---
kind: "section"
citation: "16 U.S.C. § 825d"
title: "16"
title_heading: "Conservation"
number: "825d"
heading: "Officials dealing in securities"
release: "119-102"
date: "2026-07-12"
url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/16/825d"
units:
  - "Chapter 12 — Federal Regulation and Development of Power"
  - "Subchapter III — Licensees and Public Utilities; Procedural and Administrative Provisions"
---

# §825d. Officials dealing in securities

- (a) **Benefits; making or declaring dividends out of capital account—** It shall be unlawful for any officer or director of any public utility to receive for his own benefit, directly or indirectly, any money or thing of value in respect of the negotiation, hypothecation, or sale by such public utility of any [security](/usc/16/796.md?p=16) issued or to be issued by such public utility, or to share in any of the proceeds thereof, or to participate in the making or paying of any dividends of such public utility from any funds properly included in capital account.
- (b) **Interlocking directorates—**
  - (1) **In general—** After 6 months from August 26, 1935, it shall be unlawful for any [person](/usc/16/796.md?p=4) to hold the position of officer or director of more than one public utility or to hold the position of officer or director of a public utility and the position of officer or director of any bank, [trust](/usc/16/450ss–1.md?p=4) company, banking association, or firm that is authorized by law to underwrite or participate in the marketing of [securities](/usc/16/796.md?p=16) of a public utility, or officer or director of any company supplying electrical equipment to such public utility, unless the holding of such positions shall have been authorized by order of the [Commission](/usc/16/544.md?p=c), upon due showing in form and manner prescribed by the [Commission](/usc/16/544.md?p=c), that neither public nor private interests will be adversely affected thereby. The [Commission](/usc/16/544.md?p=c) shall not grant any such authorization in respect of such positions held on August 26, 1935, unless application for such authorization is filed with the [Commission](/usc/16/544.md?p=c) within sixty days after that date.
  - (2) **Applicability—**
    - (A) **In general—** In the circumstances described in [subparagraph (B)](#b-2-B), [paragraph (1)](#b-1) shall not apply to a [person](/usc/16/796.md?p=4) that holds or proposes to hold the positions of—
      - (i) officer or director of a public utility; and
      - (ii) officer or director of a bank, [trust](/usc/16/450ss–1.md?p=4) company, banking association, or firm authorized by law to underwrite or participate in the marketing of [securities](/usc/16/796.md?p=16) of a public utility.
    - (B) **Circumstances—** The circumstances described in this subparagraph are that—
      - (i) a [person](/usc/16/796.md?p=4) described in [subparagraph (A)](#b-2-A) does not participate in any deliberations or decisions of the public utility regarding the selection of a bank, [trust](/usc/16/450ss–1.md?p=4) company, banking association, or firm to underwrite or participate in the marketing of [securities](/usc/16/796.md?p=16) of the public utility, if the [person](/usc/16/796.md?p=4) serves as an officer or director of a bank, [trust](/usc/16/450ss–1.md?p=4) company, banking association, or firm that is under consideration in the deliberation process;
      - (ii) the bank, [trust](/usc/16/450ss–1.md?p=4) company, banking association, or firm of which the [person](/usc/16/796.md?p=4) is an officer or director does not engage in the underwriting of, or participate in the marketing of, [securities](/usc/16/796.md?p=16) of the public utility of which the [person](/usc/16/796.md?p=4) holds the position of officer or director;
      - (iii) the public utility for which the [person](/usc/16/796.md?p=4) serves or proposes to serve as an officer or director selects underwriters by competitive procedures; or
      - (iv) the issuance of [securities](/usc/16/796.md?p=16) of the public utility for which the [person](/usc/16/796.md?p=4) serves or proposes to serve as an officer or director has been approved by all Federal and [State](/usc/16/796.md?p=6) regulatory agencies having jurisdiction over the issuance.
- (c) **Statement of prior positions; definitions—**
  - (1) On or before April 30 of each year, any [person](/usc/16/796.md?p=4), who, during the calendar year preceding the filing date under this subsection, was an officer or director of a public utility and who held, during such calendar year, the position of officer, director, partner, appointee, or representative of any other entity listed in [paragraph (2)](#c-2) shall file with the [Commission](/usc/16/544.md?p=c), in such form and manner as the [Commission](/usc/16/544.md?p=c) shall by rule prescribe, a written statement concerning such positions held by such [person](/usc/16/796.md?p=4). Such statement shall be available to the public.
  - (2) The entities listed for purposes of [paragraph (1)](#c-1) are as follows—
    - (A) any investment bank, bank holding company, foreign bank or subsidiary thereof doing business in the United States, insurance company, or any other organization primarily engaged in the business of providing financial services or credit, a mutual savings bank, or a savings and loan association;
    - (B) any company, firm, or organization which is authorized by law to underwrite or participate in the marketing of [securities](/usc/16/796.md?p=16) of a public utility;
    - (C) any company, firm, or organization which produces or supplies electrical equipment or coal, natural gas, oil, nuclear fuel, or other fuel, for the use of any public utility;
    - (D) any company, firm, or organization which during any one of the 3 calendar years immediately preceding the filing date was one of the 20 purchasers of electric energy which purchased (for purposes other than for resale) one of the 20 largest annual amounts of electric energy sold by such public utility (or by any public utility which is part of the same holding company system) during any one of such three calendar years;
    - (E) any entity referred to in [subsection (b)](#b); and
    - (F) any company, firm, or organization which is controlled by any company, firm, or organization referred to in this paragraph.

    On or before January 31 of each calendar year, each public utility shall publish a list, pursuant to rules prescribed by the [Commission](/usc/16/544.md?p=c), of the purchasers to which [subparagraph (D)](#c-2-D) applies, for purposes of any filing under [paragraph (1)](#c-1) of such calendar year.

  - (3) For purposes of this subsection—
    - (A) The term “public utility” includes any company which is a part of a holding company system which includes a registered holding company, unless no company in such system is an [electric utility](/usc/16/796.md?p=22-A).
    - (B) The terms “holding company”, “registered holding company”, and “holding company system” have the same meaning as when used in the Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935.[^1]

## Footnotes

[^1]: See References in Text note below.

## Source credit

(June 10, 1920, ch. 285, pt. III, § 305, as added Aug. 26, 1935, ch. 687, title II, § 213, 49 Stat. 856; amended Pub. L. 95–617, title II, § 211(a), Nov. 9, 1978, 92 Stat. 3147; Pub. L. 106–102, title VII, § 737, Nov. 12, 1999, 113 Stat. 1479.)

## Notes

### Editorial Notes

### References in Text

The Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935, referred to in subsec. (c)(3)(B), is title I of act Aug. 26, 1935, ch. 687, 49 Stat. 803, which was classified generally to chapter 2C (§ 79 et seq.) of Title 15, Commerce and Trade, prior to repeal by Pub. L. 109–58, title XII, § 1263, Aug. 8, 2005, 119 Stat. 974. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see Tables.

### Amendments

1999—Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 106–102 inserted subsec. heading, designated existing provisions as par. (1), inserted heading, and substituted “After 6” for “After six”, and added par. (2).

1978—Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 95–617 added subsec. (c).

### Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

### Effective Date of 1978 Amendment

Pub. L. 95–617, title II, § 211(b), Nov. 9, 1978, 92 Stat. 3147, provided that: “No person shall be required to file a statement under section 305(c)(1) of the Federal Power Act [subsec. (c)(1) of this section] before April 30 of the second calendar year which begins after the date of the enactment of this Act [Nov. 9, 1978] and no public utility shall be required to publish a list under section 305(c)(2) of such Act [subsec. (c)(2) of this section] before January 31 of such second calendar year.”