Note: Section 512(b)(1) lists five categories of passive income that are excluded from UBTI: dividends, interest, payments with respect to securities loans, amounts received or accrued as consideration for entering into agreements to make loans, and annuities. Although income from NPCs is not specifically mentioned in §512(b)(1), Treas. Reg. §1.512(b)-1(a)(1) does expressly identify income from NPCs as excludable passive investment income.

 What Are Notational Principal Contracts?

 An NPC is a financial agreement calling for the exchange of payments between two parties, at least one of which periodically pays amounts calculated by applying a rate determined by reference to a specified index to a notional principal amount in exchange for specified consideration or a promise to pay similar amounts.

 What Amendments Are Proposed?

 The proposed amendment to Treas. Reg. 1.512(b)-1(a)(1) is a conforming amendment to proposed amendments to Treas. Reg. §§1.1256(b)-1(a) and 1.446-3(c). Section 1256 provides special income tax treatment for section 1256 contracts, such as regulated futures contracts, that are marked to market and traded on a qualified board or exchange. Gain or loss on section 1256 contracts is generally treated as 60% long-term and 40% short-term capital gain or loss. Current §1256(b)(2)(B), added by the Dodd-Frank Act of 2010, provides that various types of swaps and similar contracts are not treated as section1256 contracts. The excluded contracts are almost identical to those listed as notational principal contracts under present Treas. Reg. §1.446-3(c), which discusses the recognition of income from NPCs that is necessary clearly to reflect income under §446.

 To resolve some uncertainties regarding the treatment of swaps that are traded on regulated exchanges, Proposed Treas. Reg. §1.1256(b)-1(a) provides that notational principal contracts described in Treas. Reg. §1.446-3(c) are excluded from treatment as section 1245 contracts. In turn, Proposed Treas. Reg. §1.446-3(c) clarifies some questions about NPCs and allows additional types of contracts to be classified as NPCs. For example, the proposed regulation provides that one party to a NPC must make a minimum of two payments to the other contracting party. The proposed regulation also includes as NPCs credit default swaps and swaps based on non-financial indices, such as weather-related swaps. Under the current regulation, a specified index includes only financial indices.

 What Is the Current Status of the Proposed Regulations?

 A public hearing about the proposed regulations was conducted on January 19, 2012, with 13 in attendance and one speaker.