Please note that in this section entitled “Description of the Notes,” unless otherwise specified, the terms “Issuer,” “Jefferies,” “we,” “our,” and “us,” as used herein, refer to Jefferies Financial Group Inc., as issuer of the Notes offered hereby. Also, in this section, references to holders mean those who own Notes registered in their own names, on the books that we or the indenture trustee maintains for this purpose, and not those who own beneficial interests in Notes registered in street name or in Notes issued in book-entry form through one or more depositaries. Owners of beneficial interests in the Notes should read the section below entitled “Book Entry, Delivery and Form” and the section in the accompanying prospectus entitled “Book-Entry Procedures and Settlement for Debt Securities.”
General
The following description of the Notes we are offering supplements, and to the extent inconsistent therewith supersedes, the description of the general terms and provisions of the debt securities set forth in the accompanying prospectus. We refer you to that description.
We will issue the Notes under an indenture dated as of October 18, 2013 between Leucadia National Corporation (the former name of Jefferies) and The Bank of New York Mellon, as trustee. as supplemented by a supplemental indenture to be dated as of the date of issuance of the Notes. Jefferies and its subsidiaries have normal banking relationships with The Bank of New York Mellon.
The Notes are a new issue of securities with no established trading market. We have applied to list the Notes on the NYSE, and we expect trading in the Notes on the NYSE to begin within 30 days after the original issue date. We cannot, however, assure you that an active public market for the Notes will develop. The absence of an active public trading market could have an adverse effect on the liquidity and value of the Notes.
We may from time to time, without giving notice to or seeking the consent of the holders of the Notes, issue additional Notes having the same ranking and the same interest rate, maturity and other terms, except for the issue price and the issue date. Any such additional Notes having such similar terms, together with the Notes offered hereby, will constitute a single series with the Notes under the indenture.
Principal, Maturity and Interest
The initial aggregate principal amount of the Notes is $1,000,000,000. The Notes will mature on July 21, 2028. The Notes will bear interest at the applicable rate per annum shown on the cover page of this prospectus supplement.
Interest on the Notes will accrue from July 21, 2023, or from the most recent interest payment date to which interest has been paid or provided for. We will pay interest on the Notes on January 21 and July 21 of each year, commencing January 21, 2024 to holders of record at the close of business on the immediately preceding January 6 and July 6.
Interest will be calculated on the basis of a 360-day year comprising twelve 30-day months. Interest on the Notes will be paid by check mailed to the persons in whose names the Notes are registered at the close of business on the applicable record date or, at our option, by wire transfer to accounts maintained by such persons with a bank located in the United States. The principal of the Notes will be paid upon surrender of the Notes at the corporate trust office of the trustee. For so long as the Notes are represented by global Notes, we will make payments of interest by wire transfer to DTC or its nominee, which will distribute payments to beneficial holders in accordance with its customary procedures.
The Notes are not entitled to any sinking fund. The provisions of the indenture described in the accompanying prospectus in the section entitled “Description of Securities We May Offer—Debt Securities—Defeasance” will apply to the Notes.
Ranking
The Notes will be senior unsecured obligations, each ranking equally with all of our existing and future senior indebtedness and senior to any future subordinated indebtedness. The Notes will be effectively subordinated as a claim against the assets of our subsidiaries to all existing and future liabilities of those subsidiaries (including indebtedness, guarantees, customer and counterparty obligations, trade payables, lease obligations and letter of credit obligations).