424B2 1 dp58301_424b2-str1.htm FORM 424B2

 

Registration Statement Nos. 333-202913 and 333-180300-03

Filed Under the Securities Act of 1933, Rule 424(b)(2)

Product Supplement No. EQUITY INDICES STR-1
(To Prospectus dated May 4, 2015

and Prospectus Supplement dated May 4, 2015)

July 30, 2015

 

 

 

Strategic Accelerated Redemption Securities® Linked to One or More Equity Indices

 

·Strategic Accelerated Redemption Securities® (the “notes”) are unsecured senior notes issued by Credit Suisse AG, acting through one of its branches (“Credit Suisse”). Any payments due on the notes, including any repayment of principal, will be subject to the credit risk of Credit Suisse.

 

·The notes do not guarantee the return of principal at maturity, and we will not pay interest on the notes. Instead, the return on the notes will be based on the performance of an underlying “Market Measure,” which will be an equity index or a basket of equity indices.

 

·The notes will be automatically called if the Observation Level on any Observation Date is greater than or equal to the Call Level (each as defined below). If called, you will receive a cash payment per unit (the “Call Amount”) that equals the principal amount plus the applicable Call Premium (as defined below).

 

·At maturity, if the notes have not been called, and if the Ending Value is greater than or equal to the Threshold Value, you will receive a cash payment per unit (the “Redemption Amount”) that equals the principal amount. However, if the Ending Value is less than the Threshold Value, you will be subject to 1-to-1 downside exposure to the decrease of the Market Measure below the Threshold Value. In such case, you may lose all or a significant portion of the principal amount of your notes.

 

·This product supplement describes the general terms of the notes, the risk factors to consider before investing, the general manner in which they may be offered and sold, and other relevant information.

 

·For each offering of the notes, we will provide you with a pricing supplement (which we refer to as a “term sheet”) that will describe the specific terms of that offering, including the specific Market Measure, the Threshold Value, the Call Level, the Call Amount and the Call Premium for each Observation Date, the Observation Dates, the Call Settlement Dates and certain risk factors. The term sheet will identify, if applicable, any additions or changes to the terms specified in this product supplement.

 

·The notes will be issued in denominations of whole units. Unless otherwise set forth in the applicable term sheet, each unit will have a principal amount of $10. The term sheet may also set forth a minimum number of units that you must purchase.

 

·Unless otherwise specified in the applicable term sheet, the notes will not be listed on a securities exchange or quotation system.

 

·Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated (“MLPF&S”) and one or more of its affiliates may act as our agents to offer the notes and will act in a principal capacity for your account.

 


The notes are unsecured and are not savings accounts, deposits, or other obligations of a bank. The notes are not insured by the U.S. Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (the “FDIC”) or any other governmental agency of the United States, Switzerland, or any other jurisdiction. Potential purchasers of the notes should consider the information in “Risk Factors” beginning on page PS-7 of this product supplement. You may lose all or a significant portion of your investment in the notes.

 

None of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), any state securities commission, or any other regulatory body has approved or disapproved of these securities or passed upon the adequacy or accuracy of this product supplement, the prospectus supplement, or the prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.


 

Merrill Lynch & Co.

 

 

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

Page

 

SUMMARY PS-3
RISK FACTORS PS-7
SUPPLEMENTAL USE OF PROCEEDS AND HEDGING PS-17
DESCRIPTION OF THE NOTES PS-18
SUPPLEMENTAL PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION PS-26
CREDIT SUISSE AG PS-27
MATERIAL U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSIDERATIONS PS-28
ERISA CONSIDERATIONS PS-35

 

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“Strategic Accelerated Redemption Securities®” is a registered service mark of Bank of America Corporation, the parent corporation of MLPF&S.

 

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SUMMARY

 

The information in this “Summary” section is qualified in its entirety by the more detailed explanation set forth elsewhere in this product supplement, the prospectus supplement, and the prospectus, as well as the applicable term sheet. Neither we nor MLPF&S have authorized any other person to provide you with any information different from the information set forth in these documents. If anyone provides you with different or inconsistent information about the notes, you should not rely on it. You should assume that the information in this product supplement, the prospectus supplement, and prospectus, together with the term sheet, is accurate only as of the date on their respective front covers.

 

Key Terms:

 

General:

The notes are senior debt securities issued by Credit Suisse, and are not guaranteed or insured by the FDIC or any other governmental agency of the United States, Switzerland, or any other jurisdiction and are not secured by collateral. They rank equally with all of our other unsecured senior debt from time to time outstanding. Any payments due on the notes, including any repayment of principal, are subject to our credit risk.

 

The return on the notes will be based on the performance of a Market Measure and there is no guaranteed return of principal at maturity. Therefore, you may lose all or a significant portion of your investment if the notes are not called prior to maturity, and the value of the Market Measure decreases from the Starting Value to an Ending Value that is less than the Threshold Value.

 

Each issue of the notes will mature on the date set forth in the applicable term sheet, unless the notes are automatically called on an earlier date. You should be aware that the automatic call feature may shorten the term of an investment in the notes, and you must be willing to accept that your notes may be called prior to maturity. You will not receive interest payments.

   
Market Measure:

The Market Measure may consist of one or more of the following, which will be set forth in the applicable term sheet:

 

·    U.S. broad-based equity indices;

 

·    U.S. sector or style-based equity indices;

 

·    non-U.S. or global equity indices; or

 

·    any combination of the above.

 

The Market Measure may consist of a group, or “Basket,” of the foregoing. We refer to each equity index included in any Basket as a “Basket Component.” If the Market Measure to which your notes are linked is a Basket, the Basket Components will be set forth in the applicable term sheet.

 

If set forth in the applicable term sheet, the Market Measure may consist of two or more equity indices, with the determination of whether the notes are automatically called, or if the notes are not automatically called, the payment at maturity, made based on the worst performing of those equity indices.

   
Automatic Call: The notes will be automatically called on an Observation Date if the Observation Level of the Market Measure on that Observation Date is greater than or equal to the Call Level.

 

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Call Amount:
If your notes are called on an Observation Date, you will receive the Call Amount applicable to that Observation Date.  The Call Amount will be equal to the principal amount per unit plus the applicable “Call Premium.”  Each Call Premium will be a percentage of the principal amount and will be set forth in the applicable term sheet.  The Call Amount, if payable, will be payable on the applicable “Call Settlement Date” set forth in the applicable term sheet.
   
Market Measure Performance:

The performance of the Market Measure will be measured according to the percentage change of the Market Measure from its Starting Value to its Observation Level or Ending Value, as applicable.

 

Unless otherwise specified in the applicable term sheet:

 

The “Starting Value will equal the closing level of the Market Measure on the date when the notes are priced for initial sale to the public (the “pricing date”).

 

If the Market Measure consists of a Basket, the Starting Value will be equal to 100. See “Description of the Notes—Basket Market Measures.”

 

The “Call Level” will be a value of the Market Measure that equals a specified percentage (100% or more) of the Starting Value.

 

The “Threshold Value” will be a value of the Market Measure that equals a specified percentage (100% or less) of the Starting Value. The Threshold Value will be determined on the pricing date and set forth in the term sheet. If the Threshold Value is equal to 100% of the Starting Value, you will be exposed to any decrease in the value of the Market Measure from the Starting Value to the Ending Value on a 1-to-1 basis, and you may lose all of your investment in the notes.

 

The “Observation Level” will equal the closing level of the Market Measure on the applicable Observation Date. The “Observation Dates” will be set forth in the applicable term sheet, subject to postponement in the event of Market Disruption Events. See “Description of the Notes—Automatic Call.”

 

The “Ending Value” will equal the Observation Level on the final Observation Date.

 

If the Market Measure consists of a Basket, each Observation Level and the Ending Value will be the value of the Basket on the applicable Observation Date, determined as described in “Description of the Notes—Basket Market Measures—Observation Level of the Basket.”

 

If a Market Disruption Event (as defined below) occurs and is continuing on an Observation Date, or if certain other events occur, the calculation agent will determine the Observation Levels and the Ending Value as set forth in the section “Description of the Notes—Automatic Call” or “—Basket Market Measures—Observation Level of the Basket.”

   

Redemption Amount at Maturity:

If the notes are not called and the Ending Value is greater than or equal to the Threshold Value, you will receive at maturity a Redemption Amount that is equal to the principal amount. If the Ending Value is less than the Threshold Value, you will be subject to 1-to-1 downside exposure to the decrease of the Market Measure below the Threshold Value, and you will receive a Redemption Amount that is less than the principal amount. If the Threshold Value is equal to 100% of the Starting Value, the Redemption Amount could be zero and you may lose all of your investment in the notes.

 

Any payments due on the notes, including any repayment of principal, are

   

 

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subject to our credit risk as issuer of the notes.

 

The Redemption Amount, denominated in U.S. dollars, will be calculated as follows:

 

 

   
Principal at Risk: You may lose all or a significant portion of the principal amount of the notes.  Further, if you sell your notes prior to maturity, you may find that the market value per note is less than the price that you paid for the notes.
   
Calculation Agent: The calculation agent will make all determinations associated with the notes, such as determining the Starting Value, the Call Level, the Threshold Value, the Observation Level on each Observation Date, the Ending Value, whether the notes will be called, and the Redemption Amount.  We may act as the calculation agent, or we may appoint MLPF&S or one of its affiliates to act as the calculation agent for the notes.  Alternatively, we and MLPF&S or one of its affiliates may act as joint calculation agents for the notes. See the section entitled “Description of the Notes—Role of the Calculation Agent.”
   
Agents: MLPF&S and one or more of its affiliates will act as our agents in connection with each offering of the notes and will receive an underwriting discount based on the number of units of the notes sold.  None of the agents is your fiduciary or advisor solely as a result of the making of any offering of the notes, and you should not rely upon this product supplement, the term sheet, or the accompanying prospectus or prospectus supplement as investment advice or a recommendation to purchase the notes.
   
Listing: Unless otherwise specified in the applicable term sheet, the notes will not be listed on a securities exchange or quotation system.

  

This product supplement relates only to the notes and does not relate to any equity index that composes the Market Measure described in any term sheet. You should read carefully the entire prospectus, prospectus supplement, and product supplement, together with the applicable term sheet, to understand fully the terms of your notes, as well as the tax and other considerations important to you in making a decision about whether to invest in any notes. In particular, you should review carefully the section in this product supplement entitled “Risk Factors,” which highlights a number of risks of an investment in the notes, to determine whether an investment in the notes is appropriate for you. If information in this product supplement is inconsistent with the prospectus or prospectus supplement, this product supplement will supersede those documents. However, if information in any term sheet is inconsistent with this product supplement, that term sheet will supersede this product supplement.

 

Neither we nor any agent is making an offer to sell the notes in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted. This product supplement and the accompanying prospectus supplement and

 

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prospectus are not an offer to sell these notes to anyone and are not soliciting an offer to buy these notes from anyone in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted.

 

Certain capitalized terms used and not defined in this product supplement have the meanings ascribed to them in the prospectus supplement and prospectus. Unless otherwise indicated or unless the context requires otherwise, all references in this product supplement to “we,” “us,” “our,” or similar references are to Credit Suisse. Credit Suisse, a corporation established under the laws of, and licensed as a bank in, Switzerland, is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Credit Suisse Group AG.

 

You are urged to consult with your own attorneys and business and tax advisors before making a decision to purchase any notes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

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RISK FACTORS

 

Your investment in the notes is subject to significant investment risks, many of which differ from those of a conventional debt security. Your decision to purchase the notes should be made only after carefully considering the risks, including those discussed below, in light of your particular circumstances. The notes are not an appropriate investment for you if you are not knowledgeable about the material terms of the notes or investments in equity or equity-based securities in general.

 

General Risks Relating to the Notes

 

If the notes are not called, your investment may result in a loss; there is no guaranteed return of principal. There is no fixed principal repayment amount on the notes at maturity. The return on the notes will be based on the performance of the Market Measure. If the notes are not called and the Ending Value is less than the Threshold Value, then you will receive a Redemption Amount at maturity that will be less than the principal amount of your notes and, if the Threshold Value is equal to 100% of the Starting Value, could be zero. You may lose all or a significant portion of your investment.

 

Your return on the notes may be less than the yield on a conventional fixed or floating rate debt security of comparable maturity. There will be no periodic interest payments on the notes as there would be on a conventional fixed-rate or floating-rate debt security having the same maturity. Any return that you receive on the notes may be less than the return you would earn if you purchased a conventional debt security with the same maturity date. As a result, your investment in the notes may not reflect the full opportunity cost to you when you consider factors, such as inflation, that affect the time value of money.

 

Your investment return will be limited to the applicable Call Premium and may be less than a comparable investment directly in the Market Measure. Your return on the notes will only be positive if the notes are called and, in that case, will be equal to the applicable Call Premium, regardless of the appreciation of the Market Measure. In contrast, a direct investment in the Market Measure (or the securities included in the Market Measure) would allow you to receive the full benefit of any appreciation in the value of the Market Measure (or those underlying securities).

 

In addition, unless otherwise set forth in the applicable term sheet, the Observation Levels and the Ending Value will not reflect the value of dividends paid or distributions made on the securities included in the Market Measure or any other rights associated with those securities. Thus, any return on the notes will not reflect the return you would realize if you actually owned the securities underlying the Market Measure.

 

Additionally, the Market Measure may consist of one or more equity indices that include components traded in a non-U.S. currency. If the value of that currency strengthens against the U.S. dollar during the term of your notes, you may not obtain the benefit of that increase, which you would have received if you had owned the securities included in the index or indices.

 

Reinvestment Risk. Because the notes could be called as early as the first Observation Date, the term of the notes could be short. There is no guarantee that you would be able to reinvest the proceeds from an investment in the notes at a comparable return for a similar level of risk in the event the notes are called prior to maturity.

 

Payments on the notes are subject to our credit risk, and actual or perceived changes in our creditworthiness are expected to affect the value of the notes. The notes are our senior unsecured debt securities. As a result, your receipt of the amount payable to

 

PS-7

 

you upon an automatic call or at maturity is dependent upon our ability to repay our obligations on the applicable Call Settlement Date or maturity date, regardless of whether the Market Measure increases from the Starting Value to the applicable Observation Level or the Ending Value. No assurance can be given as to what our financial condition will be on the applicable payment date. If we become unable to meet our financial obligations as they become due, you may not receive the amounts payable under the terms of the notes.

 

In addition, our credit ratings are an assessment by ratings agencies of our ability to pay our obligations. Consequently, our perceived creditworthiness and actual or anticipated decreases in our credit ratings or increases in the spread between the yield on our securities and the yield on U.S. Treasury securities (the “credit spread”) prior to the maturity date may adversely affect the market value of the notes. However, because your return on the notes depends upon factors in addition to our ability to pay our obligations, such as the value of the Market Measure, an improvement in our credit ratings will not reduce the other investment risks related to the notes.

 

Our initial estimated value of the notes will be determined based on our proprietary pricing models, and may not be comparable to estimated values of similar notes of other issuers. The initial estimated value of the notes, which will be set forth in the applicable term sheet, is an estimate only, determined as of a particular point in time by reference to our proprietary pricing models. These pricing models consider certain factors, such as our internal funding rate on the pricing date, interest rates, volatility of the Market Measure and time to maturity of the notes, and they rely in part on certain assumptions about future events, which may prove to be incorrect. Because our pricing models may differ from other issuers’ valuation models, and because funding rates taken into account by other issuers may vary materially from the rates used by us (even among issuers with similar creditworthiness), our estimated value may not be comparable to estimated values of similar notes of other issuers.

 

Our internal funding rate for market-linked notes is typically lower than our secondary market credit rates. Because we will use our internal funding rate to determine the value of the theoretical bond component, if on the pricing date our internal funding rate is lower than our secondary market credit rates, the initial estimated value of the notes will be greater than if we used our secondary market credit rates in valuing the notes.

 

The public offering price you pay for the notes will exceed the initial estimated value. This is due to, among other transaction costs, the inclusion in the public offering price of the underwriting discount and an expected hedging related charge.

 

Assuming no change in market conditions or other relevant factors after the pricing date, the market value of your notes may be lower than the price you paid for them and lower than the initial estimated value. This is due to, among other things, the inclusion in the public offering price of the underwriting discount and an expected hedging related charge and the internal funding rate we use in pricing the notes. These factors, together with customary bid ask spreads, other transaction costs and various credit, market and economic factors over the term of the notes, including changes in the value of the Market Measure, are expected to reduce the price at which you may be able to sell the notes in any secondary market and will affect the value of the notes in complex and unpredictable ways.

 

The initial estimated value does not represent a minimum or maximum price at which we, MLPF&S or any of our affiliates would be willing to purchase your notes in any secondary market (if any exists) at any time. MLPF&S has advised us that any repurchases by them or their affiliates are expected to be made at prices determined by reference to their pricing models and at their discretion, and these prices will include MLPF&S’s trading commissions and mark-ups. If you sell your notes to a dealer other than MLPF&S in a

 

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secondary market transaction, the dealer may impose its own discount or commission. MLPF&S has also advised us that, at its discretion and for your benefit, assuming no changes in market conditions after the pricing date, MLPF&S may offer to buy the notes in the secondary market at a price that may exceed the initial estimated value of the notes for a short initial period after the issuance of the notes. That higher price reflects costs that are expected to be included in the public offering price of the notes, and that higher price may also be initially used for account statements or otherwise. There is no assurance that any party will be willing to purchase your notes at any price in any secondary market.

 

We cannot assure you that there will be a trading market for your notes. If a secondary market exists, we cannot predict how the notes will trade, or whether that market will be liquid or illiquid. The development of a trading market for the notes will depend on various factors, including our financial performance and changes in the value of the Market Measure. The number of potential buyers of your notes in any secondary market may be limited. There is no assurance that any party will be willing to purchase your notes at any price in any secondary market.

 

We anticipate that one or more of the agents will act as a market-maker for the notes that it offers, but none of them is required to do so and may cease to do so at any time. Any price at which an agent may bid for, offer, purchase, or sell any of the notes may be higher or lower than the applicable public offering price, and that price may differ from the values determined by pricing models that it may use, whether as a result of dealer discounts, mark-ups, or other transaction costs. These bids, offers, or transactions may affect the prices, if any, at which the notes might otherwise trade in the market. In addition, if at any time any agent were to cease acting as a market-maker for any issue of the notes, it is likely that there would be significantly less liquidity in that secondary market. In such a case, the price at which those notes could be sold likely would be lower than if an active market existed.

 

Unless otherwise stated in the term sheet, we will not list the notes on any securities exchange. Even if an application were made to list your notes, we cannot assure you that the application will be approved or that your notes will be listed and, if listed, that they will remain listed for their entire term. The listing of the notes on any securities exchange will not necessarily ensure that a trading market will develop, and if a trading market does develop, that there will be liquidity in the trading market.

 

The amount you receive at maturity or upon a call will not reflect changes in the value of the Market Measure other than on the applicable Observation Date. Changes in the value of the Market Measure during the term of the notes other than on the applicable Observation Date will not be reflected in determining whether the notes will be automatically called or the calculation of the Redemption Amount. To make that determination or calculation, the calculation agent will refer only to the value of the Market Measure on the applicable Observation Date. No other values of the Market Measure will be taken into account. As a result, even if the value of the Market Measure has increased at certain times during the term of the notes before or after decreasing to a value below the Call Level on each Observation Date or the Threshold Value on the final Observation Date, your notes will not be called, and you will receive a Redemption Amount that is less than the principal amount.

 

If your notes are linked to a Basket, changes in the levels of one or more of the Basket Components may be offset by changes in the levels of one or more of the other Basket Components. The Market Measure of your notes may be a Basket. In such a case, changes in the levels of one or more of the Basket Components may not correlate with changes in the levels of one or more of the other Basket Components. The levels of one or more Basket Components may increase, while the levels of one or more of the other Basket Components may decrease or not increase as much. Therefore, in calculating the value of the Market Measure at any time, increases in the level of one Basket Component may be moderated or

 

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wholly offset by decreases or lesser increases in the levels of one or more of the other Basket Components. If the weightings of the applicable Basket Components are not equal, adverse changes in the levels of the Basket Components which are more heavily weighted could have a greater impact upon your notes.

 

The respective publishers of the applicable indices may adjust those indices in a way that affects their levels, and these publishers have no obligation to consider your interests. Unless otherwise specified in the term sheet, we have no affiliation with any publisher of an index to which your notes are linked (each, an “Index Publisher”). The Index Publisher can add, delete, or substitute the components included in that index or make other methodological changes that could change its level. A new security included in an index may perform significantly better or worse than the replaced security, and the performance will impact the level of the applicable index. Additionally, an Index Publisher may alter, discontinue, or suspend calculation or dissemination of an index. Any of these actions could adversely affect the value of your notes. The Index Publishers will have no obligation to consider your interests in calculating or revising any index.

 

Exchange rate movements may impact the value of the notes. If any security included in the Market Measure is traded in a currency other than U.S. dollars and, for purposes of the applicable index, is converted into U.S. dollars, then the applicable Observation Level may depend in part on the relevant exchange rates. If the value of the U.S. dollar strengthens against the currencies of that index, the level of the applicable index may be adversely affected. In that case, the value of the applicable Market Measure may not reach the Call Level as of any Observation Date or the Threshold Value as of the final Observation Date. Therefore, your notes may not be called and the Redemption Amount may be less than the principal amount.

 

Exchange rate movements may be particularly impacted by existing and expected rates of inflation and interest rate levels, political, civil or military unrest, the balance of payments between countries, and the extent of governmental surpluses or deficits in the relevant countries and the United States. All of these factors are in turn sensitive to the monetary, fiscal, and trade policies pursued by the governments of those countries and the United States and other countries important to international trade and finance.

 

If you attempt to sell the notes prior to maturity, their market value, if any, will be affected by various factors that interrelate in complex ways, and their market value may be less than the principal amount. The limited protection against the risk of losses provided by the Threshold Value, if any, will only apply if you hold the notes to maturity. You have no right to have your notes redeemed at your option prior to maturity. If you wish to liquidate your investment in the notes prior to maturity, your only option would be to sell them. At that time, there may be an illiquid market for your notes or no market at all. Even if you were able to sell your notes, there are many factors outside of our control that may affect their market value, some of which, but not all, are stated below. The impact of any one factor may be offset or magnified by the effect of another factor. The following paragraphs describe a specific factor’s expected impact on the market value of the notes, assuming all other conditions remain constant.

 

·Value of the Market Measure. We anticipate that the market value of the notes prior to maturity generally will depend to a significant extent on the value of the Market Measure. In general, it is expected that the market value of the notes will decrease as the value of the Market Measure decreases, and increase as the value of the Market Measure increases. However, as the value of the Market Measure increases or decreases, the market value of the notes is not expected to increase or decrease at the same rate. If you sell your notes when the value of the Market Measure is less than, or not sufficiently above, the applicable Starting Value or Call Level, then you may receive less than the

 

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principal amount of your notes.

 

In addition, because the return on the notes will not exceed the applicable Call Premium, we do not expect that the notes will trade in any secondary market at a price that is greater than the applicable Call Amount.

 

·Volatility of the Market Measure. Volatility is the term used to describe the size and frequency of market fluctuations. Increases or decreases in the volatility of the Market Measure may have an adverse impact on the market value of the notes. Even if the value of the Market Measure increases after the applicable pricing date, if you are able to sell your notes before their maturity date, you may receive substantially less than the amount that would be payable upon an automatic call or at maturity based on that value because of the anticipation that the value of the Market Measure will continue to fluctuate until the notes are called, if applicable, or the final Observation Date.

 

·Economic and Other Conditions Generally. The general economic conditions of the capital markets in the United States, as well as geopolitical conditions and other financial, political, regulatory, and judicial events and related uncertainties that affect stock markets generally, may affect the value of the Market Measure and the market value of the notes. If the Market Measure includes one or more indices that have returns that are calculated based upon securities prices in one or more non-U.S. markets (a “non-U.S. Market Measure”), the value of your notes may also be affected by similar events in the markets of the relevant foreign countries.

 

·Interest Rates. We expect that changes in interest rates will affect the market value of the notes. In general, if U.S. interest rates increase, we expect that the market value of the notes will decrease, and conversely, if U.S. interest rates decrease, we expect that the market value of the notes will increase. In general, we expect that the longer the amount of time that remains until maturity, the more significant the impact of these changes will be on the value of the notes. In the case of non-U.S. Market Measures, the level of interest rates in the relevant foreign countries may also affect their economies and in turn the value of the non-U.S. Market Measure, and, thus, the market value of the notes may be adversely affected.

 

·Dividend Yields. In general, if cumulative dividend yields on the securities included in the Market Measure increase, we anticipate that the market value of the notes will decrease; conversely, if those dividend yields decrease, we anticipate that the market value of your notes will increase.

 

·Exchange Rate Movements and Volatility. If the Market Measure of your notes includes any non-U.S. Market Measures, changes in, and the volatility of, the exchange rates between the U.S. dollar and the relevant non-U.S. currency or currencies could have a negative impact on the value of your notes, and each Observation Level may depend in part on the relevant exchange rates. In addition, the correlation between the relevant exchange rate and any applicable non-U.S. Market Measure reflects the extent to which a percentage change in that exchange rate corresponds to a percentage change in the applicable non-U.S. Market Measure, and changes in these correlations may have a negative impact on the value of your notes.

 

·Our Financial Condition and Creditworthiness. Our actual and perceived creditworthiness, including any increases in our credit spreads and any actual or anticipated decreases in our credit ratings, may adversely affect the market value of the notes. In general, we expect the longer the amount of time that remains until maturity, the more significant the impact will be on the value of the notes. However, because the value of the notes depends upon factors in addition to Credit Suisse’s ability to pay its

 

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obligations, such as the value of the Market Measure, a decrease in our credit spreads or an improvement in our credit ratings will not reduce the other investment risks related to the notes or necessarily increase the market value of the notes.

 

·Time to Maturity or Next Observation Date. There may be a disparity between the market value of the notes prior to maturity or prior to an Observation Date, as applicable, and their value at maturity or as of the next Observation Date. This disparity is often called a time “value,” “premium,” or “discount,” and reflects expectations concerning the value of the Market Measure during the term of the notes. As the time to maturity or the next Observation Date decreases, this disparity may decrease, such that the value of the notes will approach the expected Redemption Amount to be paid at maturity, or if applicable, the Call Amount to be paid at the next Call Settlement Date.

 

Trading and hedging activities by us, the agents, and our respective affiliates may affect your return on the notes and their market value. We, the agents, and our respective affiliates may buy or sell the securities included in the Market Measure, futures or options contracts on the Market Measure or its component securities, or other listed or over-the counter derivative instruments linked to the Market Measure or its component securities. We may execute such purchases or sales for our own or their own accounts, for business reasons, or in connection with hedging our obligations under the notes. These transactions could affect the value of these securities and, in turn, the value of the Market Measure in a manner that could be adverse to your investment in the notes. On or before the applicable pricing date, any purchases by us (including those for the purpose of hedging our obligations under the notes) may increase the value of the Market Measure or its component securities. Consequently, the values of that Market Measure or the securities included in that Market Measure may decrease subsequent to the pricing date of an issue of the notes, and may adversely affect the market value of the notes.

 

We, the agents, or one or more of our respective affiliates may also engage in hedging activities for business reasons generally and in anticipation of the sale of the notes. From time to time, we, the agents, and our respective affiliates may enter into additional hedging transactions or unwind those that we or they have entered into and may liquidate or close out a portion of these holdings at or about the time of maturity of the notes, including on each Observation Date. These hedging activities may decrease the value of the Market Measure prior to maturity of the notes, and may affect whether the notes will be called on an Observation Date, or may reduce the Redemption Amount.

 

Furthermore, we, the agents, and our respective affiliates may purchase or otherwise acquire a long or short position in the notes, and may hold or resell the notes. For example, the agents may enter into these transactions in connection with any market making activities in which they engage. We cannot assure you that these activities will not adversely affect the value of the Market Measure, the market value of your notes prior to maturity, whether the notes will be called, or the Redemption Amount.

 

Our trading, hedging and other business activities, and those of the agents, may create conflicts of interest with you. We, the agents, or one or more of our respective affiliates may engage in trading activities related to the Market Measure and to securities included in the Market Measure that are not for your account or on your behalf. We, the agents, or one or more of our respective affiliates also may issue or underwrite other financial instruments with returns based upon the applicable Market Measure. These trading and other business activities may present a conflict of interest between your interest in the notes and the interests we, the agents and our respective affiliates may have in our proprietary accounts, in facilitating transactions, including block trades, for our or their other customers, and in accounts under our or their management. These trading and other business activities, if they

 

PS-12

 

influence the value of the Market Measure or secondary trading in your notes, could be adverse to your interests as a beneficial owner of the notes.

 

We, the agents, and one or more of our respective affiliates expect to enter into arrangements or adjust or close out existing transactions to hedge our obligations under the notes. We, the agents, or our respective affiliates also may enter into hedging transactions relating to other notes or instruments that we or they issue, some of which may have returns calculated in a manner related to that of a particular issue of the notes. We may enter into such hedging arrangements with one or more of our subsidiaries or affiliates, or with one or more of the agents or their affiliates. Such a party may enter into additional hedging transactions with other parties relating to the notes and the applicable Market Measure. This hedging activity is expected to result in a profit to those engaging in the hedging activity, which could be more or less than initially expected, or the hedging activity could also result in a loss. We, the agents, and our respective affiliates will price these hedging transactions with the intent to realize a profit, regardless of whether the value of the notes increases or decreases. Any profit in connection with such hedging activities will be in addition to any other compensation that we, the agents, and our respective affiliates receive for the sale of the notes, which creates an additional incentive to sell the notes to you.

 

There may be potential conflicts of interest involving the calculation agent. We have the right to appoint and remove the calculation agent. We may be the calculation agent or act as joint calculation agent for the notes and, as such, will determine the Starting Value, the Call Level, the Threshold Value, each Observation Level, the Ending Value, whether the notes will be called, and the Redemption Amount. Under some circumstances, these duties could result in a conflict of interest between our status as issuer and our responsibilities as calculation agent. These conflicts could occur, for instance, in connection with the calculation agent’s determination as to whether a Market Disruption Event has occurred, or in connection with judgments that the calculation agent would be required to make if the publication of an index is discontinued. See the sections entitled “Description of the Notes—Market Disruption Events,” “—Adjustments to an Index,” and “—Discontinuance of an Index.” The calculation agent will be required to carry out its duties in good faith and using its reasonable judgment. However, because we may serve as the calculation agent, potential conflicts of interest could arise.

 

In addition, we may appoint MLPF&S or one of its affiliates to act as the calculation agent or as joint calculation agent for the notes. As the calculation agent or joint calculation agent, MLPF&S or one of its affiliates will have discretion in making various determinations that affect your notes. The exercise of this discretion by the calculation agent could adversely affect the value of your notes and may present the calculation agent with a conflict of interest of the kind described under “—Trading and hedging activities by us, the agents, and our respective affiliates may affect your return on the notes and their market value” and “—Our trading, hedging and other business activities, and those of the agents, may create conflicts of interest with you” above.

 

The U.S. federal income tax consequences of an investment in the notes are uncertain, and may be adverse to a holder of the notes. No statutory, judicial, or administrative authority directly addresses the characterization of the notes or securities similar to the notes for U.S. federal income tax purposes. As a result, significant aspects of the U.S. federal income tax consequences of an investment in the notes are not certain. Under the terms of the notes, you will have agreed with us to treat the notes as prepaid financial contracts, with respect to the Market Measure, as described under “Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations.” If the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”) were successful in asserting an alternative characterization for the notes, the timing and character of gain or loss with respect to the notes may differ. No ruling has been requested from the IRS with respect to the notes and no assurance can be given that the IRS will agree with the statements made in

 

PS-13

 

the section entitled “Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations.” Additionally, in Notice 2008-2, the IRS and the Treasury Department stated they are considering issuing new regulations or other guidance on whether holders of an instrument such as the notes should be required to accrue income during the term of the instrument. Accordingly, it is possible that regulations or other guidance may be issued that require holders of the notes to recognize income in respect of the notes prior to receipt of any payments thereunder or redemption, sale or exchange thereof. Any regulations or other guidance that may be issued could result in income and gain (either at maturity or upon redemption, sale or exchange) in respect of the notes being treated as ordinary income. It is also possible that a Non-U.S. Holder of the notes could be subject to U.S. withholding tax in respect of the notes under such regulations or other guidance. Additionally, members of Congress have from time to time proposed legislation relating to financial instruments, including legislation that would require holders to annually mark to market affected financial instruments (potentially including the notes). These or other potential changes in law could adversely affect the tax treatment of the notes and may be applied with retroactive effect. You are urged to consult your tax advisor regarding how any such potential changes in law could affect you.

 

YOU ARE URGED TO CONSULT WITH YOUR OWN TAX ADVISOR REGARDING ALL ASPECTS OF THE U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSEQUENCES OF INVESTING IN THE NOTES.

 

Risks Relating to the Market Measures

 

You must rely on your own evaluation of the merits of an investment linked to the applicable Market Measure. In the ordinary course of business, we, the agents, and our respective affiliates may have expressed views on expected movements in the Market Measure or the securities included in the Market Measure, and may do so in the future. These views or reports may be communicated to our clients and clients of these entities. However, these views are subject to change from time to time. Moreover, other professionals who deal in markets relating to the Market Measure may at any time have significantly different views from our views and the views of these entities. For these reasons, you are encouraged to derive information concerning the Market Measure and its component securities from multiple sources, and you should not rely on our views or the views expressed by these entities.

 

You will have no rights as a security holder, you will have no rights to receive any of the securities represented by the Market Measure, and you will not be entitled to dividends or other distributions by the issuers of these securities. The notes are our debt securities. They are not equity instruments, shares of stock, or securities of any other issuer. Investing in the notes will not make you a holder of any of the securities represented by the Market Measure. You will not have any voting rights, any rights to receive dividends or other distributions, or any other rights with respect to those securities. As a result, the return on your notes may not reflect the return you would realize if you actually owned those securities and received the dividends paid or other distributions made in connection with them. Additionally, the levels of certain indices reflect only the prices of the securities included in that index and do not take into consideration the value of dividends paid on those securities. Your notes will be paid in cash and you have no right to receive delivery of any of these securities.

 

If the Market Measure to which your notes are linked includes equity securities traded on foreign exchanges, your return may be affected by factors affecting international securities markets. The value of securities traded outside of the U.S. may be adversely affected by a variety of factors relating to the relevant securities markets. Factors which could affect those markets, and therefore the return on your notes, include:

 

PS-14

 

·Market Volatility. The relevant foreign securities markets may be more volatile than U.S. or other securities markets and may be affected by market developments in different ways than U.S. or other securities markets.

 

·Political, Economic, and Other Factors. The prices and performance of securities of companies in foreign countries may be affected by political, economic, financial, and social factors in those regions. Direct or indirect government intervention to stabilize a particular securities market and cross-shareholdings in companies in the relevant foreign markets may affect prices and the volume of trading in those markets. In addition, recent or future changes in government, economic, and fiscal policies in the relevant jurisdictions, the possible imposition of, or changes in, currency exchange laws, or other laws or restrictions, and possible fluctuations in the rate of exchange between currencies, are factors that could negatively affect the relevant securities markets. The relevant foreign economies may differ from the U.S. economy in economic factors such as growth of gross national product, rate of inflation, capital reinvestment, resources, and self-sufficiency.

 

In particular, many emerging nations are undergoing rapid change, involving the restructuring of economic, political, financial and legal systems. Regulatory and tax environments may be subject to change without review or appeal, and many emerging markets suffer from underdevelopment of capital markets and tax systems. In addition, in some of these nations, issuers of the relevant securities face the threat of expropriation of their assets, and/or nationalization of their businesses. The economic and financial data about some of these countries may be unreliable.

 

·Publicly Available Information. There is generally less publicly available information about foreign companies than about U.S. companies that are subject to the reporting requirements of the SEC. In addition, accounting, auditing, and financial reporting standards and requirements in foreign countries differ from those applicable to U.S. reporting companies.

 

Unless otherwise set forth in the applicable term sheet, we and the agents do not control any company included in any Market Measure and have not verified any disclosure made by any other company. We, the agents, or our respective affiliates currently, or in the future, may engage in business with companies included in the Market Measure, and we, the agents, or our respective affiliates may from time to time own securities of companies included in the Market Measure. However, none of us, the agents, or any of our respective affiliates have the ability to control the actions of any of these companies or have undertaken any independent review of, or made any due diligence inquiry with respect to, any of these companies, unless (and only to the extent that) the securities of us, the agents, or our respective affiliates are represented by that Market Measure. In addition, unless otherwise set forth in the applicable term sheet, none of us, the agents, or any of our respective affiliates are responsible for the calculation of any index represented by the Market Measure. You should make your own investigation into the Market Measure.

 

Unless otherwise set forth in the applicable term sheet, none of the Index Publishers, their affiliates, or any companies included in the Market Measure will be involved in any offering of the notes or will have any obligation of any sort with respect to the notes. As a result, none of those companies will have any obligation to take your interests as holders of the notes into consideration for any reason, including taking any corporate actions that might affect the value of the securities represented by the Market Measure or the value of the notes.

 

PS-15

 

Our business activities and those of the agents relating to the companies represented by the Market Measure or the notes may create conflicts of interest with you. We, the agents, and our respective affiliates, at the time of any offering of the notes or in the future, may engage in business with the companies represented by the Market Measure, including making loans to, equity investments in, or providing investment banking, asset management, or other services to those companies, their affiliates, and their competitors.

 

In connection with these activities, any of these entities may receive information about those companies that we will not divulge to you or other third parties. We, the agents, and our respective affiliates have published, and in the future may publish, research reports on one or more of these companies. The agents may also publish research reports relating to our or our affiliates’ securities, including the notes. This research is modified from time to time without notice and may express opinions or provide recommendations that are inconsistent with purchasing or holding your notes. Any of these activities may affect the value of the Market Measure and the market value of your notes. None of us, the agents, or our respective affiliates makes any representation to any purchasers of the notes regarding any matters whatsoever relating to the issuers of the securities included in the Market Measure. Any prospective purchaser of the notes should undertake an independent investigation of the companies included in the Market Measure to a level that, in its judgment, is appropriate to make an informed decision regarding an investment in the notes. The composition of the Market Measure does not reflect any investment recommendations from us, the agents, or our respective affiliates.

 

Other Risk Factors Relating to the Applicable Market Measure

 

The applicable term sheet may set forth additional risk factors as to the Market Measure that you should review prior to purchasing the notes.

 

PS-16

 

SUPPLEMENTAL USE OF PROCEEDS AND HEDGING

 

Unless otherwise specified in any term sheet, we intend to use the proceeds from each offering of the notes for our general corporate purposes, which may include the refinancing of our existing indebtedness outside Switzerland. We may also use some or all of the proceeds from any offering to hedge our obligations under the notes. In addition, we may also invest the proceeds temporarily in short-term securities. The net proceeds will be applied exclusively outside Switzerland unless Swiss fiscal laws allow such usage in Switzerland without triggering Swiss withholding taxes on interest payments on debt instruments.

 

PS-17

 

DESCRIPTION OF THE NOTES

 

General

 

The notes are part of a series of senior debt securities that we may issue under our senior indenture, dated as of March 29, 2007, as it has been and may be amended from time to time, between Credit Suisse and The Bank of New York Mellon (formerly known as The Bank of New York), as trustee (the “senior indenture”). This product supplement summarizes financial and other terms that apply generally to the notes and, to the extent it is inconsistent with, supersedes the description of the general terms and provisions of the notes and debt securities set forth under the headings “Description of Notes” in the prospectus supplement and “Description of Debt Securities” in the prospectus. These documents should be read in connection with the applicable term sheet.

 

The maturity date of the notes and the aggregate principal amount of each issue of the notes will be stated in the term sheet. If the scheduled maturity date is not a business day, we will make the required payment on the next business day, and no interest will accrue as a result of such delay.

 

We will not pay interest on the notes. The notes do not guarantee the return of principal at maturity. The notes will be payable only in U.S. dollars.

 

Unless automatically called prior to the maturity date, the notes will mature on the date set forth in the applicable term sheet. Prior to the maturity date, the notes are not redeemable at our option or repayable at the option of any holder. The notes are not subject to any sinking fund. The notes are not subject to the defeasance provisions described in the prospectus under the caption “Description of Debt Securities—Defeasance.”

 

We will issue the notes in denominations of whole units. Unless otherwise set forth in the applicable term sheet, each unit will have a principal amount of $10. The CUSIP number for each issue of the notes will be set forth in the applicable term sheet. You may transfer the notes only in whole units.

 

Automatic Call

 

The notes will be called, in whole but not in part, if the Observation Level of the Market Measure on any Observation Date is greater than or equal to the Call Level set forth in the applicable term sheet.

 

If the notes are called on an Observation Date, for each unit of notes that you own, we will pay you the Call Amount applicable to that Observation Date. The “Call Amount” will be equal to the principal amount plus the applicable Call Premium. The “Call Premium” will be a percentage of the principal amount.

 

The Observation Dates and the related Call Amounts and Call Premiums will be specified in the applicable term sheet.

 

Unless otherwise specified in the applicable term sheet, if the notes are automatically called on an Observation Date (other than the final Observation Date), we will redeem the notes and pay the applicable Call Amount on the applicable Call Settlement Date. Each “Call Settlement Date” will occur on approximately the fifth business day after the applicable Observation Date, subject to postponement as described below. If the notes are called on the final Observation Date, we will redeem the notes and pay the applicable Call Amount on the maturity date.

 

PS-18

 

Unless otherwise indicated in the applicable term sheet, if a scheduled Observation Date (other than the final Observation Date) is determined by the calculation agent not to be a Market Measure Business Day (as defined below) by reason of an extraordinary event, occurrence, declaration, or otherwise or if there is a Market Disruption Event on that day, the applicable Observation Date will be the immediately succeeding Market Measure Business Day during which no Market Disruption Event occurs or is continuing; provided that the Observation Level will not be determined on a date later than the fifth scheduled Market Measure Business Day after the scheduled Observation Date, and if that fifth day is not a Market Measure Business Day, or if there is a Market Disruption Event on that date, the calculation agent will determine the Observation Level (or, if not determinable, estimate) in a manner which the calculation agent considers commercially reasonable under the circumstances on that fifth scheduled Market Measure Business Day.

 

If the scheduled final Observation Date is determined by the calculation agent not to be a Market Measure Business Day by reason of an extraordinary event, occurrence, declaration, or otherwise or if there is a Market Disruption Event on that day, the final Observation Date will be the immediately succeeding Market Measure Business Day during which no Market Disruption Event occurs or is continuing; provided that the Ending Value will be determined (or, if not determinable, estimated) by the calculation agent in a manner which the calculation agent considers commercially reasonable under the circumstances on a date no later than the second scheduled Market Measure Business Day prior to the maturity date, regardless of the occurrence of a Market Disruption Event on that second scheduled Market Measure Business Day.

 

If, due to a Market Disruption Event or otherwise, a scheduled Observation Date (other than the final Observation Date) is postponed, the Call Settlement Date, if applicable, will be approximately the fifth business day following the Observation Date as postponed, unless otherwise specified in the applicable term sheet.

 

A “business day” is any day that is not a Saturday or Sunday and that is not a day on which banking institutions are generally authorized or obligated by law, regulation or executive order to close in The City of New York.

 

Unless otherwise specified in the applicable term sheet, a “Market Measure Business Day” means a day on which (1) the New York Stock Exchange (the “NYSE”) and The NASDAQ Stock Market, or their successors, are open for trading, and (2) the Market Measure or any successor thereto is calculated and published.

 

Payment at Maturity

 

If the notes are not called prior to the maturity date, then at maturity, subject to our credit risk as issuer of the notes, you will receive a Redemption Amount, denominated in U.S. dollars. The “Redemption Amount” will be calculated as follows:

 

·If the Ending Value is greater than or equal to the Threshold Value, then the Redemption Amount will equal the principal amount.

 

·If the Ending Value is less than the Threshold Value, then the Redemption Amount will equal:

 

 

PS-19

 

The Redemption Amount will not be less than zero.

 

The “Threshold Value” will be a value of the Market Measure that equals a specified percentage of the Starting Value, which will be less than or equal to 100%. The Threshold Value will be determined on the pricing date and set forth in the term sheet. If the Threshold Value is equal to 100% of the Starting Value, then the Redemption Amount for the notes will be less than the principal amount if the notes are not called and there is any decrease in the value of the Market Measure from the Starting Value to the Ending Value, and you may lose all of your investment in the notes.

 

Each term sheet will provide examples of payments on the notes based on hypothetical Observation Levels and Ending Values.

 

The term sheet will set forth information as to the specific Market Measure, including information as to the historical values of the Market Measure. However, historical values of the Market Measure are not indicative of its future performance or the performance of your notes.

 

An investment in the notes does not entitle you to any ownership interest, including any voting rights, dividends paid, or other distributions, in the securities of any of the companies included in the Market Measure.

 

The Starting Value, the Observation Level and the Ending Value

 

Starting Value

 

Unless otherwise specified in the term sheet, the “Starting Value” will equal the closing level of the Market Measure on the pricing date.

 

Observation Level

 

Unless otherwise specified in the term sheet, the “Observation Level” will equal the closing level of the Market Measure on the applicable Observation Date.

 

Ending Value

 

The “Ending Value” will be the Observation Level on the final Observation Date.

 

If the Market Measure consists of a Basket, the Starting Value, each Observation Level, and the Ending Value of the Basket will be determined as described in “—Basket Market Measures.”

 

Market Disruption Events

 

For an index, “Market Disruption Event” means one or more of the following events, as determined by the calculation agent in its sole discretion:

 

  (A) the suspension of or material limitation on trading, in each case, for more than two consecutive hours of trading, or during the one-half hour period preceding the close of trading, on the primary exchange where the securities included in an index trade (without taking into account any extended or after-hours trading session), in 20% or more of the securities which then compose the index or any successor index; and
     
 

(B)

 

the suspension of or material limitation on trading, in each case, for more than two consecutive hours of trading, or during the one-half hour period preceding the

PS-20

 

    close of trading, on the primary exchange that trades options contracts or futures contracts related to the index (without taking into account any extended or after-hours trading session), whether by reason of movements in price otherwise exceeding levels permitted by the relevant exchange or otherwise, in options contracts or futures contracts related to the index, or any successor index.
     

For the purpose of determining whether a Market Disruption Event has occurred:

 

  (1) a limitation on the hours in a trading day and/or number of days of trading will not constitute a Market Disruption Event if it results from an announced change in the regular business hours of the relevant exchange;
     
  (2) a decision to permanently discontinue trading in the relevant futures or options contracts related to the index, or any successor index, will not constitute a Market Disruption Event;
     
  (3) a suspension in trading in a futures or options contract on the index, or any successor index, by a major securities market by reason of (a) a price change violating limits set by that securities market, (b) an imbalance of orders relating to those contracts, or (c) a disparity in bid and ask quotes relating to those contracts will constitute a suspension of or material limitation on trading in futures or options contracts related to the index;
     
  (4) a suspension of or material limitation on trading on the relevant exchange will not include any time when that exchange is closed for trading under ordinary circumstances; and
     
  (5) if applicable to indices with component securities listed on the NYSE, for the purpose of clause (A) above, any limitations on trading during significant market fluctuations under NYSE Rule 80B, or any applicable rule or regulation enacted or promulgated by the NYSE or any other self-regulatory organization or the SEC of similar scope as determined by the calculation agent, will be considered “material.”

 

Adjustments to an Index

 

After the applicable pricing date, an Index Publisher may make a material change in the method of calculating an index or in another way that changes the index such that it does not, in the opinion of the calculation agent, fairly represent the level of the index had those changes or modifications not been made. In this case, the calculation agent will, at the close of business in New York, New York, on each date that the closing level is to be calculated, make adjustments to the index. Those adjustments will be made in good faith as necessary to arrive at a calculation of a level of the index as if those changes or modifications had not been made, and calculate the closing level of the index, as so adjusted.

 

Discontinuance of an Index

 

After the pricing date, an Index Publisher may discontinue publication of an index to which an issue of the notes is linked. The Index Publisher or another entity may then publish a substitute index that the calculation agent determines, in its sole discretion, to be comparable to the original index (a “successor index”). If this occurs, the calculation agent will substitute the successor index as calculated by the relevant Index Publisher or any other entity and calculate the closing level on any Observation Date and/or the Ending Value as described under “—The Starting Value, the Observation Level and the Ending Value” or “—Basket Market Measure,” as applicable. If the calculation agent selects a successor index, the calculation agent will give written notice of the selection to the trustee, to us, and to the holders of the notes.

 

PS-21

 

If an Index Publisher discontinues publication of the index before the applicable Observation Date and the calculation agent does not select a successor index, then on each day that would otherwise be an Observation Date, until the earlier to occur of:

 

·the occurrence of an automatic call;

 

·the determination of the Ending Value; and

 

·a determination by the calculation agent that a successor index is available,

 

the calculation agent will compute a substitute level for the index in accordance with the procedures last used to calculate the index before any discontinuance as if that day were the applicable Observation Date. The calculation agent will make available to holders of the notes information regarding those levels by means of Bloomberg L.P., Thomson Reuters, a website, or any other means selected by the calculation agent in its reasonable discretion.

 

If a successor index is selected or the calculation agent calculates a level as a substitute for an index, the successor index or level will be used as a substitute for all purposes, including for the purpose of determining whether a Market Disruption Event exists.

 

Notwithstanding these alternative arrangements, any modification or discontinuance of the publication of any index to which your notes are linked may adversely affect the market value of the notes.

 

Basket Market Measures

 

If the Market Measure to which your notes are linked is a Basket, the Basket Components will be set forth in the term sheet. We will assign each Basket Component a weighting (the “Initial Component Weight”) so that each Basket Component represents a percentage of the Starting Value of the Basket on the pricing date. The Basket Components may or may not have equal Initial Component Weights, as set forth in the term sheet.

 

Determination of the Component Ratio for Each Basket Component

 

The “Starting Value” of the Basket will be equal to 100. We will set a fixed factor (the “Component Ratio”) for each Basket Component on the pricing date, based upon the weighting of that Basket Component. The Component Ratio for each Basket Component will equal:

 

·the Initial Component Weight (expressed as a percentage) for that Basket Component, multiplied by 100; divided by

 

·the closing level of that Basket Component on the pricing date.

 

Each Component Ratio will be rounded to eight decimal places.

 

The Component Ratios will be calculated in this way so that the Starting Value of the Basket will equal 100 on the pricing date. The Component Ratios will not be revised subsequent to their determination on the pricing date, except that the calculation agent may in its good faith judgment adjust the Component Ratio of any Basket Component in the event that Basket Component is materially changed or modified in a manner that does not, in the opinion of the calculation agent, fairly represent the value of that Basket Component had those material changes or modifications not been made.

 

PS-22

 

The following table is for illustration purposes only, and does not reflect the actual composition, Initial Component Weights, or Component Ratios, which will be set forth in the term sheet.

 

Example: The hypothetical Basket Components are Index ABC, Index XYZ, and Index RST, with their Initial Component Weights being 50.00%, 25.00% and 25.00%, respectively, on a hypothetical pricing date:

 

Basket Component 

 

Initial Component
Weight 

 

Hypothetical Closing
Level(1) 

 

Hypothetical
Component Ratio(2) 

 

Initial Basket
Value
Contribution 

Index ABC    50.00%   500.00    0.10000000    50.00 
Index XYZ    25.00%   2,420.00    0.01033058    25.00 
Index RST    25.00%   1,014.00    0.02465483    25.00 
Starting Value                  100.00 

(1) This column sets forth the hypothetical closing level of each Basket Component on the hypothetical pricing date.
(2) The hypothetical Component Ratio for each Basket Component equals its Initial Component Weight (expressed as a percentage) multiplied by 100, and then divided by the closing level of that Basket Component on the hypothetical pricing date, with the result rounded to eight decimal places.

 

Unless otherwise stated in the term sheet, if a Market Disruption Event occurs on the pricing date as to any Basket Component, the calculation agent will establish the closing level of that Basket Component (the “Basket Component Closing Level”), and thus its Component Ratio, based on the closing level of that Basket Component on the first Market Measure Business Day following the pricing date on which no Market Disruption Event occurs for that Basket Component. In the event that a Market Disruption Event occurs for that Basket Component on the pricing date and on each day to and including the second scheduled Market Measure Business Day following the pricing date, the calculation agent (not later than the close of business in New York, New York on the second scheduled Market Measure Business Day following the pricing date) will estimate the Basket Component Closing Level, and thus the applicable Component Ratio, in a manner that the calculation agent considers commercially reasonable. The final term sheet will provide the Basket Component Closing Level, a brief statement of the facts relating to the establishment of the Basket Component Closing Level (including the applicable Market Disruption Event(s)), and the applicable Component Ratio.

 

For purposes of determining whether a Market Disruption Event has occurred as to any Basket Component, “Market Disruption Event” will have the meaning stated above in
“—Market Disruption Events.”

 

Observation Level of the Basket

 

The “Observation Level” of the Basket will be the value of the Basket on the relevant Observation Date. The calculation agent will calculate the value of the Basket by summing the products of the Basket Component Closing Level on the applicable Observation Date and the Component Ratio for each Basket Component. The value of the Basket will vary based on the increase or decrease in the level of each Basket Component. Any increase in the level of a

 

PS-23

 

Basket Component (assuming no change in the level of the other Basket Component or Basket Components) will result in an increase in the value of the Basket. Conversely, any decrease in the level of a Basket Component (assuming no change in the level of the other Basket Component or Basket Components) will result in a decrease in the value of the Basket.

 

Unless otherwise specified in the term sheet, if, for any Basket Component (an “Affected Basket Component”), (i) a Market Disruption Event occurs on a scheduled Observation Date or (ii) any scheduled Observation Date is determined by the calculation agent not to be a Market Measure Business Day by reason of an extraordinary event, occurrence, declaration, or otherwise (any such day in either (i) or (ii) being a “non-calculation day”), the calculation agent will determine the closing levels of the Basket Components for that non-calculation day, and as a result, the relevant Observation Level, as follows:

 

·The closing level of each Basket Component that is not an Affected Basket Component will be its closing level on such non-calculation day.

 

·The closing level of each Basket Component that is an Affected Basket Component for the applicable non-calculation day will be determined in the same manner as described in the fifth and the sixth paragraphs of subsection “—Automatic Call,” provided that references to “Market Measure” will be references to “Basket Component.”

 

Role of the Calculation Agent

 

The calculation agent has the sole discretion to make all determinations regarding the notes as described in this product supplement, including determinations regarding the Starting Value, the Call Level, the Threshold Value, each Observation Level, the Ending Value, whether the notes will be called, the Redemption Amount, any Market Disruption Events, a successor index, Market Measure Business Days, business days, non-calculation days, and determinations related to the discontinuance of any index. Absent manifest error, all determinations of the calculation agent will be final and binding on you and us, without any liability on the part of the calculation agent.

 

We may act as the calculation agent, or we may appoint MLPF&S or one of its affiliates to act as the calculation agent for the notes. Alternatively, we and MLPF&S or one of its affiliates may act as joint calculation agents for the notes. When we refer to a “calculation agent” in this product supplement or in any term sheet, we are referring to the applicable calculation agent or joint calculation agents, as the case may be. We may change the calculation agent at any time without notifying you. The identity of the calculation agent will be set forth in the applicable term sheet.

 

Purchases

 

We may at any time purchase the notes, which may, in our sole discretion, be held, sold or cancelled.

 

Cancellation

 

Upon the purchase and surrender for cancellation of any notes by us or the automatic call of any notes, such notes will be cancelled by the trustee.

 

Book-Entry, Delivery and Form

 

We will issue the notes in the form of one or more fully registered global securities, or the global notes, in denominations of $10 or integral multiples of $10 greater than $10 or such

 

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other denominations specified in the applicable term sheet. We will deposit the notes with, or on behalf of, DTC, as the depositary, and will register the notes in the name of Cede & Co., DTC’s nominee. Your beneficial interests in the global notes will be represented through book-entry accounts of financial institutions acting on behalf of beneficial owners as direct and indirect participants in DTC. Except as set forth below, the global notes may be transferred, in whole and not in part, only to another nominee of DTC or to a successor of DTC or its nominee.

 

As long as the notes are represented by the global notes, we will make all payments on the notes, if any, to or as directed by DTC as the registered holder of the global notes. Payments to DTC will be in immediately available funds by wire transfer. DTC will credit the relevant accounts of their participants on the applicable date.

 

For a further description of procedures regarding global securities representing book-entry securities, we refer you to “Description of Certain Provisions Relating to Debt Securities and Contingent Convertible Securities—Book-Entry System” in the accompanying prospectus and “Description of Notes—Book-Entry, Delivery and Form” in the accompanying prospectus supplement.

 

Events of Default and Acceleration

 

Events of default are defined in the senior indenture. If such an event occurs and is continuing, unless otherwise stated in the term sheet, the amount payable to a holder of the notes upon any acceleration permitted under the senior indenture will be equal to the payment described under the captions “—Automatic Call” or “—Payment at Maturity,” determined as if the date of acceleration were the maturity date of the notes and as if the final Observation Date were five Market Measure Business Days prior to the date of acceleration. The calculation agent shall pro-rate the applicable Call Premium and Call Amount according to the period of time elapsed between the settlement date of the notes and the date of acceleration.

 

If a voluntary or involuntary liquidation, bankruptcy or insolvency of, or any analogous proceeding is filed with respect to the issuer, then depending on applicable bankruptcy law, your claim may be limited to an amount that could be less than the amount payable upon default and acceleration as described above. In case of a default in payment of the notes, whether at their maturity or upon acceleration, and whether in an insolvency proceeding or otherwise, the notes will not accrue any default or other interest rate.

 

Listing

 

Unless otherwise specified in the applicable term sheet, the notes will not be listed on a securities exchange or quotation system.

 

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SUPPLEMENTAL PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION

 

MLPF&S and one or more of its affiliates may act as our agents for any offering of the notes. The agents may act on either a principal basis or an agency basis, as set forth in the applicable term sheet. Each agent will be a party to a distribution agreement described in the “Plan of Distribution (Conflicts of Interest)” beginning on page S-7 of the accompanying prospectus supplement.

 

Each agent will receive an underwriting discount that is a percentage of the aggregate principal amount of the notes sold through its efforts, which will be set forth in the applicable term sheet. You must have an account with the applicable agent in order to purchase the notes.

 

None of the agents is acting as your fiduciary or advisor solely as a result of the making of any offering of the notes, and you should not rely upon this product supplement, the term sheet, or the accompanying prospectus or prospectus supplement as investment advice or a recommendation to purchase any notes. You should make your own investment decision regarding the notes after consulting with your legal, tax, and other advisors.

 

MLPF&S and its affiliates may use this product supplement, the prospectus supplement, and the prospectus, together with the applicable term sheet, in market-making transactions for any notes after their initial sale solely for the purpose of providing investors with the description of the terms of the notes that were made available to investors in connection with the initial distribution of the notes. Secondary market investors should not, and will not be authorized to rely on these documents for information regarding Credit Suisse or for any purpose other than that described in the immediately preceding sentence.

 

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CREDIT SUISSE AG

 

Credit Suisse AG, London Branch (“CSLB”), was registered in England and Wales on April 22, 1993. It is, among other things, a vehicle for various funding activities of Credit Suisse AG. CSLB exists as part of Credit Suisse AG and is not a separate legal entity, although it has independent status for certain tax and regulatory purposes. CSLB is authorized and regulated by the Financial Market Supervisory Authority in Switzerland, is authorized by the Prudential Regulation Authority in the U.K., and is subject to regulation by the Financial Conduct Authority and limited regulation by the Prudential Regulation Authority in the U.K. CSLB’s address is One Cabot Square, London EC14 4QJ, and its telephone number is +44 20 7888 8888. For additional information, see “Credit Suisse” in the accompanying prospectus.

 

Credit Suisse may at any time substitute another of its branches for the branch through which it acts under the notes for all purposes under the notes. The notes will remain obligations of Credit Suisse, notwithstanding any such substitution.

 

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Material U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSIDERATIONS

 

The following discussion summarizes material U.S. federal income tax consequences of owning and disposing of the notes that may be relevant to holders of the notes that acquire their notes from us as part of the original issuance of the notes. This discussion applies only to holders that hold their notes as capital assets within the meaning of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”). Further, this discussion does not address all of the U.S. federal income tax consequences that may be relevant to you in light of your individual circumstances or if you are subject to special rules, such as if you are:

 

a financial institution,

 

a mutual fund,

 

a tax-exempt organization,

 

a grantor trust,

 

certain U.S. expatriates,

 

an insurance company,

 

a dealer or trader in securities or foreign currencies,

 

a person (including traders in securities) using a mark-to-market method of accounting,

 

a person who holds the notes as a hedge or as part of a straddle with another position, constructive sale, conversion transaction or other integrated transaction, or

 

an entity that is treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

 

The discussion is based upon the Code, law, regulations, rulings and decisions, in each case, as available and in effect as of the date hereof, all of which are subject to change, possibly with retroactive effect. Tax consequences under state, local and foreign laws are not addressed herein. No ruling from the IRS has been sought as to the U.S. federal income tax consequences of the ownership and disposition of the notes, and the following discussion is not binding on the IRS.

 

You should consult your tax advisor as to the specific tax consequences to you of owning and disposing of the notes, including the application of federal, state, local and foreign income and other tax laws based on your particular facts and circumstances.

 

Characterization of the Notes

 

There are no statutory provisions, regulations, published rulings, or judicial decisions addressing the characterization for U.S. federal income tax purposes of the notes or securities with terms that are substantially the same as those of your notes. Thus, the characterization of the notes is not certain. Our special tax counsel, Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP, has advised that the notes should be treated, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, as prepaid financial contracts, with respect to the Market Measure, that are eligible for open transaction treatment. In the absence of an administrative or judicial ruling to the contrary, we and, by acceptance of the notes, you agree to treat the notes for all tax purposes in accordance with such characterization. In light of the fact that we agree to treat the notes as prepaid financial contracts, the balance of this discussion assumes that the notes will be so treated.

 

You should be aware that the characterization of the notes as described above is not certain, nor is it binding on the IRS or the courts. Thus, it is possible that the IRS would seek to characterize your notes in a manner that results in tax consequences to you that are different from those described below. For example, the IRS might assert that notes with a term of more than one year constitute debt instruments that are “contingent payment debt instruments” that are subject to special tax rules under the applicable Treasury regulations

 

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governing the recognition of income over the term of your notes. If the notes were to be treated as contingent payment debt instruments, you would be required to include in income on an economic accrual basis over the term of the notes an amount of interest that is based upon the yield at which we would issue a non-contingent fixed-rate debt instrument with other terms and conditions similar to your notes (the comparable yield). The characterization of the notes as contingent payment debt instruments under these rules is likely to be adverse. However, if the notes had a term of one year or less, the rules for short-term debt obligations would apply rather than the rules for contingent payment debt instruments. Under Treasury regulations, a short-term debt obligation is treated as issued at a discount equal to the difference between all payments on the obligation and the obligation’s issue price. A cash method U.S. Holder that does not elect to accrue the discount in income currently should include the payments attributable to interest on the notes as income upon receipt. Under these rules, any contingent payment would be taxable upon receipt by a cash basis taxpayer as ordinary interest income. You should consult your tax advisor regarding the possible tax consequences of characterization of the notes as contingent payment debt instruments or short-term debt obligations. It is also possible that the IRS would seek to characterize the notes as options, and thus as Code section 1256 contracts in the event that they are listed on a securities exchange. In such case, the notes would be marked-to-market at the end of the year and 40% of any gain or loss would be treated as short-term capital gain or loss, and the remaining 60% of any gain or loss would be treated as long-term capital gain or loss. We are not responsible for any adverse consequences that you may experience as a result of any alternative characterization of the notes for U.S. federal income tax or other tax purposes.

 

You should consult your tax advisor as to the tax consequences of such characterization and any possible alternative characterizations of your notes for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

 

U.S. Holders

 

For purposes of this discussion, the term “U.S. Holder,” for U.S. federal income tax purposes, means a beneficial owner of notes that is (1) a citizen or resident of the United States, (2) a corporation (or an entity treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes) created or organized in or under the laws of the United States or any state thereof or the District of Columbia, (3) an estate, the income of which is subject to U.S. federal income taxation regardless of its source, or (4) a trust, if (a) a court within the United States is able to exercise primary supervision over the administration of such trust and one or more U.S. persons have the authority to control all substantial decisions of the trust or (b) such trust has in effect a valid election to be treated as a domestic trust for U.S. federal income tax purposes. If a partnership (or an entity treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes) holds notes, the U.S. federal income tax treatment of such partnership and a partner in such partnership will generally depend upon the status of the partner and the activities of the partnership. If you are a partnership, or a partner of a partnership, holding notes, you should consult your tax advisor regarding the tax consequences to you from the partnership’s purchase, ownership and disposition of the notes.

 

In accordance with the agreed-upon tax treatment described above, upon receipt of the Redemption Amount from us, a U.S. Holder will recognize gain or loss equal to the difference between the amount of cash received from us and the U.S. Holder’s tax basis in the note at that time. For notes with a term of more than one year, such gain or loss will be long-term capital gain or loss if the U.S. Holder has held the note for more than one year at maturity. For notes with a term of one year or less, such gain or loss will be short-term capital gain or loss.

 

Upon the sale or other taxable disposition of a note, a U.S. Holder generally will recognize gain or loss equal to the difference between the amount realized on the sale or other taxable disposition and the U.S. Holder’s tax basis in the note (generally its cost). For notes

 

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with a term of more than one year, such gain or loss will be long-term capital gain or loss if the U.S. Holder has held the note for more than one year at the time of disposition. For notes with a term of one year or less, such gain or loss will be short-term capital gain or loss.

 

Medicare Tax

 

Certain U.S. Holders that are individuals, estates, and trusts must pay a 3.8% tax (the “Medicare Tax”) on the lesser of the U.S. person’s (1) “net investment income” or “undistributed net investment income” in the case of an estate or trust and (2) the excess of modified adjusted gross income over a certain specified threshold for the taxable year. “Net investment income” generally includes income from interest, dividends, and net gains from the disposition of property (such as the notes) unless such income or net gains are derived in the ordinary course of a trade or business (other than a trade or business that is a passive activity with respect to the taxpayer or a trade or business of trading in financial instruments or commodities). Net investment income may be reduced by allowable deductions properly allocable to such gross income or net gain. Any interest earned or deemed earned on the notes and any gain on sale or other taxable disposition of the notes will be subject to the Medicare Tax. If you are an individual, estate, or trust, you are urged to consult with your tax advisor regarding application of the Medicare Tax to your income and gains in respect of your investment in the notes.

 

Notes Held Through Foreign Entities

 

Under certain provisions of the “Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment Act,” generally referred to as “FATCA,” and recently finalized regulations, a 30% withholding tax is imposed on “withholdable payments” and certain “passthru payments” made to “foreign financial institutions” (as defined in the regulations or an applicable intergovernmental agreement) (and their more than 50% affiliates) unless the payee foreign financial institution agrees, among other things, to disclose the identity of any U.S. individual with an account at the institution (or the institution’s affiliates) and to annually report certain information about such account. The term “withholdable payments” generally includes (1) payments of fixed or determinable annual or periodical gains, profits, and income (“FDAP”), in each case, from sources within the United States, and (2) gross proceeds from the sale of any property of a type which can produce interest or dividends from sources within the United States. “Passthru payments” means any withholdable payment and any foreign passthru payment. To avoid becoming subject to the 30% withholding tax on payments to them, we and other foreign financial institutions may be required to report information to the IRS regarding the holders of the notes and, in the case of holders who (i) fail to provide the relevant information, (ii) are foreign financial institutions who have not agreed to comply with these information reporting requirements, or (iii) hold the notes directly or indirectly through such non-compliant foreign financial institutions, we may be required to withhold on a portion of payments under the notes. FATCA also requires withholding agents making withholdable payments to certain foreign entities that do not disclose the name, address, and taxpayer identification number of any substantial U.S. owners (or certify that they do not have any substantial United States owners) to withhold tax at a rate of 30%. If payments on the notes are determined to be from sources within the United States, we will treat such payments as withholdable payments for these purposes.

 

Withholding under FATCA will apply to all withholdable payments and certain passthru payments without regard to whether the beneficial owner of the payment is a U.S. person, or would otherwise be entitled to an exemption from the imposition of withholding tax pursuant to an applicable tax treaty with the United States or pursuant to U.S. domestic law. Unless a foreign financial institution is the beneficial owner of a payment, it will be subject to refund or credit in accordance with the same procedures and limitations applicable to other taxes withheld on FDAP payments provided that the beneficial owner of the payment furnishes such information as the IRS determines is necessary to determine whether such beneficial owner is a

 

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United States owned foreign entity and the identity of any substantial United States owners of such entity.

 

Pursuant to the recently finalized regulations described above and IRS Notice 2013-43, and subject to the exceptions described below, FATCA’s withholding regime generally will apply to (i) withholdable payments (other than gross proceeds of the type described above) made after June 30, 2014 (other than certain payments made with respect to a “preexisting obligation,” as defined in the regulations); (ii) payments of gross proceeds of the type described above with respect to a sale or disposition occurring after December 31, 2016; and (iii) foreign passthru payments made after the later of December 31, 2016, or the date that final regulations defining the term ”foreign passthru payment” are published. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the provisions of FATCA discussed above generally will not apply to (a) any obligation (other than an instrument that is treated as equity for U.S. tax purposes or that lacks a stated expiration or term) that is outstanding on July 1, 2014 (a “grandfathered obligation”); (b) any obligation that produces withholdable payments solely because the obligation is treated as giving rise to a dividend equivalent pursuant to Code section 871(m) and the regulations thereunder that is outstanding at any point prior to six months after the date on which obligations of its type are first treated as giving rise to dividend equivalents; and (c) any agreement requiring a secured party to make payments with respect to collateral securing one or more grandfathered obligations (even if the collateral is not itself a grandfathered obligation). Thus, if you hold your notes through a foreign financial institution or foreign entity, a portion of any of your payments may be subject to 30% withholding.

 

Non-U.S. Holders Generally

 

Except as provided under “Notes Held Through Foreign Entities” and “Substitute Dividend and Dividend Equivalent Payments,” payments made with respect to the notes to a holder of the notes that is not a U.S. Holder (a “Non-U.S. Holder”) and that has no connection with the United States other than holding its notes will not be subject to U.S. withholding tax, provided that such Non-U.S. Holder complies with applicable certification requirements. Any gain realized upon the sale or other disposition of the notes by a Non-U.S. Holder generally will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax unless (1) such gain is effectively connected with a U.S. trade or business of such Non-U.S. Holder or (2) in the case of an individual, such individual is present in the United States for 183 days or more in the taxable year of the sale or other disposition and certain other conditions are met. Any effectively connected gains described in clause (1) above realized by a Non-U.S. Holder that is, or is taxable as, a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes may also, under certain circumstances, be subject to an additional branch profits tax at a 30% rate or such lower rate as may be specified by an applicable income tax treaty.

 

Non-U.S. Holders that are subject to U.S. federal income taxation on a net income basis with respect to their investment in the notes should refer to the discussion above relating to U.S. Holders.

 

Substitute Dividend and Dividend Equivalent Payments

 

The Code and regulations thereunder treat a “dividend equivalent” payment as a dividend from sources within the United States. Unless reduced by an applicable tax treaty with the United States, such payments generally will be subject to U.S. withholding tax. A “dividend equivalent” payment is (i) a substitute dividend payment made pursuant to a securities lending or a sale-repurchase transaction that (directly or indirectly) is contingent upon, or determined by reference to, the payment of a dividend from sources within the United States, (ii) a payment made pursuant to a “specified notional principal contract” (a “specified NPC”) that (directly or indirectly) is contingent upon, or determined by reference to, the payment of a dividend from sources within the United States, and (iii) any other payment determined by the IRS to be substantially similar to a payment described in the preceding

 

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clauses (i) and (ii). For payments made before January 1, 2016, the regulations provide that a specified NPC is any NPC if (a) in connection with entering into the contract, any long party to the contract transfers the underlying security to any short party to the contract, (b) in connection with the termination of the contract, any short party to the contract transfers the underlying security to any long party to the contract, (c) the underlying security is not readily tradable on an established securities market, or (d) in connection with entering into the contract, the underlying security is posted as collateral by any short party to the contract with any long party to the contract.

 

Proposed regulations provide that a dividend equivalent is (i) any payment of a substitute dividend made pursuant to a securities lending or sale-repurchase transaction that references the payment of a dividend from an underlying security, (ii) any payment made pursuant to a specified NPC that references the payment of a dividend from an underlying security, (iii) any payment made pursuant to a “specified equity-linked instrument” (a “specified ELI”) that references the payment of a dividend from an underlying security, or (iv) any other substantially similar payment. An underlying security is any interest in an entity taxable as a domestic corporation if a payment with respect to that interest could give rise to a U.S. source dividend. An ELI is a financial instrument (other than a securities lending or sale-repurchase transaction or an NPC) or combination of financial instruments that references one or more underlying securities to determine its value, including a futures contract, forward contract, option, debt instrument, or other contractual arrangement. For payments made after December 31, 2015, a specified NPC is any NPC that has a delta of 0.70 or greater with respect to an underlying security at the time of acquisition. For payments made after December 31, 2015, a specified ELI is any ELI issued on or after 90 days after the date the proposed regulations are finalized that has a delta of 0.70 or greater with respect to an underlying security at the time of acquisition. The delta of an NPC or ELI is the ratio of the change in the fair market value of the contract to the change in the fair market value of the property referenced by the contract. If an NPC or ELI references more than one underlying security, a separate delta must be determined with respect to each underlying security without taking into account any other underlying security or other property or liability. If an NPC (or ELI) references more than one underlying security, the NPC (or ELI) is a specified NPC (or specified ELI) only with respect to underlying securities for which the NPC (or ELI) has a delta of 0.70 or greater at the time that the long party acquires the NPC (or ELI). The proposed regulations provide an exception for qualified indices that satisfy certain criteria; however, it is not entirely clear how the proposed regulations will apply to notes that are linked to certain indices or baskets. The proposed regulations provide that a payment includes a dividend equivalent payment whether there is an explicit or implicit reference to a dividend with respect to the underlying security.

 

We will treat any portion of a payment or deemed payment on the notes (including, if appropriate, the payment of the purchase price) that is substantially similar to a dividend as a dividend equivalent payment, which will be subject to U.S. withholding tax unless reduced by an applicable tax treaty and a properly executed IRS Form W-8 (or other qualifying documentation) is provided. If withholding applies, we will not be required to pay any additional amounts with respect to amounts withheld. The proposed regulations are extremely complex. Non-U.S. Holders should consult their tax advisors regarding the U.S. federal income tax consequences to them of these proposed regulations and whether payments or deemed payments on the notes constitute dividend equivalent payments.

 

U.S. Federal Estate Tax Treatment of Non-U.S. Holders

 

A note may be subject to U.S. federal estate tax if an individual Non-U.S. Holder holds the note at the time of his or her death. The gross estate of a Non-U.S. Holder domiciled outside the United States includes only property situated in the United States. Individual Non-

 

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U.S. Holders should consult their tax advisors regarding the U.S. federal estate tax consequences of holding the notes at death.

 

IRS Notice and Proposed Legislation on Certain Financial Transactions

 

In Notice 2008-2, the IRS and the Treasury Department stated they are considering issuing new regulations or other guidance on whether holders of an instrument such as the notes should be required to accrue income during the term of the instrument. The IRS and Treasury Department also requested taxpayer comments on (1) the appropriate method for accruing income or expense (e.g., a mark-to-market methodology or a method resembling the noncontingent bond method), (2) whether income and gain on such an instrument should be ordinary or capital, and (3) whether foreign holders should be subject to withholding tax on any deemed income accrual. Additionally, unofficial statements made by IRS officials have indicated that they will soon be addressing the treatment of prepaid forward contracts in proposed regulations.

 

Accordingly, it is possible that regulations or other guidance may be issued that require holders of the notes to recognize income in respect of the notes prior to receipt of any payments thereunder or sale thereof. Any regulations or other guidance that may be issued could result in income and gain (either at maturity or upon sale) in respect of the notes being treated as ordinary income. It is also possible that a Non-U.S. Holder of the notes could be subject to U.S. withholding tax in respect of the notes under such regulations or other guidance. It is not possible to determine whether such regulations or other guidance will apply to your notes (possibly on a retroactive basis). You are urged to consult your tax advisor regarding Notice 2008-2 and its possible impact on you.

 

Members of Congress have from time-to-time proposed legislation relating to financial instruments, including legislation that would require holders to annually mark to market affected financial instruments (potentially including the notes). These or other potential changes in law could adversely affect the tax treatment of the notes and may be applied with retroactive effect. You are urged to consult your tax advisor regarding how any such potential changes in law could affect you.

 

Information Reporting Regarding Specified Foreign Financial Assets

 

The Code and regulations thereunder generally require individual U.S. Holders (“specified individuals”) and “specified domestic entities” with an interest in any “specified foreign financial asset” to file an annual report on IRS Form 8938 with information relating to the asset, including the maximum value thereof, for any taxable year in which the aggregate value of all such assets is greater than $50,000 on the last day of the taxable year or $75,000 at any time during the taxable year. Certain individuals are permitted to have an interest in a higher aggregate value of such assets before being required to file a report. Specified foreign financial assets include, with some limited exceptions, any financial account maintained at a foreign financial institution and any debt or equity interest in a foreign financial institution, including a financial institution organized under the laws of a U.S. possession, and any of the following that are held for investment and not held in an account maintained by a financial institution: (1) any stock or security issued by person other than a U.S. person (including a person organized in a U.S. possession), (2) any financial instrument or contract that has an issuer or counterparty that is other than a U.S. person (including a person organized in a U.S. possession), and (3) any interest in a foreign entity. Additionally, for tax years beginning after December 12, 2014, the regulations provide that specified foreign financial assets include certain retirement and pension accounts and non-retirement savings accounts.

 

Proposed regulations relating to specified domestic entities apply to taxable years beginning after December 31, 2011, but have not yet been adopted as final regulations. Under

 

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the proposed regulations, “specified domestic entities” are domestic entities that are formed or used for the purposes of holding, directly or indirectly, specified foreign financial assets. Generally, specified domestic entities are certain closely held corporations and partnerships that meet passive income or passive asset tests and, with certain exceptions, domestic trusts that have a specified individual as a current beneficiary and exceed the reporting threshold. Pursuant to an IRS Notice, reporting by domestic entities of interests in specified foreign financial assets will not be required before the date specified by final regulations, which will not be earlier than taxable years beginning after December 31, 2012.

 

Depending on the aggregate value of your investment in specified foreign financial assets, you may be obligated to file an IRS Form 8938 under this provision if you are an individual U.S. Holder. Penalties apply to any failure to file IRS Form 8938. In the event a U.S. Holder (either a specified individual or specified domestic entity) does not file such form, the statute of limitations on the assessment and collection of U.S. federal income taxes of such U.S. Holder for the related tax year may not close before the date which is three years after the date such information is filed. You should consult your tax advisor as to the possible application to you of this information reporting requirement and related statute of limitations tolling provision.

 

Backup Withholding and Information Reporting

 

A holder of the notes (whether a U.S. Holder or a Non-U.S. Holder) may be subject to backup withholding with respect to certain amounts paid to such holder unless it provides a correct taxpayer identification number, complies with certain certification procedures establishing that it is not a U.S. Holder or establishes proof of another applicable exemption, and otherwise complies with applicable requirements of the backup withholding rules. Backup withholding is not an additional tax. You can claim a credit against your U.S. federal income tax liability for amounts withheld under the backup withholding rules, and amounts in excess of your liability are refundable if you provide the required information to the IRS in a timely fashion. A holder of the notes may also be subject to information reporting to the IRS with respect to certain amounts paid to such holder unless it (1) is a Non-U.S. Holder and provides a properly executed IRS Form W-8 (or other qualifying documentation) or (2) otherwise establishes a basis for exemption.

 

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ERISA CONSIDERATIONS

 

The Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended (“ERISA”), and Section 4975 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (the “Code”), impose certain requirements on (a) employee benefit plans subject to Title I of ERISA, (b) individual retirement accounts, Keogh plans or other arrangements subject to Section 4975 of the Code, (c) entities whose underlying assets include “plan assets” (within the meaning of U.S. Department of Labor Regulation Section 2510.3-101, as modified by Section 3(42) of ERISA) by reason of any such plan’s or arrangement’s investment therein (we refer to the foregoing collectively as “Plans”) and (d) persons who are fiduciaries with respect to Plans. In addition, certain governmental, church and non-U.S. plans (“Non-ERISA Arrangements”) are not subject to Section 406 of ERISA or Section 4975 of the Code, but may be subject to other laws that are substantially similar to those provisions (each, a “Similar Law”).

 

In addition to ERISA’s general fiduciary standards, Section 406 of ERISA and Section 4975 of the Code prohibit certain transactions involving the assets of a Plan and persons who have specified relationships to the Plan, i.e., “parties in interest” as defined in ERISA or “disqualified persons” as defined in Section 4975 of the Code (we refer to the foregoing collectively as “parties in interest”) unless exemptive relief is available under an exemption issued by the U.S. Department of Labor. Parties in interest that engage in a non-exempt prohibited transaction may be subject to excise taxes and other penalties and liabilities under ERISA and Section 4975 of the Code. We, and our current and future affiliates, including Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC and Credit Suisse International, may be parties in interest with respect to many Plans. Thus, a Plan fiduciary considering an investment in the notes should also consider whether such an investment might constitute or give rise to a prohibited transaction under ERISA or Section 4975 of the Code. For example, the notes may be deemed to represent a direct or indirect sale of property, extension of credit or furnishing of services between us and an investing Plan which would be prohibited if we are a party in interest with respect to the Plan unless exemptive relief were available under an applicable exemption.

 

In this regard, each prospective purchaser that is, or is acting on behalf of, a Plan, and proposes to purchase the notes, should consider the exemptive relief available under the following prohibited transaction class exemptions, or PTCEs: (A) the in-house asset manager exemption (PTCE 96-23), (B) the insurance company general account exemption (PTCE 95-60), (C) the bank collective investment fund exemption (PTCE 91-38), (D) the insurance company pooled separate account exemption (PTCE 90-1) and (E) the qualified professional asset manager exemption (PTCE 84-14). In addition, ERISA Section 408(b)(17) and Section 4975(d)(20) of the Code provide a limited exemption for the purchase and sale of notes and related lending transactions, provided that neither the issuer of the notes nor any of its affiliates have or exercise any discretionary authority or control or render any investment advice with respect to the assets of any Plan involved in the transaction and provided further that the Plan pays no more, and receives no less, than adequate consideration (within the meaning of Section 408(b)(17) of ERISA or Section 4975(f)(10) of the Code) in connection with the transaction (the so-called “service provider exemption”). There can be no assurance that any of these statutory or class exemptions will be available with respect to transactions involving the notes.

 

Each purchaser or holder of a security, and each fiduciary who causes any entity to purchase or hold a security, shall be deemed to have represented and warranted, on each day such purchaser or holder holds such notes, that either (i) it is neither a Plan nor a Non-ERISA Arrangement and it is not purchasing or holding notes on behalf of or with the assets of any Plan or Non-ERISA Arrangement; or (ii) its purchase, holding and subsequent disposition of such notes shall not constitute or result in a non-exempt prohibited transaction under Section 406 of ERISA, Section 4975 of the Code or any provision of Similar Law.

 

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Fiduciaries of any Plans and Non-ERISA Arrangements should consult their own legal counsel before purchasing the notes. We also refer you to the portions of the offering circular addressing restrictions applicable under ERISA, the Code and Similar Law.

 

Each purchaser of a security will have exclusive responsibility for ensuring that its purchase, holding and subsequent disposition of the security does not violate the fiduciary or prohibited transaction rules of ERISA, the Code or any Similar Law. Nothing herein shall be construed as a representation that an investment in the notes would meet any or all of the relevant legal requirements with respect to investments by, or is appropriate for, Plans or Non-ERISA Arrangements generally or any particular Plan or Non-ERISA Arrangement.

 

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