SUPPLEMENTAL DISCUSSION OF CANADIAN FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSEQUENCES

In the opinion of Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt, LLP, Canadian counsel to the Bank, the following is a summary of the principal Canadian federal income tax considerations generally applicable to a purchaser who acquires, as a beneficial owner, the notes, including entitlement to all payments thereunder, pursuant to the initial offering by the Bank made in connection with the original issuance of the notes and who, at all relevant times, for purposes of the application of the Income Tax Act (Canada) and the Income Tax Regulations (collectively, the “Act”) is not, and is not deemed to be, resident in Canada, deals at arm’s length with the Bank and any transferee resident (or deemed to be resident) in Canada to whom the purchaser disposes of the notes, does not use or hold the notes in a business carried on in Canada, and is not a “specified non-resident shareholder” of the Bank for purposes of the Act or a non-resident person not dealing at arm’s length with a “specified shareholder” (as defined in subsection 18(5) of the Act) of the Bank  (a ‘‘Non-Resident Holder’’). Special rules, which are not discussed in this summary, may apply to a non-Canadian holder that is an insurer carrying on an insurance business in Canada and elsewhere.

This summary is based upon the current provisions of the Act and an understanding of the current administrative policies and assessing practices of the CRA published in writing prior to the date hereof. This summary takes into account all specific proposals to amend the Act publicly announced by or on behalf of the Minister of Finance (Canada) prior to the date hereof (the “Proposals”) and assumes that all Proposals will be enacted in the form proposed. However, no assurances can be given that the Proposals will be enacted as proposed, or at all. This summary does not otherwise take into account any changes in law or administrative practices or assessing policies, whether by legislative, administrative or judicial action, nor does it take into account tax legislation or considerations of any province, territory or foreign jurisdiction, which may differ from those discussed herein.

This summary assumes that no interest paid on the notes will be in respect of a debt or other obligation to pay an amount to a person with whom the Bank does not deal at arm’s length, within the meaning of the Act.

This summary is of a general nature only and is not, and is not intended to be, legal or tax advice to any particular holder. This summary is not exhaustive of all Canadian federal income tax considerations. Accordingly, prospective purchasers should consult their own tax advisors with regard to their own particular circumstances.

Interest paid or credited or deemed for purposes of the Act to be paid or credited on a note (including any amount paid at maturity in excess of the principal amount and interest deemed to be paid on the note in certain cases involving the assignment, deemed assignment or other transfer of a note to the Bank or any other resident or deemed resident of Canada) to a Non-Resident Holder will not be subject to Canadian non-resident withholding tax unless any portion of such interest is contingent or dependent on the use of or production from property in Canada or is computed by reference to revenue, profit, cash flow, commodity price or any other similar criterion or by reference to dividends paid or payable to shareholders of any class of shares of the capital stock of a corporation (“Participating Debt Interest”) subject to certain exceptions.  Unless otherwise specified in the applicable term sheet, no portion of the interest paid or credited or deemed to be paid or credited on a note will be Participating Debt Interest. Any conclusion that interest paid or credited or deemed to be paid or credited on a note will not be Participating Debt Interest will be based in part on the published administrative position of the CRA.

No other Canadian federal taxes on income or gains will be payable by a Non-Resident Holder on interest or principal, or on proceeds received by a Non-Resident Holder on the disposition of a note, including on a redemption, payment on maturity, repurchase or purchase for cancellation.

MATERIAL U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSEQUENCES

The U.S. federal income tax consequences of your investment in the notes are uncertain. There are no statutory provisions, regulations, published rulings or judicial decisions addressing the characterization for U.S. federal income tax purposes of how the notes should be treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes and we do not plan to request a ruling from the IRS. The following is a general description of certain material U.S. federal income tax consequences of the ownership and disposition of the notes and does not purport to be a complete analysis of all tax consequences relating to the notes.  This summary is based upon the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), final, temporary and proposed Treasury regulations, rulings and decisions, in each case, as available and in effect as of the date of this document, all of which are subject to change, possibly with retroactive effect. Tax consequences under state, local and non-U.S. laws are not addressed herein. The applicable term sheet may contain a further discussion of the special federal income tax consequences applicable to certain notes. The summary of the federal income tax considerations contained in the applicable term sheet supersedes the following summary to the extent it is inconsistent therewith.  The discussion below also assumes that the notes will not provide for the payment of a coupon.  If the notes provide for the payment of a coupon, the federal income tax treatment of the coupon will be described in the applicable term sheet. Prospective purchasers of the notes are urged to read the discussion in the applicable term sheet relating to the notes and to consult their tax advisors as to the consequences under the tax laws of the country of which they are resident for tax purposes and the tax laws of Canada and the U.S. of acquiring, holding and disposing of the notes and receiving payments under the notes. For additional information, see “Certain Income Tax Consequences” in the prospectus supplement and “United States Taxation” in the prospectus. The following section supplements the discussion of U.S. federal income taxation the prospectus supplement and the prospectus.

This discussion applies to you only if you acquire your notes upon initial issuance and hold your notes as capital assets for U.S. federal income tax purposes. This discussion does not apply to you if you are a member of a class of holders subject to special rules, such as:

If you are considering the purchase of a note, you should consult your tax advisor concerning the application of the U.S. federal income tax laws to your particular situation, as well as any tax consequences arising under the laws of any state, local or non-U.S. jurisdictions.

Except as otherwise noted under “non-U.S. holders” below, this discussion is only applicable to you if you are a U.S. holder. You are a U.S. holder if you are a beneficial owner of a note and you are: (i) an individual who is a citizen or a resident of the U.S. for U.S. federal income tax purposes, (ii) a domestic corporation or other entity that is treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes and is created or organized in or under the laws of the U.S. or any political subdivision thereof, (iii) an estate whose income is subject to U.S. federal income tax regardless of its source, or (iv) a trust if a court within the U.S. is able to exercise primary supervision over its administration, and one or more U.S. persons for U.S. federal income tax purposes have the authority to control all substantial decisions of the trust.

An individual may, subject to certain exceptions, be deemed to be a resident of the U.S. for U.S. federal income tax purposes by reason of being present in the U.S. for at least 31 days in the calendar year and for an aggregate of at least 183 days during a three-year period ending in the current calendar year (counting for such purposes all of the days present in the current year, one-third of the days present in the immediately preceding year, and one-sixth of the days present in the second preceding year).

If a partnership, or any entity treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes, holds the notes, the U.S. federal income tax treatment of a partner will generally depend on the status of the partner and the tax treatment of the partnership. A partner in a partnership holding the notes should consult its tax advisor with regard to the U.S. federal income tax treatment of an investment in the notes.

In addition, we will not attempt to ascertain whether the issuer of any Market Measure or of any component security of a Market Measure, as applicable, would be treated as a passive foreign investment company (a “PFIC”) within the meaning of Section 1297 of the Code. If any such entity were so treated, certain adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences might apply upon the taxable disposition of a note. You should refer to information filed with the SEC or the equivalent governmental authority by such entities and consult your tax advisor regarding the possible consequences to you if any such entity is or becomes a PFIC.

Unless otherwise specified in the applicable term sheet, we expect our special U.S. tax counsel, Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP, based on certain factual representations received from us, would be able to opine that it would be reasonable to treat your notes as prepaid derivative contracts with respect to the Market Measure or Basket and the terms of the notes require you and us (in the absence of a statutory or regulatory change or administrative determination or judicial ruling to the contrary) to treat the notes for all tax purposes in accordance with such characterization. If the notes are so treated, subject to the discussion below of the “constructive ownership” rules, you should generally not accrue any income with respect to the notes during the term of the notes until a taxable disposition of the notes and you should generally recognize capital gain or loss upon such taxable disposition of your notes in an amount equal to the difference between the amount you receive at such time and your tax basis in the notes. In general, your tax basis in your notes will be equal to the amount you paid for your notes. Subject to the discussion below of the “constructive ownership” rules, such recognized gain or loss should generally be long-term capital gain or loss if you have held your notes for more than one year and otherwise should be short-term capital gain or loss. The deductibility of capital losses is subject to limitations.

It is possible that the IRS could assert that your holding period in respect of your notes should end on the date on which the amount you are entitled to receive upon maturity of your notes is determined, even though you will not receive any amounts from the Bank in respect of your notes prior to the maturity of your notes. In such case, you may be treated as having a holding period in respect of your notes ending prior to the maturity date for your notes, and your holding period may be treated as less than one year even if you receive cash on the

maturity date of your notes at a time that is more than one year after the beginning of your holding period.

Except to the extent otherwise required by law or specified in the applicable term sheet, we intend to treat your notes for U.S. federal income tax purposes in accordance with the treatment described above unless and until such time as the IRS and the Treasury determine that some other treatment is more appropriate.

Notice 2008-2

In 2007, the IRS released a notice that may affect the taxation of holders of the notes. According to the notice, the IRS and the Treasury are actively considering whether a holder of an instrument such as the notes should be required to accrue ordinary income on a current basis, and they are seeking taxpayer comments on the subject. It is not possible to determine what guidance they will ultimately issue, if any. It is possible, however, that under such guidance, holders of the notes will ultimately be required to accrue income currently and this could be applied on a retroactive basis. The IRS and the Treasury are also considering other relevant issues, including whether additional gain or loss from such instruments should be treated as ordinary or capital, whether non-U.S. holders of such instruments should be subject to withholding tax on any deemed income accruals, and whether the special “constructive ownership rules” of Section 1260 of the Code should be applied to such instruments. Both U.S. and non-U.S. holders are urged to consult their tax advisors concerning the significance, and the potential impact, of the above considerations on their investments in the notes.

Section 1260

If a note references an Underlying Fund or a component security of a Market Measure that is treated as equity in a RIC (or a “trust”) such as certain Underlying Funds, a REIT, a PFIC, a partnership (including a master limited partnership), or other “pass-thru entity” for purposes of Section 1260 of the Code, it is possible that the "constructive ownership" rules of Section 1260 of the Code may apply, in which case the tax consequences of a taxable disposition of the notes could be materially and adversely affected. Under the “constructive ownership” rules, if an investment in the notes is treated as a “constructive ownership transaction”, any long-term capital gain recognized by a U.S. holder in respect of such notes will be recharacterized as ordinary income to the extent such gain exceeds the amount of “net underlying long-term capital gain” (as defined in Section 1260 of the Code) of the U.S. holder (the “Excess Gain”). In addition, an interest charge would also apply to any deemed underpayment of tax in respect of any “Excess Gain” to the extent such gain would have resulted in a gross income inclusion for the U.S. holder in taxable years prior to the taxable year of the taxable disposition of the notes (assuming such income accrued such that the amount in each successor year is equal to the income in the prior year increased at a constant rate equal to the applicable federal rate as of the date of the taxable disposition). In the case of notes referencing a pass-thru entity containing gold and/or silver, if Section 1260 of the Code were to apply to the notes, any long-term capital gain recognized with respect to the notes that is not recharacterized as ordinary income would be subject to tax at a special 28% maximum rate that is applicable to “collectibles”. There exists a risk that an investment in notes that are linked to shares of an Underlying Fund, PFIC, REIT, RIC or other “pass-thru” entity or to a Basket or Market Measure that contains shares of an Underlying Fund, PFIC, REIT, RIC or other “pass-thru entity” could be treated as a “constructive ownership transaction”. Furthermore, depending on the precise terms of a particular offering of notes that reference an Underlying Fund, PFIC, REIT or other “pass-thru entity”, the risk may be substantial that an investment in such notes would be treated as a “constructive ownership transaction”, and that all or a portion of any long-term capital gain recognized with respect to such notes could be recharacterized as ordinary income and subject to an interest charge (or, in the case of an

pass-thru entity containing gold and/or silver, subject to a special 28% maximum rate that is applicable to “collectibles”).

If such treatment applies, it is not clear to what extent any long-term capital gain recognized by a U.S. holder in respect of a note would be recharacterized as ordinary income and subject to the interest charge described above, in part because it is not clear how the “net underlying long-term capital gain” would be computed in respect of a note. Under Section 1260 of the Code, the net underlying long-term capital gain is generally the net long-term capital gain a taxpayer would have recognized by investing in the underlying “pass-thru entity” at the inception of the constructive ownership transaction and selling on the date the constructive ownership transaction is closed out (i.e. at maturity or earlier disposition). It is possible that because the U.S. holder does not share in distributions made on the Market Measure or component securities of a Market Measure, these distributions could be excluded from the calculation of the amount and character of gain, if any, that would have been realized had the U.S. holder held the Market Measure or component securities of a Market Measure directly and that the application of constructive ownership rules may not recharacterize adversely a significant portion of the long-term capital gain recognized with respect to the notes. However, it is also possible that all or a portion of the gain with respect to the notes could be treated as “Excess Gain” if, for example, where a pass-thru entity is the sole Market Measure, the “net underlying long-term capital gain” could equal the amount of long-term capital gain a U.S. holder would have recognized if on the issue date of the notes the holder had invested the principal amount of the notes in shares of the Market Measure that is treated as a “pass-thru entity” and sold those shares for their fair market value on the date of a taxable disposition of the notes. In addition, all or a portion of the gain recognized with respect to the notes could be “Excess Gain” for notes purchased for an amount that is less than the principal amount of the notes or if the return on the notes is adjusted to take into account any extraordinary dividends that are paid on the shares of the Market Measure. Furthermore, unless otherwise established by clear and convincing evidence, the “net underlying long-term capital gain” is treated as zero. Accordingly, it is possible that all or a portion of any gain on the taxable disposition of a note after one year could be treated as “Excess Gain” from a “constructive ownership transaction”, which gain would be recharacterized as ordinary income, and subject to an interest charge (or, in the case of an Underlying Fund containing gold and/or silver, subject to the tax rate applicable to “collectibles”).

Because the application of the constructive ownership rules to the notes is unclear, holders are urged to consult their tax advisors regarding the potential application of those rules to an investment in the notes.

Alternative Treatments

Because of the absence of authority regarding the appropriate tax characterization of your notes, it is possible that the IRS could seek to characterize your notes in a manner that results in tax consequences to you that are materially different from those described above and could materially and adversely affect the timing and/or character of income or loss with respect to the notes.

Contingent Payment Debt Instrument. If the notes have a term that is more than one year, it is possible that the notes could be treated as debt instruments subject to the special tax rules governing contingent payment debt instruments. If the notes are so treated, you would be required to accrue interest income over the term of your notes 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. You would recognize gain or loss upon the taxable disposition of your notes in an amount equal to the difference, if any, between the amount you receive at such time and your adjusted basis in your notes. In general, your adjusted basis in your notes would be equal to the amount you paid for your notes, increased by the amount of interest you

previously accrued with respect to your notes. Any gain you recognize upon the taxable disposition of your notes would be ordinary income and any loss recognized by you at such time would be ordinary loss to the extent of interest you included in income in the current or previous taxable years in respect of your notes, and, thereafter, would be capital loss.

Contingent Short-Term Debt Instrument. Similarly, if the notes have a term of one year or less, it is possible that the notes could be treated as contingent short-term debt instruments. However, there are no specific rules that govern this type of instrument, and therefore, if the notes were characterized as contingent short-term debt instruments, the U.S. federal income tax treatment of the notes would not be entirely clear.

Other Alternative Treatments. The IRS could also possibly assert that (i) you should be treated as owning the Market Measure, any Basket Components or the component securities of the Market Measure, (ii) any gain or loss that you recognize upon the exchange or maturity of the notes should be treated as ordinary gain or loss or short-term capital gain or loss, (iii) you should be required to accrue interest income over the term of your notes, (iv) you should be required to include in ordinary income an amount equal to any increase in the Market Measure, any Basket Components or any component securities of a Market Measure that is attributable to ordinary income that is realized in respect of the Market Measure, any Basket Components or any component securities of a Market Measure, such as interest, dividends or net-rental income or (v) you should be required to recognize taxable gain upon a rollover, rebalancing or change, if any, of any component securities of a Market Measure. 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.

Medicare Tax on Net Investment Income

U.S. holders that are individuals, estates or certain trusts are subject to an additional 3.8% tax on all or a portion of their “net investment income,” or “undistributed net investment income” in the case of an estate or trust, which may include any income or gain realized with respect to the notes, to the extent of their net investment income or undistributed net investment income (as the case may be) that, when added to their other modified adjusted gross income, exceeds $200,000 for an unmarried individual, $250,000 for a married taxpayer filing a joint return (or a surviving spouse), $125,000 for a married individual filing a separate return or the dollar amount at which the highest tax bracket begins for an estate or trust. The 3.8% Medicare tax is determined in a different manner than the regular income tax. U.S. holders should consult their tax advisors as to the consequences of the 3.8% Medicare tax.

Information Reporting with respect to Foreign Financial Assets

U.S. holders may be subject to reporting obligations with respect to their notes if they do not hold their notes in an account maintained by a financial institution and the aggregate value of their notes and certain other “specified foreign financial assets” (applying certain attribution rules) exceeds an applicable threshold. Significant penalties can apply if a U.S. holder is required to disclose its notes and fails to do so.

Treasury Regulations Requiring Disclosure of Reportable Transactions

Treasury regulations require U.S. taxpayers to report certain transactions (“Reportable Transactions”) on IRS Form 8886. An investment in the notes or a sale of the notes generally should not be treated as a Reportable Transaction under current law, but it is possible that future legislation, regulations or administrative rulings could cause your investment in the notes or a sale of the notes to be treated as a Reportable Transaction. You should consult with your tax advisor regarding any tax filing and reporting obligations that may apply in connection with acquiring, owning or disposing of notes.

Backup Withholding and Information Reporting

The proceeds received from a taxable disposition of the notes will be subject to information reporting unless you are an “exempt recipient” and may also be subject to backup withholding at the rate specified in the Code if you fail to provide certain identifying information (such as an accurate taxpayer number, if you are a U.S. holder) or meet certain other conditions.  If you are a non-U.S. holder and you provide a properly executed and fully completed applicable IRS Form W-8, you will generally establish an exemption from backup withholding.

Amounts withheld under the backup withholding rules are not additional taxes and may be refunded or credited against U.S. federal income tax liability, provided the required information is furnished to the IRS.

Non-U.S. Holders

For purposes of this discussion, you are a non-U.S. holder if you are the beneficial owner of the notes and are, for U.S. federal income tax purposes:  (i) a non-resident alien individual; (ii) a non-U.S. corporation; or (iii) an estate or trust that, in either case, is not subject to U.S. federal income tax on a net income basis on income or gain from the notes. Subject to Section 871(m) of the Code and FATCA, discussed below, we generally expect to treat payments made to a non-U.S. holder upon the taxable disposition of the notes as exempt from U.S. withholding tax and from generally applicable information reporting and backup withholding requirements with respect to payments on the notes if the non-U.S. holder complies with certain certification and identification requirements as to its non-U.S. status, including providing us (and/or the applicable withholding agent) a fully completed and validly executed applicable IRS Form W-8.

In general (subject to Section 897 of the Code, as discussed below), gain realized on a taxable disposition of the notes by a non-U.S. holder will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax, unless:

If the gain realized on a taxable disposition of the notes by the non-U.S. holder is described in either of the three preceding bullet points, the non-U.S. holder may be subject to U.S. federal income tax with respect to the gain except to the extent that an income tax treaty reduces or eliminates the tax and the appropriate documentation is provided.

Section 897. We will not attempt to ascertain whether any issuer of a Market Measure or component security of a Market Measure, as applicable, would be treated as a “United States real property holding corporation” (“USRPHC”) or whether the notes should be treated as “United States real property interests” (“USRPIs”), each as defined in Section 897 of the Code. If any such issuer and/or the notes were so treated, certain adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences could possibly apply, including subjecting any gain to a non-U.S. holder in

respect of a note upon a taxable disposition of the note to U.S. federal income tax on a net basis, and the proceeds from such a taxable disposition to a 15% withholding tax. Non-U.S. holders should consult their tax advisors regarding the potential treatment of any such entity as USRPHC and/or the notes as USRPIs.

Section 871(m). The Treasury has issued regulations under which a 30% withholding tax (which may be reduced by an applicable income tax treaty) is imposed on certain “dividend equivalents” paid or deemed paid to a non-U.S. holder with respect to a “specified equity-linked instrument” that references one or more U.S.-source dividend-paying equity securities or indices containing U.S.-source dividend-paying equity securities (an “871(m) Specified ELI”). The withholding tax can apply even if the 871(m) Specified ELI does not provide for payments that reference dividends. Under these regulations, the withholding tax generally will apply to 871(m) Specified ELIs (or a combination of 871(m) Specified ELIs treated as having been entered into in connection with each other) issued (or reissued, as discussed below) on or after January 1, 2019, but will also apply to certain 871(m) Specified ELIs (or a combination of 871(m) Specified ELIs treated as having been entered into in connection with each other) that have a delta of one (“Delta-One Specified ELIs”) issued (or reissued, as discussed below) on or after January 1, 2017. However, the IRS has issued guidance that states that the Treasury and the IRS intend to amend the effective dates of the Treasury regulations to provide that withholding on dividend equivalents paid or deemed paid will not apply to specified equity-linked instruments that are not Delta-One Specified ELIs and are issued before January 1, 2023.

The 30% withholding tax may also apply if the notes are deemed to be reissued for tax purposes upon the occurrence of certain events affecting a Market Measure, any underlying assets or the notes, and following such occurrence the notes could be treated as Delta- One Specified ELIs that are subject to withholding on dividend equivalents. It is also possible that withholding tax or other Section 871(m) tax could apply to the notes under these rules if a non-U.S. holder enters, or has entered, into certain other transactions in respect of a Market Measure, any component securities of a Market Measure or the notes. Because of the uncertainty regarding the application of the 30% withholding tax on dividend equivalents to the notes, non-U.S. holders are urged to consult their tax advisors regarding the potential application of Section 871(m) of the Code to the notes (including in the context of their other transactions in respect of a Market Measure or the notes, if any) and the 30% withholding tax to an investment in the notes.

U.S. Federal Estate Tax Treatment of Non-U.S. Holders. The notes may be subject to U.S. federal estate tax if an individual non-U.S. holder holds the notes at the time of his or her death. The gross estate of a non-U.S. holder domiciled outside the U.S. includes only property situated in the U.S. Individual non-U.S. holders should consult their tax advisors regarding the U.S. federal estate tax consequences of holding the notes at death.

Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act

The Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (“FATCA”) generally imposes a 30% U.S. withholding tax on “withholdable payments” (i.e., certain U.S.-source payments, including interest (and original issue discount), dividends, other fixed or determinable annual or periodical gain, profits, and income, and on the gross proceeds from a disposition of property of a type which can produce U.S. -source interest or dividends) and “passthru payments” (i.e., certain payments attributable to withholdable payments) made to certain foreign financial institutions (and certain of their affiliates) unless the payee foreign financial institution agrees (or is required), among other things, to disclose the identity of any U.S. individual with an account at the institution (or the relevant affiliate) and to annually report certain information about such account. 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 do not certify that they do not have any substantial U.S. owners) to withhold tax at a rate of 30%. Under certain circumstances, a holder may be eligible for refunds or credits of such taxes.

Pursuant to final and temporary Treasury regulations and other IRS guidance, the withholding and reporting requirements under FATCA will generally apply to certain “withholdable payments”, will not apply to gross proceeds on a sale or disposition, and will generally apply to certain foreign passthru payments only to the extent that such payments are made after the date that is two years after final regulations defining the term “foreign passthru payment” are published. If withholding is required, we (or the applicable paying agent) will not be required to pay additional amounts with respect to the amounts so withheld. Foreign financial institutions and non-financial foreign entities located in jurisdictions that have an intergovernmental agreement with the U.S. governing FATCA may be subject to different rules.

Investors should consult their tax advisors about the application of FATCA, in particular if they may be classified as financial institutions (or if they hold their notes through a foreign entity) under the FATCA rules.

Proposed Legislation

In 2007, legislation was introduced in Congress that, if it had been enacted, would have required holders of instruments similar to the notes that were purchased after the bill was enacted to accrue interest income over the term of such instruments even if such instruments provide that there will be no interest payments over their term.

Additionally, in 2013, the House Ways and Means Committee released in draft form certain proposed legislation relating to financial instruments. If it had been enacted, the effect of this legislation generally would have been to require instruments such as the notes to be marked to market on an annual basis with all gains and losses to be treated as ordinary, subject to certain exceptions.

It is not possible to predict whether any similar or identical bills will be enacted in the future, or whether any such bill would affect the tax treatment of your notes. Holders are urged to consult their tax advisors regarding the possible changes in law and their possible impact on an investment in the notes.

Both U.S. and non-U.S. holders are urged to consult their tax advisors regarding the U.S. federal income tax consequences of an investment in the notes (including possible application of Section 1260 of the Code, alternative treatments and the issues presented by Notice 2008-2), as well as any tax consequences arising under the laws of any state, local or non-U.S. taxing jurisdiction (including that of any issuer of a Market Measure and/or any component security of a Market Measure, as applicable).

ERISA CONSIDERATIONS

Each fiduciary of a pension, profit-sharing, or other employee benefit plan subject to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended (“ERISA”) (a “Plan”), should consider the fiduciary standards of ERISA in the context of the Plan’s particular circumstances before authorizing an investment in the notes.  Accordingly, among other factors, the fiduciary should consider whether the investment would satisfy the prudence and diversification requirements of ERISA and would be consistent with the documents and instruments governing the Plan.

In addition, we, the agents, and certain of our respective subsidiaries and affiliates may be each considered a party in interest within the meaning of ERISA, or a disqualified person within the meaning of Section 4975 of the Code, with respect to many Plans, as well as many individual retirement accounts and Keogh plans (also “Plans”).  Prohibited transactions within the meaning of ERISA or the Code would likely arise, for example, if the notes are acquired by or with the assets of a Plan with respect to which we or any of our affiliates is a party in interest or a disqualified person, unless the notes are acquired under an exemption from the prohibited transaction rules.  A violation of these prohibited transaction rules could result in an excise tax or other liabilities under ERISA and/or Section 4975 of the Code for such persons, unless exemptive relief is available under an applicable statutory or administrative exemption.

Under ERISA and various prohibited transaction class exemptions (“PTCEs”) issued by the U.S. Department of Labor, exemptive relief may be available for direct or indirect prohibited transactions resulting from the purchase, holding, or disposition of the notes.  Those exemptions include PTCE 96-23 (for certain transactions determined by in-house asset managers), PTCE 95-60 (for certain transactions involving insurance company general accounts), PTCE 91-38 (for certain transactions involving bank collective investment funds), PTCE 90-1 (for certain transactions involving insurance company separate accounts), PTCE 84-14 (for certain transactions determined by independent qualified asset managers), and the exemption under Section 408(b)(17) of ERISA and Section 4975(d)(20) of the Code for certain transactions with a person that is a party in interest or disqualified person solely by reason of providing services to Plans or being an affiliate of such a service provider and in connection with which the Plan receives no less, nor pays no more, than adequate consideration (the “Service Provider Exemption”).

Because we, the Bank and the agents each may be considered a party in interest or disqualified person with respect to many Plans, the notes may not be purchased, held, or disposed of by any Plan, any entity whose underlying assets include plan assets by reason of any Plan’s investment in the entity (a “Plan Asset Entity”) or any person investing plan assets of any Plan, unless such purchase, holding, or disposition is eligible for exemptive relief, including relief available under PTCE 96-23, 95-60, 91-38, 90-1, or 84-14 or the Service Provider Exemption, or such purchase, holding, or disposition is otherwise not prohibited.  Any purchaser, including any fiduciary purchasing on behalf of or with the assets of any Plan, transferee or holder of the notes will be deemed to have represented, in its corporate and its fiduciary capacity, by its purchase and holding of the notes that either (a) it is not and will not be a Plan or a Plan Asset Entity and is not purchasing such notes on behalf of or with plan assets of any Plan or any plan subject to similar laws or (b) its purchase, holding, and disposition will not constitute or result in a non-exempt prohibited transaction due to the application of a statutory or administrative exemption or such purchase, holding, and disposition will not otherwise be prohibited under ERISA or Section 4975 of the Code or a violation of any similar laws.

Further, any person acquiring or holding the notes on behalf of any Plan or with any Plan assets shall be deemed to represent on behalf of itself and such Plan that (x) the Plan is

paying no more than, and is receiving no less than, adequate consideration within the meaning of Section 408(b)(17) of ERISA and/or Section 4975(f)(10) of the Code in connection with the transaction or any redemption of the notes, (y) none of us, BofAS or any other agent directly or indirectly exercises any discretionary authority or control or renders investment advice or otherwise acts in a fiduciary capacity with respect to the assets of the Plan within the meaning of ERISA and/or Section 4975 of the Code (z) in making the foregoing representations and warranties, such person has applied sound business principles in determining whether fair market value will be paid, and has made such determination acting in good faith.

The fiduciary investment considerations summarized above generally apply to employee benefit plans maintained by private-sector employers and to individual retirement accounts and other arrangements subject to Section 4975 of the Code, but generally do not apply to governmental plans (as defined in Section 3(32) of ERISA), certain church plans (as defined in Section 3(33) of ERISA), and foreign plans (as described in Section 4(b)(4) of ERISA).  However, these other plans may be subject to similar provisions under applicable federal, state, local, foreign, or other regulations, rules, or laws (“similar laws”).  The fiduciaries of plans subject to similar laws should also consider the foregoing issues in general terms as well as any further issues arising under the applicable similar laws.

In addition, any purchaser, that is a Plan or a Plan Asset Entity or that is acquiring the notes on behalf of a Plan or a Plan Asset Entity, including any fiduciary purchasing on behalf of a Plan or Plan Asset entity, will be deemed to have represented, in its corporate and its fiduciary capacity, by its purchase and holding of the notes that (a) none of us, BofAS, or any of our respective affiliates is a “fiduciary” (under Section 3(21) of ERISA, or under any final or proposed regulations thereunder, or with respect to a governmental, church, or foreign plan under any similar laws) with respect to the acquisition, holding or disposition of the notes, or as a result of any exercise by us or our affiliates of any rights in connection with the notes, (b) no advice provided by us or any of our affiliates has formed a primary basis for any investment decision by or on behalf of such purchaser in connection with the notes and the transactions contemplated with respect to the notes, and (c) such purchaser recognizes and agrees that any communication from us or any of our affiliates to the purchaser with respect to the notes is not intended by us or any of our affiliates to be impartial investment advice and is rendered in its capacity as a seller of such notes and not a fiduciary to such purchaser.  Purchasers of the notes have exclusive responsibility for ensuring that their purchase, holding, and disposition of the notes do not violate the prohibited transaction rules of ERISA or the Code or any similar laws applicable to governmental or church plans, as described above.

This discussion is a general summary of some of the rules which apply to benefit plans and their related investment vehicles.  This summary does not include all of the investment considerations relevant to Plans and other benefit plan investors such as governmental, church, and foreign plans and should not be construed as legal advice or a legal opinion.  Due to the complexity of these rules and the penalties that may be imposed upon persons involved in non-exempt prohibited transactions, it is particularly important that fiduciaries or other persons considering purchasing the notes on behalf of or with “plan assets” of any Plan or other benefit plan investor consult with their legal counsel prior to directing any such purchase.