This
pricing supplement, which is not complete and may be changed,
relates to an effective Registration Statement under the Securities
Act of 1933. This pricing supplement and the accompanying
product supplement, prospectus supplement and prospectus are not an
offer to sell these notes in any country or jurisdiction where such
an offer would not be permitted.
SUBJECT
TO COMPLETION, DATED November 17, 2022
Preliminary
Pricing Supplement - Subject to Completion
(To
Prospectus dated December 31, 2019,
Prospectus
Supplement dated December 31, 2019 and
Product
Supplement EQUITY-1 dated January 3, 2020)
November
, 2022
|
Filed Pursuant
to Rule 424(b)(2)
Series A
Registration Statement No. 333-234425
|
|
|
BofA Finance
LLC $---- Trigger Autocallable Contingent Yield
Notes
Linked to the
Least Performing of the Dow Jones Industrial Average® and the
S&P 500® Index Due November 29,
2027
Fully and
Unconditionally Guaranteed by Bank of America
Corporation
|
Investment
Description
|
The
Trigger Autocallable Contingent Yield Notes (the “Notes”) linked to
the least performing of the Dow Jones Industrial Average® and the
S&P 500® Index (each, an “Underlying”) due November
29, 2027 are senior unsecured obligations issued by BofA Finance
LLC (“BofA Finance”), a direct, wholly-owned subsidiary of Bank of
America Corporation (“BAC” or the “Guarantor”), which are fully and
unconditionally guaranteed by the Guarantor. The Notes will pay a
Contingent Coupon Payment on each quarterly Coupon Payment Date if,
and only if, the Current Underlying Level of the Least Performing
Underlying on the related quarterly Observation Date is greater
than or equal to its Coupon Barrier. If the Current Underlying
Level of the Least Performing Underlying on the applicable
quarterly Observation Date is less than its Coupon Barrier, no
Contingent Coupon Payment will accrue or be paid on the related
Coupon Payment Date. Beginning approximately six months after
issuance, if the Current Underlying Level of the Least Performing
Underlying on the applicable quarterly Observation Date (other than
the Final Observation Date) is greater than or equal to its Initial
Value, we will automatically call the Notes and pay you the Stated
Principal Amount plus the Contingent Coupon Payment for that
Observation Date, and no further amounts will be owed to you. If
the Notes have not previously been automatically called, at
maturity, the amount you receive will depend on the Final Value of
the Least Performing Underlying on the Final Observation Date. If
the Final Value of the Least Performing Underlying on the Final
Observation Date is greater than or equal to its Downside
Threshold, you will receive the Stated Principal Amount at maturity
(plus the final Contingent Coupon Payment, if applicable). However,
if the Notes have not been automatically called prior to maturity
and the Final Value of the Least Performing Underlying on the Final
Observation Date is less than its Downside Threshold, you will
receive less than the Stated Principal Amount at maturity,
resulting in a loss that is proportionate to the decline in the
closing level of the Least Performing Underlying from the Trade
Date to the Final Observation Date, up to a 100% loss of your
investment. On each Observation Date, the “Least Performing
Underlying” is the Underlying with the lowest Underlying Return
from the Trade Date to that Observation Date. Investing in the
Notes involves significant risks. You may lose a substantial
portion or all of your initial investment. All payments on the
Notes will be based solely on the performance of the Least
Performing Underlying. You will not benefit in any way from the
performance of the other Underlying. You will therefore be
adversely affected if either Underlying performs poorly,
regardless of the performance of the other Underlying. You will not
receive dividends or other distributions paid on any stocks
included in the Underlyings or participate in any appreciation of
either Underlying. The contingent repayment of the Stated Principal
Amount applies only if you hold the Notes to maturity or earlier
automatic call. Any payment on the Notes, including any
repayment of the Stated Principal Amount, is subject to the
creditworthiness of the BofA Finance and the Guarantor and is not,
either directly or indirectly, an obligation of any third
party.
|
Features
|
|
Key
Dates1
|
❑ Contingent
Coupon Payment — We will pay you a Contingent Coupon Payment on
each quarterly Coupon Payment Date if, and only if, the Current
Underlying Level of the Least Performing Underlying on the related
Observation Date is greater than or equal to its Coupon Barrier.
Otherwise, no Contingent Coupon Payment will be paid for that
quarter.
❑ Automatic
Call — Beginning approximately six months after issuance, we
will automatically call the Notes and pay you the Stated Principal
Amount plus the final Contingent Coupon Payment if the Current
Underlying Level of the Least Performing Underlying on the
applicable quarterly Observation Date (other than the Final
Observation Date) is greater than or equal to its Initial Value. If
the Notes are not automatically called, investors will have
full downside market exposure to the Least Performing Underlying at
maturity.
❑ Downside
Exposure with Contingent Repayment of Principal at Maturity —
If the Notes are not automatically called prior to maturity and the
Final Value of the Least Performing Underlying on the Final
Observation Date is greater than or equal to its Downside
Threshold, you will receive the Stated Principal Amount at maturity
(plus the final Contingent Coupon Payment, if applicable). However,
if the Final Value of the Least Performing Underlying on the Final
Observation Date is less than its Downside Threshold, you will
receive less than the Stated Principal Amount of your Notes at
maturity, resulting in a loss that is proportionate to the decline
in the closing level of the Least Performing Underlying from the
Trade Date to the Final Observation Date, up to a 100% loss of your
investment.
Any payment
on the Notes is subject to the creditworthiness of BofA Finance and
the Guarantor.
|
|
Trade
Date2
Issue
Date2
Observation
Dates3
Final
Observation Date3
Maturity
Date
|
November 23,
2022
November 29,
2022
Quarterly,
subject to automatic call beginning on May 23,
2023
November 23,
2027
November 29,
2027
|
1
Subject to
change and will be set forth in the final pricing supplement
relating to the Notes.
2
See “Supplement
to the Plan of Distribution; Role of BofAS and Conflicts of
Interest” in this pricing supplement for additional
information.
3
See page PS-6
for additional details.
|
NOTICE TO
INVESTORS: THE NOTES ARE SIGNIFICANTLY RISKIER THAN CONVENTIONAL
DEBT INSTRUMENTS. BOFA FINANCE IS NOT NECESSARILY OBLIGATED TO
REPAY THE STATED PRINCIPAL AMOUNT AT MATURITY, AND THE NOTES CAN
HAVE DOWNSIDE MARKET RISK SIMILAR TO THE LEAST PERFORMING
UNDERLYING. THIS MARKET RISK IS IN ADDITION TO THE CREDIT RISK
INHERENT IN PURCHASING A DEBT OBLIGATION OF BOFA FINANCE THAT IS
GUARANTEED BY BAC. YOU SHOULD NOT PURCHASE THE NOTES IF
YOU DO NOT UNDERSTAND OR ARE NOT COMFORTABLE WITH THE SIGNIFICANT
RISKS INVOLVED IN INVESTING IN THE NOTES.
YOU SHOULD
CAREFULLY CONSIDER THE RISKS DESCRIBED UNDER “RISK FACTORS’’
BEGINNING ON PAGE PS-7 OF THIS PRICING SUPPLEMENT, PAGE PS-5 OF THE
ACCOMPANYING PRODUCT SUPPLEMENT, PAGE S-5 OF THE ACCOMPANYING
PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT AND PAGE 7 OF THE ACCOMPANYING PROSPECTUS
BEFORE PURCHASING ANY NOTES. EVENTS RELATING TO ANY OF THOSE RISKS,
OR OTHER RISKS AND UNCERTAINTIES, COULD ADVERSELY AFFECT THE MARKET
VALUE OF, AND THE RETURN ON, YOUR NOTES. YOU MAY LOSE SOME OR ALL
OF YOUR INITIAL INVESTMENT IN THE NOTES. THE NOTES WILL NOT
BE LISTED ON ANY SECURITIES EXCHANGE AND MAY HAVE LIMITED OR NO
LIQUIDITY.
|
Notes
Offering
|
We are
offering Trigger Autocallable Contingent Yield Notes linked to the
least performing of the Dow Jones Industrial Average® and the
S&P 500® Index due November 29, 2027. Any payment on
the Notes will be based on the performance of the Least Performing
Underlying. The Contingent Coupon Rate, Initial Values, Coupon
Barriers and Downside Thresholds will be determined on the Trade
Date. The Notes are our senior unsecured obligations, guaranteed by
BAC, and are offered for a minimum investment of 100 Notes
(each Note corresponding to $10.00 in Stated Principal Amount) at
the Public Offering Price described below.
|
Underlyings
|
Contingent
Coupon Rate
|
Initial
Values
|
Coupon
Barriers
|
Downside
Thresholds
|
CUSIP
|
Dow
Jones Industrial Average® (Ticker: INDU)
|
[9.65%
to 10.65%] per annum
|
|
-----,
which is 70% of the Initial Value
|
-----,
which is 60% of the Initial Value
|
09710H641
/
US09710H6412
|
S&P
500® Index (Ticker: SPX)
|
|
-----,
which is 70% of the Initial Value
|
-----,
which is 60% of the Initial Value
|
|
|
|
|
See
“Summary” in this pricing supplement. The Notes will have the terms
specified in the accompanying product supplement, prospectus
supplement and prospectus, as supplemented by this pricing
supplement.
None
of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), any state
securities commission, or any other regulatory body has approved or
disapproved of these Notes or the guarantee, or passed upon the
adequacy or accuracy of this pricing supplement, or the
accompanying product supplement, prospectus supplement or
prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal
offense. The Notes and the related guarantee of the Notes by the
Guarantor are unsecured and are not savings accounts, deposits, or
other obligations of a bank. The Notes are not guaranteed by Bank
of America, N.A. or any other bank, are not insured by the Federal
Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other governmental agency and
involve investment risks.
|
Public Offering
Price
|
Underwriting
Discount(1)
|
Proceeds
(before expenses) to BofA Finance
|
Per
Note
|
$10.00
|
$0.00
|
$10.00
|
Total
|
$
|
$
|
$
|
(1) The
underwriting discount is $0.00 per Note. BofA Securities, Inc.
(“BofAS”), acting as principal, expects to purchase from BofA
Finance, and BofA Finance expects to sell to BofAS, the aggregate
principal amount of the Notes set forth above for $10.00 per Note.
UBS Financial Services Inc. (“UBS”), acting as a selling agent for
sales of the Notes, expects to purchase from BofAS, and BofAS
expects to sell to UBS, all of the Notes for $10.00 per Note.
UBS proposes to offer the Notes to certain fee-based advisory
accounts for which UBS is an investment advisor at a price of
$10.00 per Note. UBS will receive no underwriting discount for each
Note that it sells in this offering. For additional information on
the distribution of the Notes, see “Supplement to the Plan of
Distribution; Role of BofAS and Conflicts of Interest” in this
pricing supplement.
The
initial estimated value of the Notes will be less than the public
offering price. The initial estimated value of the Notes as of
the Trade Date is expected to be between $9.40 and $9.90 per $10 in
Stated Principal Amount. See “Summary” beginning on page PS-4 of
this pricing supplement, “Risk Factors” beginning on page PS-7 of
this pricing supplement and “Structuring the Notes” on page PS-22
of this pricing supplement for additional information. The
actual value of your Notes at any time will reflect many factors
and cannot be predicted with accuracy.
UBS
Financial Services Inc.
|
BofA
Securities
|
Additional
Information about BofA Finance LLC, Bank of America Corporation and
the Notes
|
You
should read carefully this entire pricing supplement and the
accompanying product supplement, prospectus supplement and
prospectus to understand fully the terms of the Notes, as well as
the tax and other considerations important to you in making a
decision about whether to invest in the Notes. In particular, you
should review carefully the section in this pricing 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 pricing
supplement is inconsistent with the product supplement, prospectus
supplement or prospectus, this pricing supplement will supersede
those documents. You are urged to consult with your own attorneys
and business and tax advisors before making a decision to purchase
any of the Notes.
The
information in the “Summary” section is qualified in its entirety
by the more detailed explanation set forth elsewhere in this
pricing supplement and the accompanying product supplement,
prospectus supplement and prospectus. You should rely only on the
information contained in this pricing supplement and the
accompanying product supplement, prospectus supplement and
prospectus. We have not authorized any other person to provide you
with different information. If anyone provides you with different
or inconsistent information, you should not rely on it. None of us,
the Guarantor, BofAS or UBS is making an offer to sell these Notes
in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted.
You should assume that the information in this pricing
supplement and the accompanying product supplement, prospectus
supplement, and prospectus is accurate only as of the date on their
respective front covers.
Certain terms used
but not defined in this pricing supplement have the meanings set
forth in the accompanying product supplement, prospectus supplement
and prospectus. Unless otherwise indicated or unless the
context requires otherwise, all references in this pricing
supplement to “we,” “us,” “our,” or similar references are to BofA
Finance, and not to BAC (or any other affiliate of BofA
Finance).
The
above-referenced accompanying documents may be accessed at the
following links:
♦
Product supplement
EQUITY-1 dated January 3, 2020:
♦
Series A MTN
prospectus supplement dated December 31, 2019 and prospectus dated
December 31, 2019:
The
Notes are our senior debt securities. Any payments on the Notes are
fully and unconditionally guaranteed by BAC. The Notes and the
related guarantee are not insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance
Corporation or secured by collateral. The Notes will rank equally
in right of payment with all of our other unsecured and
unsubordinated obligations, and the related guarantee will rank
equally in right of payment with all of BAC’s other unsecured and
unsubordinated obligations, in each case, except obligations that
are subject to any priorities or preferences by law. Any payments
due on the Notes, including any repayment of the principal amount,
will be subject to the credit risk of BofA Finance, as issuer, and
BAC, as Guarantor.
|
PS-2
The Notes may
be suitable for you if, among other
considerations:
♦
You fully
understand the risks inherent in an investment in the Notes,
including the risk of loss of your entire investment.
♦
You can tolerate
a loss of all or a substantial portion of your investment and are
willing to make an investment that will have the full downside
market risk of an investment in the Least Performing
Underlying.
♦
You understand
and accept the risks associated with the Underlyings.
♦
You are willing
to accept the individual market risk of each Underlying and
understand that any decline in the level of one Underlying will not
be offset or mitigated by a lesser decline or any potential
increase in the level of the other Underlying.
♦
You believe the
Current Underlying Level of each Underlying is likely to be greater
than or equal to its Coupon Barrier on the Observation Dates, and,
if the Current Underlying Level of either Underlying is not, you
can tolerate receiving few or no Contingent Coupon Payments over
the term of the Notes.
♦
You believe the
Current Underlying Level of each Underlying will be greater than or
equal to its Downside Threshold on the Final Observation Date, and,
if the Current Underlying Level of either Underlying is below its
Downside Threshold on the Final Observation Date, you can tolerate
a loss of all or a substantial portion of your
investment.
♦
You can tolerate
fluctuations in the value of the Notes prior to maturity that may
be similar to or exceed the downside fluctuations in the level of
the Least Performing Underlying.
♦
You understand
that your return will be based on the performance of the Least
Performing Underlying and you will not benefit from the performance
of the other Underlying.
♦
You are willing
to hold Notes that will be called on the earliest Observation Date
(beginning six months after issuance, other than the Final
Observation Date) on which the Current Underlying Level of the
Least Performing Underlying is greater than or equal to its Initial
Value.
♦
You are willing
to make an investment whose positive return is limited to the
Contingent Coupon Payments, regardless of the potential
appreciation of the Underlyings, which could be
significant.
♦
You are willing
and able to hold the Notes to maturity, and accept that there may
be little or no secondary market for the Notes.
♦
You do not seek
guaranteed current income from your investment and are willing to
forgo dividends or any other distributions paid on the stocks
included in the Underlyings.
♦
You are willing
to assume the credit risk of BofA Finance and BAC for all payments
under the Notes, and understand that if BofA Finance and BAC
default on their obligations, you might not receive any amounts due
to you, including any repayment of the Stated Principal
Amount.
|
The Notes may
not be suitable for you if, among other
considerations:
♦
You do not fully
understand the risks inherent in an investment in the Notes,
including the risk of loss of your entire investment.
♦
You cannot
tolerate the loss of all or a substantial portion of your initial
investment, or you are not willing to make an investment that will
have the full downside market risk of an investment in the Least
Performing Underlying.
♦
You require an
investment designed to guarantee a full return of the Stated
Principal Amount at maturity.
♦
You do not
understand or are not willing to accept the risks associated with
each of the Underlyings.
♦
You are
unwilling to accept the individual market risk of each Underlying
or do not understand that any decline in the level of one
Underlying will not be offset or mitigated by a lesser decline or
any potential increase in the level of the other
Underlying.
♦
You do not
believe the Current Underlying Level of each Underlying is likely
to be greater than or equal to its Coupon Barrier on the
Observation Dates, or you cannot tolerate receiving few or no
Contingent Coupon Payments over the term of the Notes.
♦
You believe the
Current Underlying Level of either Underlying will be less than its
Downside Threshold on the Final Observation Date, exposing you to
the full downside performance of the Least Performing
Underlying.
♦
You cannot
tolerate fluctuations in the value of the Notes prior to maturity
that may be similar to or exceed the downside fluctuations in the
level of the Least Performing Underlying.
♦
You are
unwilling to accept that your return will be based on the
performance of the Least Performing Underlying, or you seek an
investment based on the performance of a basket composed of the
Underlyings.
♦
You are
unwilling to hold Notes that will be called on the earliest
Observation Date (beginning six months after issuance, other than
the Final Observation Date) on which the Current Underlying Level
of the Least Performing Underlying is greater than or equal to its
Initial Value.
♦
You seek an
investment that participates in the full appreciation of the
Underlyings and whose positive return is not limited to the
Contingent Coupon Payments.
♦
You seek an
investment for which there will be an active secondary
market.
♦
You seek
guaranteed current income from this investment or prefer to receive
the dividends and any other distributions paid on the stocks
included in the Underlyings.
♦
You prefer the
lower risk of conventional fixed income investments with comparable
maturities and credit ratings.
♦
You are not
willing to assume the credit risk of BofA Finance and BAC for all
payments under the Notes, including any repayment of the Stated
Principal Amount.
|
The
suitability considerations identified above are not exhaustive.
Whether or not the Notes are a suitable investment for you will
depend on your individual circumstances and you should reach an
investment decision only after you and your investment, legal, tax,
accounting and other advisors have carefully considered the
suitability of an investment in the Notes in light of your
particular circumstances. You should review “The Underlyings”
herein for more information on the Underlyings. You should also
review carefully the “Risk Factors” section herein for risks
related to an investment in the Notes.
|
PS-3
Issuer
|
BofA
Finance
|
Guarantor
|
BAC
|
Public Offering
Price
|
100%
of the Stated Principal Amount
|
Stated Principal
Amount
|
$10.00 per
Note
|
Minimum
Investment
|
$1,000 (100
Notes)
|
Term
|
Approximately
five years, unless earlier automatically called
|
Trade
Date1,2
|
November 23,
2022
|
Issue
Date1,2
|
November 29,
2022
|
Final
Observation Date1
|
November 23,
2027
|
Maturity
Date1
|
November 29,
2027
|
Underlyings
|
Dow
Jones Industrial Average® (Ticker: INDU)
S&P
500® Index (Ticker: SPX)
|
Automatic Call
Feature
|
The
Notes will be automatically called if the Current Underlying Level
of the Least Performing Underlying on any Observation Date
occurring on or after May 23, 2023 (other than the Final
Observation Date) is greater than or equal to its Initial
Value.
If
the Notes are automatically called, we will pay you on the
applicable Coupon Payment Date a cash payment per $10.00 Stated
Principal Amount equal to the Stated Principal Amount plus the
Contingent Coupon Payment for the applicable Observation
Date.
If
the Notes are automatically called, no further payments will be
made on the Notes.
|
Observation
Dates1
|
See
“Observation Dates and Coupon Payment Dates” on page
PS-6.
|
Coupon Payment
Dates1
|
See
“Observation Dates and Coupon Payment Dates” on page
PS-6.
|
Contingent
Coupon Payment/Contingent Coupon Rate
|
If
the Current Underlying Level of the Least Performing Underlying on
the applicable quarterly Observation Date is greater than or equal
to its Coupon Barrier, we will make a Contingent Coupon Payment
with respect to that Observation Date on the related Coupon Payment
Date.
However, if the
Current Underlying Level of the Least Performing Underlying on the
applicable quarterly Observation Date is below its Coupon Barrier,
no Contingent Coupon Payment will accrue or be payable on the
related Coupon Payment Date.
Each
Contingent Coupon Payment will be in the amount of between
[$0.24125 to $0.26625] for each $10.00 Stated Principal Amount
(based on the per annum Contingent Coupon Rate of between [9.65% to
10.65%]) and will be payable, if applicable, on the related Coupon
Payment Date. The Contingent Coupon Payment/Contingent Coupon
Rate will be determined on the Trade Date.
Contingent
Coupon Payments on the Notes are not guaranteed. We will not pay
you the Contingent Coupon Payment for any Observation Date on which
the Current Underlying Level of the Least Performing Underlying on
that Observation Date is less than its Coupon Barrier, even if the
Current Underlying Level of the other Underlying is above its
Coupon Barrier.
|
Payment At
Maturity (per $10.00 Stated Principal Amount)
|
If the Notes
are not automatically called prior to maturity and the Final Value
of the Least Performing Underlying on the Final Observation Date is
greater than or equal to its Downside Threshold, on the
Maturity Date we will pay you the Stated Principal Amount plus, if
applicable, the Contingent Coupon Payment with respect to the Final
Observation Date.
If the Notes
are not automatically called prior to maturity and the Final Value
of the Least Performing Underlying on the Final Observation Date is
less than its Downside Threshold, we will pay you a cash
payment on the Maturity Date that is less than your Stated
Principal Amount and may be zero, resulting in a loss that is
proportionate to the negative Underlying Return of the Least
Performing Underlying on the Final Observation Date, equal
to:
$10.00 × (1
+ Underlying Return of the Least Performing Underlying on the Final
Observation Date)
Accordingly,
you may lose all or a substantial portion of your Stated Principal
Amount at maturity, depending on how significantly the Least
Performing Underlying declines, even if the Final Value of the
other Underlying is above its Downside
Threshold.
|
Least Performing
Underlying
|
On
each Observation Date, including the Final Observation Date, the
Underlying with the lowest Underlying Return as of that Observation
Date.
|
Underlying
Return
|
For
any Underlying on any Observation Date, calculated as
follows:
Current
Underlying Level — Initial Value
Initial Value
|
Downside
Threshold
|
For
any Underlying, 60% of its Initial Value, as specified on the
cover page of this pricing supplement.
|
Coupon
Barrier
|
For
any Underlying, 70% of its Initial Value, as specified on the
cover page of this pricing supplement.
|
Initial
Value
|
For
any Underlying, its closing level on the Trade Date, as specified
on the cover page of this pricing supplement.
|
Current
Underlying Level
|
For
any Underlying and any Observation Date, the closing level of that
Underlying on that Observation Date.
|
Final
Value
|
For
any Underlying, its Current Underlying Level on the Final
Observation Date.
|
Calculation
Agent
|
BofAS, an
affiliate of BofA Finance.
|
Selling
Agents
|
BofAS and
UBS.
|
Events of
Default and Acceleration
|
If
an Event of Default, as defined in the senior indenture relating to
the Notes and in the section entitled “Description of Debt
Securities—Events of Default and Rights of Acceleration” beginning
on page 22 of the accompanying prospectus, with respect to the
Notes occurs and is continuing, the amount payable to a holder of
the Notes upon any acceleration permitted under the senior
indenture will be equal to the amount described under the caption
“—Payment at Maturity” above, calculated as though the date of
acceleration were the Maturity Date of the Notes and as though the
Final Observation Date were the third trading day prior to the date
of acceleration. We will also determine whether the final
Contingent Coupon Payment is payable based upon the levels of the
Underlyings on the deemed Final Observation Date; any such final
Contingent Coupon Payment will be prorated by the calculation agent
to reflect the length of the final contingent payment period.
In case of a default in the payment of the Notes, whether at
their maturity or upon acceleration, the Notes will not bear a
default interest rate.
|
1
Subject
to change and will be set forth in the final pricing supplement
relating to the Notes.
|
2
See
“Supplement to the Plan of Distribution; Role of BofAS and
Conflicts of Interest” in this pricing supplement for additional
information.
|
PS-4
|
|
|
|
|
Trade
Date
|
|
The
closing level of each Underlying (its Initial Value) is observed,
the Contingent Coupon Payment/Contingent Coupon Rate is set, and
the Coupon Barrier and Downside Threshold for each Underlying are
determined.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Quarterly
(autocallable after six months)
|
|
If the
Current Underlying Level of the Least Performing Underlying on any
quarterly Observation Date is greater than or equal to its Coupon
Barrier, we will pay you a Contingent Coupon Payment on the related
Coupon Payment Date. However, if the Current Underlying Level of
the Least Performing Underlying on any quarterly Observation Date
is below its Coupon Barrier, no Contingent Coupon Payment will
accrue or be payable on the related Coupon Payment
Date.
The
Notes will be automatically called if the Current Underlying Level
of the Least Performing Underlying on any Observation Date
(beginning approximately six months after issuance, other than the
Final Observation Date) is greater than or equal to its Initial
Value.
If the
Notes are automatically called on any Observation Date, we will pay
the Stated Principal Amount plus the applicable Contingent Coupon
Payment on the related Coupon Payment Date.
If the
Notes are automatically called, no further payments will be made on
the Notes.
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Maturity Date
(if not previously automatically called)
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If the
Notes are not automatically called prior to maturity, the Final
Value of each Underlying will be observed on the Final Observation
Date.
If
the Final Value of the Least Performing Underlying on the Final
Observation Date is greater than or equal to its Downside
Threshold, on the Maturity Date we will pay you the Stated
Principal Amount plus, if applicable, the Contingent Coupon Payment
with respect to the Final Observation Date.
If
the Final Value of the Least Performing Underlying on the Final
Observation Date is less than its Downside Threshold, on the
Maturity Date we will pay you a cash payment that is less than your
Stated Principal Amount and may be zero, resulting in a loss that
is proportionate to the negative Underlying Return of the Least
Performing Underlying on the Final Observation Date, equal
to:
$10.00
× (1 + Underlying Return of the Least Performing Underlying on
the Final Observation Date)
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INVESTING IN
THE NOTES INVOLVES SIGNIFICANT RISKS. YOU MAY LOSE A
SUBSTANTIAL PORTION OR ALL OF YOUR INITIAL INVESTMENT. YOU
WILL BE EXPOSED TO THE MARKET RISK OF EACH UNDERLYING AND ANY
DECLINE IN THE LEVEL OF ONE UNDERLYING MAY NEGATIVELY AFFECT YOUR
RETURN AND WILL NOT BE OFFSET OR MITIGATED BY A LESSER DECLINE OR
ANY POTENTIAL INCREASE IN THE LEVEL OF THE OTHER UNDERLYING. THE
CONTINGENT REPAYMENT OF THE STATED PRINCIPAL AMOUNT APPLIES ONLY IF
YOU HOLD THE NOTES TO MATURITY OR EARLIER AUTOMATIC CALL. ANY
PAYMENT ON
THE NOTES IS
SUBJECT TO THE CREDITWORTHINESS OF BOFA FINANCE AND THE
GUARANTOR.
PS-5
Observation Dates and Coupon Payment
Dates
|
Observation
Dates1,2
|
Coupon Payment
Dates1
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February 23,
2023*
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February 27,
2023
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May
23, 2023
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May
25, 2023
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August
23, 2023
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August
25, 2023
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November 24,
2023
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November 28,
2023
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February 23,
2024
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February 27,
2024
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May
23, 2024
|
May
28, 2024
|
August
23, 2024
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August
27, 2024
|
November 25,
2024
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November 27,
2024
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February 24,
2025
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February 26,
2025
|
May
23, 2025
|
May
28, 2025
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August
25, 2025
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August
27, 2025
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November 24,
2025
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November 26,
2025
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February 23,
2026
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February 25,
2026
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May
26, 2026
|
May
28, 2026
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August
24, 2026
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August
26, 2026
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November 23,
2026
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November 25,
2026
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February 23,
2027
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February 25,
2027
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May
24, 2027
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May
26, 2027
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August
23, 2027
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August
25, 2027
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November 23,
2027*
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November 29,
2027
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*The
Notes are NOT automatically callable until the second Observation
Date, which is May 23, 2023, and will NOT be automatically
callable on the Final Observation Date (November 23,
2027).
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1 Subject
to change and will be set forth in the final pricing supplement
relating to the Notes.
2 The
Observation Dates are subject to postponement as set forth in
“Additional Terms Relating to Observation Dates”
below.
Additional
Terms Relating to Observation Dates
Events Relating
to Observation Dates — The following replaces in its
entirety the section entitled “Description of the Notes—Certain
Terms of the Notes — Events Relating to Observation Dates” in
the accompanying product supplement:
If,
with respect to any Underlying, (i) a Market Disruption Event
occurs on a scheduled Observation Date or (ii) the calculation
agent determines that by reason of an extraordinary event,
occurrence, declaration or otherwise, any scheduled Observation
Date is not a Trading Day for any Underlying (any such day in
either (i) or (ii) being a “Non-Observation Date”), the
calculation agent will determine the closing level of the
applicable Underlyings for that day as follows:
●
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The closing level
of an Underlying that is not so affected will be its closing level
on that Non-Observation Date.
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●
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The closing level
of an Underlying that is affected by
that Non-Observation Date will be deemed to be its
closing level on the first scheduled Trading Day following
that Non-Observation Date. However, if (i) a Market
Disruption Event occurs on the first scheduled Trading Day
following that Non-Observation Date or (ii) the first scheduled
Trading Day following that Non-Observation Date is determined by
the calculation agent not to be a Trading Day by reason of an
extraordinary event, occurrence, declaration or otherwise, the
closing level of the Underlying for the relevant Observation Date
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 such first
scheduled Trading Day following that Non-Observation Date,
regardless of the occurrence of a Market Disruption Event or
non-Trading Day on that day.
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The
applicable Observation Date will be deemed to occur after the
calculation agent has determined the closing levels of the
Underlyings as provided above.
PS-6
Your investment
in the Notes entails significant 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
of an investment in the Notes, including those discussed below,
with your advisors in light of your particular circumstances. The
Notes are not an appropriate investment for you if you are not
knowledgeable about significant elements of the Notes or financial
matters in general. You should carefully review the more detailed
explanation of risks relating to the Notes in the “Risk Factors”
sections beginning on page PS-5 of the accompanying product
supplement, page S-5 of the accompanying prospectus supplement and
page 7 of the accompanying prospectus identified on page PS-2
above.
Structure-related
Risks
♦
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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. If the Notes are not automatically called prior
to maturity and the Final Value of any Underlying is less than its
Downside Threshold, at maturity, you will lose 1% of the Stated
Principal Amount for each 1% that the Final Value of the Least
Performing Underlying is less than its Initial Value. In that case,
you will lose a significant portion or all of your investment in
the Notes. Generally, the longer the Notes remain outstanding,
the less likely the Notes will be subject to an automatic call
because of the shorter time remaining for the level of an
Underlying that has experienced a decline to recover. The periods
in which it is less likely the Notes will be subject to an
automatic call generally coincide with a period of greater risk of
loss of the Stated Principal Amount on your Notes.
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♦
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The
limited downside protection provided by the Downside Threshold
applies only at maturity. You should be willing to hold your
Notes to maturity. If you are able to sell your Notes in the
secondary market prior to an automatic call or maturity, you may
have to sell them at a loss relative to your initial investment
even if the level of each Underlying at that time is equal to or
greater than its Downside Threshold. All payments on the Notes are
subject to the credit risk of BofA Finance, as issuer, and BAC, as
guarantor.
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♦
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Your return on
the Notes is limited to the return represented by the Contingent
Coupon Payments, if any, over the term of the Notes. Your
return on the Notes is limited to the Contingent Coupon Payments
paid over the term of the Notes, regardless of the extent to which
the Current Underlying Level or Final Value of any Underlying
exceeds its Coupon Barrier or Initial Value, as applicable.
Similarly, the amount payable at maturity or upon an automatic call
will never exceed the sum of the Stated Principal Amount and the
applicable Contingent Coupon Payment, regardless of the extent to
which the Final Value or the Current Underlying Level of any
Underlying exceeds its Initial Value. In contrast, a direct
investment in the securities included in one or more of the
Underlyings would allow you to receive the benefit of any
appreciation in their values. Thus, any return on the Notes
will not reflect the return you would realize if you actually owned
those securities and received the dividends paid or distributions
made on them.
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♦
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The
Notes are subject to a potential automatic early call, which would
limit your ability to receive the Contingent Coupon Payments over
the full term of the Notes. The Notes are subject to a
potential automatic early call. Beginning in May 2023, the Notes
will be automatically called if, on any Observation Date (other
than the Final Observation Date), the Current Underlying Level of
the Least Performing Underlying is greater than or equal to its
Initial Value. If the Notes are automatically called prior to the
Maturity Date, you will be entitled to receive the Stated Principal
Amount and the Contingent Coupon Payment with respect to the
applicable Observation Date. In this case, you will lose the
opportunity to continue to receive Contingent Coupon Payments after
the date of automatic call. If the Notes are called prior to the
Maturity Date, you may be unable to invest in other securities with
a similar level of risk that could provide a return that is similar
to the Notes.
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♦
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You
may not receive any Contingent Coupon Payments. The Notes
do not provide for any regular fixed coupon payments. Investors in
the Notes will not necessarily receive any Contingent Coupon
Payments on the Notes. If the Current Underlying Level of the Least
Performing Underlying is less than its Coupon Barrier on an
Observation Date, you will not receive the Contingent Coupon
Payment applicable to that Observation Date. If the Current
Underlying Level of the Least Performing Underlying is less than
its Coupon Barrier on all the Observation Dates during the term of
the Notes, you will not receive any Contingent Coupon Payments
during the term of the Notes, and will not receive a positive
return on the Notes.
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♦
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The
Contingent Coupon Payment, Payment at Maturity, or payment upon an
automatic call, as applicable, will not reflect the levels of the
Underlyings other than on the Observation Dates. The
levels of the Underlyings during the term of the Notes other than
on the Observation Dates will not affect payments on the Notes.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, investors should generally be aware
of the performance of the Underlyings while holding the Notes, as
the performance of the Underlyings may influence the market value
of the Notes. The calculation agent will determine whether each
Contingent Coupon Payment is payable and will calculate the
Contingent Coupon Payment or the Payment at Maturity, as
applicable, by comparing only the Initial Value, the Coupon Barrier
or the Downside Threshold, as applicable, to the Current Underlying
Level or the Final Value for each Underlying. No other levels of
the Underlyings will be taken into account. As a result, if the
Notes are not automatically called prior to maturity and the Final
Value of the Least Performing Underlying is less than its Downside
Threshold, you will receive less than the Stated Principal Amount
at maturity, even if the level of each Underlying was always above
its Downside Threshold prior to the Final Observation
Date.
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♦
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Because the
Notes are linked to the performance of the least performing between
the INDU and the SPX, you are exposed to greater risk of receiving
no Contingent Coupon Payments or sustaining a significant loss on
your investment than if the Notes were linked to just the INDU or
just the SPX. The risk that you will not receive any Contingent
Coupon Payments and/or lose a significant portion or all of your
investment in the Notes is greater if you invest in the Notes as
opposed to substantially similar securities that are linked to the
performance of just the INDU or just the SPX. With two Underlyings,
it is more likely that either Underlying will close below its
Coupon Barrier on the Observation Dates or
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PS-7
below
its Downside Threshold on the Final Observation Date than if the
Notes were linked to only one of the Underlyings, and therefore it
is more likely that you will not receive any Contingent Coupon
Payments or will receive a Payment at Maturity that is
significantly less than the Stated Principal Amount on the Maturity
Date.
♦
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Your return on
the Notes may be less than the yield on a conventional debt
security of comparable 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. In addition, if
interest rates increase during the term of the Notes, the
Contingent Coupon Payment (if any) may be less than the yield on a
conventional debt security of comparable maturity.
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♦
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Any
payment on the Notes is subject to our credit risk and the credit
risk of the Guarantor, and actual or perceived changes in our or
the Guarantor’s creditworthiness are expected to affect the value
of the Notes. The Notes are our senior unsecured debt
securities. Any payment on the Notes will be fully and
unconditionally guaranteed by the Guarantor. The Notes are not
guaranteed by any entity other than the Guarantor. As a result,
your receipt of all payments on the Notes will be dependent upon
our ability and the ability of the Guarantor to repay our
respective obligations under the Notes on the applicable payment
date, regardless of the Current Underlying Level or Final Value, as
applicable, of any Underlying as compared to its Coupon Barrier,
Downside Threshold or Initial Value, as applicable. No
assurance can be given as to what our financial condition or the
financial condition of the Guarantor will be on the Maturity Date.
If we and the Guarantor become unable to meet our respective
financial obligations as they become due, you may not receive the
amounts payable under the terms of the Notes and you could lose all
of your initial investment.
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In
addition, our credit ratings and the credit ratings of the
Guarantor are assessments by ratings agencies of our respective
abilities to pay our obligations. Consequently, our or the
Guarantor’s perceived creditworthiness and actual or anticipated
decreases in our or the Guarantor’s credit ratings or increases in
the spread between the yield on our respective 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 and the ability of the Guarantor
to pay our respective obligations, such as the values of the
Underlyings, an improvement in our or the Guarantor’s credit
ratings will not reduce the other investment risks related to the
Notes.
♦
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We
are a finance subsidiary and, as such, have no independent assets,
operations or revenues. We are a finance subsidiary of the
Guarantor, have no operations other than those related to the
issuance, administration and repayment of our debt securities that
are guaranteed by the Guarantor, and are dependent upon the
Guarantor and/or its other subsidiaries to meet our obligations
under the Notes in the ordinary course. Therefore, our ability to
make payments on the Notes may be limited.
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Valuation-
and Market-related Risks
♦
|
The
public offering price you pay for the Notes will exceed their
initial estimated value. The range of initial estimated values
of the Notes that is provided on the cover page of this preliminary
pricing supplement, and the initial estimated value as of the Trade
Date that will be provided in the final pricing supplement, are
each estimates only, determined as of a particular point in time by
reference to our and our affiliates' pricing models. These pricing
models consider certain assumptions and variables, including our
credit spreads and those of the Guarantor, the Guarantor’s internal
funding rate, mid-market terms on hedging transactions,
expectations on interest rates, dividends and volatility,
price-sensitivity analysis, and the expected term of the
Notes. These pricing models rely in part on certain forecasts
about future events, which may prove to be incorrect. If you
attempt to sell the Notes prior to maturity, their market value may
be lower than the price you paid for them and lower than their
initial estimated value. This is due to, among other things,
changes in the levels of the Underlyings, changes in the
Guarantor’s internal funding rate, and the inclusion in the public
offering price of the underwriting discount and the hedging related
charges, all as further described in "Structuring the Notes" below.
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.
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♦
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The
initial estimated value does not represent a minimum or maximum
price at which we, BAC, BofAS or any of
our other affiliates would be willing to purchase your
Notes in any secondary market (if any exists) at any time. The
value of your Notes at any time after issuance will vary based on
many factors that cannot be predicted with accuracy, including
the performance of the Underlyings,
our and BAC’s creditworthiness and changes in market
conditions.
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♦
|
The
price of the Notes that may be paid by BofAS in any secondary
market (if BofAS makes a market, which it is not required to do),
as well as the price which may be reflected on customer account
statements, will be higher than the then-current estimated value of
the Notes for a limited time period after the Trade Date. As
agreed by BofAS and UBS, for approximately a three-month period
after the Trade Date, to the extent BofAS offers to buy the Notes
in the secondary market, it will do so at a price that will exceed
the estimated value of the Notes at that time. The amount of
this excess, which represents a portion of the hedging-related
charges expected to be realized by BofAS and UBS over the term of
the Notes, will decline to zero on a straight line basis over that
three-month period. Accordingly, the estimated value of your
Notes during this initial three-month period may be lower than the
value shown on your customer account statements. Thereafter,
if BofAS buys or sells your Notes, it will do so at prices that
reflect the estimated value determined by reference to its pricing
models at that time. Any price at any time after the Trade Date
will be based on then-prevailing market conditions and other
considerations, including the performance of the Underlyings and
the remaining term of the Notes. However, none of us,
the Guarantor, BofAS or any other party is obligated to purchase
your Notes at any price or at any time, and we cannot assure you
that any party will purchase your Notes at a price that equals or
exceeds the initial estimated value of the Notes.
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PS-8
♦
|
We
cannot assure you that a trading market for your Notes will ever
develop or be maintained. We will not list the Notes on any
securities exchange. We cannot predict how the Notes will
trade in any secondary market or whether that market will be liquid
or illiquid.
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The
development of a trading market for the Notes will depend on the
Guarantor’s financial performance and other factors, including
changes in the levels of the Underlyings. The number of potential
buyers of your Notes in any secondary market may be limited. We
anticipate that BofAS will act as a market-maker for the Notes, but
none of us, the Guarantor or BofAS is required to do so. There is
no assurance that any party will be willing to purchase your Notes
at any price in any secondary market. BofAS may discontinue its
market-making activities as to the Notes at any time. To the extent
that BofAS engages in any market-making activities, it may bid for
or offer the Notes. Any price at which BofAS may bid for, offer,
purchase, or sell any Notes 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 completed transactions may affect the prices, if any, at
which the Notes might otherwise trade in the market. In addition,
if at any time BofAS were to cease acting as a market-maker as to
the Notes, it is likely that there would be significantly less
liquidity in the secondary market. In such a case, the price at
which the Notes could be sold likely would be lower than if an
active market existed.
♦
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Economic and
market factors have affected the terms of the Notes and may affect
the market value of the Notes prior to maturity or an automatic
call. Because market-linked notes, including the Notes, can be
thought of as having a debt component and a derivative component,
factors that influence the values of debt instruments and options
and other derivatives will also affect the terms and features of
the Notes at issuance and the market price of the Notes prior to
maturity or an automatic call. These factors include the levels of
the Underlyings and the securities included in the Underlyings; the
volatility of the Underlyings and the securities included in the
Underlyings; the correlation among the Underlyings; the dividend
rate paid on the securities included in the Underlyings, if
applicable; the time remaining to the maturity of the Notes;
interest rates in the markets; geopolitical conditions and
economic, financial, political, force majeure and regulatory or
judicial events; whether the level of each of the Underlyings is
currently or has been less than its Coupon Barrier; the
availability of comparable instruments; the creditworthiness of
BofA Finance, as issuer, and BAC, as guarantor; and the then
current bid-ask spread for the Notes and the factors discussed
under “— Trading and hedging activities by us, the Guarantor and
any of our other affiliates, including BofAS, and UBS and its
affiliates, may create conflicts of interest with you and may
affect your return on the Notes and their market value” below.
These factors are unpredictable and interrelated and may offset or
magnify each other.
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♦
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A
higher Contingent Coupon Rate and/or a lower Coupon Barrier and/or
Downside Threshold may reflect greater expected volatility of the
Underlyings, which is generally associated with a greater risk of
loss. Volatility is a measure of the degree of variation
in the levels of the Underlyings over a period of time. The greater
the expected volatilities of the Underlyings at the time the terms
of the Notes are set, the greater the expectation is at that time
that you may not receive one or more, or all, Contingent Coupon
Payments and that you may lose a significant portion or all of the
Stated Principal Amount at maturity. In addition, the economic
terms of the Notes, including the Contingent Coupon Rate, the
Coupon Barrier and the Downside Threshold, are based, in part, on
the expected volatilities of the Underlyings at the time the terms
of the Notes are set, where higher expected volatilities will
generally be reflected in a higher Contingent Coupon Rate than the
fixed rate we would pay on conventional debt securities of the same
maturity and/or on otherwise comparable securities and/or a lower
Coupon Barrier and/or a lower Downside Threshold as compared to
otherwise comparable securities. Accordingly, a higher Contingent
Coupon Rate will generally be indicative of a greater risk of loss
while a lower Coupon Barrier or Downside Threshold does not
necessarily indicate that the Notes have a greater likelihood of
paying Contingent Coupon Payments or returning the Stated Principal
Amount at maturity. You should be willing to accept the downside
market risk of each Underlying and the potential loss of a
significant portion or all of the Stated Principal Amount at
maturity.
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Conflict-related
Risks
♦
|
Trading and
hedging activities by us, the Guarantor and any of our other
affiliates, including BofAS, and UBS and its affiliates, may create
conflicts of interest with you and may affect your return on the
Notes and their market value. We, the Guarantor or one or more
of our other affiliates, including BofAS, and UBS and its
affiliates, may buy or sell the securities held by or included in
the Underlyings, or futures or options contracts on the Underlyings
or those securities, or other listed or over-the-counter derivative
instruments linked to the Underlyings or those securities. We, the
Guarantor or one or more of our other affiliates, including BofAS,
and UBS and its affiliates also may issue or underwrite other
financial instruments with returns based upon the Underlyings. We
expect to enter into arrangements or adjust or close out existing
transactions to hedge our obligations under the Notes. We, the
Guarantor or our other affiliates, including BofAS, and UBS and its
affiliates also may enter into hedging transactions relating to
other Notes or instruments, some of which may have returns
calculated in a manner related to that of the Notes offered hereby.
We or UBS may enter into such hedging arrangements with one of our
or their affiliates. Our affiliates or their affiliates may enter
into additional hedging transactions with other parties relating to
the Notes and the Underlyings. 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 and our affiliates and UBS
and its 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 Guarantor and our other affiliates, including BofAS,
and UBS and its affiliates receive for the sale of the Notes, which
creates an additional incentive to sell the Notes to you. While we,
the Guarantor or one or more of our other affiliates, including
BofAS, and UBS and its affiliates may from time to time own
securities represented by the Underlyings, except to the extent
that BAC’s or UBS Group AG’s (the parent company of UBS) common
stock may be included in the Underlyings, as applicable, we, the
Guarantor and our other affiliates, including BofAS, and UBS and
its affiliates do not control any company included in the
Underlyings, and have not verified any disclosure made by any other
company. We, the Guarantor or one or more of our other affiliates,
including BofAS, and UBS and its affiliates 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. The transactions described above may present a conflict of
interest between your interest in the Notes and the interests we,
the
|
PS-9
Guarantor and our
other affiliates, including BofAS, and UBS and its affiliates may
have in our or their proprietary accounts, in facilitating
transactions, including block trades, for our or their other
customers, and in accounts under our or their
management.
The
transactions described above may affect the value of the
Underlyings in a manner that could be adverse to your investment in
the Notes. On or before the Trade Date, any purchases or sales by
us, the Guarantor or our other affiliates, including BofAS or
others on its behalf, and UBS and its affiliates (including for the
purpose of hedging some or all of our anticipated exposure in
connection with the Notes) may affect the value of the Underlyings.
Consequently, the value of the Underlyings may change subsequent to
the Trade Date, which may adversely affect the market value of the
Notes. In addition, these activities may decrease the market value
of your Notes prior to maturity, and may affect the amounts to be
paid on the Notes. We, the Guarantor or one or more of our other
affiliates, including BofAS, and UBS and its affiliates may
purchase or otherwise acquire a long or short position in the Notes
and may hold or resell the Notes. For example, BofAS may enter into
these transactions in connection with any market making activities
in which it engages. We cannot assure you that these activities
will not adversely affect the value of the Underlyings, the market
value of your Notes prior to maturity or the amounts payable on the
Notes.
♦
|
There may be
potential conflicts of interest involving the calculation agent,
which is an affiliate of ours. We have the right to appoint and
remove the calculation agent. One of our affiliates will be the
calculation agent for the Notes and, as such, will make a variety
of determinations relating to the Notes, including the amounts that
will be paid on the Notes. Under some circumstances, these duties
could result in a conflict of interest between its status as our
affiliate and its responsibilities as calculation agent.
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Underlying-related
Risks
♦
|
The
Notes are subject to the market risk of the
Underlyings. The return on the Notes, which may be
negative, is directly linked to the performance of the Underlyings
and indirectly linked to the value of the securities included in
the Underlyings. The level of the Underlyings can rise or fall
sharply due to factors specific to the Underlyings and the
securities included in the Underlyings and the issuers of such
securities, such as stock price volatility, earnings and financial
conditions, corporate, industry and regulatory developments,
management changes and decisions and other events, as well as
general market factors, such as general stock market or commodity
market volatility and levels, interest rates and economic and
political conditions.
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♦
|
The
publisher of an Underlying may adjust that Underlying in a way that
affects its levels, and the publisher has no obligation to consider
your interests. The publisher of an Underlying can add,
delete, or substitute the components included in that Underlying or
make other methodological changes that could change its level. Any
of these actions could adversely affect the value of your
Notes.
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♦
|
You
are exposed to the market risk of each Underlying. Your return
on the Notes is not linked to a basket consisting of the
Underlyings. Rather, it will be contingent upon the independent
performance of each of the INDU and the SPX. Unlike an instrument
with a return linked to a basket of underlying assets, in which
risk is mitigated and diversified among all of the components of
the basket, you will be exposed to the risks related to both the
INDU and the SPX. Poor performance by either of the Underlyings
over the term of the Notes may negatively affect your return and
will not be offset or mitigated by positive performance by the
other Underlying. For the Notes to be automatically called or to
receive any Contingent Coupon Payment or contingent repayment of
principal at maturity, both Underlyings must close at or above
their respective Initial Values, Coupon Barriers or Downside
Thresholds, respectively, on the applicable Observation Date or
Final Observation Date, as applicable. In addition, if the Notes
are not called prior to maturity, you may incur a loss
proportionate to the negative return of the Least Performing
Underlying even if the other Underlying appreciates during the term
of the Notes. Accordingly, your investment is subject to the market
risk of both Underlyings. Additionally, movements in the values of
the Underlyings may be correlated or uncorrelated at different
times during the term of the Notes, and such correlation (or lack
thereof) could have an adverse effect on your return on the Notes.
For example, the likelihood that one of the Underlyings will close
below its Coupon Barrier on an Observation Date or below its
Downside Threshold on the Final Observation Date will increase when
the movements in the values of the Underlyings are uncorrelated.
Thus, if the performance of the Underlyings is not correlated or is
negatively correlated, the risk of not receiving a Contingent
Coupon Payment and of incurring a significant loss of principal at
maturity is greater. In addition, correlation generally decreases
for each additional Underlying to which the Notes are linked,
resulting in a greater potential of not receiving a Contingent
Coupon Payment and for a significant loss of principal at maturity.
Although the correlation of the Underlyings’ performance may change
over the term of the Notes, the economic terms of the Notes,
including the Contingent Coupon Rate, Downside Thresholds and
Coupon Barriers, are determined, in part, based on the correlation
of the Underlyings’ performance calculated using our and our
affiliates' pricing models at the time when the terms of the Notes
are finalized. All other things being equal, a higher Contingent
Coupon Rate and lower Downside Threshold and Coupon Barrier is
generally associated with lower correlation of the Underlyings,
which may indicate a greater potential for missed Contingent Coupon
Payments and/or a significant loss on your investment at maturity.
See “Correlation of the Underlyings” below.
|
Tax-related
Risks
♦
|
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
contingent income-bearing single financial contracts, as described
below under “U.S. Federal Income Tax Summary—General.” If the
Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”) were successful in asserting
an alternative characterization for the Notes, the timing and
character of income, gain or loss with respect to the Notes may
differ. No ruling will be 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 the section entitled “U.S. Federal
Income Tax Summary.” 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.
|
PS-10
Hypothetical
terms only. Actual terms may vary. See the cover page for actual
offering terms.
The
examples below illustrate the hypothetical payment upon automatic
call or at maturity for a $10.00 Stated Principal Amount Note with
the following assumptions* (the actual terms of the Notes will be
determined on the Trade Date; amounts may have been rounded for
ease of reference and do not take into account any tax consequences
from investing in the Notes):
♦
|
Stated
Principal Amount: $10
|
♦
|
Term:
Approximately 5 years, unless earlier automatically
called
|
♦
|
Hypothetical
Initial Values:
|
o
|
Dow
Jones Industrial Average®: 100.00
|
♦
|
Hypothetical
Contingent Coupon Rate: 9.65% per annum (or 2.4125% per quarter)
(the lower end of the range for the Contingent Coupon
Rate)
|
♦
|
Hypothetical
Quarterly Contingent Coupon Payment: $0.24125 per quarter per Note
(the lower end of the range for the Contingent Coupon
Payment)
|
♦
|
Observation Dates:
Quarterly, automatically callable (other than on the Final
Observation Date) after approximately 6 months as set forth on page
PS-6 of this pricing supplement
|
♦
|
Hypothetical
Coupon Barriers:
|
o
|
Dow
Jones Industrial Average®: 70.00, which is 70% of its
hypothetical Initial Value
|
o
|
S&P
500® Index: 70.00, which is 70% of its hypothetical
Initial Value
|
♦
|
Hypothetical
Downside Thresholds:
|
o
|
Dow
Jones Industrial Average®: 60.00, which is 60% of its
hypothetical Initial Value
|
o
|
S&P
500® Index: 60.00, which is 60% of its hypothetical
Initial Value
|
*The
hypothetical Contingent Coupon Rate/Contingent Coupon
Payment may not represent the actual Contingent Coupon
Rate/Contingent Coupon Payment, and the Initial Values,
Coupon Barriers and Downside Thresholds do not represent the actual
Initial Values, Coupon Barriers and Downside Thresholds,
respectively, applicable to the Underlyings. The actual
Contingent Coupon Rate/Contingent Coupon Payment, Initial
Values, Coupon Barriers and Downside Thresholds will be determined
on the Trade Date. All payments on the Notes are
subject to issuer and guarantor credit
risk.
Example 1 —
Notes are automatically called on the second Observation
Date.
Date
|
Current
Underlying Level of the Underlying
|
Payment (per
Note)
|
Dow
Jones Industrial Average®
|
S&P
500® Index
|
|
First
Observation Date
|
50.00
(below Coupon Barrier)*
|
78.00
(at or above Coupon Barrier)
|
$0.000 (not
callable)
|
Second
Observation Date
|
105.00
(at or above Coupon Barrier and Initial
Value)*
|
106.00
(at or above Coupon Barrier and Initial
Value)
|
$10.24125 (Payment
upon automatic call)
|
|
|
Total
Payment:
|
$10.24125 (2.4125%
total return)
|
*
Denotes Least Performing Underlying for the applicable Observation
Date
The
Least Performing Underlying on the first Observation Date closes
below its
Coupon Barrier, and as a result no Contingent Coupon Payment is
paid on the first Coupon Payment Date. On the second Observation
Date (which is approximately six months after the Trade Date and is
the first Observation Date on which the Notes are subject to
potential automatic call), the Least Performing Underlying closes
above its Initial Value, and the Notes are automatically called on
the related Coupon Payment Date. You will receive on the related
Coupon Payment Date a total of $10.24125 per Note, reflecting the
$10.000 Stated Principal Amount plus the applicable
Contingent Coupon Payment. You would have been paid a total of
$10.24125 per Note for a 2.4125% total return on the Notes
over six months. No further amount would be owed to you under the
Notes, and you would not participate in the appreciation of the
Underlyings.
Example 2 —
Notes are NOT automatically called and the Final Value of the Least
Performing Underlying is at or above its Downside
Threshold.
Date
|
Current
Underlying Level of the Underlying
|
Payment (per
Note)
|
Dow
Jones Industrial Average®
|
S&P
500® Index
|
|
First
Observation Date
|
99.00
(at or above Coupon Barrier)
|
85.00
(at or above Coupon Barrier)*
|
$0.24125 (Contingent
Coupon Payment — not callable)
|
PS-11
Second
to Nineteenth Observation Dates
|
various (all at
or above Coupon Barrier; all below Initial
Value)
|
various (all
below Coupon Barrier and Initial Value)*
|
$0.000 (not
called)
|
Final
Observation Date
|
78.00
(at or above Downside Threshold and Coupon
Barrier)
|
77.00
(at or above Downside Threshold and Coupon
Barrier)*
|
$10.24125 (Payment
at Maturity)
|
|
|
Total
Payment:
|
$10.4825
(4.825% total return)
|
*
Denotes Least Performing Underlying for the applicable Observation
Date(s)
The
Least Performing Underlying on the first Observation Date closes
above its Coupon Barrier and therefore a Contingent Coupon Payment
is paid on the first Coupon Payment Date. On each of the second to
nineteenth Observation Dates, the Least Performing Underlying
closes below its Coupon Barrier. Therefore, no Contingent Coupon
Payment is paid on any related Coupon Payment Date. In addition, on
each of the second to nineteenth Observation Dates (which are the
Observation Dates on which the Notes are subject to potential
automatic call), the Least Performing Underlying closes below its
Initial Value, and as a result the Notes are not automatically
called. On the Final Observation Date, the Least Performing
Underlying closes at or above its Downside Threshold and its Coupon
Barrier. Therefore, at maturity, you would receive a total of
$10.24125 per Note, reflecting the $10.000 Stated Principal Amount
plus the applicable Contingent Coupon Payment. When added to
the total Contingent Coupon Payments of $0.24125 received in
respect of the prior Observation Dates, you would have been paid a
total of $10.4825 per Note for a 4.825% total return on the Notes
over five years.
Example 3 —
Notes are NOT automatically called and the Final Value of the Least
Performing Underlying is below its Downside
Threshold.
Date
|
Current
Underlying Level of the Underlying
|
Payment (per
Note)
|
Dow
Jones Industrial Average®
|
S&P
500® Index
|
|
First
Observation Date
|
95.00
(at or above Coupon Barrier)
|
66.00
(below Coupon Barrier)*
|
$0.000
(not callable)
|
Second
to Nineteenth Observation Dates
|
Various (all
below Coupon Barrier and Initial
Value)
|
Various (all
below Coupon Barrier and Initial Value)*
|
$0.000 (not
called)
|
Final
Observation Date
|
110.00
(at or above Downside Threshold and Coupon
Barrier)
|
30.00
(below Downside Threshold and Coupon
Barrier)*
|
$10.000 × [1 +
Underlying Return of the Least Performing Underlying on the Final
Observation Date] =
$10.000 × [1 +
-70.00%] =
$10.000 × 0.30
=
$3.000
(Payment at Maturity)
|
|
|
Total
Payment:
|
$3.000
(-70.00% total return)
|
*
Denotes Least Performing Underlying for the applicable Observation
Date(s)
The
Least Performing Underlying on each Observation Date (including the
Final Observation Date) closes below its Coupon Barrier, and as a
result no Contingent Coupon Payment is paid on any Coupon Payment
Date during the term of the Notes, including the Maturity Date. In
addition, on each of the second to nineteenth Observation Dates
(which are the Observation Dates on which the Notes are subject to
potential automatic call), the Least Performing Underlying closes
below its Initial Value, and as a result the Notes are not
automatically called. On the Final Observation Date, the Least
Performing Underlying closes below its Downside Threshold (which is
also below its Coupon Barrier). Therefore, at maturity, investors
are exposed to the downside performance of the Least Performing
Underlying and you will receive $3.000 per Note for a -70.00% total
return on the Notes over five years, which reflects the
percentage decrease of the Least Performing Underlying from the
Trade Date to the Final Observation Date.
PS-12
All
disclosures contained in this pricing supplement regarding the
Underlyings, including, without limitation, their make-up, method
of calculation, and changes in their components, have been derived
from publicly available sources. The information reflects the
policies of, and is subject to change by S&P Dow Jones Indices
LLC (“SPDJI”), the sponsor of each of the SPX and the INDU. We
refer to SPDJI as the “Underlying Sponsor.” The Underlying Sponsor,
which licenses the copyright and all other rights to the
Underlyings, has no obligation to continue to publish, and may
discontinue publication of, the Underlyings. The consequences of
the Underlying Sponsor discontinuing publication of the applicable
Underlying are discussed in “Description of the
Notes—Discontinuance of an Index” in the accompanying product
supplement. None of us, the Guarantor, the calculation agent,
or either Selling Agent accepts any responsibility for the
calculation, maintenance or publication of any Underlying or any
successor index.
None
of us, the Guarantor, the Selling Agents or any of our or their
respective affiliates makes any representation to you as to the
future performance of the Underlyings.
You
should make your own investigation into the
Underlyings.
The Dow
Jones Industrial Average®
Unless
otherwise stated, all information on the INDU provided in this
pricing supplement is derived from Dow Jones Indexes, the marketing
name and a licensed trademark of SPDJI. The INDU is a
price-weighted index, which means an underlying stock’s weight in
the INDU is based on its price per share rather than the total
market capitalization of the issuer. The INDU is designed to
provide an indication of the composite performance of 30 common
stocks of corporations representing a broad cross-section of U.S.
industry. The corporations represented in the INDU tend to be
market leaders in their respective industries and their stocks are
typically widely held by individuals and institutional
investors.
The
INDU is maintained by an Averages Committee comprised of three
representatives of SPDJI and two representatives of The Wall
Street Journal (the “WSJ”). Generally, composition changes
occur only after mergers, corporate acquisitions or other dramatic
shifts in a component's core business. When such an event
necessitates that one component be replaced, the entire INDU is
reviewed. As a result, when changes are made they typically involve
more than one component. While there are no rules for component
selection, a stock typically is added only if it has an excellent
reputation, demonstrates sustained growth, is of interest to a
large number of investors and accurately represents the sector(s)
covered by the average.
Changes in the
composition of the INDU are made entirely by the Averages Committee
without consultation with the corporations represented in the INDU,
any stock exchange, any official agency or us. Unlike most other
indices, which are reconstituted according to a fixed review
schedule, constituents of the INDU are reviewed on an as-needed
basis. Changes to the common stocks included in the INDU tend to be
made infrequently, and the underlying stocks of the INDU may be
changed at any time for any reason. The companies currently
represented in the INDU are incorporated in the United States and
its territories and their stocks are listed on the New York Stock
Exchange and the Nasdaq Stock Market.
The
INDU initially consisted of 12 common stocks and was first
published in the WSJ in 1896. The INDU was increased to include 20
common stocks in 1916 and to include 30 common stocks in 1928. The
number of common stocks in the INDU has remained at 30 since 1928,
and, in an effort to maintain continuity, the constituent
corporations represented in the INDU have been changed on a
relatively infrequent basis. The INDU includes companies from nine
main groups: Basic Materials; Consumer Goods; Consumer Services;
Financials; Healthcare; Industrials; Oil & Gas; Technology; and
Telecommunications.
Computation of
the INDU
The
level of the INDU is the sum of the primary exchange prices of each
of the 30 component stocks included in the INDU, divided by a
divisor that is designed to provide a meaningful continuity in the
level of the INDU. Because the INDU is price-weighted, stock splits
or changes in the component stocks could result in distortions in
the INDU level. In order to prevent these distortions related to
extrinsic factors, the divisor is periodically changed in
accordance with a mathematical formula that reflects adjusted
proportions within the INDU. The current divisor of the INDU is
published daily in the WSJ and other publications. In addition,
other statistics based on the INDU may be found in a variety of
publicly available sources.
Historical
Performance of the INDU
The
following graph sets forth the daily historical performance of the
INDU in the period from January 3, 2017 through November 15, 2022.
We obtained this historical data from Bloomberg L.P. We have not
independently verified the accuracy or completeness of the
information obtained from Bloomberg L.P. The horizontal gray line
in the graph represents the INDU’s hypothetical Coupon Barrier of
23,515.04 (rounded to two decimal places), which is 70% of the
INDU’s hypothetical Initial Value of 33,592.92, which was its
closing level on November 15, 2022. The horizontal crimson line in
the graph represents the INDU’s hypothetical Downside Threshold of
20,155.75 (rounded to two decimal places), which is 60% of the
INDU’s hypothetical Initial Value. The actual Initial Value, Coupon
Barrier and Downside Threshold will be determined on the Trade
Date.
PS-13
This
historical data on the INDU is not necessarily indicative of the
future performance of the INDU or what the value of the Notes may
be. Any historical upward or downward trend in the level of the
INDU during any period set forth above is not an indication that
the level of the INDU is more or less likely to increase or
decrease at any time over the term of the Notes.
Before
investing in the Notes, you should consult publicly available
sources for the levels of the INDU.
License
Agreement
S&P® is a registered trademark of Standard &
Poor’s Financial Services LLC (“S&P”) and Dow Jones®
is a registered trademark of Dow Jones Trademark Holdings LLC (“Dow
Jones”). These trademarks have been licensed for use by SPDJI.
“Standard & Poor’s®,” “Dow Jones Industrial
Average®” and “S&P®” are trademarks of
S&P. These trademarks have been sublicensed for certain
purposes by our affiliate, Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner &
Smith Incorporated. The INDU is a product of SPDJI and/or its
affiliates and has been licensed for use by Merrill Lynch,
Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated.
The
Notes are not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by SPDJI, Dow
Jones, S&P or any of their respective affiliates (collectively,
“S&P Dow Jones Indices”). S&P Dow Jones Indices make no
representation or warranty, express or implied, to the holders of
the Notes or any member of the public regarding the advisability of
investing in securities generally or in the Notes particularly or
the ability of the INDU to track general market performance.
S&P Dow Jones Indices’ only relationship to Merrill Lynch,
Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated with respect to the INDU is
the licensing of the INDU and certain trademarks, service marks
and/or trade names of S&P Dow Jones Indices and/or its third
party licensors. The INDU is determined, composed and calculated by
S&P Dow Jones Indices without regard to us, Merrill Lynch,
Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated, or the Notes. S&P Dow
Jones Indices have no obligation to take our needs, BAC’s needs or
the needs of Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated
or holders of the Notes into consideration in determining,
composing or calculating the INDU. S&P Dow Jones Indices are
not responsible for and have not participated in the determination
of the prices and amount of the Notes or the timing of the issuance
or sale of the Notes or in the determination or calculation of the
equation by which the Notes are to be converted into cash. S&P
Dow Jones Indices have no obligation or liability in connection
with the administration, marketing or trading of the Notes. There
is no assurance that investment products based on the INDU will
accurately track index performance or provide positive investment
returns. SPDJI and its subsidiaries are not investment advisors.
Inclusion of a security or futures contract within an index is not
a recommendation by S&P Dow Jones Indices to buy, sell, or hold
such security or futures contract, nor is it considered to be
investment advice. Notwithstanding the foregoing, SPDJI and its
affiliates may independently issue and/or sponsor financial
products unrelated to the Notes currently being issued by us, but
which may be similar to and competitive with the Notes. In
addition, SPDJI and its affiliates may trade financial products
which are linked to the performance of the INDU. It is
possible that this trading activity will affect the value of the
Notes.
S&P DOW JONES
INDICES DO NOT GUARANTEE THE ADEQUACY, ACCURACY, TIMELINESS AND/OR
THE COMPLETENESS OF THE INDU OR ANY DATA RELATED THERETO OR ANY
COMMUNICATION, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO, ORAL OR WRITTEN
COMMUNICATIONS (INCLUDING ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS) WITH RESPECT
THERETO. S&P DOW JONES INDICES SHALL NOT BE SUBJECT TO ANY
DAMAGES OR LIABILITY FOR ANY ERRORS, OMISSIONS, OR DELAYS THEREIN.
S&P DOW JONES INDICES MAKE NO EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES,
AND EXPRESSLY DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES, OF MERCHANTABILITY OR
FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE OR USE OR AS TO RESULTS TO BE
OBTAINED BY US, BAC, MERRILL LYNCH, PIERCE, FENNER & SMITH
INCORPORATED, HOLDERS OF THE NOTES, OR ANY OTHER PERSON OR ENTITY
FROM THE USE OF THE INDU OR WITH RESPECT TO ANY DATA RELATED
THERETO. WITHOUT LIMITING ANY OF THE FOREGOING, IN NO EVENT
WHATSOEVER SHALL S&P DOW JONES INDICES BE LIABLE FOR ANY
INDIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, PUNITIVE, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES
INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO, LOSS OF PROFITS, TRADING LOSSES, LOST
TIME OR GOODWILL, EVEN IF THEY HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY
OF SUCH DAMAGES, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, TORT, STRICT LIABILITY, OR
OTHERWISE. THERE ARE NO THIRD PARTY BENEFICIARIES OF ANY AGREEMENTS
OR ARRANGEMENTS BETWEEN S&P DOW JONES INDICES AND MERRILL
LYNCH, PIERCE, FENNER & SMITH INCORPORATED, OTHER THAN THE
LICENSORS OF S&P DOW JONES INDICES.
PS-14
The
S&P 500® Index
The
SPX includes a representative sample of 500 companies in leading
industries of the U.S. economy. The SPX is intended to provide an
indication of the pattern of common stock price movement. The
calculation of the level of the SPX is based on the relative value
of the aggregate market value of the common stocks of 500 companies
as of a particular time compared to the aggregate average market
value of the common stocks of 500 similar companies during the base
period of the years 1941 through 1943.
The
SPX includes companies from eleven main groups: Communication
Services; Consumer Discretionary; Consumer Staples; Energy;
Financials; Health Care; Industrials; Information Technology; Real
Estate; Materials; and Utilities. SPDJI may from time to time, in
its sole discretion, add companies to, or delete companies from,
the SPX to achieve the objectives stated above.
Company additions
to the SPX must have an unadjusted company market capitalization of
$14.6 billion or more (an increase from the previous
requirement of an unadjusted company market capitalization of $13.1
billion or more).
SPDJI
calculates the SPX by reference to the prices of the constituent
stocks of the SPX without taking account of the value of dividends
paid on those stocks. As a result, the return on the Notes will not
reflect the return you would realize if you actually owned the SPX
constituent stocks and received the dividends paid on those
stocks.
Computation of
the SPX
While
SPDJI currently employs the following methodology to calculate the
SPX, no assurance can be given that SPDJI will not modify or change
this methodology in a manner that may affect the payments on the
Notes.
Historically, the
market value of any component stock of the SPX was calculated as
the product of the market price per share and the number of then
outstanding shares of such component stock. In March 2005, SPDJI
began shifting the SPX halfway from a market capitalization
weighted formula to a float-adjusted formula, before moving the SPX
to full float adjustment on September 16, 2005. SPDJI’s criteria
for selecting stocks for the SPX did not change with the shift to
float adjustment. However, the adjustment affects each company’s
weight in the SPX.
Under
float adjustment, the share counts used in calculating the SPX
reflect only those shares that are available to investors, not all
of a company’s outstanding shares. Float adjustment excludes shares
that are closely held by control groups, other publicly traded
companies or government agencies.
In
September 2012, all shareholdings representing more than 5% of a
stock’s outstanding shares, other than holdings by “block owners,”
were removed from the float for purposes of calculating the SPX.
Generally, these “control holders” will include officers and
directors, private equity, venture capital and special equity
firms, other publicly traded companies that hold shares for
control, strategic partners, holders of restricted shares, ESOPs,
employee and family trusts, foundations associated with the
company, holders of unlisted share classes of stock, government
entities at all levels (other than government retirement/pension
funds) and any individual person who controls a 5% or greater stake
in a company as reported in regulatory filings. However, holdings
by block owners, such as depositary banks, pension funds, mutual
funds and ETF providers, 401(k) plans of the company, government
retirement/pension funds, investment funds of insurance companies,
asset managers and investment funds, independent foundations and
savings and investment plans, will ordinarily be considered part of
the float.
Treasury stock,
stock options, restricted shares, equity participation units,
warrants, preferred stock, convertible stock, and rights are not
part of the float. Shares held in a trust to allow investors in
countries outside the country of domicile, such as depositary
shares and Canadian exchangeable shares are normally part of the
float unless those shares form a control block. If a company has
multiple classes of stock outstanding, shares in an unlisted or
non-traded class are treated as a control block.
For
each stock, an investable weight factor (“IWF”) is calculated by
dividing the available float shares by the total shares
outstanding. Available float shares are defined as the total shares
outstanding less shares held by control holders. This calculation
is subject to a 5% minimum threshold for control blocks. For
example, if a company’s officers and directors hold 3% of the
company’s shares, and no other control group holds 5% of the
company’s shares, SPDJI would assign that company an IWF of 1.00,
as no control group meets the 5% threshold. However, if a company’s
officers and directors hold 3% of the company’s shares and another
control group holds 20% of the company’s shares, SPDJI would assign
an IWF of 0.77, reflecting the fact that 23% of the company’s
outstanding shares are considered to be held for control. As of
July 31, 2017, companies with multiple share class lines are no
longer eligible for inclusion in the SPX. Constituents of the SPX
prior to July 31, 2017 with multiple share class lines will be
grandfathered in and continue to be included in the SPX. If a
constituent company of the SPX reorganizes into a multiple share
class line structure, that company will remain in the SPX at the
discretion of the S&P Index Committee in order to minimize
turnover.
The
SPX is calculated using a base-weighted aggregate methodology. The
level of the SPX reflects the total market value of all component
stocks relative to the base period of the years 1941 through 1943.
An indexed number is used to represent the results of this
calculation in order to make the level easier to work with and
track over time. The actual total market value of the component
stocks during the base period of the years 1941 through 1943 has
been set to an indexed level of 10. This is often indicated by the
notation 1941- 43 = 10. In practice, the daily calculation of the
SPX is computed by dividing the total market value of the component
stocks by the “index divisor.” By itself, the index divisor is an
arbitrary number. However, in the context of the calculation of the
SPX, it serves as a link to the original base period level of the
SPX. The index divisor keeps the SPX comparable over time and is
the manipulation point for all adjustments to the SPX, which is
index maintenance.
Index
Maintenance
Index
maintenance includes monitoring and completing the adjustments for
company additions and deletions, share changes, stock splits, stock
dividends, and stock price adjustments due to company restructuring
or spinoffs. Some corporate actions, such as stock splits and stock
dividends, require changes in the common shares outstanding and the
stock prices of the companies in the SPX, and do not require index
divisor adjustments.
To
prevent the level of the SPX from changing due to corporate
actions, corporate actions which affect the total market value of
the SPX require an index divisor adjustment. By adjusting the index
divisor for the change in market value, the level of the SPX
remains constant and does not reflect the corporate actions of
individual companies in the SPX. Index divisor adjustments are made
after the close of trading and after the calculation of the SPX
closing level.
PS-15
Changes in a
company’s shares outstanding of 5.00% or more due to mergers,
acquisitions, public offerings, tender offers, Dutch auctions, or
exchange offers are made as soon as reasonably possible. Share
changes due to mergers or acquisitions of publicly held companies
that trade on a major exchange are implemented when the transaction
occurs, even if both of the companies are not in the same headline
index, and regardless of the size of the change. All other changes
of 5.00% or more (due to, for example, company stock repurchases,
private placements, redemptions, exercise of options, warrants,
conversion of preferred stock, notes, debt, equity participation
units, at-the-market offerings, or other recapitalizations) are
made weekly and are announced on Fridays for implementation after
the close of trading on the following Friday. Changes of less than
5.00% are accumulated and made quarterly on the third Friday of
March, June, September, and December, and are usually announced two
to five days prior. If a change in a company’s shares outstanding
of 5.00% or more causes a company’s IWF to change by five
percentage points or more, the IWF is updated at the same time as
the share change. IWF changes resulting from partial tender offers
are considered on a case by case basis.
Historical
Performance of the SPX
The
following graph sets forth the daily historical performance of the
SPX in the period from January 3, 2017 through November 15, 2022.
We obtained this historical data from Bloomberg L.P. We have not
independently verified the accuracy or completeness of the
information obtained from Bloomberg L.P. The horizontal gray line
in the graph represents the SPX’s hypothetical Coupon Barrier and
hypothetical Downside Threshold of 2,794.21 (rounded to two decimal
places), which is 70% of the SPX’s hypothetical Initial Value of
3,991.73, which was its closing level on November 15, 2022. The
horizontal crimson line in the graph represents the SPX’s
hypothetical Downside Threshold of 2,395.04 (rounded to two decimal
places), which is 60% of the SPX’s hypothetical Initial
Value. The actual Initial Value, Coupon Barrier and Downside
Threshold will be determined on the Trade Date.

This
historical data on the SPX is not necessarily indicative of the
future performance of the SPX or what the value of the Notes may
be. Any historical upward or downward trend in the level of the SPX
during any period set forth above is not an indication that the
level of the SPX is more or less likely to increase or
decrease at any time over the term of the Notes.
Before
investing in the Notes, you should consult publicly available
sources for the levels of the SPX.
License
Agreement
S&P®
is a registered trademark of Standard & Poor’s Financial
Services LLC (“S&P”) and Dow Jones® is a registered
trademark of Dow Jones Trademark Holdings LLC (“Dow Jones”). These
trademarks have been licensed for use by S&P Dow Jones Indices
LLC. “Standard & Poor’s®,” “S&P 500®”
and “S&P®” are trademarks of S&P. These
trademarks have been sublicensed for certain purposes by our
affiliate, Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith
Incorporated (“MLPF&S”). The SPX is a product of S&P
Dow Jones Indices LLC and/or its affiliates and has been licensed
for use by MLPF&S.
The
Notes are not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by S&P Dow
Jones Indices LLC, Dow Jones, S&P or any of their respective
affiliates (collectively, “S&P Dow Jones Indices”). S&P Dow
Jones Indices make no representation or warranty, express or
implied, to the holders of the Notes or any member of the public
regarding the advisability of investing in securities generally or
in the Notes particularly or the ability of the SPX to track
general market performance. S&P Dow Jones Indices’ only
relationship to MLPF&S with respect to the SPX is the licensing
of the SPX and certain trademarks, service marks and/or trade names
of S&P Dow Jones Indices and/or its third party licensors. The
SPX is determined, composed and calculated by S&P Dow Jones
Indices without regard to us, MLPF&S, or the Notes. S&P Dow
Jones Indices have no obligation to take our needs, BAC’s needs or
the needs of MLPF&S or holders of the Notes into consideration
in determining, composing or calculating the SPX. S&P Dow Jones
Indices are not responsible for and have not participated in the
determination of the prices and amount of the Notes or the timing
of the issuance or sale of the Notes or in the determination or
calculation of the equation by which the Notes are to be converted
into cash. S&P Dow Jones Indices have no obligation or
liability in connection with the administration, marketing or
trading of the Notes. There is no assurance that investment
products based on the SPX will accurately track index performance
or provide positive investment returns. S&P Dow Jones Indices
LLC and its subsidiaries are not investment advisors. Inclusion of
a security or futures contract within an index is not a
recommendation by S&P Dow Jones Indices to buy, sell,
or
PS-16
hold
such security or futures contract, nor is it considered to be
investment advice. Notwithstanding the foregoing, CME Group Inc.
and its affiliates may independently issue and/or sponsor financial
products unrelated to the Notes currently being issued by us, but
which may be similar to and competitive with the Notes. In
addition, CME Group Inc. and its affiliates may trade financial
products which are linked to the performance of the SPX. It is
possible that this trading activity will affect the value of the
Notes.
S&P DOW JONES
INDICES DO NOT GUARANTEE THE ADEQUACY, ACCURACY, TIMELINESS AND/OR
THE COMPLETENESS OF THE SPX OR ANY DATA RELATED THERETO OR ANY
COMMUNICATION, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO, ORAL OR WRITTEN
COMMUNICATION (INCLUDING ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS) WITH RESPECT
THERETO. S&P DOW JONES INDICES SHALL NOT BE SUBJECT TO ANY
DAMAGES OR LIABILITY FOR ANY ERRORS, OMISSIONS, OR DELAYS THEREIN.
S&P DOW JONES INDICES MAKE NO EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES,
AND EXPRESSLY DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES, OF MERCHANTABILITY OR
FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE OR USE OR AS TO RESULTS TO BE
OBTAINED BY US, BAC, MLPF&S, HOLDERS OF THE NOTES, OR ANY OTHER
PERSON OR ENTITY FROM THE USE OF THE SPX OR WITH RESPECT TO ANY
DATA RELATED THERETO. WITHOUT LIMITING ANY OF THE FOREGOING, IN NO
EVENT WHATSOEVER SHALL S&P DOW JONES INDICES BE LIABLE FOR ANY
INDIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, PUNITIVE, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES
INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO, LOSS OF PROFITS, TRADING LOSSES, LOST
TIME OR GOODWILL, EVEN IF THEY HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY
OF SUCH DAMAGES, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, TORT, STRICT LIABILITY, OR
OTHERWISE. THERE ARE NO THIRD PARTY BENEFICIARIES OF ANY AGREEMENTS
OR ARRANGEMENTS BETWEEN S&P DOW JONES INDICES AND MLPF&S,
OTHER THAN THE LICENSORS OF S&P DOW JONES INDICES.
PS-17
Correlation of
the Underlyings
The
graph below illustrates the daily performance of the INDU and the
SPX from January 3, 2017 through November 15, 2022. For comparison
purposes, each Underlying has been “normalized” to have a closing
level of 100 on January 3, 2017 by dividing the closing level of
that Underlying on each trading day by the closing level of that
Underlying on January 3, 2017 and multiplying by 100. We
obtained the closing levels used to determine the normalized
closing levels set forth below from Bloomberg L.P., without
independent verification.
The
correlation of a pair of Underlyings represents a statistical
measurement of the degree to which the returns of those Underlyings
were similar to each other over a given period in terms of timing
and direction. The correlation between a pair of Underlyings is
scaled from 1.0 to -1.0, with 1.0 indicating perfect positive
correlation (i.e., the value of both Underlyings are
increasing together or decreasing together and the ratio of their
returns has been constant), 0 indicating no correlation
(i.e., there is no statistical relationship between the
returns of that pair of Underlyings) and -1.0 indicating perfect
negative correlation (i.e., as the value of one Underlying
increases, the value of the other Underlying decreases and the
ratio of their returns has been constant).
The
graph below illustrates the historical performance of each
Underlying relative to each other over the time period shown and
provides an indication of how close the relative performance of
each Underlying has historically been to the other Underlying. A
closer relationship between the daily returns of two or more
underlying assets over a given period indicates that such
underlying assets have been more positively correlated. Lower (or
more-negative) correlation among two or more underlying assets over
a given period may indicate that it is less likely that those
underlying assets will subsequently move in the same direction.
Therefore, lower correlation among the Underlyings may indicate a
greater potential for one of the Underlyings to close below its
respective Coupon Barrier or Downside Threshold on an Observation
Date, including the Final Observation Date, as applicable, because
there may be a greater likelihood that at least one of the
Underlyings will decrease in value significantly. However, even if
the Underlyings have a higher positive correlation, one or both of
the Underlyings may close below the respective Coupon Barrier(s) or
Downside Threshold(s) on an Observation Date or the Final
Observation Date, as applicable, as the Underlyings may both
decrease in value. Moreover, the actual correlation among the
Underlyings may differ, perhaps significantly, from their
historical correlation. Although the correlation of the
Underlyings’ performance may change over the term of the Notes, the
economic terms of the Notes, including the Contingent Coupon Rate,
Downside Threshold and Coupon Barrier are determined, in part,
based on the correlation of the Underlyings’ performance calculated
using our and our affiliates' pricing models at the time when the
terms of the Notes are finalized. All other things being equal, a
higher Contingent Coupon Rate and lower Downside Threshold and
Coupon Barrier is generally associated with lower correlation among
the Underlyings, which may indicate a greater potential for missed
Contingent Coupon Payments and/or a significant loss on your
investment at maturity. See “Risk Factors — You are exposed to the
market risk of each Underlying”, “—Because the Notes are linked to
the performance of the least performing between the INDU and the
SPX, you are exposed to greater risk of receiving no Contingent
Coupon Payments or sustaining a significant loss on your investment
than if the Notes were linked to just the INDU or just
the SPX” and “—A higher Contingent Coupon Rate and/or a lower
Coupon Barrier and/or Downside Threshold may reflect greater
expected volatility of the Underlyings, which is generally
associated with a greater risk of loss” herein.
Past
performance and correlation of the Underlyings are not indicative
of the future performance or correlation of the
Underlyings.
PS-18
Supplement
to the Plan of Distribution; Role of BofAS and Conflicts of
Interest
|
BofAS,
an affiliate of BofA Finance and the lead selling agent for the
sale of the Notes, will not receive an underwriting discount for
any Note sold in this offering. UBS, as selling agent for sales of
the Notes, expects to purchase from BofAS, and BofAS expects to
sell to UBS, all of the Notes sold in this offering for $10.00 per
Note. UBS will not receive an underwriting discount for any Note
sold in this offering. UBS proposes to offer the Notes to certain
fee-based advisory accounts for which UBS is an investment advisor
at a price of $10.00 per Note. If all of the Notes are not
sold at the initial offering price, BofAS may change the public
offering price and other selling terms.
BofAS,
a broker-dealer affiliate of ours, is a member of the Financial
Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (“FINRA”) and will participate
as lead selling agent in the distribution of the Notes.
Accordingly, the offering of the Notes will conform to the
requirements of FINRA Rule 5121. BofAS may not make sales in
this offering to any of its discretionary accounts without the
prior written approval of the account holder.
We
will deliver the Notes against payment therefor in New York, New
York on a date that is greater than two business days following the
Trade Date. Under Rule 15c6-1 of the Securities Exchange Act of
1934, trades in the secondary market generally are required to
settle in two business days, unless the parties to any such trade
expressly agree otherwise. Accordingly, purchasers who wish to
trade the Notes more than two business days prior to the Issue Date
will be required to specify alternative settlement arrangements to
prevent a failed settlement.
BofAS
and any of our other broker-dealer affiliates may use this pricing
supplement, and the accompanying product supplement, prospectus
supplement and prospectus, for offers and sales in secondary market
transactions and market-making transactions in the Notes. However,
they are not obligated to engage in such secondary market
transactions and/or market-making transactions. These broker-dealer
affiliates may act as principal or agent in these
transactions, and any such sales will be made at prices related to
prevailing market conditions at the time of the sale.
As
agreed by BofAS and UBS, for approximately a three-month period
after the Trade Date, to the extent BofAS offers to buy the Notes
in the secondary market, it will do so at a price that will
exceed the estimated value of the Notes at that time. The amount of
this excess will decline on a straight line basis over that period.
Thereafter, if BofAS buys or sells your Notes, it will do so at
prices that reflect the estimated value determined by reference to
its pricing models at that time. Any price at any time after the
Trade Date will be based on then-prevailing market conditions and
other considerations, including the performance of the Underlyings
and the remaining term of the Notes. However, none of us, the
Guarantor, BofAS, UBS or any other party is obligated to purchase
your Notes at any price or at any time, and we cannot assure you
that any party will purchase your Notes at a price that equals or
exceeds the initial estimated value of the Notes.
Any
price that BofAS may pay to repurchase the Notes will depend upon
then prevailing market conditions, the creditworthiness of us and
the Guarantor, and transaction costs. At certain times, this
price may be higher than or lower than the initial estimated value
of the Notes.
Sales Outside
of the United States
The
Notes have not been approved for public sale in any jurisdiction
outside of the United States. There has been no registration or
filing as to the Notes with any regulatory, securities, banking, or
local authority outside of the United States and no action has been
taken by BofA Finance, BAC, BofAS or any other affiliate of BAC, or
by UBS or any of its affiliates, to offer the Notes in any
jurisdiction other than the United States. As such, these Notes are
made available to investors outside of the United States only in
jurisdictions where it is lawful to make such offer or sale and
only under circumstances that will result in compliance with
applicable laws and regulations, including private placement
requirements.
Further, no offer
or sale of the Notes is being made to residents of:
PS-19
You
are urged to carefully review the selling restrictions that may be
applicable to your jurisdiction beginning on page S-68 of the
accompanying prospectus supplement.
European
Economic Area and United Kingdom
None
of this pricing supplement, the accompanying product supplement,
the accompanying prospectus or the accompanying prospectus
supplement is a prospectus for the purposes of the Prospectus
Regulation (as defined below). This pricing supplement, the
accompanying product supplement, the accompanying prospectus and
the accompanying prospectus supplement have been prepared on the
basis that any offer of Notes in any Member State of the European
Economic Area (the “EEA”) or in the United Kingdom (each, a
“Relevant State”) will only be made to a legal entity which is a
qualified investor under the Prospectus Regulation (“Qualified
Investors”). Accordingly any person making or intending to make an
offer in that Relevant State of Notes which are the subject of the
offering contemplated in this pricing supplement, the accompanying
product supplement, the accompanying prospectus and the
accompanying prospectus supplement may only do so with respect to
Qualified Investors. Neither BofA Finance nor BAC has authorized,
nor does it authorize, the making of any offer of Notes other than
to Qualified Investors. The expression “Prospectus Regulation”
means Regulation (EU) 2017/1129.
PROHIBITION OF
SALES TO EEA AND UNITED KINGDOM RETAIL INVESTORS — The
Notes are not intended to be offered, sold or otherwise made
available to and should not be offered, sold or otherwise made
available to any retail investor in the EEA or in the United
Kingdom. For these purposes: (a) a retail investor means a person
who is one (or more) of: (i) a retail client as defined in point
(11) of Article 4(1) of Directive 2014/65/EU, as amended (“MiFID
II”); or (ii) a customer within the meaning of Directive (EU)
2016/97 (the Insurance Distribution Directive), where that customer
would not qualify as a professional client as defined in point (10)
of Article 4(1) of MiFID II; or (iii) not a qualified investor as
defined in the Prospectus Regulation; and (b) the expression
“offer” includes the communication in any form and by any means of
sufficient information on the terms of the offer and the Notes to
be offered so as to enable an investor to decide to purchase or
subscribe for the Notes. Consequently no key information document
required by Regulation (EU) No 1286/2014, as amended (the “PRIIPs
Regulation”) for offering or selling the Notes or otherwise making
them available to retail investors in the EEA or in the United
Kingdom has been prepared and therefore offering or selling the
Notes or otherwise making them available to any retail investor in
the EEA or in the United Kingdom may be unlawful under the PRIIPs
Regulation.
United
Kingdom
The
communication of this pricing supplement, the accompanying product
supplement, the accompanying prospectus supplement, the
accompanying prospectus and any other document or materials
relating to the issue of the Notes offered hereby is not being
made, and such documents and/or materials have not been approved,
by an authorized person for the purposes of section 21 of the
United Kingdom’s Financial Services and Markets Act 2000, as
amended (the “FSMA”). Accordingly, such documents and/or materials
are not being distributed to, and must not be passed on to, the
general public in the United Kingdom. The communication of such
documents and/or materials as a financial promotion is only being
made to those persons in the United Kingdom who have professional
experience in matters relating to investments and who fall within
the definition of investment professionals (as defined in Article
19(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial
Promotion) Order 2005, as amended (the “Financial Promotion
Order”)), or who fall within Article 49(2)(a) to (d) of the
Financial Promotion Order, or who are any other persons to whom it
may otherwise lawfully be made under the Financial Promotion Order
(all such persons together being referred to as “relevant
persons”). In the United Kingdom, the Notes offered hereby are only
available to, and any investment or investment activity to which
this pricing supplement, the accompanying product supplement, the
accompanying prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus
relates will be engaged in only with, relevant persons. Any person
in the United Kingdom that is not a relevant person should not act
or rely on this pricing supplement, the accompanying product
supplement, the accompanying prospectus supplement or the
accompanying prospectus or any of their contents.
Any
invitation or inducement to engage in investment activity (within
the meaning of Section 21 of the FSMA) in connection with the issue
or sale of the Notes may only be communicated or caused to be
communicated in circumstances in which Section 21(1) of the FSMA
does not apply to the Issuer or the Guarantor.
All
applicable provisions of the FSMA must be complied with in respect
to anything done by any person in relation to the Notes in, from or
otherwise involving the United Kingdom.
PS-20
The
Notes are our debt securities, the return on which is linked to the
performance of the Underlyings. The related guarantees are BAC’s
obligations. Any payments on the Notes, including any Contingent
Coupon Payments, depend on the credit risk of BofA Finance and BAC
and on the performance of each of the Underlyings. The economic
terms of the Notes reflect our and BAC’s actual or perceived
creditworthiness at the time of pricing and are based on BAC’s
internal funding rate, which is the rate it would pay to borrow
funds through the issuance of market-linked Notes, and the economic
terms of certain related hedging arrangements it enters into. BAC’s
internal funding rate is typically lower than the rate it would pay
when it issues conventional fixed or floating rate debt securities.
This difference in funding rate, as well as the underwriting
discount and the hedging related charges described elsewhere in
this pricing supplement, will reduce the economic terms of the
Notes to you and the initial estimated value of the Notes. Due to
these factors, the public offering price you pay to purchase the
Notes will be greater than the initial estimated value of the Notes
as of the Trade Date. On the cover page of this preliminary pricing
supplement, we have provided the initial estimated value range for
the Notes. The final pricing supplement will set forth the initial
estimated value of the Notes as of the Trade Date.
In
order to meet our payment obligations on the Notes, at the time we
issue the Notes, we may choose to enter into certain hedging
arrangements (which may include call options, put options or other
derivatives) with BofAS or one of our other affiliates. The terms
of these hedging arrangements are determined based upon terms
provided by BofAS and its affiliates, and take into account a
number of factors, including our and BAC’s creditworthiness,
interest rate movements, the volatility of the Underlyings, the
tenor of the Notes and the hedging arrangements. The economic terms
of the Notes and their initial estimated value depend in part on
the terms of these hedging arrangements.
BofAS
has advised us that the hedging arrangements will include hedging
related charges, reflecting the costs associated with, and our
affiliates’ profit earned from, these hedging arrangements. Since
hedging entails risk and may be influenced by unpredictable market
forces, actual profits or losses from these hedging transactions
may be more or less than any expected amounts.
For
further information, see “Risk Factors” beginning on page PS-7
above and “Supplemental Use of Proceeds” on page PS-19 of the
accompanying product supplement.
PS-21
U.S.
Federal Income Tax Summary
|
The
following summary of the material U.S. federal income and estate
tax considerations of the acquisition, ownership, and disposition
of the Notes supplements, and to the extent inconsistent
supersedes, the discussions under “U.S. Federal Income Tax
Considerations” in the accompanying prospectus and under “U.S.
Federal Income Tax Considerations” in the accompanying prospectus
supplement and is not exhaustive of all possible tax
considerations. This summary is based upon the Internal
Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), regulations
promulgated under the Code by the U.S. Treasury Department
(“Treasury”) (including proposed and temporary regulations),
rulings, current administrative interpretations and official
pronouncements of the IRS, and judicial decisions, all as currently
in effect and all of which are subject to differing interpretations
or to change, possibly with retroactive effect. No assurance can be
given that the IRS would not assert, or that a court would not
sustain, a position contrary to any of the tax consequences
described below. This summary does not include any description of
the tax laws of any state or local governments, or of any foreign
government, that may be applicable to a particular
holder.
Although the Notes
are issued by us, they will be treated as if they were issued by
BAC for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Accordingly throughout
this tax discussion, references to “we,” “our” or “us” are
generally to BAC unless the context requires
otherwise.
This
summary is directed solely to U.S. Holders and Non-U.S. Holders
that, except as otherwise specifically noted, will purchase the
Notes upon original issuance and will hold the Notes as capital
assets within the meaning of Section 1221 of the Code, which
generally means property held for investment, and that are not
excluded from the discussion under “U.S. Federal Income Tax
Considerations” in the accompanying prospectus.
You
should consult your own tax advisor concerning the U.S. federal
income tax consequences to you of acquiring, owning, and disposing
of the Notes, as well as any tax consequences arising under the
laws of any state, local, foreign, or other tax jurisdiction and
the possible effects of changes in U.S. federal or other tax
laws.
General
Although there is
no statutory, judicial, or administrative authority directly
addressing the characterization of the Notes, we intend to treat
the Notes for all tax purposes as contingent income-bearing single
financial contracts with respect to the Underlyings and under the
terms of the Notes, we and every investor in the Notes agree, in
the absence of an administrative determination or judicial ruling
to the contrary, to treat the Notes in accordance with such
characterization. In the opinion of our counsel, Sidley Austin LLP,
it is reasonable to treat the Notes as contingent income-bearing
single financial contracts with respect to the Underlyings.
However, Sidley Austin LLP has advised us that it is unable to
conclude that it is more likely than not that this treatment will
be upheld. This discussion assumes that the Notes constitute
contingent income-bearing single financial contracts with respect
to the Underlyings for U.S. federal income tax purposes. If
the Notes did not constitute contingent income-bearing single
financial contracts, the tax consequences described below would be
materially different.
This
characterization of the Notes is not binding on the IRS or the
courts. No statutory, judicial, or administrative authority
directly addresses the characterization of the Notes or any similar
instruments for U.S. federal income tax purposes, and no ruling is
being requested from the IRS with respect to their proper
characterization and treatment. Due to the absence of authorities
on point, significant aspects of the U.S. federal income tax
consequences of an investment in the Notes are not certain, and no
assurance can be given that the IRS or any court will agree with
the characterization and tax treatment described in this pricing
supplement. Accordingly, you are urged to consult your tax
advisor regarding all aspects of the U.S. federal income tax
consequences of an investment in the Notes, including possible
alternative characterizations.
Unless
otherwise stated, the following discussion is based on the
characterization described above. The discussion in this
section assumes that there is a significant possibility of a
significant loss of principal on an investment in the
Notes.
We
will not attempt to ascertain whether any issuer of a component
stock included in an Underlying would be treated as a “passive
foreign investment company” (“PFIC”), within the meaning of Section
1297 of the Code, or a United States real property holding
corporation, within the meaning of Section 897(c) of the Code.
If the issuer of one or more stocks included in an Underlying
were so treated, certain adverse U.S. federal income tax
consequences could possibly apply to a holder of the Notes. You
should refer to information filed with the SEC by the issuers of
the component stocks included in each Underlying and consult your
tax advisor regarding the possible consequences to you, if any, if
any issuer of a component stock included in an Underlying is or
becomes a PFIC or is or becomes a United States real property
holding corporation.
U.S.
Holders
Although the U.S.
federal income tax treatment of any Contingent Coupon Payment on
the Notes is uncertain, we intend to take the position, and the
following discussion assumes, that any Contingent Coupon Payment
constitutes taxable ordinary income to a U.S. Holder at the time
received or accrued in accordance with the U.S. Holder’s regular
method of accounting. By purchasing the Notes you agree, in
the absence of an administrative determination or judicial ruling
to the contrary, to treat any Contingent Coupon Payment as
described in the preceding sentence.
Upon
receipt of a cash payment at maturity or upon a sale, exchange, or
redemption of the Notes prior to maturity, a U.S. Holder generally
will recognize capital gain or loss equal to the difference between
the amount realized (other than amounts representing any Contingent
Coupon Payment, which would be taxed as described above) and the
U.S. Holder’s tax basis in the Notes. A U.S. Holder’s tax basis in
the Notes will equal the
PS-22
amount
paid by that holder to acquire them. This capital gain or loss
generally will be long-term capital gain or loss if the U.S. Holder
held the Notes for more than one year. The deductibility of capital
losses is subject to limitations.
Alternative Tax
Treatments. Due to the absence of authorities that directly
address the proper tax treatment of the Notes, prospective
investors are urged to consult their tax advisors regarding all
possible alternative tax treatments of an investment in the Notes.
In particular, the IRS could seek to subject the Notes to the
Treasury regulations governing contingent payment debt instruments.
If the IRS were successful in that regard, the timing and character
of income on the Notes would be affected significantly. Among other
things, a U.S. Holder would be required to accrue original issue
discount every year at a “comparable yield” determined at the time
of issuance. In addition, any gain realized by a U.S. Holder at
maturity or upon a sale, exchange, or redemption of the Notes
generally would be treated as ordinary income, and any loss
realized at maturity or upon a sale, exchange, or redemption of the
Notes generally would be treated as ordinary loss to the extent of
the U.S. Holder’s prior accruals of original issue discount, and as
capital loss thereafter.
In
addition, it is possible that the Notes could be treated as a unit
consisting of a deposit and a put option written by the Note
holder, in which case the timing and character of income on the
Notes would be affected significantly.
The
IRS released Notice 2008-2 (the “Notice”), which sought comments
from the public on the taxation of financial instruments currently
taxed as “prepaid forward contracts.” This Notice addresses
instruments such as the Notes. According to the Notice, the IRS and
Treasury are considering whether a holder of an instrument such as
the Notes should be required to accrue ordinary income on a current
basis, regardless of whether any payments are made prior to
maturity. It is not possible to determine what guidance the IRS and
Treasury will ultimately issue, if any. Any such future
guidance may affect the amount, timing and character of income,
gain, or loss in respect of the Notes, possibly with retroactive
effect.
The
IRS and Treasury are also considering additional issues, including
whether additional gain or loss from such instruments should be
treated as ordinary or capital, whether foreign holders of such
instruments should be subject to withholding tax on any deemed
income accruals, whether Section 1260 of the Code, concerning
certain “constructive ownership transactions,” generally applies or
should generally apply to such instruments, and whether any of
these determinations depend on the nature of the underlying
asset.
In
addition, proposed Treasury regulations require the accrual of
income on a current basis for contingent payments made under
certain notional principal contracts. The preamble to the
regulations states that the “wait and see” method of accounting
does not properly reflect the economic accrual of income on those
contracts, and requires current accrual of income for some
contracts already in existence. While the proposed regulations do
not apply to prepaid forward contracts, the preamble to the
proposed regulations expresses the view that similar timing issues
exist in the case of prepaid forward contracts. If the IRS or
Treasury publishes future guidance requiring current economic
accrual for contingent payments on prepaid forward contracts, it is
possible that you could be required to accrue income over the term
of the Notes.
Because of the
absence of authority regarding the appropriate tax characterization
of the Notes, it is also possible that the IRS could seek to
characterize the Notes in a manner that results in tax consequences
that are different from those described above. For example, the IRS
could possibly assert that any gain or loss that a holder may
recognize at maturity or upon the sale, exchange, or redemption of
the Notes should be treated as ordinary gain or loss.
Because each
Underlying is an index that periodically rebalances, it is possible
that the Notes could be treated as a series of contingent
income-bearing single financial contracts, each of which matures on
the next rebalancing date. If the Notes were properly
characterized in such a manner, a U.S. Holder would be treated as
disposing of the Notes on each rebalancing date in return for new
Notes that mature on the next rebalancing date, and a U.S. Holder
would accordingly likely recognize capital gain or loss on each
rebalancing date equal to the difference between the holder’s tax
basis in the Notes (which would be adjusted to take into account
any prior recognition of gain or loss) and the fair market value of
the Notes on such date.
Non-U.S.
Holders
Because the U.S.
federal income tax treatment of the Notes (including any Contingent
Coupon Payment) is uncertain, we (or the applicable paying agent)
will withhold U.S. federal income tax at a 30% rate (or at a lower
rate under an applicable income tax treaty) on the entire amount of
any Contingent Coupon Payment made unless such payments are
effectively connected with the conduct by the Non-U.S. Holder of a
trade or business in the U.S. (in which case, to avoid withholding,
the Non-U.S. Holder will be required to provide a Form W-8ECI). We
(or the applicable paying agent) will not pay any additional
amounts in respect of such withholding. To claim benefits under an
income tax treaty, a Non-U.S. Holder must obtain a taxpayer
identification number and certify as to its eligibility under the
appropriate treaty’s limitations on benefits article, if
applicable. In addition, special rules may apply to claims for
treaty benefits made by Non-U.S. Holders that are entities rather
than individuals. The availability of a lower rate of withholding
under an applicable income tax treaty will depend on whether such
rate applies to the characterization of the payments under U.S.
federal income tax laws. A Non-U.S. Holder that is eligible for a
reduced rate of U.S. federal withholding tax pursuant to an income
tax treaty may obtain a refund of any excess amounts withheld by
filing an appropriate claim for refund with the IRS.
Except
as discussed below, a Non-U.S. Holder generally will not be subject
to U.S. federal income or withholding tax for amounts paid in
respect of the Notes (not including, for the avoidance of doubt,
amounts representing any Contingent Coupon Payment which would be
subject to the rules discussed in the previous paragraph) upon the
sale, exchange, or redemption of the Notes or their settlement at
maturity, provided that the Non-U.S. Holder complies with
applicable certification requirements and that the payment is not
effectively connected with the conduct by the Non-U.S. Holder of a
U.S. trade or business. Notwithstanding the foregoing, gain from
the sale, exchange, or redemption of the Notes or their settlement
at
PS-23
maturity may be
subject to U.S. federal income tax if that Non-U.S. Holder is a
non-resident alien individual and is present in the U.S. for 183
days or more during the taxable year of the sale, exchange,
redemption, or settlement and certain other conditions are
satisfied.
If a
Non-U.S. Holder of the Notes is engaged in the conduct of a trade
or business within the U.S. and if any Contingent Coupon Payment
and gain realized on the settlement at maturity, or upon sale,
exchange, or redemption of the Notes, is effectively connected with
the conduct of such trade or business (and, if certain tax treaties
apply, is attributable to a permanent establishment maintained by
the Non-U.S. Holder in the U.S.), the Non-U.S. Holder, although
exempt from U.S. federal withholding tax, generally will be subject
to U.S. federal income tax on such Contingent Coupon Payment and
gain on a net income basis in the same manner as if it were a U.S.
Holder. Such Non-U.S. Holders should read the material under the
heading “—U.S. Holders,” for a description of the U.S. federal
income tax consequences of acquiring, owning, and disposing of the
Notes. In addition, if such Non-U.S. Holder is a foreign
corporation, it may also be subject to a branch profits tax equal
to 30% (or such lower rate provided by any applicable tax treaty)
of a portion of its earnings and profits for the taxable year that
are effectively connected with its conduct of a trade or business
in the U.S., subject to certain adjustments.
A
“dividend equivalent” payment is treated as a dividend from sources
within the United States and such payments generally would be
subject to a 30% U.S. withholding tax if paid to a Non-U.S. Holder.
Under Treasury regulations, payments (including deemed
payments) with respect to equity-linked instruments (“ELIs”) that
are “specified ELIs” may be treated as dividend equivalents if such
specified ELIs reference an interest in an “underlying security,”
which is generally any interest in an entity taxable as a
corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes if a payment with
respect to such interest could give rise to a U.S. source dividend.
However, IRS guidance provides that withholding on dividend
equivalent payments will not apply to specified ELIs that are not
delta-one instruments and that are issued before January 1, 2025.
Based on our determination that the Notes are not delta-one
instruments, Non-U.S. Holders should not be subject to withholding
on dividend equivalent payments, if any, under the Notes. However,
it is possible that the Notes could be treated as deemed reissued
for U.S. federal income tax purposes upon the occurrence of certain
events affecting the Underlyings or the Notes, and following such
occurrence the Notes could be treated as subject to withholding on
dividend equivalent payments. Non-U.S. Holders that enter, or have
entered, into other transactions in respect of the Underlyings or
the Notes should consult their tax advisors as to the application
of the dividend equivalent withholding tax in the context of the
Notes and their other transactions. If any payments are treated as
dividend equivalents subject to withholding, we (or the applicable
paying agent) would be entitled to withhold taxes without being
required to pay any additional amounts with respect to amounts so
withheld.
As
discussed above, alternative characterizations of the Notes for
U.S. federal income tax purposes are possible. Should an
alternative characterization, by reason of change or clarification
of the law, by regulation or otherwise, cause payments as to the
Notes to become subject to withholding tax in addition to the
withholding tax described above, tax will be withheld at the
applicable statutory rate. Prospective Non-U.S. Holders
should consult their own tax advisors regarding the tax
consequences of such alternative characterizations.
U.S. Federal
Estate Tax. Under current law, while the matter is not
entirely clear, individual Non-U.S. Holders, and entities whose
property is potentially includible in those individuals’ gross
estates for U.S. federal estate tax purposes (for example, a trust
funded by such an individual and with respect to which the
individual has retained certain interests or powers), should note
that, absent an applicable treaty benefit, a Note is likely to be
treated as U.S. situs property, subject to U.S. federal estate tax.
These individuals and entities should consult their own tax
advisors regarding the U.S. federal estate tax consequences of
investing in a Note.
Backup
Withholding and Information Reporting
Please
see the discussion under “U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations —
General — Backup Withholding and Information Reporting” in the
accompanying prospectus for a description of the applicability of
the backup withholding and information reporting rules to payments
made on the Notes.
PS-24
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