Risk Factors
There are important differences between the notes and a conventional debt security. An investment in the notes involves significant risks, including those listed below. You should carefully review the more detailed explanation of risks relating to the notes in the “Risk Factors” sections beginning on page PS-6 of product supplement EQUITY INDICES BEAR STR-1, page S-2 of the prospectus supplement, and page 7 of the prospectus identified above. We also urge you to consult your investment, legal, tax, accounting, and other advisors concerning an investment in the notes.
Structure-Related Risks
■If the notes are not automatically called, your investment will result in a loss; there is no guaranteed return of principal. If the Ending Value is greater than the Starting Value, you will lose all or a portion of your principal amount.
■Your return on the notes may be less than the yield you could earn by owning a conventional fixed or floating rate debt security of comparable maturity.
■Your investment return is limited to the return represented by the applicable Call Premium and may be less than a comparable investment that takes a short position directly in the Index (or the stocks included in the Index). You will not receive a Redemption Amount greater than the applicable Call Premium, regardless of the extent of any decrease in the level of the Index. In contrast, a short position in the Index (or the securities included in the Index) would allow you to receive the full benefit of any decrease in the level of the Index (or those of the securities included in the Index).
Market Measure-Related Risks
■The Index sponsor may adjust the Index in a way that may adversely affect its level and your interests, and the Index sponsor has no obligation to consider your interests.
■You will have no rights of a holder of the securities included in the Index, and you will not be entitled to receive securities or dividends or other distributions by the issuers of those securities.
■While we, MLPF&S, BofAS or our respective affiliates may from time to time own securities of companies included in the Index, except to the extent that the common stock of Bank of America Corporation (the parent company of MLPF&S and BofAS) is included in the Index, none of us, MLPF&S, BofAS or our respective affiliates control any company included in the Index, and have not verified any disclosure made by any other company.
Valuation- and Market-Related Risks
■Our initial estimated value of the notes is lower than the public offering price of the notes. Our initial estimated value of the notes is only an estimate. The public offering price of the notes exceeds our initial estimated value because it includes costs associated with selling and structuring the notes, as well as hedging our obligations under the notes, with a third party, which may include BofAS or one of its affiliates. These costs include the underwriting discount and an expected hedging related charge, as further described in “Structuring the Notes” on page TS-14.
■Our initial estimated value of the notes does not represent future values of the notes and may differ from others’ estimates. Our initial estimated value of the notes was determined by reference to our internal pricing models when the terms of the notes were set. These pricing models consider certain factors, such as our internal funding rate on the pricing date, the expected term of the notes, market conditions and other relevant factors existing at that time, and our assumptions about market parameters, which can include volatility, dividend rates, interest rates and other factors. Different pricing models and assumptions could provide valuations for the notes that are different from our initial estimated value. In addition, market conditions and other relevant factors in the future may change, and any of our assumptions may prove to be incorrect. On future dates, the market value of the notes could change significantly based on, among other things, the performance of the Index, changes in market conditions, our creditworthiness, interest rate movements and other relevant factors. These factors, together with various credit, market and economic factors over the term of the notes, 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. Our initial estimated value does not represent a minimum price at which we or any agents would be willing to buy your notes in any secondary market (if any exists) at any time.
■Our initial estimated value is not determined by reference to credit spreads or the borrowing rate we would pay for our conventional fixed-rate debt securities. The internal funding rate used in the determination of our initial estimated value of the notes generally represents a discount from the credit spreads for our conventional fixed-rate debt securities and the borrowing rate we would pay for our conventional fixed-rate debt securities. If we were to use the interest rate implied by the credit spreads for our conventional fixed-rate debt securities, or the borrowing rate we would pay for our conventional fixed-rate debt securities, we would expect the economic terms of the notes to be more favorable to you. Consequently, our use of an internal funding rate for the notes would have an adverse effect on the economic terms of the notes, the initial estimated value of the notes on the pricing date, and the price at which you may be able to sell the notes in any secondary market.
■A trading market is not expected to develop for the notes. None of us, MLPF&S or BofAS is obligated to make a market for, or to repurchase, the notes. There is no assurance that any party will be willing to purchase your notes at any price in any secondary market.