, subject to certain adjustments as described in the related pricing
supplement
|
|
Maturity
Date:
|
December 31,
2009 (Six Months)
|
ABN
AMRO has filed a registration statement (including a Prospectus and Prospectus
Supplement) with the SEC for the offerings to which this communication relates.
Before you invest, you should read the Prospectus and Prospectus Supplement in
that registration statement and other documents ABN AMRO has filed with the SEC
for more complete information about ABN AMRO and the offerings of the
Securities.
You
may get these documents for free by visiting EDGAR on the SEC website at
www.sec.gov or by visiting ABN AMRO Holding N.V. on the SEC website at
<http://www.sec.gov/cgi-bin/browse-edgar?company=&CIK=abn&filenum=&State=&SIC=&owner=include&action=getcompany>.
Alternatively, ABN AMRO, any underwriter or any dealer participating in the
offering will arrange to send you the Prospectus and Prospectus Supplement if
you request it by calling toll free (866) 747-4332.
These
Securities may not be offered or sold (i) to any person/entity listed on
sanctions lists of the European Union, United States or any other applicable
local competent authority; (ii) within the territory of Cuba, Sudan, Iran and
Myanmar; (iii) to residents in Cuba, Sudan, Iran or Myanmar; or (iv) to Cuban
Nationals, wherever located.
We
reserve the right to withdraw, cancel or modify any offering and to reject
orders in whole or in part.
**A
credit rating (1) is subject to revision, suspension or withdrawal at any time
by the assigning rating organization, (2) does not take into account market risk
or the performance related risks of investing in the Securities, and (3) is not
a recommendation to buy, sell or hold the Securities.
This
prospectus relates to four separate offerings of Securities. Each Security
offered is linked to one, and only one, of the Underlying Stocks described on
the cover page. The purchaser of any offering will acquire a Security linked to
a single Underlying Stock, not to a basket or index of some or all of the
Underlying Stocks. You may participate in any of the four offerings or, at your
election, in several or all offerings.
The
following summary does not contain all the information that may be important to
you. You should read this summary together with the more detailed information
that is contained in the related Pricing Supplement and in its accompanying
Prospectus and Prospectus Supplement. You should carefully consider, among other
things, the matters set forth in “Risk Factors” in the related Pricing
Supplement, which are summarized on page 5 of this document. In addition, we
urge you to consult with your investment, legal, accounting, tax and other
advisors with respect to any investment in the Securities.
What
are the Securities?
The Securities are
interest paying, non-principal protected securities issued by us, ABN AMRO Bank
N.V., and are fully and unconditionally guaranteed by our parent company, ABN
AMRO Holding N.V. The Securities are senior notes of ABN AMRO Bank N.V. These
Securities combine certain features of debt and equity by offering a fixed
interest rate on the principal amount while the payment at maturity is
determined based on the performance of the Underlying Stock to which it is
linked. Therefore your principal is at risk but you have no opportunity to
participate in any appreciation of the Underlying Stock.
What
will I receive at maturity of the Securities?
The payment at
maturity of each Security will depend on (i) whether or not the closing price of
the Underlying Stock to which such Security is linked fell below the knock-in
level on any trading day from but not including the pricing date to and
including the determination date (such period, the “Knock-in Period"), and if
so, (ii) the closing price of the applicable Underlying Stock on the
determination date. To determine closing prices, we look at the prices quoted by
the relevant exchange.
|
|
•
|
If the
closing price of the applicable Underlying Stock on the relevant exchange
has not fallen below the applicable knock-in level on any trading day
during the Knock-in Period, we will pay you the principal amount of each
Security in cash.
|
|
|
•
|
If the
closing price of the applicable Underlying Stock on the relevant exchange
has fallen below the applicable knock-in level on any trading day during
the Knock-in Period, we will
either:
|
|
|
•
|
deliver to
you the applicable stock redemption amount, in exchange for each Security,
in the event that the closing price of the applicable Underlying Stock is
below the applicable initial price on the determination date;
or
|
|
|
•
|
pay you the
principal amount of each Security in cash, in the event that the closing
price of the applicable Underlying Stock is at or above the applicable
initial price on the determination
date.
|
If due to events
beyond our reasonable control, as determined by us in our sole discretion,
shares of the applicable Underlying Stock are not available for delivery at
maturity we may pay you, in lieu of the applicable Stock Redemption Amount, the
cash value of the applicable Stock Redemption Amount, determined by multiplying
the applicable Stock Redemption Amount by the Closing Price of the applicable
Underlying Stock on the Determination Date.
Why
is the interest rate on the Securities higher than the interest rate payable on
your conventional debt securities with the same maturity?
The Securities
offer a higher interest rate than the yield that would be payable on a
conventional debt security with the same maturity issued by us or an issuer with
a comparable credit rating because you, the investor in the Securities,
indirectly sell a put option to us on the Underlying Shares. The premium due to
you for this put option is combined with a market interest rate on our senior
debt to produce the higher interest rate on the Securities. As explained below
under "What are the consequences of the indirect put option that I have sold
you?" you are being paid the premium for taking the risk that you may receive
Underlying Stock with a market value less than the principal amount of your
Securities at maturity, which would mean that you would lose some or all of your
initial principal investment.
What
are the consequences of the indirect put option that I have sold
you?
The put option you
indirectly sell to us creates the feature of exchangeability. This feature could
result in the delivery of Underlying Stock to you, at maturity, with a market
value which is less than the principal amount of $1,000 per Security. If the
closing price of the applicable Underlying Stock on the relevant exchange falls
below the applicable Knock-In Level on any trading day during the Knock-In
Period, and on the Determination Date the closing price of the applicable
Underlying Stock is less than the applicable Initial Price, you will receive the
applicable Stock Redemption Amount. The market value of the shares of such Underlying Stock on
the Determination Date will be less than the principal amount of the Securities
and could be zero. Therefore you are not guaranteed to receive any return of
principal at maturity. If the price of the Underlying Stock rises above the
initial price you
How
is the Stock Redemption Amount determined?
The Stock
Redemption Amount for each $1,000 principal amount of any Security is equal to
$1,000 divided by the Initial Price of the Underlying Stock linked to such
Security. The value of any fractional shares of such Underlying Stock that you
are entitled to receive, after aggregating your total holdings of the Securities
linked to such Underlying Stock, will be paid in cash based on the closing price
of such Underlying Stock on the Determination Date.
What
interest payments can I expect on the Securities?
The interest rate
is fixed at issue and is payable in cash on each interest payment date,
irrespective of whether the Securities are redeemed at maturity for cash or
shares.
Can
you give me an example of the payment at maturity?
If, for example, in
a hypothetical offering, the interest rate was 10% per annum, the initial price
of a share of underlying stock was $45.00 and the knock- in level for such
offering was 80%, then the stock redemption amount would be 22.222 shares of
underlying stock, or $1,000 divided by $45.00, and the knock-in level would be
$36.00, or 80% of the initial price.
If the closing
price of that hypothetical underlying stock fell below the knock-in level of
$36.00 on any trading day during the Knock-in Period, then the payment at
maturity would depend on the closing price of the underlying stock on the
determination date. In this case, if the closing price of the underlying stock
on the determination date is $30.00 per share at maturity, which is below the
initial price level, you would receive 22.222 shares of underlying stock for
each $1,000 principal amount of the securities. (In actuality, because we cannot
deliver fractions of a share, you would receive on the maturity date for each
$1,000 principal amount of the securities 22 shares of underlying stock plus
$6.66 cash in lieu of 0.222 fractional shares, determined by multiplying 0.222
by $30.00, the closing price per shares of underlying stock on the determination
date.) In addition, over the life of the securities you would have received
interest payments at a rate of 10% per annum. If the securities had a term less
than one year, you would have received a pro-rata percentage of this interest
rate. In this hypothetical
example, the market
value of those 22 shares of underlying stock (including the cash paid in lieu of
fractional shares) that we would deliver to you at maturity for each $1,000
principal amount of security would
be $666.66, which is less than the principal amount of $1,000, and you would
have lost a portion of your initial investment.
If, on the other
hand, the closing price of the underlying stock on the determination date is
$50.00 per share, which is above the initial price level, you will receive
$1,000 in cash for each $1,000 principal amount of the securities regardless of
the knock-in level having been breached. In addition, over the life of the
Securities you would have received interest payments at a rate of 10% per
annum.
Alternatively, if
the closing price of the underlying stock never falls below $36.00, which is the
knock-in level, on any trading day during the Knock-in Period, at maturity you
will receive $1,000 in cash for each security you hold regardless of the closing
price of the underlying stock on the determination date. In addition, over the
life of the securities you would have received interest payments at a rate of
10% per annum.
This example is for illustrative
purposes only and is based on a hypothetical offering. It is not possible to
predict the closing price of any of the Underlying Stocks on the determination
date or at any time during the life of the Securities. For each offering, we will set
the Initial Price, Knock-In Level and Stock Redemption Amount on the Pricing
Date.
Do
I benefit from any appreciation in the Underlying Stock over the life of the
Securities?
No. The amount paid
at maturity for each $1,000 principal amount of the Securities will not exceed
$1,000.
What
if I have more questions?
You should read
“Description of Securities” in the related Pricing Supplement for a detailed
description of the terms of the Securities. ABN AMRO has filed a registration
statement (including a Prospectus and Prospectus Supplement) with the SEC for
the offering to which this communication relates. Before you invest, you should
read the Prospectus and Prospectus Supplement in that registration statement and
other documents ABN AMRO has filed with the SEC for more complete information
about ABN AMRO and the offering of the Securities. You may get these documents
for free by visiting EDGAR on the SEC web site at www.sec.gov. Alternatively,
ABN AMRO, any underwriter or any dealer participating in the offering will
arrange to send you the Prospectus and Prospectus Supplement if you request it
by calling toll free (888) 644-2048.
You
should carefully consider the risks of the Securities to which this
communication relates and whether these Securities are suited to your particular
circumstances before deciding to purchase them. It is important that prior to
investing in these Securities investors read the Pricing Supplement related to
such Securities and the accompanying Prospectus and Prospectus Supplement to
understand the actual terms of and the risks associated with the Securities. In
addition, we urge you to consult with your investment, legal, accounting, tax
and other advisors with respect to any investment in the
Securities.
Credit Risk
The
Securities are issued by ABN AMRO Bank N.V. and guaranteed by ABN AMRO Holding
N.V., ABN AMRO’s parent. As a result, investors in the Securities assume the
credit risk of ABN AMRO Bank N.V. and that of ABN AMRO Holding N.V. in the event
that ABN AMRO defaults on its obligations under the Securities. Any obligations
or Securities sold, offered, or recommended are not deposits on ABN AMRO Bank
N.V. and are not endorsed or guaranteed by any bank or thrift, nor are they
insured by the FDIC or any governmental agency.
Principal Risk
The
Securities are not ordinary debt securities: they are not principal protected.
In addition, if the closing price of the applicable Underlying Stock falls below
the applicable Knock-In Level on any trading day during the Knock-In Period,
investors in the Securities will be exposed to any decline in the price of the
applicable Underlying Stock below the closing price of such Underlying Stock on
the date the Securities were priced. Accordingly, you may lose
some or all of your initial
investment in the Securities.
Limited Return
The
amount payable under the Securities will never exceed the original principal
amount of the Securities plus the applicable aggregate fixed coupon payment
investors earn during the term of the Securities. This means that you will not
benefit from any price appreciation in the applicable Underlying Stock, nor will
they receive dividends paid on the applicable Underlying Stock, if any.
Accordingly, you will never receive at maturity an amount greater than a
predetermined amount per Security, regardless of how much the price of the
applicable Underlying Stock increases during the term of the Securities or on
the Determination Date. The return of a Security may be significantly less than
the return of a direct investment in the Underlying Stock to which the Security
is linked during the term of the Security.
Liquidity Risk
The
Securities will not be listed on any securities exchange. Accordingly, there may
be little or no secondary market for the Securities and information regarding
independent market pricing of the Securities may be very limited or
non-existent. The value of the Securities in the secondary market, if any, will
be subject to many unpredictable factors, including then prevailing market
conditions.
It is important to note that many
factors will contribute to the secondary market value of the Securities, and you
may not receive your full principal back if the Securities are sold prior to
maturity. Such factors include, but are not limited to, time to maturity,
the price of the applicable Underlying Stock,
volatility and interest rates.
In
addition, the price, if any, at which we or another party are willing to
purchase Securities in secondary market transactions will likely be lower than
the issue price, since the issue price included, and secondary market prices are
likely to exclude, commissions, discounts or mark-ups paid with respect to the
Securities, as well as the cost of hedging our obligations under the
Securities.
Tax Risk
Pursuant
to the terms of the Knock-in Reverse Exchangeable Securities, we and every
investor in the Securities agree to characterize the Securities as consisting of
a Put Option and a Deposit of cash with the issuer. Under this characterization,
a portion of the stated interest payments on each Security is treated as
interest on the Deposit, and the remainder is treated as attributable to a sale
by you of the Put Option to ABN AMRO (referred to as Put Premium). Receipt of
the Put Premium will not be taxable upon receipt.
If the
Put Option expires unexercised (i.e., a cash payment of the principal amount of
the Securities is made to the investor at maturity), you will recognize
short-term capital gain equal to the total Put Premium received. If the Put
Option is exercised (i.e., the final payment on the Securities is paid in the
applicable Underlying Stock), you will not recognize any gain or loss in respect
of the Put Option, but your tax basis in the applicable Underlying Stock
received will be reduced by the Put Premium received.
Significant
aspects of the U.S. federal income tax treatment of the Securities are
uncertain, and no assurance can be given that the Internal Revenue Service will
accept, or a court will uphold, the tax treatment described above.
This
summary is limited to the federal tax issues addressed herein. Additional issues
may exist that are not addressed in this summary and that could affect the
federal tax treatment of the transaction. This tax summary was written in
connection with the promotion or marketing by ABN AMRO Bank N.V. and the
placement agent of the Knock-in Reverse Exchangeable Securities, and it cannot
be used by any investor for the purpose of avoiding penalties that may be
asserted against the investor under the Internal Revenue Code.
Investors
should seek their own advice based on their particular circumstances from an
independent tax advisor.
On
December 7, 2007, the U.S. Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service released a
notice requesting comments on the U.S. federal income tax treatment of “prepaid
forward contracts” and similar instruments. While it is not entirely clear
whether the Securities are among the instruments described in the notice, it is
possible that any Treasury regulations or other guidance issued after
consideration of the issues raised in the notice could materially and adversely
affect the tax consequences of ownership and disposition of the Securities,
possibly on a retroactive basis.
The
notice indicates that it is possible the IRS may adopt a new position with
respect to how the IRS characterizes income or loss (including, for example,
whether the option premium might be currently included as ordinary income) on
the Securities for U.S. holders of the Securities.
You
should consult your tax advisor regarding the notice and its potential
implications for an investment in the Securities.
Reverse
Exchangeable is a Service Mark of ABN AMRO Bank N.V.
5