Rule 13e-1

Section 13(e) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Act”) makes it unlawful for an issuer to purchase its own equity securities unless the purchase is in compliance with such rules and regulations as set forth by the Commission for protection of public interest or for the protection of the investors. In order to facilitate compliance with Section 13(e), the Commission adopted Rule 13e-1 (17 CFR 240.13e-1). Rule 13e-1 states that an issuer that has received notice that it is the subject of a tender offer made under Section 14(d)(1) of the Act, that has commenced under Rule 14d-2, cannot purchase any of its equity securities during the tender offer unless the issuer first files a statement with the Commission containing the required information under Rule 13e-1. This rule is in keeping with the Commission’s statutory responsibility to prescribe rules and regulations that are necessary for the protection of investors. A principal function of the Federal securities laws’ disclosure provisions is to make information available to the securities markets. The Commission uses very little of the collected information for itself, except on an occasional basis in the enforcement of the securities laws. The information required by the Commission assures the public availability and dissemination of such information.

The latest form for Rule 13e-1 expires 2029-06-30 and is listed under ICR 202512-3235-031.