ELMWOOD FUNDING LTD
POS AM, 1997-03-27
ASSET-BACKED SECURITIES
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<PAGE>
 
    
 AS FILED WITH THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION ON MARCH 26, 1997.     
 
                                                      REGISTRATION NO. 333-5698
- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
                      SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                            WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549
                               ---------------
                                 
                              POST-EFFECTIVE     
                                
                             AMENDMENT NO. 1     
                                      TO
                                   FORM S-3
                            REGISTRATION STATEMENT
                                     UNDER
                          THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
                            ELMWOOD FUNDING LIMITED
            (EXACT NAME OF REGISTRANT AS SPECIFIED IN ITS CHARTER)
           CAYMAN ISLANDS                                 N/A
   (STATE OR OTHER JURISDICTION OF       (I.R.S. EMPLOYER IDENTIFICATION NO.)
   INCORPORATION OR ORGANIZATION)
                                 P.O. BOX 1984
                              ELIZABETHAN SQUARE
                                  GEORGE TOWN
                                 GRAND CAYMAN
                              BRITISH WEST INDIES
                                (809) 949-8244
  (ADDRESS, INCLUDING ZIP CODE, AND TELEPHONE NUMBER, INCLUDING AREA CODE, OF
                   REGISTRANT'S PRINCIPAL EXECUTIVE OFFICES)
                   DEUTSCHE MORGAN GRENFELL (CAYMAN) LIMITED
                                 P.O. BOX 1984
                              ELIZABETHAN SQUARE
                                  GEORGE TOWN
                                 GRAND CAYMAN
                              BRITISH WEST INDIES
                            ATTENTION: DARREN RILEY
                                (809) 949-8244
(NAME, ADDRESS, INCLUDING ZIP CODE, AND TELEPHONE NUMBER, INCLUDING AREA CODE,
                             OF AGENT FOR SERVICE)
                               ---------------
                                  COPIES TO:
     DONALD A. BENDERNAGEL, ESQ.                 BRIAN D. RANCE, ESQ.
      CITICORP SECURITIES, INC.             MILBANK, TWEED, HADLEY & MCCLOY
           399 PARK AVENUE                      1 CHASE MANHATTAN PLAZA
             11TH FLOOR                        NEW YORK, NEW YORK 10005
      NEW YORK, NEW YORK 10043
                               ---------------
  APPROXIMATE DATE OF COMMENCEMENT OF PROPOSED SALE TO THE PUBLIC: From time
to time after the effective date of this Registration Statement as determined
by market conditions.
  If the only securities being registered on this form are being offered
pursuant to dividend or interest reinvestment plans, please check the
following box. [_]
  If any of the securities being registered on this form are to be offered on
a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act of
1933, other than securities offered only in connection with dividend or
interest reinvestment plans, please check the following box. [X]
  If this Form is filed to register additional securities for an offering
pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, please check the following
box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier
effective registration statement for the same offering. [_]
  If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c)
under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act
registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement
for the same offering. [_]
  If delivery of the prospectus is expected to be made pursuant to Rule 434,
please check the following box. [_]
                               ---------------
                        CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE
<TABLE>
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
<CAPTION>
                                                PROPOSED MAXIMUM  PROPOSED MAXIMUM      AMOUNT OF
    TITLE OF SECURITIES         AMOUNT BEING     OFFERING PRICE       AGGREGATE       REGISTRATION
      BEING REGISTERED           REGISTERED        PER UNIT(1)    OFFERING PRICE(1)      FEE(2)
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
<S>                           <C>               <C>               <C>               <C>
Trust Certificates..........    $100,000,000          100%          $100,000,000       $30,303.03
Trust Certificates to be
 sold in market-making
 transactions(3)............         --                --                --                --
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
</TABLE>
(1) Estimated solely for purposes of calculating the registration fee.
   
(2) Previously paid.     
(3) This Registration Statement also registers an indeterminate amount of
    securities to be sold by Citicorp Securities, Inc. or its affiliates in
    market-making transactions where required.
                               ---------------
  THE REGISTRANT HEREBY AMENDS THIS REGISTRATION STATEMENT ON SUCH DATE OR
DATES AS MAY BE NECESSARY TO DELAY ITS EFFECTIVE DATE UNTIL THE REGISTRANT
SHALL FILE A FURTHER AMENDMENT WHICH SPECIFICALLY STATES THAT THIS
REGISTRATION STATEMENT SHALL HEREAFTER BECOME EFFECTIVE IN ACCORDANCE WITH
SECTION 8(A) OF THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933 OR UNTIL THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT
SHALL BECOME EFFECTIVE ON SUCH DATE AS THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION,
ACTING PURSUANT TO SAID SECTION 8(A), MAY DETERMINE.
- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
<PAGE>
 
       
PROSPECTUS
 
TRUST CERTIFICATES
(ISSUABLE IN SERIES)
 
ELMWOOD FUNDING LIMITED
(a company incorporated with limited liability
in the Cayman Islands on September 17, 1996)
DEPOSITOR
 
The Trust Certificates (the "Certificates") offered hereby and by supplements
(each a "Prospectus Supplement") to this Prospectus will be offered from time
to time in one or more series (each a "Series"), denominated in U.S. dollars.
Certificates of each respective Series will be offered on terms to be
determined at the time of sale as described in the related Prospectus
Supplement accompanying the delivery of this Prospectus.
 
Each Series of Certificates will represent in the aggregate the entire
beneficial ownership interest in a publicly issued, fixed income debt security
issued pursuant to an effective registration statement filed with the
Securities and Exchange Commission (the "Commission") or a pool of such debt
securities (the "Underlying Securities"), together with other assets (such as
guarantees, letters of credit, financial insurance, interest rate and or
currency swaps and other derivative transactions that credit enhance or
otherwise support the Underlying Securities) designed to assure the servicing
or timely distribution of payments to holders of the Certificates, all as
described in the related Prospectus Supplement (such assets, together with the
Underlying Securities, the "Deposited Assets"), to be deposited in a trust
(the "Trust") for the benefit of holders of Certificates of such Series
("Certificateholders") by Elmwood Funding Limited, a company incorporated with
limited liability in the Cayman Islands on September 17, 1996 (the
"Depositor"), pursuant to a Trust Agreement and a series supplement thereto
with respect to any given Series (collectively, the "Trust Agreement") between
the Depositor and the trustee (the "Trustee") named in the related Prospectus
Supplement. The Underlying Securities will represent senior debt obligations
issued by one or more corporations organized under the laws of the United
States of America or any state thereof. As a condition to the deposit into a
Trust of Underlying Securities constituting 10% or more of the total
Underlying Securities with respect to the related Series of Certificates, as
of the date of the issuance of such Series, the issuer of such Underlying
Securities will be subject to the periodic reporting requirements of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and in accordance therewith will
file reports, including reports on Forms 10-K and 10-Q, and other information
with the Commission and will meet certain other criteria described under the
heading "Description of Deposited Assets--Underlying Securities Issuer". The
Underlying Securities will be purchased by the Depositor in the secondary
market and, correspondingly, will not be acquired from the issuer thereof
(whether as part of any distribution by or pursuant to any agreement with such
issuer or otherwise). No such issuer will participate in the offering of the
Certificates, nor will such issuer receive any of the proceeds from the sale
of the Underlying Securities to the Depositor or from the issuance by the
Depositor of the Certificates. See "Description of Certificates".
 
Except as otherwise provided herein and in the applicable Prospectus
Supplement, the Depositor's only obligations with respect to each Series of
Certificates will be, pursuant to certain representations and warranties
concerning the Deposited Assets, to assign and deliver the Deposited Assets
and certain related documents to the applicable Trustee. The Certificates of
each Series will not represent an obligation of or interest in the Depositor,
Citicorp Securities, Inc. (the "Offering Agent") or any of their respective
affiliates. Neither the Certificates nor the Deposited Assets (unless
otherwise specified in such Prospectus Supplement) will be guaranteed or
insured by any governmental agency or instrumentality, or by the Depositor,
Citicorp Securities, Inc. or their respective affiliates.
 
Application will be made to list each Series of Certificates on the New York
Stock Exchange. At the time of issue, each Series of Certificates offered
hereby will be rated in one of the investment grade categories recognized by
one or more nationally recognized rating agencies. There will be no market for
any Series of Certificates prior to the issuance thereof, and there can be no
assurance that a secondary market will develop or, if it does develop, that it
will provide Certificateholders with liquidity of investment or will continue
for the life of the Certificates. To locate the definition of a defined term
herein, see the "Index of Defined Terms" located at the back of this
Prospectus.
 
Each Series of Certificates initially will be represented by one or more
global securities (each, a "Global Security") registered in the name of CEDE &
Co., as nominee of The Depository Trust Company ("DTC"). The interests of
beneficial owners of such Certificates will be represented by book entries on
the records of participating members of DTC. Definitive certificates in
registered form without coupons ("Definitive Certificates") will be available
only under the limited circumstances described herein under the heading
"Description of the Certificates--Global Securities".
 
PROSPECTIVE INVESTORS SHOULD CONSIDER THE FACTORS SET FORTH HEREIN UNDER "RISK
FACTORS," BEGINNING ON PAGE 4.
 
THESE SECURITIES HAVE NOT BEEN APPROVED OR DISAPPROVED BY THE SECURITIES AND
EXCHANGE COMMISSION OR ANY STATE SECURITIES COMMISSION NOR HAS THE SECURITIES
AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION OR ANY STATE SECURITIES COMMISSION PASSED UPON THE
ACCURACY OR ADEQUACY OF THIS PROSPECTUS. ANY REPRESENTATION TO THE CONTRARY IS
A CRIMINAL OFFENSE.
 
The Certificates may be offered and sold to or through underwriters, dealers
or agents or directly to purchasers, as more fully described under "Plan of
Distribution" and in the related Prospectus Supplement. This Prospectus may
not be used to consummate sales of Certificates offered hereby unless
accompanied by a Prospectus Supplement.
 
                                ---------------
 
                           CITICORP SECURITIES, INC.
                                 
                              March 14, 1997     
<PAGE>
 
                             PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT
 
  The Prospectus Supplement relating to a Series of Certificates to be offered
thereby and hereby will set forth, among other things, the following with
respect to such Series: (a) the specific designation and aggregate principal
amount thereof, (b) a description of the material economic terms of the
Deposited Assets, (c) the identity of each issuer of the Underlying Securities
and each obligor with respect to any of the other Deposited Assets, (d) the
name of the Trustee, (e) the Certificate Rate (as defined below) or the
applicable method of calculation thereof, (f) the time and place of
distribution (each such date, a "Distribution Date") of any interest, premium
(if any) and/or principal, (g) the date of issue, (h) the scheduled final
Distribution Date, if applicable, (i) the offering price and (j) any other
material terms of Certificates of such Series (including terms relating to the
rights of the Trust or any third party to redeem or purchase such Certificates
prior to the scheduled final Distribution Date). See "Description of
Certificates--General" for a listing of other items that may be specified in
the applicable Prospectus Supplement.
 
                             AVAILABLE INFORMATION
 
  The Depositor has filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the
"Commission") a registration statement on Form S-3 (together with all
amendments and exhibits, the "Registration Statement") under the Securities
Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"), relating to the Certificates.
This Prospectus does not contain all the information set forth in the
Registration Statement, certain parts of which are omitted in accordance with
the rules and regulations of the Commission. For further information,
reference is hereby made to the Registration Statement.
 
  The Depositor will be subject to the periodic reporting requirements of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act"), and in
accordance therewith will file reports and other information with the
Commission. Reports and other information concerning the Depositor can be
inspected and copied at the public reference facilities maintained by the
Commission at Room 1024, 450 Fifth Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20549, and
at the Commission's Regional Offices at Seven World Trade Center, New York,
New York 10048, and Northwestern Atrium Center, 500 West Madison Street, Suite
1400, Chicago, Illinois 60661. Copies of such material can be obtained upon
written request addressed to the Commission, Public Reference Section, 450
Fifth Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20549, at prescribed rates. The
Commission maintains a Web site at http://www.sec.gov containing reports,
proxy statements and other information regarding registrants that file
electronically with the Commission. The Depositor does not intend to send any
financial reports to Certificateholders.
 
                INCORPORATION OF CERTAIN DOCUMENTS BY REFERENCE
 
  All documents filed by the Depositor pursuant to Section 13(a), 13(c), 14 or
15(d) of the Exchange Act subsequent to the date of this Prospectus and prior
to the termination of the offering of the Certificates shall be deemed to be
incorporated by reference in this Prospectus. Any statement contained herein
or in a document incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference herein
shall be deemed to be modified or superseded for purposes of this Prospectus
to the extent that a statement contained herein or in any subsequently filed
document which also is or is deemed to be incorporated by reference herein
modifies or supersedes such statement. Any such statement so modified or
superseded shall not be deemed, except as so modified or superseded, to
constitute a part of this Prospectus.
 
  The Depositor will provide without charge to each person to whom a copy of
this Prospectus is delivered, on the written or oral request of any such
person, a copy of any or all of the documents incorporated herein by
reference, except the exhibits to such documents (unless such exhibits are
specifically incorporated by reference in such documents). Written requests
for such copies should be directed to Elmwood Funding Limited, c/o Deutsche
Morgan Grenfell (Cayman) Limited, P.O. Box 1984, Elizabethan Square, George
Town, Grand
 
                                       2
<PAGE>
 
Cayman, British West Indies, Attention: Darren Riley. Telephone requests for
such copies should be directed to Elmwood Funding Limited, c/o Deutsche Morgan
Grenfell (Cayman) Limited at 809-949-8244.
 
                         REPORTS TO CERTIFICATEHOLDERS
 
  Except as otherwise specified in the applicable Prospectus Supplement,
unless and until definitive Certificates are issued, on each Distribution Date
unaudited reports containing information concerning the related Trust will be
prepared by the related Trustee and sent on behalf of the related Trust only
to Cede & Co. ("Cede"), as nominee of DTC and registered holder of the
Certificates. If Definitive Certificates are issued, such reports will be
prepared by the related Trustee and sent on behalf of the related Trust
directly to the Certificateholders in accordance with the Trust Agreement. See
"Description of Certificates--Global Securities" and "Description of the Trust
Agreement--Reports to Certificateholders; Notice". Such reports will not
constitute financial statements prepared in accordance with generally accepted
accounting principles. The Depositor, on behalf of each Trust, will cause to
be filed with the Commission such periodic reports as are required under the
Exchange Act.
 
                       ENFORCEMENT OF CIVIL LIABILITIES
 
  The Depositor is a Cayman Islands company and its directors are residents of
various jurisdictions outside the United States. All or a substantial portion
of the assets of such directors and the Depositor, at any one time, are or may
be located in jurisdictions outside the United States. Therefore, it
ordinarily could be difficult for investors to effect service of process
within the United States on any of these parties who reside outside the United
States or to recover against them on judgments of United States courts
predicated upon civil liability under the United States federal securities
laws. Notwithstanding the forgoing, the Depositor has irrevocably agreed that
it may be served with process with respect to actions based on offers and
sales of Certificates made hereby in the United States by serving Donald A.
Bendernagel, Esq., Citibank, N.A., 399 Park Avenue, 11th Floor, New York, New
York 10043, its United States agent appointed for that purpose. The Depositor
has been advised by Maples and Calder, its Cayman Islands counsel, that there
is doubt as to whether the courts of the Cayman Islands would enforce (i)
judgments of United States courts obtained in actions against such persons or
the Depositor predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the United
States federal securities laws and (ii) original actions brought in the Cayman
Islands against such persons or the Depositor predicated solely upon United
States federal securities laws. There is no treaty in effect between the
United States and the Cayman Islands providing for such enforcement, and there
are grounds upon which Cayman Islands courts may not enforce judgments of
United States courts. Certain remedies available under the United States
federal securities laws would not be allowed in Cayman Islands courts as
contrary to that nation's public policy.
 
  References herein to "U.S. dollars," "U.S.$," "USD," "dollar" or "$" are to
the lawful currency of the United States.
 
                                       3
<PAGE>
 
                                 RISK FACTORS
 
  In connection with an investment in the Certificates of any Series,
prospective purchasers should consider, among other things, (1) the risk
factors set forth below and (2) any additional risk factors set forth in the
relevant Prospectus Supplement.
 
  LIMITED LIQUIDITY. There will be no market for any Series of Certificates
prior to the issuance thereof, and there can be no assurance that a secondary
market will develop or, if it does develop, that it will provide
Certificateholders with liquidity of investment or will continue for the life
of such Certificates. The Depositor has been advised by the Offering Agent
that the Offering Agent intends to make a market in the Certificates, as
permitted by applicable laws and regulations, after the issuance thereof. The
Offering Agent is not obligated, however, to make a market in the Certificates
of any Series and any such market making activity may be discontinued at any
time without notice at the sole discretion of the Offering Agent. If an active
public market for the Certificates does not develop or continue, the market
prices and liquidity of the Certificates may be adversely affected.
 
  RECOURSE LIMITED. The Certificates will not represent a recourse obligation
of or interest in the Depositor, the Offering Agent or any of their respective
affiliates. Unless otherwise specified in the applicable Prospectus
Supplement, the Certificates of each Series will not be insured or guaranteed
by any government agency or instrumentality, the Depositor, the Offering
Agent, any person or entity affiliated with the Depositor or the Offering
Agent, or any other person or entity. The obligations, if any, of the
Depositor with respect to the Certificates of any Series will only be pursuant
to certain limited representations and warranties with respect to an
Underlying Security, and recourse with respect to the satisfaction of any such
obligations will be limited to any recourse for a breach of a corresponding
representation or warranty that the Depositor may have against the seller of
such Underlying Security to the Depositor. The Depositor does not have, and is
not expected in the future to have, any significant assets with which to
satisfy any claims arising from a breach of any representation or warranty.
If, for example, the Depositor were required to repurchase an Underlying
Security with respect to which the Depositor has breached a representation or
warranty, its only source of funds to make such repurchase would be from funds
obtained from the enforcement of a corresponding obligation, if any, on the
part of the seller of such Underlying Security to the Depositor.
 
  LIMITED ASSETS. The only material assets of any Trust will be the Deposited
Assets corresponding to the related Series of Certificates being offered. The
Certificates do not represent obligations of the Depositor, the Offering Agent
or any of their respective affiliates and, unless otherwise specified in the
applicable Prospectus Supplement, are not insured or guaranteed by the
Depositor, the Offering Agent, any of their respective affiliates or any other
person or entity. Accordingly, Certificateholders' receipt of distributions in
respect of the Certificates will depend entirely on the performance of and the
Trust's receipt of payments with respect to the Deposited Assets. See
"Description of Deposited Assets and Credit Support".
 
  EARLY REDEMPTION; REDUCTION IN YIELD. The timing of distributions of
interest, premium (if any) and principal of any Series of Certificates is
affected by a number of factors. In particular, the type and maturities of the
Underlying Securities and the terms, if any, upon which the Underlying
Securities may be subject to early redemption or purchase (either by the
applicable obligor or pursuant to a third-party call option), repayment (at
the option of the holders thereof) or extension of maturity will generally
affect the weighted average life of the related Series of Certificates. The
effective yield to holders of the Certificates of any Series may also be
affected by certain aspects of the Deposited Assets.
 
  With respect to any Series of Certificates the Underlying Securities of
which consist of one or more redeemable securities, extendable securities or
securities subject to a third-party call option, the yield to maturity of such
Series may be affected by any optional or mandatory redemption or repayment or
extension of the related Underlying Securities, or by the exercise of such
call option, prior to the stated maturity thereof. A variety of tax,
accounting, economic and other factors will influence whether an issuer or
call option holder exercises any right of redemption or call right in respect
of its securities. All else remaining unchanged, if interest rates fall
 
                                       4
<PAGE>
 
significantly below the interest rates prevailing at the time of issuance of
the Certificates, the likelihood of redemption or call would be expected to
increase. In addition, if there is a material reduction in the credit risk
associated with the Underlying Securities Issuer, the likelihood of redemption
of any redeemable Underlying Securities would be expected to increase. There
can be no certainty as to whether any Underlying Security redeemable at the
option of the Underlying Security Issuer or otherwise, or callable at the
option of a third party, will be repaid or called prior to its stated
maturity.
 
  The Underlying Securities will generally be subject to acceleration upon the
occurrence of certain Underlying Security Events of Default. See "Description
of the Deposited Assets--Underlying Securities Indenture" below. The maturity
and yield on the Certificates will be affected by any early repayment of the
Underlying Securities as a result of the acceleration of the Outstanding Debt
Securities by the holders thereof. If an Underlying Securities Issuer becomes
subject to a bankruptcy or similar insolvency proceeding, the timing and
amount of payments with respect to both interest and principal may be
materially and adversely affected. A variety of factors influence the
performance of private debt issuers and correspondingly may affect an
Underlying Securities Issuer's ability to satisfy its obligations with respect
to the Underlying Securities, including the Underlying Securities Issuer's
operating and financial condition, its capital structure and other social,
geographic, legal and economic factors.
 
  The extent to which the yield to maturity of such Certificates may vary from
the anticipated yield due to the rate and timing of payments on the Deposited
Assets will also depend upon the degree to which they are purchased at a
discount or premium and the degree to which the timing of payments thereon is
sensitive to the rate and timing of payments on the Deposited Assets.
 
  The yield to maturity of any Series of Certificates will also be affected by
variations in the interest rates applicable to, and the corresponding payments
in respect of, such Certificates, to the extent that the Certificate Rate for
such Series is based on variable or adjustable interest rates. With respect to
any Series of Certificates representing an interest in a pool of corporate
debt securities, disproportionate principal payments (whether resulting from
differences in amortization schedules, payments due on scheduled maturity or
upon early redemption) on the related Underlying Securities having interest
rates higher or lower than the then applicable Certificate Rate applicable to
such Certificates may affect the yield thereon.
 
  The applicable Prospectus Supplement for a Series of Certificates will set
forth additional information regarding yield and maturity considerations
applicable to such Series and the related Deposited Assets, including the
related Underlying Securities.
 
  NEED TO OBTAIN INFORMATION CONCERNING UNDERLYING SECURITIES ISSUERS. A
prospective purchaser of Certificates should obtain and evaluate the same
information concerning each Underlying Securities Issuer as it would obtain
and evaluate if it were investing directly in the Underlying Securities or in
other securities issued by the Underlying Securities Issuer. None of the
Depositor, the Trustee, the Offering Agent or any of their respective
affiliates assumes any responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of any
information concerning any Underlying Securities Issuer (including, without
limitation, no investigation as to its financial condition or
creditworthiness) or concerning the Underlying Securities (whether or not such
information is filed with the Commission) or otherwise considered by a
purchaser of the Certificates in making its investment decision in connection
therewith; provided that the foregoing shall not apply to any information
concerning the Underlying Securities and any Underlying Securities Issuer that
is expressly set forth in this Prospectus or an applicable Prospectus
Supplement. The issuance of Certificates of any Series should not be construed
as an endorsement by the Depositor, the Offering Agent or the Trustee of the
financial condition or business prospects of any Underlying Securities Issuer.
 
  RISK OF LOSS IF PUBLIC INFORMATION NOT AVAILABLE. If an obligor on any
Concentrated Underlying Securities ceases to file periodic reports under the
Exchange Act, the Depositor will instruct the Trustee of the relevant Trust to
sell all of such Concentrated Underlying Securities, which sale will result in
a loss to the
 
                                       5
<PAGE>
 
Certificateholders of the relevant Series if the sale price is less than the
purchase price for such Concentrated Underlying Securities.
 
  CERTAIN LEGAL ASPECTS. The applicable Prospectus Supplement may set forth
certain legal considerations that are applicable to a specific Series of
Certificates being offered in connection with that Prospectus Supplement or
the assets assigned and delivered to the related Trust.
 
  RATINGS OF THE CERTIFICATES. At the time of issue, the Certificates of any
given Series offered hereby will be rated in one of the investment grade
categories recognized by one or more nationally recognized rating agencies (a
"Rating Agency"). The rating is not a recommendation to purchase, hold or sell
Certificates, inasmuch as such rating does not comment as to market price or
suitability for a particular investor. There can be no assurance that the
rating will remain for any given period of time or that the rating will not be
lowered or withdrawn entirely by the Rating Agency if in its judgment
circumstances in the future so warrant.
 
  GLOBAL SECURITIES. Unless otherwise specified in the related Prospectus
Supplement, the Certificates of each Series will initially be represented by
one or more Global Securities deposited with, or on behalf of, a Depository
(as defined below) and will not be issued as individual definitive
Certificates to the purchasers of such Certificates. Consequently, unless and
until such individual definitive Certificates of a particular Series are
issued, such purchasers will not be recognized as Certificateholders under the
Trust Agreement. Hence, until such time, such purchasers will only be able to
exercise the rights of Certificateholders indirectly through the Depository
and its respective participants and, as a result, the ability of any such
purchaser to pledge that Certificate to persons or entities that do not
participate in the Depository's system, or otherwise to act with respect to
such Certificate, may be limited. See "Description of Certificates--Global
Securities" and any further description contained in the related Prospectus
Supplement.
 
  LIMITATION ON REMEDIES DUE TO PASSIVE NATURE OF THE TRUST. The Trustee with
respect to any Series of Certificates will hold the Deposited Assets for the
benefit of the Certificateholders. Each Trust will generally hold the related
Deposited Assets to maturity and not dispose of them, regardless of adverse
events, financial or otherwise, which may affect any Underlying Securities
Issuer or the value of the Deposited Assets. Except as indicated below, a
holder will not be able to dispose of or take other actions with respect to
any Deposited Assets. As a result, in the event that the value of a Deposited
Asset declines, an investor in Certificates of the relevant Series that would
have disposed of a direct investment in that Deposited Asset prior to such
decline will incur losses by reason of its investment in the Certificates and
the Trust's continued holding of such Deposited Asset. Under certain
circumstances described in the applicable Prospectus Supplement, the Trustee
will (or will at the direction of a specified percentage of Certificateholders
of the relevant Series) dispose of, or take certain other actions in respect
of, the Deposited Assets. In certain limited circumstances, such as a
mandatory redemption of Underlying Securities or the exercise by a third party
of the right to purchase Underlying Securities (and as described below under
"Description of Deposited Assets--Principal Economic Terms of Underlying
Securities"), the Trustee may dispose of the Deposited Assets prior to
maturity. The applicable Prospectus Supplement will describe the particular
circumstances, if any, under which a Deposited Asset may be disposed of prior
to maturity.
 
  The Prospectus Supplement for each Series of Certificates will set forth
information regarding additional risk factors, if any, applicable to such
Series.
 
  AMENDMENT OF TRUST AGREEMENT. By its own terms, the Trust Agreement may be
amended or otherwise modified with the consent of a percentage of
Certificateholders specified in the Prospectus Supplement (which percentage
will not be less than a majority). Any such amendment or other modification
could have a material adverse effect on those Certificateholders of the
relevant Series that do not consent to such amendment or other modification.
However, the Trust Agreement provides that any amendment or other modification
that would reduce the amount of, or defer the date of, distributions to
Certificateholders of a Series may become effective only with the consent of
each affected Certificateholder of that Series and that, if so specified in
the applicable Prospectus Supplement, any such amendment or other modification
that would result in the reduction or withdrawal of the then current rating
assigned to the Certificates of a Series by a Rating Agency would require the
consent of a higher percentage of Certificateholders of that Series (as
specified in the Prospectus Supplement).
 
                                       6
<PAGE>
 
  GENERAL UNAVAILABILITY OF OPTIONAL EXCHANGE. Although the Prospectus
Supplement for a Series of Certificates may designate such Series as an
"Exchangeable Series" and may provide that a Certificateholder may exchange
Certificates of the Exchangeable Series for a pro rata portion of the
Deposited Assets of the related Trust, any such right of exchange will be
exercisable only to the extent that such exchange would not be inconsistent
with continued satisfaction of Rule 3a-7 under the Investment Company Act of
1940, as amended, and all applicable rules, regulations and interpretations
thereunder and would not affect the characterization of the Trust as a
"grantor trust" for U.S. Federal income tax purposes. See "Description of the
Certificates--Optional Exchange". Accordingly, the right of optional exchange
described in this Prospectus under the heading "Description of the
Certificates--Optional Exchange" and further described in the relevant
Prospectus Supplement will generally be available only to the Depositor and
the Offering Agent and their respective affiliates and designees. Other
Certificateholders will generally not be able to exchange their Certificates
of an Exchangeable Series for a pro rata portion of the Deposited Assets of
the related Trust.
 
                                 THE DEPOSITOR
 
  The Depositor was incorporated in the Cayman Islands on September 17, 1996
by a firm of attorneys at law with its principal place of business in the
Cayman Islands. The registered office of the Depositor is P.O. Box 309, Ugland
House, South Church Street, George Town, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands, British
West Indies. The principal business office of the Depositor is at P.O. Box
1984, Elizabethan Square, George Town, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands, British
West Indies.
   
  The affairs of the Depositor are administered by Deutsche Morgan Grenfell
(Cayman) Limited ("DMG") pursuant to an Administration Agreement dated as of
March 14, 1997 between the Depositor and DMG. As of the date hereof, DMG is
located at P.O. Box 1984, Elizabethan Square, George Town, Grand Cayman,
Cayman Islands, British West Indies, Telephone: 809-949-8244.     
 
  The Memorandum and Articles of Association of the Depositor provide that the
Depositor may conduct any lawful activities necessary or incidental to serving
as depositor of one or more trusts that may issue and sell Certificates.
 
  All of the issued capital stock of the Depositor is held by a trust
established by DMG, as trustee, for the benefit of one or more organizations
or entities that under the laws of the Cayman Islands would be recognized as
exclusively charitable, each of which organizations and/or entities will be
identified by the trustee during the three month period after the termination
of such trust in accordance with its terms. The Depositor is not affiliated
with Citicorp Securities, Inc.
 
                                USE OF PROCEEDS
 
  The net proceeds to be received from the sale of each Series of Certificates
(whether or not offered hereby) will be used by the Depositor to purchase the
related Deposited Assets. Any remaining net proceeds, if any, will be used by
the Depositor for purposes related to the deposit of Deposited Assets into one
or more Trusts and the preparation, distribution and filing by the Depositor
of periodic reports and other information, including, but not limited to, the
fees and expenses of the Depositor (or any administrator thereof) incurred in
connection with the ongoing activities of a Trust.
 
                            FORMATION OF THE TRUST
 
  The Depositor will assign and deliver the Deposited Assets for each Series
of Certificates to the Trustee named in the applicable Prospectus Supplement,
in its capacity as Trustee, for the benefit of the Certificateholders of such
Series. See "Description of the Trust Agreement--Assignment of Deposited
Assets". The Trustee named in the applicable Prospectus Supplement will
administer the Deposited Assets pursuant to the Trust
 
                                       7
<PAGE>
 
Agreement and will receive a fee for such services (the "Trustee's Fee"). The
Trustee will take such steps as may be necessary to ensure that, to the extent
the assignment of the Deposited Assets to the Trust by the Depositor could be
treated under applicable law as a financing as opposed to an absolute sale,
the Trust will have a first priority perfected security interest (or its
equivalent) in the Deposited Assets as against other creditors of the
Depositor.
 
  Unless otherwise stated in the Prospectus Supplement, the Depositor's
assignment of the Deposited Assets to the Trustee will be without recourse to
the Depositor (except as to certain limited representations and warranties).
 
  Unless otherwise provided in the related Prospectus Supplement, each Trust
will consist of (i) such Deposited Assets, or interests therein, exclusive of
any interest in such assets (the "Excluded Interest") retained or acquired by
the Depositor, or any previous owner thereof or any other person or entity, as
from time to time are specified in the Trust Agreement; (ii) such assets as
from time to time are identified as deposited in the related Certificate
Account; (iii) rights under the agreement or agreements pursuant to which the
Trustee has acquired such Deposited Assets; and (iv) any cash or other
property received upon the sale, exchange, collection or other disposition of
any of the foregoing.
 
 
                                       8
<PAGE>
 
                          DESCRIPTION OF CERTIFICATES
 
  Each Series of Certificates will be issued pursuant to a Trust Agreement and
a separate series supplement thereto between the Depositor and the Trustee
named in the related Prospectus Supplement, a form of which Trust Agreement is
attached as an exhibit to the Registration Statement. The provisions of the
Trust Agreement (as so supplemented) may vary depending upon the nature of the
Certificates to be issued thereunder and the nature of the Deposited Assets
and related Trust. The following summaries describe material provisions of the
Trust Agreement which may be applicable to each Series of Certificates. The
applicable Prospectus Supplement for a Series of Certificates will describe
any material provision of the Trust Agreement that is not described herein or
the description of which is different in any material respect from the
description contained herein. The following summaries do not purport to be
complete and are subject to the detailed provisions of the form of Trust
Agreement to which reference is hereby made for a full description of such
provisions, including the definition of certain terms used, and for other
information regarding the Certificates. Article and section references in
parentheses below are to articles and sections in the Trust Agreement.
Wherever particular sections or defined terms of the Trust Agreement are
referred to, such sections or defined terms are incorporated herein by
reference as part of the statement made, and the statement is qualified in its
entirety by such reference. As used herein with respect to any Series, the
term "Certificate" refers to all the Certificates of that Series, whether or
not offered hereby and by the related Prospectus Supplement, unless the
context otherwise requires.
 
  A copy of the applicable series supplement to the Trust Agreement relating
to each Series of Certificates issued from time to time will be filed by the
Depositor as an exhibit to a Current Report on Form 8-K to be filed with the
Commission following the issuance of such Series.
 
GENERAL
 
  With respect to each Trust, the entire beneficial ownership in the Deposited
Assets held by such Trust under the related Trust Agreement will be
represented by the Certificates of the relevant Series.
 
  Reference is made to the related Prospectus Supplement for a description of
the following terms of the Series of Certificates in respect of which this
Prospectus and such Prospectus Supplement are being delivered:
 
    (i) the title of such Certificates;
 
    (ii) the Series of such Certificates;
 
    (iii) material information concerning the type, characteristics and
  specifications of the Deposited Assets being deposited into the related
  Trust by the Depositor (including, with respect to any Underlying Security
  which at the time of such deposit represents a significant portion of all
  such Deposited Assets, information concerning the material terms of each
  such Underlying Security, the identity of the issuer thereof and where
  publicly available information regarding such issuer may be obtained);
 
    (iv) the dates on which or periods during which such Series of
  Certificates may be issued (each, an "Original Issue Date"), the offering
  price thereof and the applicable Distribution Dates on which the principal,
  if any, of (and premium, if any, on) such Series will be distributable;
 
    (v) whether the Certificates of such Series are Fixed Rate Certificates
  or Floating Rate Certificates (each, as defined below) and the applicable
  interest rate (the "Certificate Rate"), or the method of calculation
  thereof applicable to such Series, if variable (a "Variable Certificate
  Rate"); the date or dates from which such interest will accrue; the
  applicable Distribution Dates on which interest, principal and premium, in
  each case as applicable, on such Series will be distributable and the
  related Record Dates, if any;
 
    (vi) the option, if any, of any specified Certificateholder of such
  Series to receive a portion of the assets of the Trust (or of the proceeds
  obtained by the Trust upon the sale or other disposition of such assets) in
 
                                       9
<PAGE>
 
  exchange for surrendering such Certificateholder's Certificate (in each
  case to the extent not inconsistent with continued satisfaction of the
  applicable requirements for exemption under Rule 3a-7 under the Investment
  Company Act of 1940 and all applicable rules, regulations and
  interpretations thereunder and for treatment of the Trust as a "grantor
  trust" for U.S. Federal income tax purposes) and the periods within which
  or the dates on which, and the terms and conditions upon which any such
  option may be exercised, in whole or in part;
 
    (vii) the option, if any, of any specified third party (which may include
  one or more of the Depositor, the Offering Agent or their respective
  affiliates) to purchase Certificates held by a Certificateholder and the
  periods within which or the dates on which, and the terms and conditions
  upon which any such option may be exercised, in whole or in part;
 
    (viii) the rating of each Series offered hereby;
 
    (ix) if other than denominations of $1,000 and any integral multiple
  thereof, the denominations in which such Series will be issuable;
 
    (x) the identity of the Depository (as defined below), if other than The
  Depository Trust Company, for such Certificates;
 
    (xi) all applicable Required Percentages and Voting Rights (each as
  defined below) relating to the manner and percentage of votes of
  Certificateholders of such Series required with respect to certain actions
  by the Depositor or the Trustee under the Trust Agreement or with respect
  to the applicable Trust; and
 
    (xii) all other material terms of such Series of Certificates.
 
  The United States Federal income tax consequences and ERISA consequences
relating to any Series of Certificates will be described in the applicable
Prospectus Supplement.
 
  Transfers of beneficial ownership interests in any Global Security will be
effected in accordance with the normal procedures of The Depository Trust
Company or any other specified Depositary. In the event that Definitive
Certificates are issued in the limited circumstances described herein, they
may be transferred or exchanged for like Certificates of the same Series at
the corporate trust office or agency of the applicable Trustee in the City and
State of New York, subject to the limitations provided in the Trust Agreement,
without the payment of any service charge, other than any tax or governmental
charge payable in connection therewith. The Depositor may at any time purchase
Certificates at any price in the open market or otherwise. Certificates so
purchased by the Depositor may, at the discretion of the Depositor, be held,
resold or surrendered to the Trustee for cancellation of such Certificates.
 
DISTRIBUTIONS
 
  Distributions allocable to principal, premium (if any) and interest on the
Certificates of each Series will be made by or on behalf of the Trustee on
each Distribution Date as specified in the related Prospectus Supplement, and
the amount of each distribution will be determined as of the close of business
on the date specified in the related Prospectus Supplement (the "Determination
Date").
 
  Unless otherwise provided in the applicable Prospectus Supplement and except
as provided in the succeeding paragraph, distributions with respect to
Certificates will be made at the corporate trust office or agency of the
Trustee specified in the applicable Prospectus Supplement in The City of New
York; provided that any such amounts distributable on the final Distribution
Date of a Certificate will be distributed only upon surrender of such
Certificate at the applicable location set forth above.
 
  Unless otherwise specified in the applicable Prospectus Supplement,
distributions on Certificates will be made, except as provided below, by check
mailed to the Certificateholders listed on the relevant Record Date in the
ownership register maintained for that purpose under the Trust Agreement
(which, in the case of Global Securities, will be a nominee of the
Depository). A Certificateholder of $10,000,000 or more in aggregate
 
                                      10
<PAGE>
 
principal amount of Certificates of a given Series, and any holder of a Global
Security, shall be entitled to receive such distributions by wire transfer of
immediately available funds, but only if appropriate wire transfer
instructions have been received in writing by the Trustee for such Series not
later than 15 calendar days prior to the applicable Distribution Date.
 
  Except as otherwise specified in the applicable Prospectus Supplement,
"Business Day" with respect to any Certificate means any day, other than a
Saturday or Sunday, that is (i) not a day on which banking institutions are
authorized or required by law or regulation to be closed in The City of New
York and (ii) if the Certificate Rate for such Certificate is based on LIBOR,
a London Banking Day. "London Banking Day" with respect to any Certificate
means any day on which dealings in deposits in U.S. dollars are transacted in
the London interbank market. The Record Date with respect to any Distribution
Date for a Series of Certificates shall be specified as such in the applicable
Prospectus Supplement.
 
INTEREST ON THE CERTIFICATES
 
  The interest rate applicable to the Certificates (the "Certificate Rate")
will be described in the applicable Prospectus Supplement and will be based
upon the rate of interest received on the Underlying Securities and any
payments payable in respect of the Retained Interest (if any). The Certificate
Rate may be either a fixed rate or a floating rate.
 
  Fixed Rate Certificates. Each Series of Certificates with a fixed
Certificate Rate ("Fixed Rate Certificates") will bear interest, on the
outstanding Certificate Principal Balance, from its Original Issue Date, or
from the last date to which interest has been paid, at the fixed Certificate
Rate stated on the face thereof and in the applicable Prospectus Supplement
until the principal amount thereof is distributed or made available for
repayment, except that, if so specified in the applicable Prospectus
Supplement, the Certificate Rate for such Series may be subject to adjustment
from time to time in response to designated changes in the rating assigned to
such Certificates by one or more rating agencies, in accordance with a
schedule or otherwise, all as described in such Prospectus Supplement. Unless
otherwise set forth in the applicable Prospectus Supplement, interest on each
Series of Fixed Rate Certificates will be distributable in arrears on each
Distribution Date specified in such Prospectus Supplement. Each such
distribution of interest shall include interest accrued through the day
specified in the applicable Prospectus Supplement. Unless otherwise specified
in the applicable Prospectus Supplement, interest on Fixed Rate Certificates
will be computed on the basis of a 360-day year of twelve 30-day months.
 
  Floating Rate Certificates. Each Series of Certificates with a variable
Certificate Rate ("Floating Rate Certificates") will bear interest, on the
outstanding Certificate Principal Balance, from its Original Issue Date to the
first Interest Reset Date (as defined below) for such Series at the Initial
Certificate Rate set forth on the face thereof and in the applicable
Prospectus Supplement. Thereafter, the Certificate Rate on such Series for
each Interest Reset Period (as defined below) will be determined by reference
to an interest rate basis (the "Base Rate"), plus or minus the Spread, if any,
or multiplied by the Spread Multiplier, if any. The Base Rate for any Series
of Certificates will, as described in greater detail below, be a fluctuating
rate of interest that is publicly available and is established by reference to
quotations provided by third parties of the interest rate from time to time
prevailing on loans or other extensions of credit in a specified credit
market. The "Spread" is the number of basis points (one basis point equals one
one-hundredth of a percentage point) that may be specified in the applicable
Prospectus Supplement as being applicable to such Series, and the "Spread
Multiplier" is the percentage that may be specified in the applicable
Prospectus Supplement as being applicable to such Series, except that if so
specified in the applicable Prospectus Supplement, the Spread or Spread
Multiplier on such Series of Floating Rate Certificates may be subject to
adjustment from time to time in response to designated changes in the rating
assigned to such Certificates by one or more rating agencies, in accordance
with a schedule or otherwise, all as described in such Prospectus Supplement.
The applicable Prospectus Supplement, unless otherwise specified therein, will
designate one of the following Base Rates as applicable to a Floating Rate
Certificate: (i) LIBOR (a "LIBOR Certificate"), (ii) the Commercial Paper Rate
(a "Commercial Paper Rate Certificate"), (iii) the Treasury Rate (a "Treasury
Rate Certificate"), (iv) the Federal Funds Rate (a "Federal Funds Rate
Certificate") or (v) the CD Rate (a "CD Rate Certificate"). The "Index
Maturity" for any Series of
 
                                      11
<PAGE>
 
Floating Rate Certificates is the period of maturity of the instrument or
obligation from which the Base Rate is calculated. "H.15(519)" means the
publication entitled "Statistical Release H.15(519), Selected Interest Rates,"
or any successor publication, published by the Board of Governors of the
Federal Reserve System. "Composite Quotations" means the daily statistical
release entitled "Composite 3:30 p.m. Quotations for U.S. Government
Securities", or any successor publication, published by the Federal Reserve
Bank of New York. Interest will be payable only from cash received by the
Trustee from the Deposited Assets or other assets deposited in the Trust and
available for application to such payment, notwithstanding the accrual of
interest on the Certificate Principal Balance at a higher rate.
 
  As specified in the applicable Prospectus Supplement, Floating Rate
Certificates of a given Series may also have either or both of the following
(in each case expressed as a rate per annum on a simple interest basis): (i) a
maximum limitation, or ceiling, on the rate at which interest may accrue
during any interest accrual period specified in the applicable Prospectus
Supplement ("Maximum Certificate Rate") and (ii) a minimum limitation, or
floor, on the rate at which interest may accrue during any such interest
accrual period ("Minimum Certificate Rate"). In addition to any Maximum
Certificate Rate that may be applicable to any Series of Floating Rate
Certificates, the Certificate Rate applicable to any Series of Floating Rate
Certificates will in no event be higher than the maximum rate permitted by
applicable law, as the same may be modified by United States law of general
application. The Floating Rate Certificates will be governed by the law of the
State of New York and, under such law as of the date of this Prospectus, the
maximum rate of interest, with certain exceptions, is 25% per annum on a
simple interest basis.
 
  The Depositor will appoint, and enter into agreements with, agents (each a
"Calculation Agent") to calculate Certificate Rates on each Series of Floating
Rate Certificates. The applicable Prospectus Supplement will set forth the
identity of the Calculation Agent for each Series of Floating Rate
Certificates. All determinations of interest by the Calculation Agent shall,
if made on a commercially reasonable basis and in good faith, be conclusive
for all purposes and binding on the holders of Floating Rate Certificates of a
given Series.
 
  The Certificate Rate will be reset daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly,
semiannually or annually (such period being the "Interest Reset Period", and
the first day of each Interest Reset Period being an "Interest Reset Date"),
as specified in the applicable Prospectus Supplement. Interest Reset Dates
with respect to each Series will be specified in the applicable Prospectus
Supplement; provided that unless otherwise specified in such Prospectus
Supplement, the Certificate Rate in effect for the ten days immediately prior
to the Scheduled Final Distribution Date will be that in effect on the tenth
day preceding such Scheduled Final Distribution Date. If an Interest Reset
Date for any Series of Floating Rate Certificates would otherwise be a day
that is not a Business Day, such Interest Reset Date will occur on a prior or
succeeding Business Day, as specified in the applicable Prospectus Supplement.
 
  Unless otherwise specified in the applicable Prospectus Supplement, interest
payable in respect of Floating Rate Certificates shall be the accrued interest
from and including the Original Issue Date of such Series or the last Interest
Reset Date to which interest has accrued and been distributed, as the case may
be, to but excluding the immediately following Distribution Date.
 
  With respect to a Floating Rate Certificate, accrued interest shall be
calculated by multiplying the Certificate Principal Balance of such
Certificate by an accrued interest factor. Such accrued interest factor will
be computed by adding the interest factors calculated for each day in the
period for which accrued interest is being calculated. Unless otherwise
specified in the applicable Prospectus Supplement, the interest factor
(expressed as a decimal calculated to seven decimal places without rounding)
for each such day is computed by dividing the Certificate Rate in effect on
such day by 360, in the case of LIBOR Certificates, Commercial Paper Rate
Certificates, Federal Funds Rate Certificates and CD Rate Certificates or by
the actual number of days in the year, in the case of Treasury Rate
Certificates. For purposes of making the foregoing calculation, the variable
Certificate Rate in effect on any Interest Reset Date will be the applicable
rate as reset on such date.
 
                                      12
<PAGE>
 
  Unless otherwise specified in the applicable Prospectus Supplement, all
percentages resulting from any calculation of the Certificate Rate on a
Floating Rate Certificate will be rounded, if necessary, to the nearest
1/100,000 of 1% (.0000001), with five one-millionths of a percentage point
rounded upward, and all currency amounts used in or resulting from such
calculation on Floating Rate Certificates will be rounded to the nearest one-
hundredth of a unit (with .005 of a unit being rounded upward).
 
  Interest on any Series of Floating Rate Certificates will be distributable
on the Distribution Dates and for the interest accrual periods as and to the
extent set forth in the applicable Prospectus Supplement.
 
  Upon the request of the holder of any Floating Rate Certificate of a given
Series, the Calculation Agent for such Series will provide the Certificate
Rate then in effect and, if determined, the Certificate Rate that will become
effective on the next Interest Reset Date with respect to such Floating Rate
Certificate.
 
  (1) CD Rate Certificates. Each CD Rate Certificate will bear interest for
each Interest Reset Period at the Certificate Rate calculated with reference
to the CD Rate and the Spread or Spread Multiplier, if any, specified in such
Certificate and in the applicable Prospectus Supplement.
 
  Unless otherwise specified in the applicable Prospectus Supplement, the "CD
Rate" for each Interest Reset Period shall be the rate as of the second
Business Day prior to the Interest Reset Date for such Interest Reset Period
(a "CD Rate Determination Date") for negotiable certificates of deposit having
the Index Maturity designated in the applicable Prospectus Supplement as
published in H.15(519) under the heading "CDs (Secondary Market)". In the
event that such rate is not published prior to 3:00 p.m., New York City time,
on the Calculation Date (as defined below) pertaining to such CD Rate
Determination Date, then the "CD Rate" for such Interest Reset Period will be
the rate on such CD Rate Determination Date for negotiable certificates of
deposit of the Index Maturity designated in the applicable Prospectus
Supplement as published in Composite Quotations under the heading
"Certificates of Deposit". If by 3:00 p.m., New York City time, on such
Calculation Date such rate is not yet published in either H.15(519) or
Composite Quotations, then the "CD Rate" for such Interest Reset Period will
be calculated by the Calculation Agent for such CD Rate Certificate and will
be the arithmetic mean of the secondary market offered rates as of 10:00 a.m.,
New York City time, on such CD Rate Determination Date, of three leading
nonbank dealers in negotiable U.S. dollar certificates of deposit in The City
of New York selected by the Calculation Agent for such CD Rate Certificate for
negotiable certificates of deposit of major United States money center banks
of the highest credit standing (in the market for negotiable certificates of
deposit) with a remaining maturity closest to the Index Maturity designated in
the related Prospectus Supplement in a denomination of $5,000,000; provided
that if the dealers selected as aforesaid by such Calculation Agent are not
quoting offered rates as mentioned in this sentence, the "CD Rate" for such
Interest Reset Period will be the same as the CD Rate for the immediately
preceding Interest Reset Period (or, if there was no such Interest Reset
Period, the Initial Certificate Rate).
 
  The "Calculation Date" pertaining to any CD Rate Determination Date shall be
the first to occur of (a) the tenth calendar day after such CD Rate
Determination Date or, if such day is not a Business Day, the next succeeding
Business Day or (b) the second Business Day preceding the date any
distribution of interest is required to be made following the applicable
Interest Reset Date.
 
  (2) Commercial Paper Rate Certificates. Each Commercial Paper Rate
Certificate will bear interest for each Interest Reset Period at the
Certificate Rate calculated with reference to the Commercial Paper Rate and
the Spread or Spread Multiplier, if any, specified in such Certificate and in
the applicable Prospectus Supplement.
 
  Unless otherwise specified in the applicable Prospectus Supplement, the
"Commercial Paper Rate" for each Interest Reset Period will be determined by
the Calculation Agent for such Commercial Paper Rate Certificate as of the
second Business Day prior to the Interest Reset Date for such Interest Reset
Period (a "Commercial Paper Rate Determination Date") and shall be the Money
Market Yield (as defined below) on such Commercial Paper Rate Determination
Date of the rate for commercial paper having the Index Maturity specified in
the applicable Prospectus Supplement, as such rate shall be published in
H.15(519) under the heading "Commercial Paper".
 
                                      13
<PAGE>
 
In the event that such rate is not published prior to 3:00 p.m., New York City
time, on the Calculation Date (as defined below) pertaining to such Commercial
Paper Rate Determination Date, then the "Commercial Paper Rate" for such
Interest Reset Period shall be the Money Market Yield on such Commercial Paper
Rate Determination Date of the rate for commercial paper of the specified
Index Maturity as published in Composite Quotations under the heading
"Commercial Paper". If by 3:00 p.m., New York City time, on such Calculation
Date such rate is not yet published in either H.15(519) or Composite
Quotations, then the "Commercial Paper Rate" for such Interest Reset Period
shall be the Money Market Yield of the arithmetic mean of the offered rates,
as of 11:00 a.m., New York City time, on such Commercial Paper Rate
Determination Date of three leading dealers of commercial paper in The City of
New York selected by the Calculation Agent for such Commercial Paper Rate
Certificate for commercial paper of the specified Index Maturity placed for an
industrial issuer whose bonds are rated "AA" or the equivalent by a nationally
recognized rating agency; provided that if the dealers selected as aforesaid
by such Calculation Agent are not quoting offered rates as mentioned in this
sentence, the "Commercial Paper Rate" for such Interest Reset Period will be
the same as the Commercial Paper Rate for the immediately preceding Interest
Reset Period (or, if there was no such Interest Reset Period, the Initial
Certificate Rate).
 
  "Money Market Yield" shall be a yield calculated in accordance with the
following formula:
 
  Money Market Yield = D X 360 X 100
                       -------------
                       360 - (D X M)
 
where "D" refers to the applicable per annum rate for commercial paper quoted
on a bank discount basis and expressed as a decimal, and "M" refers to the
actual number of days in the specified Index Maturity.
 
  The "Calculation Date" pertaining to any Commercial Paper Rate Determination
Date shall be the first to occur of (a) the tenth calendar day after such
Commercial Paper Rate Determination Date or, if such day is not a Business
Day, the next succeeding Business Day or (b) the second Business Day preceding
the date any distribution of interest is required to be made following the
applicable Interest Reset Date.
 
  (3) Federal Funds Rate Certificates. Each Federal Funds Rate Certificate
will bear interest for each Interest Reset Period at the Certificate Rate
calculated with reference to the Federal Funds Rate and the Spread or Spread
Multiplier, if any, specified in such Certificate and in the applicable
Prospectus Supplement.
 
  Unless otherwise specified in the applicable Prospectus Supplement, the
"Federal Funds Rate" for each Interest Reset Period shall be the effective
rate on the Interest Reset Date for such Interest Reset Period (a "Federal
Funds Rate Determination Date") for Federal Funds as published in H.15(519)
under the heading "Federal Funds (Effective)". In the event that such rate is
not published prior to 3:00 p.m., New York City time, on the Calculation Date
(as defined below) pertaining to such Federal Funds Rate Determination Date,
the "Federal Funds Rate" for such Interest Reset Period shall be the rate on
such Federal Funds Rate Determination Date as published in Composite
Quotations under the heading "Federal Funds/Effective Rate". If by 3:00 p.m.,
New York City time, on such Calculation Date such rate is not yet published in
either H.15(519) or Composite Quotations, then the "Federal Funds Rate" for
such Interest Reset Period shall be the rate on such Federal Funds Rate
Determination Date made publicly available by the Federal Reserve Bank of New
York which is equivalent to the rate which appears in H.15(519) under the
heading "Federal Funds (Effective)"; provided that if such rate is not made
publicly available by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York by 3:00 p.m., New
York City time, on such Calculation Date, the "Federal Funds Rate" for such
Interest Reset Period will be the same as the Federal Funds Rate in effect for
the immediately preceding Interest Reset Period (or, if there was no such
Interest Reset Period, the Initial Certificate Rate). Unless otherwise
specified in the applicable Prospectus Supplement, in the case of a Federal
Funds Rate Certificate that resets daily, the Certificate Rate on such
Certificate for the period from and including a Monday to but excluding the
succeeding Monday will be reset by the Calculation Agent for such Certificate
on such second Monday (or, if not a Business Day, on the next succeeding
Business Day) to a rate equal to the average of the Federal Funds Rate in
effect with respect to each such day in such week.
 
                                      14
<PAGE>
 
  The "Calculation Date" pertaining to any Federal Funds Rate Determination
Date shall be the next succeeding Business Day.
 
  (4) LIBOR Certificates. Each LIBOR Certificate will bear interest for each
Interest Reset Period at the Certificate Rate calculated with reference to
LIBOR and the Spread or Spread Multiplier, if any, specified in such
Certificate and in the applicable Prospectus Supplement.
 
  With respect to LIBOR indexed to the offered rate for U.S. dollar deposits,
unless otherwise specified in the applicable Prospectus Supplement, "LIBOR"
for each Interest Reset Period will be determined by the Calculation Agent for
any LIBOR Certificate as follows:
 
    (i) On the second London Banking Day prior to the Interest Reset Date for
  such Interest Reset Period (a "LIBOR Determination Date"), the Calculation
  Agent for such LIBOR Certificate will determine the arithmetic mean of the
  offered rates for deposits in U.S. dollars for the period of the Index
  Maturity specified in the applicable Prospectus Supplement, commencing on
  such Interest Reset Date, which appear on the Reuters Screen LIBO Page at
  approximately 11:00 a.m., London time on such LIBOR Determination Date.
  "Reuters Screen LIBO Page" means the display designated as page "LIBOR" on
  the Reuters Monitor Money Rates Service (or such other page may replace
  that page on that service for the purpose of displaying London interbank
  offered rates of major banks).
 
    (ii) If fewer than two offered rates appear on the Reuters Screen LIBO
  Page on such LIBOR Determination Date, the Calculation Agent for such LIBOR
  Certificate will request the principal London offices of each of four major
  banks in the London interbank market selected by such Calculation Agent to
  provide such Calculation Agent with their offered quotations for deposits
  in U.S. dollars for the period of the specified Index Maturity, commencing
  on such Interest Reset Date, to prime banks in the London interbank market
  at approximately 11:00 a.m., London time, on such LIBOR Determination Date
  and in a principal amount equal to an amount of not less than $1,000,000
  that is representative of a single transaction in such market at such time.
  If at least two such quotations are provided, "LIBOR" for such Interest
  Reset Period will be the arithmetic mean of such quotations. If fewer than
  two such quotations are provided, "LIBOR" for such Interest Reset Period
  will be the arithmetic mean of rates quoted by three major banks in The
  City of New York selected by the Calculation Agent for such LIBOR
  Certificate at approximately 11:00 a.m., New York City time, on such LIBOR
  Determination Date for loans in U.S. dollars to leading European banks, for
  the period of the specified Index Maturity, commencing on such Interest
  Reset Date, and in a principal amount equal to an amount of not less than
  $1,000,000 that is representative of a single transaction in such market at
  such time; provided that if fewer than three banks selected as aforesaid by
  such Calculation Agent are quoting rates as mentioned in this sentence,
  "LIBOR" for such Interest Reset Period will be the same as LIBOR for the
  immediately preceding Interest Reset Period (or, if there was no such
  Interest Reset Period, the Initial Certificate Rate).
 
  If LIBOR with respect to any LIBOR Certificate is indexed to the offered
rates for deposits in a currency other than U.S. dollars, the applicable
Prospectus Supplement will set forth the method for determining such rate.
 
  (5) Treasury Rate Certificates. Each Treasury Rate Certificate will bear
interest for each Interest Reset Period at the Certificate Rate calculated
with reference to the Treasury Rate and the Spread or Spread Multiplier, if
any, specified in such Certificate and in the applicable Prospectus
Supplement.
 
  Unless otherwise specified in the applicable Prospectus Supplement, the
"Treasury Rate" for each Interest Reset Period will be the rate for the
auction held on the Treasury Rate Determination Date (as defined below) for
such Interest Reset Period of direct obligations of the United States
("Treasury bills") having the Index Maturity specified in the applicable
Prospectus Supplement, as such rate shall be published in H.15(519) under the
heading "U.S. Government Certificate-Treasury bills auction average
(investment)" or, in the event that such rate is not published prior to 3:00
p.m., New York City time, on the Calculation Date (as defined below)
pertaining to such Treasury Rate Determination Date, the auction average rate
(expressed as a bond equivalent
 
                                      15
<PAGE>
 
on the basis of a year of 365 or 366 days, as applicable, and applied on a
daily basis) on such Treasury Rate Determination Date as otherwise announced
by the United States Department of the Treasury. In the event that the results
of the auction of Treasury bills having the specified Index Maturity are not
published or reported as provided above by 3:00 p.m., New York City time, on
such Calculation Date, or if no such auction is held on such Treasury Rate
Determination Date, then the "Treasury Rate" for such Interest Reset Period
shall be calculated by the Calculation Agent for such Treasury Rate
Certificate and shall be a yield to maturity (expressed as a bond equivalent
on the basis of a year of 365 or 366 days, as applicable, and applied on a
daily basis) of the arithmetic mean of the secondary market bid rates, as of
approximately 3:30 p.m., New York City time, on such Treasury Rate
Determination Date, of three leading primary United States government
securities dealers selected by such Calculation Agent for the issue of
Treasury bills with a remaining maturity closest to the specified Index
Maturity; provided that if the dealers selected as aforesaid by such
Calculation Agent are not quoting bid rates as mentioned in this sentence,
then the "Treasury Rate" for such Interest Reset Period will be the same as
the Treasury Rate for the immediately preceding Interest Reset Period (or, if
there was no such Interest Reset Period, the Initial Certificate Rate).
 
  The "Treasury Rate Determination Date" for such Interest Reset Period will
be the day of the week in which the Interest Reset Date for such Interest
Reset Period falls on which Treasury bills would normally be auctioned.
Treasury bills are normally sold at auction on Monday of each week, unless
that day is a legal holiday, in which case the auction is normally held on the
following Tuesday, except that such auction may be held on the preceding
Friday. If, as the result of a legal holiday, an auction is so held on the
preceding Friday, such Friday will be the Treasury Rate Determination Date
pertaining to the Interest Reset Period commencing in the next succeeding
week. Unless otherwise specified in the applicable Prospectus Supplement, if
an auction date shall fall on any day that would otherwise be an Interest
Reset Date for a Treasury Rate Certificate, then such Interest Reset Date
shall instead be the Business Day immediately following such auction date.
 
  The "Calculation Date" pertaining to any Treasury Rate Determination Date
shall be the first to occur of (a) the tenth calendar day after such Treasury
Rate Determination Date or, if such a day is not a Business Day, the next
succeeding Business Day or (b) the second Business Day preceding the date any
distribution of interest is required to be made following the applicable
Interest Reset Date.
 
PRINCIPAL OF THE CERTIFICATES
 
  Unless the related Prospectus Supplement provides otherwise, each
Certificate will have a "Certificate Principal Balance" which, at any time,
will equal the maximum amount that the holder thereof will be entitled to
receive in respect of principal out of the future cash flows on the Deposited
Assets. Unless otherwise specified in the related Prospectus Supplement,
distributions generally will be applied to undistributed accrued interest on,
then to principal of, and then to premium (if any) on, each such Certificate
until the aggregate Certificate Principal Balance has been reduced to zero.
The outstanding Certificate Principal Balance of a Certificate will be reduced
to the extent of distributions of principal thereon, and, if applicable
pursuant to the terms of the related Series, by the amount of any net losses
realized on any Deposited Asset ("Realized Losses") allocated thereto. Unless
the related Prospectus Supplement provides otherwise, the initial aggregate
Certificate Principal Balance of Certificates of a Series will equal the
outstanding aggregate principal balance of the related Deposited Assets as of
the applicable Cut-off Date. The initial aggregate Certificate Principal
Balance of a Series will be specified in the related Prospectus Supplement.
Ordinary distributions of principal in respect of any Series of Certificates
will be made on a pro rata basis among all the Certificates of such Series.
 
OPTIONAL EXCHANGE
 
  If a (or a specified) holder may exchange Certificates of any given Series
for a pro rata portion of the Deposited Assets, the applicable Prospectus
Supplement will designate such Series as an "Exchangeable Series". The terms
upon which a (or a specified) holder may exchange Certificates of any
Exchangeable Series for a pro rata portion of the Deposited Assets of the
related Trust will be specified in the related Prospectus Supplement; provided
that (a) any right of exchange shall be exercisable only to the extent that
such exchange
 
                                      16
<PAGE>
 
would not be inconsistent with continued satisfaction of the applicable
requirements for exemption under Rule 3a-7 under the Investment Company Act of
1940 and all applicable rules, regulations and interpretations thereunder and
would not affect the characterization of the Trust as a "grantor trust" for
U.S. Federal income tax purposes and (b) if the Deposited Assets constitute a
pool of Underlying Securities, any exercise of the Optional Exchange Right
will be effected so that, with respect to each series or issue of Underlying
Securities included in such pool (together with any related assets that credit
enhance or otherwise support that series or issue of Underlying Securities),
the proportion that the principal amount of such series or issue of Underlying
Securities (together with such related assets) bears to the aggregate
principal amount of Certificates immediately prior to such exercise will be
equal to the proportion that the principal amount of such series or issue of
Underlying Securities (together with such related assets) bears to the
aggregate principal amount of Certificates immediately after such exercise.
See "Risk Factors--General Unavailability of Optional Exchange". Such terms
may relate to, but are not limited to, the following:
 
    (a) a requirement that the exchanging holder tender to the Trustee all
  Certificates within such Exchangeable Series;
 
    (b) a minimum Certificate Principal Balance with respect to each
  Certificate being tendered for exchange;
 
    (c) a requirement that the Certificate Principal Balance of each
  Certificate tendered for exchange be an integral multiple of an amount
  specified in the Prospectus Supplement;
 
    (d) specified dates during which a holder may effect such an exchange
  (each, an "Optional Exchange Date");
 
    (e) limitations on the right of an exchanging holder to receive any
  benefit upon exchange from any assets (other than securities that are not
  Underlying Securities) deposited in the applicable Trust; and
 
    (f) adjustments to the value of the proceeds of any exchange based upon
  the required prepayment of future expense allocations and the establishment
  of a reserve for any anticipated Extraordinary Trust Expenses.
 
  Unless otherwise specified in the related Prospectus Supplement, in order
for a Certificate of a given Exchangeable Series to be exchanged by the
applicable Certificateholder, the trustee for such Certificate must receive,
at least 30 (or such shorter period acceptable to the Trustee) but not more
than 45 days prior to an Optional Exchange Date, a telegram, telex, facsimile
transmission or letter from a member of a national securities exchange or the
National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc., the Depository (in
accordance with its normal procedures) or a commercial bank or trust company
in the United States setting forth the name of the holder of such Certificate,
the Certificate Principal Balance of such Certificate to be exchanged, the
certificate number or a description of the tenor and terms of such
Certificate, a statement that the option to elect exchange is being exercised
thereby and a guarantee that the Certificate to be exchanged with the form
entitled "Option to Elect Exchange" on the reverse of the Certificate duly
completed will be received by such Trustee not later than five Business Days
after the date of such telegram, telex, facsimile transmission or letter. Such
Certificate and form duly completed must be received by such Trustee by such
fifth Business Day. Any tender of a Certificate by the holder for exchange
shall be irrevocable. The exchange option may be exercised by the holder of a
Certificate for less than the entire Certificate Principal Balance of such
Certificate provided that the Certificate Principal Balance of such
Certificate remaining outstanding after redemption is an authorized
denomination and all other exchange requirements set forth in the related
Prospectus Supplement are satisfied. Upon such partial exchange, such
Certificate shall be cancelled and a new Certificate or Certificates for the
remaining Certificate Principal Balance thereof shall be issued (which shall
be in the name of the holder of such exchanged Certificate).
 
  Unless otherwise specified in the applicable Prospectus Supplement, because
initially and until Definitive Certificates are issued each Certificate will
be represented by a Global Security, the Depository's nominee will be the
Certificateholder of such Certificate and therefore will be the only entity
that can exercise a right of exchange. In order to ensure that the
Depository's nominee will timely exercise a right of exchange with respect to
a particular Certificate, the beneficial owner of such Certificate must
instruct the broker or other direct or
 
                                      17
<PAGE>
 
indirect participant through which it holds an interest in such Certificate to
notify the Depository of its desire to exercise a right of exchange. Different
firms have different cut-off times for accepting instructions from their
customers and, accordingly, each beneficial owner should consult the broker or
other direct or indirect participant through which it holds an interest in a
Certificate in order to ascertain the cut-off time by which such an
instruction must be given in order for timely notice to be delivered to the
Depository.
 
  Unless otherwise provided in the applicable Prospectus Supplement, upon the
satisfaction of the foregoing conditions and any applicable conditions with
respect to the related Deposited Assets, as described in such Prospectus
Supplement, the applicable Certificateholder will be entitled to receive a
distribution of a pro rata share of the Deposited Assets related to the
Exchangeable Series being exchanged, in the manner and to the extent described
in such Prospectus Supplement. Alternatively, to the extent so specified in
the applicable Prospectus Supplement, the applicable Certificateholder, upon
satisfaction of such conditions, may direct the related Trustee to sell, on
behalf of such Certificateholder, such pro rata share of the Deposited Assets,
in which event the Certificateholder shall be entitled to receive the net
proceeds of such sale, less any costs and expenses incurred by such Trustee in
facilitating such sale, subject to any additional adjustments set forth in the
Prospectus Supplement.
 
CALL RIGHT
 
  If one or more specified persons has the right to purchase all or a portion
of the Trust Certificates of any given Series, the applicable Prospectus
Supplement will designate such Series as a "Callable Series". The terms upon
which any such specified person or entity may exercise its right to purchase
all or a portion of the Trust Certificates of a Series will be specified in
the related Prospectus Supplement. Such terms may relate to, but are not
limited to, the following:
 
    (a) a minimum Certificate Principal Balance with respect to each
  Certificate being purchased;
 
    (b) a requirement that the Certificate Principal Balance of each
  Certificate being purchased be an integral multiple of an amount specified
  in the Prospectus Supplement;
 
    (c) specified dates during which such a purchase may be effected (each, a
  "Call Date"); and
 
    (d) the price at which such a purchase may be effected (the "Call
  Price").
 
  After receiving notice of the exercise of such a call right, the Trustee
will provide notice thereof as specified in the applicable Prospectus
Supplement. Upon the satisfaction of any applicable conditions to the exercise
of such right to purchase of the Trust Certificates described in such
Prospectus Supplement, each Certificateholder will be entitled to receive a
distribution of a pro rata share of the Call Price paid in connection with
such exercise, in the manner and to the extent described in such Prospectus
Supplement.
 
  Unless otherwise specified in the applicable Prospectus Supplement, the call
right will not be exercised unless the value of any Trust Certificate being
purchased exceeds the Call Price payable upon exercise to the
Certificateholder in respect of such Trust Certificate.
 
GLOBAL SECURITIES
 
  Unless otherwise specified in the applicable Prospectus Supplement, all
Certificates of a given Series will, upon issuance, be represented by one or
more Global Securities that will be deposited with, or on behalf of, The
Depository Trust Company, New York, or such other depositary identified in the
related Prospectus Supplement (the "Depository"), and registered in the name
of a nominee of the Depository. Unless and until it is exchanged in whole or
in part for the individual Certificates represented thereby (each a
"Definitive Certificate"), a Global Security may not be transferred except as
a whole by the Depository for such Global Security to a nominee of such
Depository or by a nominee of such Depository to such Depository or another
nominee of such Depository or by such Depository or any such nominee to a
successor of such Depository or a nominee of such successor.
 
  The Depository Trust Company has advised the Depositor as follows: The
Depository Trust Company is a limited-purpose trust company organized under
the laws of the State of New York, a member of the Federal Reserve System, a
"clearing corporation" within the meaning of the New York Uniform Commercial
Code, and a "clearing agency" registered pursuant to the provisions of Section
17A of the Exchange Act. The Depository Trust Company was created to hold
securities of its participants and to facilitate the clearance and settlement
of securities transactions among the institutions that have accounts with such
Depository ("participants") in such
 
                                      18
<PAGE>
 
securities through electronic book-entry changes in accounts of the
participants, thereby eliminating the need for physical movement of securities
certificates. Such Depository's participants include securities brokers and
dealers (including the Offering Agent), banks, trust companies, clearing
corporations and certain other organizations, some of which (and/or their
representatives) own such Depository. Access to such Depository's book-entry
system is also available to others, such as banks, brokers, dealers and trust
companies that clear through or maintain a custodial relationship with a
participant, either directly or indirectly. The Depository Trust Company has
confirmed to the Depositor that it intends to follow such procedures.
 
  Upon the issuance of a Global Security, the Depository for such Global
Security will credit, on its book-entry registration and transfer system, the
respective principal amounts of the individual Certificates represented by
such Global Security to the accounts of its participants. The accounts to be
accredited shall be designated by the underwriters of such Certificates, or,
if such Certificates are offered and sold directly through one or more agents,
by the Depositor or such agent or agents. Ownership of beneficial interests in
a Global Security will be limited to participants or persons or entities that
may hold beneficial interests through participants. Ownership of beneficial
interests in a Global Security will be shown on, and the transfer of that
ownership will be effected only through, records maintained by the Depository
for such Global Security or by participants or persons or entities that hold
through participants. The laws of some states require that certain purchasers
of securities take physical delivery of such securities. Such limits and such
laws may limit the market for beneficial interests in a Global Security.
 
  So long as the Depository for a Global Security, or its nominee, is the
owner of such Global Security, such Depository or such nominee, as the case
may be, will be considered the sole Certificateholder of the individual
Certificates represented by such Global Security for all purposes under the
Trust Agreement governing such Certificates. Except as set forth below, owners
of beneficial interests in a Global Security will not be entitled to have any
of the individual Certificates represented by such Global Security registered
in their names, will not receive or be entitled to receive physical delivery
of any such Certificates and will not be considered the Certificateholders
thereof under the Trust Agreement governing such Certificates. Because the
Depository can only act on behalf of its participants, the ability of a holder
of any Certificate to pledge that Certificate to persons or entities that do
not participate in the Depository's system, or to otherwise act with respect
to such Certificate, may be limited due to the lack of a physical certificate
for such Certificate.
 
  Distributions of principal of (and premium, if any) and any interest on
individual Certificates represented by a Global Security will be made to the
Depository or its nominee, as the case may be, as the Certificateholder of
such Global Security. None of the Depositor, the Trustee for such
Certificates, any Paying Agent or the Certificate Registrar for such
Certificates will have responsibility or liability for any aspect of the
records relating to or payments made on account of beneficial interests in
such Global Security or for maintaining, supervising or reviewing any records
relating to such beneficial interests.
 
  The Depositor expects that the Depository for Certificates of a given
Series, upon receipt of any distribution of principal, premium or interest in
respect of a definitive Global Security representing any of such Certificates,
will immediately credit participants' accounts with payments in amounts
proportionate to their respective beneficial interests in the principal amount
of such Global Security as shown on the records of such Depository. The
Depositor also expects that payments by participants to owners of beneficial
interests in such Global Security held through such participants will be
registered in "street name" and will be the responsibility of such
participants.
 
  If the Depository for Certificates of a given Series is at any time
unwilling or unable to continue as depositary and a successor depositary is
not appointed by the Depositor within 90 days, the Depositor will issue
individual Definitive Certificates in exchange for the Global Security or
Securities representing such Certificates. In addition, the Depositor may at
any time and in its sole discretion determine not to have any Certificates of
a given Series represented by one or more Global Securities and, in such
event, will issue Definitive Certificates of such Series in exchange for the
Global Security or Securities representing such Certificates. Further, if the
Depositor so specifies with respect to the Certificates of a given Series, an
owner of a beneficial interest in a
 
                                      19
<PAGE>
 
Global Security representing Certificates of such Series may, on terms
acceptable to the Depositor and the Depository for such Global Security,
receive individual Definitive Certificates in exchange for such beneficial
interest. In any such instance, an owner of a beneficial interest in a Global
Security will be entitled to physical delivery of individual Definitive
Certificates of the Series represented by such Global Security equal in
principal amount to such beneficial interest and to have such Definitive
Certificates registered in its name. Individual Definitive Certificates of
such Series so issued will be issued in denominations, unless otherwise
specified by the Depositor, of $1,000 and integral multiples thereof.
 
  The applicable Prospectus Supplement will set forth any specific terms of
the depositary arrangement with respect to any Series of Certificates being
offered thereby to the extent not set forth or different from the description
set forth above.
 
                        DESCRIPTION OF DEPOSITED ASSETS
 
GENERAL
 
  Each Series of Certificates will represent in the aggregate the entire
beneficial ownership interest in a publicly issued, fixed income debt security
issued pursuant to an effective registration statement filed with the
Commission or a pool of such debt securities (the "Underlying Securities"),
together with other assets (which may include guarantees, letters of credit,
financial insurance, interest rate and/or currency swaps and other derivative
transactions that credit enhance or otherwise support the Underlying
Securities) designed to assure the servicing or timely distribution of
payments to holders of the Certificates, all as described in the related
Prospectus Supplement (such assets, together with the Underlying Securities,
the "Deposited Assets"). The Underlying Securities will represent senior debt
obligations issued by one or more Underlying Securities Issuers, each of which
will satisfy certain Eligibility Criteria described below under "Underlying
Securities Issuer". The Underlying Securities will be purchased by the
Depositor in the secondary market and, correspondingly, will not be acquired
from any Underlying Securities Issuer (whether as part of any distribution by
or pursuant to any agreement with such Underlying Securities Issuer or
otherwise). No Underlying Securities Issuer will participate in the offering
of the Certificates, nor will an Underlying Securities Issuer receive any of
the proceeds from the sale of Underlying Securities to the Depositor or from
the issuance by the Depositor of the Certificates, and none of the Depositor,
Citicorp Securities, Inc. or any of their respective affiliates will have
participated in the initial public offering of any Underlying Securities.
 
  This Prospectus relates only to the Certificates offered hereby and does not
relate to the Underlying Securities. The following description of the
Underlying Securities and the Underlying Securities Issuer is intended only to
summarize material characteristics of the Underlying Securities that the
Depositor is permitted to deposit in a Trust and does not purport to be a
complete description of any prospectus relating to Underlying Securities or of
any Underlying Securities Indenture (as defined below).
 
  The related Prospectus Supplement will describe the material terms of the
Deposited Assets, including the material terms of any derivative instruments
that are included in the Deposited Assets.
 
SELECTION OF DEPOSITED ASSETS
 
  The Offering Agent may from time to time identify to the Depositor
Underlying Securities and other Deposited Assets to be deposited into a Trust
and, in connection therewith, will structure and identify to the Depositor the
terms and conditions of Certificates representing undivided beneficial
interests therein (including, without limitation, as to whether such
Certificates will be a Callable Series or an Exchangeable Series). If the
board of directors of the Depositor (which is independent of the Offering
Agent), after reviewing a transaction identified by the Offering Agent,
decides to participate in such transaction, then the Depositor will deposit
the identified Underlying Securities and other Deposited Assets into a Trust
and cause such Trust to issue Certificates representing undivided beneficial
interests therein.
 
UNDERLYING SECURITIES ISSUER
 
  Each Underlying Securities Issuer will be a corporation organized under the
laws of the United States of America or any state thereof. Each Prospectus
Supplement will include the following information concerning the
 
                                      20
<PAGE>
 
identity of each Underlying Securities Issuer: (i) its jurisdiction of
incorporation; (ii) the date of its incorporation; (iii) the address of its
principal executive offices; and (iv) its Internal Revenue Service employer
identification number (collectively, "Identifying Information"). Identifying
Information will be obtained by the Depositor from publicly available sources.
 
  As a condition to the deposit into a Trust of any Underlying Securities
constituting 10% or more of the total Underlying Securities with respect to
the related Series of Certificates (a "Concentrated Underlying Security"),
such Underlying Securities and the related Underlying Securities Issuer will,
at the time of such deposit, meet the following criteria (collectively, the
"Eligibility Criteria"):
 
    (1) the Underlying Securities will have been issued pursuant to an
  effective registration statement filed under the Securities Act;
 
    (2) a class of equity securities of the Underlying Securities Issuer will
  have been registered under Section 12(b) or 12(g) of the Exchange Act;
 
    (3) the Underlying Securities Issuer will be subject to the periodic
  reporting requirements of the Exchange Act and, in accordance therewith,
  will be obligated to file reports, including reports on Forms 10-K and 10-
  Q, and other information with the Commission;
 
    (4) the Underlying Securities Issuer: (a) will have been subject to the
  periodic reporting requirements of Section 12 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act
  for a period of at least twelve calendar months immediately preceding the
  deposit date; and (b) will have filed in a timely manner all reports
  required to be filed under such periodic reporting requirements during the
  twelve calendar months and any portion of a month immediately preceding the
  deposit date;
 
    (5) the Underlying Securities Issuer will have outstanding voting
  securities (excluding securities held by affiliates of the Underlying
  Securities Issuer) having an aggregate market value of at least
  $75,000,000; and
 
    (6) the Underlying Securities will be rated at least "BBB-" or "Baa3" by
  Standard & Poor's Ratings Services or Moody's Investors Service, Inc. (or
  any comparable rating by another nationally recognized statistical rating
  organization).
 
  The determination of whether Concentrated Underlying Securities and the
related Underlying Securities Issuer meet the Eligibility Criteria will be
made by reference to publicly available sources (and without other independent
investigation).
 
  Reports and information referred to in paragraph (3) above may be inspected
and copied at the public reference facilities maintained by the Commission at
450 Fifth Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20549, and at the following Regional
Offices of the Commission: New York Regional Office, Room 1100, 7 World Trade
Center, New York, New York 10048 and Chicago Regional Office, Suite 1400,
Northwestern Atrium Center, 500 W. Madison Street, Chicago, Illinois 60661-
2511, and copies of such material can be obtained from the Public Reference
Section of the Commission, Washington, D.C. 20549, at prescribed rates. The
Commission maintains a Web site at http://www.sec.gov containing reports,
proxy statements and other information regarding registrants that file
electronically with the Commission. Such reports and other information may
also be inspected at the Information Center of the New York Stock Exchange
Inc., 20 Broad Street, New York, New York 10005.
 
  WITH RESPECT TO ANY UNDERLYING SECURITIES, A PROSPECTIVE CERTIFICATEHOLDER
SHOULD OBTAIN AND EVALUATE THE SAME INFORMATION CONCERNING THE RELEVANT
UNDERLYING SECURITIES ISSUER AS IT WOULD OBTAIN AND EVALUATE IF IT WERE
INVESTING DIRECTLY IN THE UNDERLYING SECURITIES OR IN OTHER SECURITIES ISSUED
BY THE UNDERLYING SECURITIES ISSUER. None of the Depositor, the Trustee, the
Offering Agent or any of their respective affiliates assumes any
responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of any publicly available
information concerning any Underlying Securities Issuer (including, without
limitation, no investigation as to its financial condition or
creditworthiness) or concerning any Underlying Securities (whether or not such
information is filed with the Commission) or otherwise considered by a
purchaser of the Certificates in making its investment decision in connection
therewith; provided that the foregoing shall not apply to any information
concerning the Underlying
 
                                      21
<PAGE>
 
Securities and any Underlying Securities Issuer that is expressly set forth in
this Prospectus or an applicable Prospectus Supplement (i.e., Identifying
Information, information of the type described in an applicable Prospectus
Supplement under "Underlying Securities Indenture" and "Principal Economic
Terms of Underlying Securities" and as to whether Concentrated Underlying
Securities and the related Underlying Securities Issuer meet the "Eligibility
Criteria" described above).
 
UNDERLYING SECURITIES INDENTURE
 
  General. Each Underlying Security will have been issued pursuant to an
agreement (each, an "Underlying Securities Indenture") between the Underlying
Securities Issuer and a trustee (the "Underlying Securities Trustee"). The
Underlying Securities Indenture and the Underlying Securities Trustee will be
qualified under the Trust Indenture Act of 1939 (the "Trust Indenture Act")
and the Underlying Securities Indenture will contain certain provisions
required by the Trust Indenture Act.
 
  Certain Covenants. Indentures generally contain covenants intended to
protect security holders against the occurrence or effects of certain
specified events, including restrictions limiting the issuer's, and in some
cases one or more of the issuer's subsidiaries', ability to: (i) consolidate,
merge, or transfer or lease assets; or (ii) incur or suffer to exist any lien,
charge or encumbrance upon all or some specified portion of its property or
assets, or to incur, assume, guarantee or suffer to exist any indebtedness for
borrowed money if the payment of such indebtedness is secured by the grant of
such a lien. An indenture may also contain financial covenants which, among
other things, require the maintenance of certain financial ratios or the
creation or maintenance of reserves or permit certain actions to be taken only
if compliance with such covenants can be demonstrated at the time the actions
are to be taken. Subject to certain exceptions, indentures typically may be
amended or supplemented and past defaults may be waived with the consent of
the indenture trustee, the consent of the holders of not less than a specified
percentage of the outstanding securities or both.
 
  The Underlying Securities Indenture related to one or more Underlying
Securities included in a Trust may include some, all or none of the foregoing
provisions or variations thereof, together with additional covenants not
discussed herein. Concentrated Underlying Securities, because they are
investment grade debt, are unlikely to be subject to extensive restrictive
covenants. Other Underlying Securities, if not rated investment grade,
generally will be subject to more extensive restrictive covenants. In any
event, there can be no assurance that any type of Underlying Securities will
be subject to any such covenants or that any such covenants will protect the
Trust as a holder of the Underlying Securities against losses. The Prospectus
Supplement used to offer any Series of Certificates will describe material
covenants in relation to any Concentrated Underlying Security (as defined
below) and, as applicable, will describe material covenants which are common
to any pool of Underlying Securities. Any material risk factors associated
with non-investment grade Underlying Securities deposited into a Trust will be
set forth in the applicable Prospectus Supplement.
 
  Events of Default. Indentures generally provide that any one of a number of
specified events will constitute an event of default with respect to the
securities issued thereunder. Such events of default typically include the
following or variations thereof: (i) failure by the issuer to pay an
installment of interest or principal on the securities at the time required
(subject to any specified grace period) or to redeem any of the securities
when required (subject to any specified grace period); (ii) failure by the
issuer to observe or perform any covenant, agreement or condition contained in
the securities or the indenture which failure is materially adverse to
security holders and continues for a specified period after notice thereof is
given to the issuer by the indenture trustee or the holders of not less than a
specified percentage of the outstanding securities; (iii) failure by the
issuer and/or one or more of its subsidiaries to make any required payment of
principal (and premium, if any) or interest with respect to other material
outstanding debt obligations or the acceleration by or on behalf of the
holders thereof of such securities; and (iv) certain events of bankruptcy or
insolvency with respect to the issuer and/or one or more of its subsidiaries.
 
  Remedies. Indentures generally provide that upon the occurrence of an event
of default, the indenture trustee may, and upon the written request of the
holders of not less than a specified percentage of the outstanding
 
                                      22
<PAGE>
 
securities must, take such action as it may deem appropriate to protect and
enforce the rights of the security holders. Certain indentures provide that
the indenture trustee or a specified percentage of the holders of the
outstanding securities have the right to declare all or a portion of the
principal and accrued interest on the outstanding securities immediately due
and payable upon the occurrence of certain events of default, subject to the
issuer's right to cure, if applicable. Generally, an indenture will contain a
provision entitling the trustee thereunder to be indemnified by the security
holders prior to proceeding to exercise any right or power under such
indenture with respect to such securities at the request of such security
holders. An indenture is also likely to limit a security holder's right to
institute certain actions or proceedings to pursue any remedy under the
indenture unless certain conditions are satisfied, including obtaining the
consent of the indenture trustee, that the proceeding be brought for the
ratable benefit of all holders of the security and/or that the indenture
trustee, after being requested to institute a proceeding by the owners of at
least a specified minimum percentage of the securities, shall have refused or
neglected to comply with such request within a reasonable time.
 
  Each Underlying Securities Indenture may include some, all or none of the
foregoing provisions or variations thereof, together with additional events of
default and/or remedies not discussed herein. The Prospectus Supplement with
respect to any Series of Certificates will describe the events of default
under the Underlying Securities Indenture with respect to any Concentrated
Underlying Security ("Underlying Security Events of Default") and applicable
remedies with respect thereto. With respect to any Trust comprising a pool of
securities, the applicable Prospectus Supplement will describe certain common
Underlying Security Events of Default with respect to such pool. There can be
no assurance that any such provision will protect the Trust, as a holder of
the Underlying Securities, against losses. Furthermore, a holder of
Certificates will have no independent legal right to exercise any remedies
with respect to the Underlying Securities and will be required to rely on the
Trustee of the applicable Trust to pursue any available remedies on behalf of
the relevant Certificateholders in accordance with the terms of the Trust
Agreement. If an Underlying Security Event of Default occurs and the Trustee
as a holder of the Underlying Securities is entitled to vote or take such
other action to declare the principal amount of an Underlying Security and any
accrued and unpaid interest thereon to be due and payable, the
Certificateholders' objectives may differ from those of holders of other
securities of the same series and class as any Underlying Security (all such
securities of the same series and class, herein "Outstanding Debt Securities")
in determining whether to require the acceleration of the Underlying
Securities.
 
  Subordination. If specified in the applicable Prospectus Supplement, certain
of the Underlying Securities with respect to any Trust may be either senior
("Senior Underlying Securities") or subordinated ("Subordinated Underlying
Securities") in right to payment to other existing or future indebtedness of
the Underlying Securities Issuer. With respect to Subordinated Underlying
Securities, to the extent of the subordination provisions of such securities,
and after the occurrence of certain events, security holders and direct
creditors whose claims are senior to Subordinated Underlying Securities, if
any, may be entitled to receive payment of the full amount due thereon before
the holders of any subordinated debt securities are entitled to receive
payment on account of the principal (and premium, if any) or any interest on
such securities. Consequently, the Trust as a holder of subordinated debt may
suffer a greater loss than if it held unsubordinated debt of the Underlying
Securities Issuer. There can be no assurance, however, that in the event of a
bankruptcy or similar insolvency proceeding the Trust as a holder of Senior
Underlying Securities would receive all payments in respect of such securities
even if holders of subordinated securities receive no amounts in respect of
such securities. Reference is made to the Prospectus Supplement used to offer
any Series of Certificates for a description of any subordination provisions
with respect to any Concentrated Underlying Securities and the percentage of
Senior Underlying Securities and Subordinated Underlying Securities, if any,
in a Trust comprised of a pool of securities.
 
  Secured Obligations. Certain of the Underlying Securities with respect to
any Trust may represent secured obligations of the Underlying Securities
Issuer ("Secured Underlying Securities"). Generally, unless an event of
default shall have occurred, or with respect to certain collateral or as
otherwise set forth in the indenture pursuant to which such securities were
offered and sold, an issuer of secured obligations has the right to remain in
possession and retain exclusive control of the collateral securing a security
and to collect, invest and dispose of any income related to the collateral.
The indenture pursuant to which any secured indebtedness is issued may
 
                                      23
<PAGE>
 
also contain certain provisions for release, substitution or disposition of
collateral under certain circumstances with or without the consent of the
indenture trustee or upon the direction of not less than a specified
percentage of the security holders. The indenture pursuant to which any
secured indebtedness is issued will also provide for the disposition of the
collateral upon the occurrence of certain events of default with respect
thereto. In the event of a default in respect of any secured obligation,
security holders may experience a delay in payments on account of principal
(and premium, if any) or any interest on such securities pending the sale of
any collateral and prior to or during such period the related collateral may
decline in value. If proceeds of the sale of collateral following an indenture
event of default are insufficient to repay all amounts due in respect of any
secured obligations, the holders of such securities (to the extent not repaid
from the proceeds of the sale of the collateral) would have only an unsecured
claim ranking pari passu with the claims of all other general unsecured
creditors.
 
  The Underlying Securities Indenture with respect to Secured Underlying
Securities may include, some, all or none of the foregoing provisions or
variations thereof. The Prospectus Supplement used to offer any Series of
Certificates that includes Concentrated Underlying Securities which are
Secured Underlying Securities will describe the material security provisions
of such Underlying Securities and the related collateral. With respect to any
Trust composed of a pool of securities, a substantial portion of which are
Secured Underlying Securities, the applicable Prospectus Supplement will
disclose certain material information with respect to such security provisions
and the collateral.
 
PRINCIPAL ECONOMIC TERMS OF UNDERLYING SECURITIES
 
  Reference is made to the applicable Prospectus Supplement with respect to
each Series of Certificates for a description of the following terms, as
applicable, of any Concentrated Underlying Security: (i) the title and series
of such Underlying Securities, and the aggregate principal amount,
denomination and form thereof; (ii) whether such securities are senior or
subordinated to any other existing or future obligations of the Underlying
Securities Issuer; (iii) whether any of the obligations are secured and the
nature of any collateral; (iv) the limit, if any, upon the aggregate principal
amount of such debt securities; (v) the dates on which, or the range of dates
within which, the principal of (and premium, if any, on) such debt securities
will be payable; (vi) the rate or rates or the method of determination
thereof, at which such Underlying Securities will bear interest, if any
("Underlying Securities Rate"); the date or dates from which such interest
will accrue ("Underlying Securities Interest Accrual Periods"); and the dates
on which such interest will be payable ("Underlying Securities Payment
Dates"); (vii) the obligation, if any, of the Underlying Securities Issuer to
redeem the Outstanding Debt Securities pursuant to any sinking fund or
analogous provisions, or at the option of a holder thereof, and the periods
within which or the dates on which, the prices at which and the terms and
conditions upon which such debt securities may be redeemed or repurchased, in
whole or in part, pursuant to such obligation; (viii) the periods within which
or the dates on which, the prices at which and the terms and conditions upon
which such debt securities may be redeemed, if any, in whole or in part, at
the option of the Underlying Securities Issuer; (ix) whether the Underlying
Securities were issued at a price lower than the principal amount thereof; (x)
if other than United States dollars, the foreign currency in which such debt
securities are denominated, or in which payment of the principal of (and
premium, if any) or any interest on such Underlying Securities will be made
(the "Underlying Securities Currency"), and the circumstances, if any, when
such currency of payment may be changed; (xi) material events of default or
restrictive covenants provided for with respect to such Underlying Securities;
(xii) the rating thereof, if any, (xiii) the principal United States market on
which the Underlying Securities are traded and (xiv) any other material terms
of such Underlying Securities.
 
  With respect to a Trust comprised of a pool of Underlying Securities, the
applicable Prospectus Supplement will describe the composition of the
Underlying Securities pool as of the Cut-off Date, certain material events of
default or restrictive covenants common to the Underlying Securities, and, on
an aggregate, percentage or weighted average basis, as applicable, the
characteristics of the pool with respect to the terms set forth in (ii),
(iii), (v), (vi), (vii), (viii) and (ix) of the preceding paragraph and any
other material terms regarding such pool of securities.
 
  If an obligor on Concentrated Underlying Securities ceases to file periodic
reports under the Exchange Act, the Depositor will continue to be subject to
the reporting requirements of the Exchange Act but certain
 
                                      24
<PAGE>
 
information with respect to such obligor may be unavailable. In the event such
obligor ceases to file periodic reports under the Exchange Act, the Depositor
will instruct the Trustee of the relevant Trust to sell all of such
Concentrated Underlying Securities (with the proceeds of such sale being
distributable to the Certificateholders of the relevant Series as otherwise
described herein). Any such sale will result in a loss to the
Certificateholders of the relevant Series if the sale price is less than the
purchase price for such Concentrated Underlying Securities.
 
OTHER DEPOSITED ASSETS
 
  In addition to the Underlying Securities, the Depositor may also deposit
into a given Trust, or the Trustee on behalf of the Certificateholders of a
Trust may enter into an agreement constituting or providing for the purchase
of, to the extent described in the related Prospectus Supplement, other assets
(such as guarantees, letters of credit, financial insurance, interest rate
and/or currency swaps and other derivative transactions that credit enhance or
otherwise support the Underlying Securities) designed to assure the servicing
or timely distribution of payments to holders of the Certificates, all as
described in the applicable Prospectus Supplement. With respect to any such
other assets that are material to the amount or timing of payments on the
Certificates of any Series, the applicable Prospectus Supplement will contain
a description of the material terms thereof and, if relevant, information
relating to any obligor thereon or issuer thereof, all in a manner analogous
to the description of the Underlying Securities.
 
  Unless otherwise specified in the related Prospectus Supplement, the
Deposited Assets for a given Series of Certificates and the related Trust will
not constitute Deposited Assets for any other Series of Certificates and the
related Trust, and the Certificates of a given Series will possess an equal
and ratable undivided ownership interest in such Deposited Assets.
 
COLLECTIONS
 
  The Trust Agreement will establish procedures by which the Trustee or such
other person specified in the Prospectus Supplement is obligated, for the
benefit of the Certificateholders of each Series of Certificates, to
administer the related Deposited Assets, including making collections of all
payments made thereon, depositing from time to time prior to any applicable
Distribution Date such collections into a segregated trust account maintained
or controlled by the applicable Trustee for the benefit of such Series (each a
"Certificate Account"). The applicable Prospectus Supplement will specify the
collection periods, if applicable, and Distribution Dates for a given Series
of Certificates and the particular requirements relating to the segregation
and investment of collections received on the Deposited Assets during a given
collection period or on or by certain specified dates. There can be no
assurance that amounts received from the Deposited Assets for a particular
Series of Certificates over a specified period will be sufficient, after
payment of all prior expenses and fees for such period, to pay amounts then
due and owing to holders of such Certificates.
 
                                      25
<PAGE>
 
                      DESCRIPTION OF THE TRUST AGREEMENT
 
GENERAL
 
  The following summary of material provisions of the Trust Agreement does not
purport to be complete, and such summary is qualified in its entirety by
reference to the detailed provisions of the Standard Terms for Trust
Agreements filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement. Article and
section references in parentheses below are to articles and sections in the
Standard Terms for Trust Agreements. Wherever particular sections or defined
terms of the Standard Terms for Trust Agreements are referred to, such
sections or defined terms are incorporated herein by reference as part of the
statement made, and the statement is qualified in its entirety by such
reference.
 
ASSIGNMENT OF DEPOSITED ASSETS
   
  At the time of issuance of any Series of Certificates, the Depositor will
cause the Underlying Securities and any other Deposited Asset specified in the
Prospectus Supplement to be assigned and delivered to the Trustee to be
deposited in the related Trust, together with all principal, premium (if any)
and interest received by or on behalf of the Depositor on or with respect to
such Underlying Securities and other Deposited Assets after the cut-off date
specified in the Prospectus Supplement (the "Cut-off Date"), other than
principal, premium (if any) and interest due on or before the Cut-off Date and
other than any Retained Interest. (Section 2.01) Concurrently with such
assignment, the Trustee will execute, authenticate and deliver the
Certificates to the Depositor in exchange for the Underlying Securities and
other Deposited Assets, if any. (Section 2.05) Each Deposited Asset will be
identified in a schedule to the Trust Agreement. Such schedule will include
certain summary identifying information with respect to each Underlying
Security and each other Deposited Asset as of the Cut-off Date. Such schedule
will include, to the extent applicable, information regarding the payment
terms of any Concentrated Underlying Security, the Retained Interest, if any,
with respect thereto, the maturity or terms thereof, the rating, if any,
thereof and any other material information with respect thereto.     
 
  In addition, the Depositor will, with respect to each Deposited Asset,
deliver or cause to be delivered to the Trustee (or to the custodian
hereinafter referred to) all documents necessary to transfer ownership of such
Deposited Asset to the Trustee. The Trustee will hold such documents in trust
for the benefit of the Certificateholders. (Sections 2.01 and 2.02)
 
  The Depositor will make certain representations and warranties regarding its
authority to enter into, and its ability to perform its obligations under, the
Trust Agreement. Upon a breach of any such representation of the Depositor
which materially and adversely affects the interests of the
Certificateholders, the Depositor will be obligated to cure the breach in all
material respects. (Sections 2.04 and 2.05)
 
COLLECTION AND OTHER ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEDURES
 
  General. With respect to any Series of Certificates, the Trustee, directly
or through sub-administrative agents, will establish and maintain certain
accounts for the benefit of the holders of the relevant Certificates and will
deposit in such accounts all amounts received by it with respect to the
Deposited Assets. (Section 3.03) The Trustee on behalf of the Trust may direct
any depository institution maintaining such accounts to invest the funds in
such accounts in one or more eligible investments bearing interest or sold at
a discount. Except as otherwise provided in the applicable Series Supplement,
any earnings with respect to such investments will be paid to, and any losses
with respect to such investments will be solely for the account of, the
Certificateholders (and, if applicable, the holder of the Retained Interest)
pro rata in proportion to their interest in the invested funds. (Section 3.05)
 
  The Trustee will make reasonable efforts to collect all scheduled payments
under the Deposited Assets in a manner consistent with the Trust Agreement.
(Section 3.02) Except as otherwise expressly set forth in the Trust Agreement
or the applicable Series Supplement, however, the Trustee will not be required
to expend or risk its own funds or otherwise incur personal financial
liability in the performance of any of its duties under the Trust
 
                                      26
<PAGE>
 
Agreement or in the exercise of any of its rights or powers if there is
reasonable ground for believing that the repayment of such funds or adequate
indemnity against such risk or liability is not reasonably assured to it.
(Section 7.01)
 
  Sub-Administration. The Trustee may enter into agreements (each a "Sub-
Administration Agreement") with one or more agents meeting the qualifications
set forth in the Trust Agreement (each a "Sub-Administrative Agent") in order
to delegate certain of its administrative obligations in respect of the
Deposited Assets to such Sub-Administrative Agents, provided that the Trustee
will remain obligated with respect to its obligations under the Trust
Agreement. (Section 7.02) Each Sub-Administrative Agent will be required to
perform the customary functions of an administrator of comparable financial
assets, including, if applicable, collecting payments from obligors and
remitting such collections to the Trustee; maintaining accounting records
relating to the Deposited Assets, attempting to cure defaults and
delinquencies; and enforcing any other remedies with respect thereto all as
and to the extent provided in the applicable Sub-Administration Agreement.
 
  Each Sub-Administration Agreement will be consistent with the terms of the
Trust Agreement, and any such delegation to a Sub-Administrative Agent will
not be permitted if it would result in a withdrawal or downgrading of the
rating of the relevant Series of Certificates issued pursuant to the Trust
Agreement. (Section 7.02)
 
  The Trustee will be solely liable for all fees owed by it to any Sub-
Administrative Agent, irrespective of whether the compensation of the Trustee,
pursuant to the Trust Agreement with respect to the particular Series of
Certificates, is sufficient to pay such fees. Each Sub-Administrative Agent
will be reimbursed by the Trustee for certain expenditures which it makes,
generally to the same extent the Trustee would be reimbursed under the terms
of the Trust Agreement relating to such Series. See "Trustee Compensation and
Payment of Expenses".
 
  Realization upon Defaulted Deposited Assets. Unless otherwise provided in
the applicable Prospectus Supplement, the Trustee will be obligated to follow
or cause to be followed such normal practices and procedures as it deems
necessary or advisable to realize upon any defaulted Deposited Asset (Section
3.07), provided that, except as otherwise expressly provided in the applicable
Prospectus Supplement, it will not be required to expend or risk its own funds
or otherwise incur financial liability. (Section 6.02) If the proceeds of any
liquidation of the defaulted Deposited Asset are less than the sum of (i) the
outstanding principal balance of the defaulted Deposited Asset, (ii) interest
accrued but unpaid thereon at the applicable interest rate and (iii) the
aggregate amount of expenses incurred by the Trustee in connection with such
proceedings to the extent reimbursable from the assets of the Trust under the
Trust Agreement, the Trust for the applicable Series will realize a loss in
the amount of such difference. (Section 3.07)
 
RETAINED INTEREST
 
  The Prospectus Supplement for a Series of Certificates will specify whether
there will be any Retained Interest in the Deposited Assets, and, if so, the
owner thereof. (Section 3.08) A Retained Interest in a Deposited Asset
represents a specified ownership interest therein and a right to a portion of
the payments thereon. (Section 1.01) Payments in respect of the Retained
Interest will be deducted from payments on the Deposited Assets as received
and, in general, will not be deposited in the applicable Certificate Account
or become a part of the related Trust. Unless otherwise provided in the
applicable Prospectus Supplement, after deduction of all applicable fees as
provided for in the Trust Agreement, the Trustee will allocate on a pari passu
basis any partial recovery on an Underlying Security between the Retained
Interest (if any) and the Certificateholders of the applicable Series.
(Section 3.08)
 
TRUSTEE COMPENSATION AND PAYMENT OF EXPENSES
 
  The applicable Prospectus Supplement will specify the Trustee's
compensation, and the source, manner and priority of payment thereof, with
respect to a given Series of Certificates. (Section 7.06)
 
                                      27
<PAGE>
 
  The applicable Series Supplement may provide for the payment by the
Depositor of certain Prepaid Ordinary Expenses of the Trustee. If the Prepaid
Ordinary Expenses set forth in the Series Supplement are greater than zero,
the Trustee will be deemed to agree that the payment of such amount
constitutes full and final satisfaction of and payment for all Ordinary
Expenses. If the Prepaid Ordinary Expenses set forth in the Series Supplement
are zero, the Series Supplement may indicate that Ordinary Expenses will be
paid for by the Trust, in which case the Trustee will be paid on a periodic
basis by the Trust or the Retained Interest at the rate or amount and on the
terms provided for in the Series Supplement. The Trustee has agreed, pursuant
to the Trust Agreement, that its right to receive such payments from the Trust
will constitute full and final satisfaction of and payment for all Ordinary
Expenses and that the Trustee will have no claim on payment of Ordinary
Expenses from any other source, including the Depositor. If the Prepaid
Ordinary Expenses set forth in the Series Supplement are zero, the Series
Supplement may provide that the Depositor will pay to the Trustee from time to
time a fee for its services and expenses as Trustee as set forth in the Series
Supplement payable at the times set forth therein. The Trustee will agree,
pursuant to the Trust Agreement, that its right to receive such payments from
the Depositor will constitute full and final satisfaction of and payment for
all Ordinary Expenses and that the Trustee will have no claim for payment of
Ordinary Expenses from the Trust. The Trustee has further agreed that,
notwithstanding any failure by the Depositor to make such periodic payments of
Ordinary Expenses, the Trustee will continue to perform its obligations under
the Trust Agreement. The Depositor's obligations to pay Ordinary Expenses
under the Trust Agreement will be extinguished and of no further effect upon
the payment of Ordinary Expenses due and owing on the termination of the Trust
pursuant to the terms of the Trust Agreement.
 
  Subject to the terms of the Trust Agreement, all Extraordinary Expenses (as
defined in the Trust Agreement), to the extent not paid by a third party, are
obligations of the Trust, and when due and payable will be satisfied solely by
the Trust.
 
  The Trustee will not take any action, including appearing in, instituting or
conducting any action or suit under the Trust Agreement or in relation thereto
which, in the Trustee's opinion, would or might cause it to incur costs,
expenses or liabilities that are Extraordinary Expenses unless (i) the Trustee
is satisfied that it will have adequate security or indemnity in respect of
such costs, expenses and liabilities, (ii) the Trustee has been instructed to
do so by Certificateholders representing not less than the "Required
Percentage--Remedies" (as defined in the Trust Agreement) of the aggregate
principal amount of Certificates then outstanding, and (iii) the
Certificateholders, pursuant to the instructions given under clause (ii)
above, have agreed that such costs, expenses or liabilities will either be (x)
paid by the Trustee from the Trust, in the case of a vote of 100% of the
aggregate principal amount of Certificates then outstanding, or (y) paid by
the Trustee (which payment will be made out of its own funds and not from
monies on deposit in the Trust) in which case the Trustee will be entitled to
receive, upon demand, reimbursement from those Certificateholders who have
agreed to bear the entire amount of such costs, expenses or liabilities, on a
pro rata basis among such Certificateholders.
 
DISTRIBUTIONS ON CERTIFICATES
 
  The distribution of interest and principal on Certificates issued in
registered form will be made (i) if the Certificates are held in book-entry
form, to the relevant book-entry depository, which will credit the relevant
participant's account at such book-entry depository in accordance with the
policies and procedure of such book-entry depository or (ii) if the
Certificates are not held in book-entry form, at the corporate trust office of
the Trustee as specified in the Trust Agreement or, at the option of the
Trustee, by check mailed to the address of the Person entitled thereto as such
address appears in the Certificate register. (Section 4.02) Subject to the
terms and conditions of the Trust Agreement, with respect to Certificates not
held in book-entry form and having the minimum wire denomination specified in
the Trust Agreement, such payment will be made by wire transfer of immediately
available funds to the account designated by the holder in a written request
received by the Trustee not later than 10 days prior to the relevant
distribution date; provided that if a wire transfer cannot be made for any
reason, payment will be made by check. The Trustee will not be required to
send federal funds wires until any corresponding payments which were not same
day funds when received by it have become same day funds.
 
                                      28
<PAGE>
 
  Unless specified otherwise in a Series Supplement, the final distribution of
principal, interest and/or premium will be made upon presentation and
surrender of such Certificates at the corporate trust office of the Trustee as
specified in the Trust Agreement.
 
OPTIONAL EXCHANGE
 
  The terms and conditions, if any, upon which Certificates of any Series may
be exchanged for a pro rata portion of the Underlying Securities of the
related Trust will be specified in the related Series Supplement; provided
that any right of exchange will be exercisable only to the extent that the
Depositor provides upon the Trustee's request an opinion of counsel that (i)
such exchange would not be inconsistent with the Depositor's and the Trustee's
continued satisfaction of the applicable requirements under the Investment
Company Act of 1940, as amended, and (ii) such exchange would not affect the
characterization of the Trust as a "grantor trust" for United States federal
income tax purposes.
 
  Any tender of a Certificate by the holder thereof for exchange will be
irrevocable. Unless otherwise provided in the applicable Series Supplement,
the exchange option may be exercised by the holder of a Certificate for less
than aggregate principal amount of such Certificate as long as the aggregate
principal amount outstanding after such exchange is an authorized denomination
and all other exchange requirements set forth in the related Series Supplement
are satisfied. Upon such partial exchange, such Certificate will be cancelled
and a new Certificate or Certificates for the remaining principal amount of
the Certificate will be issued (which, in the case of any Certificate issued
in registered form, will be in the name of the holder of such exchanged
Certificate).
 
VOTING RIGHTS WITH RESPECT TO UNDERLYING SECURITIES
 
  Within five Business Days after receipt of notice of any meeting of, or
other occasion for the exercise of voting rights or the giving of consents by,
owners of any of the Underlying Securities, the Trustee will give notice to
the Certificateholders, setting forth (i) such information as is contained in
such notice to owners of Underlying Securities, (ii) a statement that the
Certificateholders will be entitled, subject to any applicable provision of
law and any applicable provisions of such Underlying Securities, to instruct
the Trustee as to the exercise of voting rights, if any, pertaining to such
Underlying Securities and (iii) a statement as to the manner in which
instructions may be given to the Trustee to give a discretionary proxy to a
person designated in the notice received by the Trustee. The Trustee will give
such notice to the Certificateholders of record on the relevant record date.
 
  Upon the written request of the applicable Certificateholder, received on or
before the date established by the Trustee for such purpose, the Trustee will
endeavor, insofar as practicable and permitted under any applicable provision
of law and any applicable provision of or governing the Underlying Securities,
to vote in accordance with any nondiscretionary instruction set forth in such
written request. The Trustee will not vote except as specifically authorized
and directed in written instructions from the applicable Certificateholder
entitled to give such instructions. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the
Trustee determines (based upon advice furnished by nationally recognized
independent tax counsel, whether at the request of any Certificateholder or
otherwise) that the exercise of voting rights with respect to any Underlying
Securities could result in a "sale or other disposition" of such Underlying
Securities within the meaning of Section 1001(a) of the Internal Revenue Code
of 1986, as amended, the Trustee will exercise such voting rights in a manner
that would not result in any such sale or other disposition. The Trustee will
have no responsibility to make any such determination.
 
  Unless otherwise specified in the applicable Series Supplement, the voting
rights allocable to the owners of the Underlying Securities pursuant to the
terms thereof will be allocated among the Certificateholders pro rata, in the
proportion that the denomination of each Certificate bears to the aggregate
denomination of all Certificates.
 
  By accepting delivery of a Certificate, whether upon original issuance or
subsequent transfer, exchange or replacement thereof, and without regard to
whether ownership is beneficial or otherwise, the Certificateholder
 
                                      29
<PAGE>
 
agrees so long as it is an owner of such Certificate that it will not grant
any consent (i) to any conversion of the timing of payment of, or the method
or rate of accruing, interest on the Underlying Securities underlying the
Certificates held by such Certificateholder or (ii) to any redemption or
prepayment of the Underlying Securities underlying the Certificates held by
such Certificateholder. (Section 5.14) The Trustee will not grant any consent
solicited from the owners of the Underlying Securities underlying the
Certificates with respect to the matters set forth in Section 5.14 of the
Trust Agreement nor will it accept or take any action in respect of any
consent, proxy or instructions received from any Certificateholder in
contravention of the provisions of such Section.
 
LIMITATIONS ON RIGHTS OF CERTIFICATEHOLDERS
 
  No Certificateholder will have the right under the Trust Agreement to
institute any proceeding with respect to the Trustee or the Trust unless such
holder previously has given to the Trustee written notice of breach and unless
(i) such holder has previously given to the Trustee a written notice of breach
and of the continuance thereof, (ii) the holders of Certificates of such
Series evidencing not less than the "Required Percentage --Remedies" of the
Voting Rights of such Series have made written request upon the Trustee to
institute such proceeding in its own name as Trustee thereunder and have
offered to the Trustee reasonable indemnity, (iii) the Trustee for 15 days has
neglected or refused to institute any such proceeding and (iv) no direction
inconsistent with such written request has been given to the Trustee during
such 15-day period by Certificateholders evidencing not less than the
"Required Percentage--Remedies" of the aggregate Voting Rights of such Series.
(Section 10.02) The Trustee, however, is under no obligation to exercise any
of the trusts or powers vested in it by the Trust Agreement or to make any
investigation of matters arising thereunder or to institute, conduct or defend
any litigation thereunder or in relation thereto at the request, order or
direction of any of the holders of Certificates covered by the Trust
Agreement, unless such Certificateholders have offered to the Trustee
reasonable security or indemnity against the costs, expenses and liabilities
which may be incurred therein or thereby. (Section 10.02)
 
MODIFICATION AND WAIVER
 
  The Trust Agreement may be amended from time to time by the Depositor and
the Trustee without the consent of any of the Certificateholders for any of
the following purposes: (i) to cure any ambiguity or to correct or supplement
any provision therein which may be defective or inconsistent with any other
provision therein or to provide for any other terms or modify any other
provisions with respect to matters or questions arising under the Trust
Agreement which will not adversely affect the interests of the Holders in any
material respect; (ii) to evidence and provide for the acceptance of
appointment thereunder of a change in Trustee as Trustee for a Series of
Certificates subsequent to the Closing Date for such Series, and to add to or
change any of the provisions of the Trust Agreement as shall be necessary to
provide for or facilitate the administration of the separate Trusts thereunder
by more than one trustee, pursuant to the requirements of Section 5.01
thereof; or (iii) to evidence and provide for the acceptance of appointment
thereunder by a successor Trustee with respect to the Certificates of one or
more Series or to add or change any of the provisions of the Trust Agreement
as shall be necessary to provide for or facilitate the administration of the
trusts thereunder; provided that no amendment will be permitted if it would
result in a withdrawal or downgrading of the rating of the relevant Series of
Certificates or if such amendment would cause any Trust created under the
Trust Agreement to fail to qualify as a "grantor trust" for U.S. Federal
income tax purposes. (Section 10.01)
 
  Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, unless otherwise specified
in the applicable Prospectus Supplement, the Trust Agreement may also be
modified or amended from time to time by the Depositor, and the Trustee, with
the consent of the holders of Certificates evidencing not less than the
"Required Percentage --Amendment" of the Voting Rights of those Certificates
that are materially adversely affected by such modification or amendment for
the purpose of adding any provision to or changing in any manner or
eliminating any provision of the Trust Agreement or of modifying in any manner
the rights of such Certificateholders; provided that no such amendment will
(i) reduce in any manner the amount of, or delay the timing of, payments
received on Deposited Assets which are required to be distributed on any
Certificate without the consent of the
 
                                      30
<PAGE>
 
holders of such Certificates or (ii) reduce the percentage of aggregate Voting
Rights required to take any action specified in the Trust Agreement, without
the consent of the Holders of all Certificates of such Series or Class then
Outstanding. (Section 10.01)
 
  Unless otherwise specified in the applicable Prospectus Supplement, holders
of Certificates evidencing not less than the "Required Percentage--Waiver" of
the Voting Rights of a given Series may, on behalf of all Certificateholders
of that Series, (i) waive, insofar as that Series is concerned, compliance by
the Depositor or the Trustee with certain restrictive provisions, if any, of
the Trust Agreement before the time for such compliance and (ii) waive any
past default under the Trust Agreement with respect to Certificates of that
Series, except a default in the failure to distribute amounts received as
principal of (and premium, if any) or any interest on any such Certificate and
except a default in respect of a covenant or provision the modification or
amendment of which would require the consent of the holder of each outstanding
Certificate affected thereby (Section 5.19).
 
REPORTS TO CERTIFICATEHOLDERS; NOTICES
 
  Reports to Certificateholders. Unless otherwise provided in the applicable
Prospectus Supplement, with each distribution to Certificateholders of a given
Series, the Trustee will forward or cause to be forwarded to each such
Certificateholder, to the Depositor and to such other parties as may be
specified in the Trust Agreement, a statement setting forth:
 
    (i) the amounts received by the Trustee as of the last such statement in
  respect of principal, interest and premium on the Underlying Securities and
  any amounts received by the Trustee with respect to any swap agreement
  entered into by the Trust pursuant to the terms of the Trust Agreement;
 
    (ii) any amounts payable by the Trust for such date pursuant to any swap
  agreement entered into by the Trust pursuant to the terms of the Trust
  Agreement;
 
    (iii) the amount of such distribution allocable to principal of and
  premium, if any, and interest on the Certificates of such Series, and the
  amount of aggregate unpaid interest accrued as of such distribution date;
 
    (iv) in the case of Certificates bearing interest on a floating rate
  basis, the respective floating rate applicable to such Certificates on such
  distribution date, as calculated in accordance with the method specified in
  such Certificates and the related Series Supplement;
 
    (v) such other customary information as the Trustee deems necessary or
  desirable, (or that any such Certificateholder reasonably requests in
  writing) to enable such Certificateholders to prepare their tax returns;
 
    (vi) if the Series Supplement provides for Advances (as defined in the
  Trust Agreement), the aggregate amount of Advances, if any, included in
  such distribution, and the aggregate amount of unreimbursed Advances, if
  any, at the close of business on such distribution date;
 
    (vii) the aggregate stated principal amount and, if applicable, notional
  amount of the Underlying Securities related to such Series, the current
  rating assigned by the applicable rating agency thereon and the current
  interest rate or rates thereon at the close of business on such
  distribution date;
 
    (viii) the aggregate principal amount (or notional amount, if applicable)
  of each Series at the close of business on such distribution date,
  separately identifying any reduction in such aggregate principal amount (or
  notional amount) due to the allocation of certain realized losses on such
  distribution date or otherwise, as provided in the Trust Agreement; and
 
    (ix) as to any Series for which credit support has been obtained, the
  amount or notional amount of coverage of each element of credit support
  (and rating, if any, thereof) included therein as of the close of business
  on such distribution date.
 
  In the case of information furnished pursuant to subclauses (i), (ii), (iii)
and (v) above, the amounts will be expressed as a U.S. dollar amount (or
equivalent thereof in any other specified currency) per minimum
 
                                      31
<PAGE>
 
denomination of Certificates or for such other specified portion thereof.
Within a reasonable period of time after the end of each calendar year, the
Trustee will furnish to each person who at any time during the calendar year
was a Certificateholder a statement containing the information set forth in
subclauses (i), (ii), (iii) and (v) above, aggregated for such calendar year
or the applicable portion thereof during which such person was a
Certificateholder. Such obligation of the Trustee will be deemed to have been
satisfied to the extent that substantially comparable information is provided
by the Trustee pursuant to any requirements of the Code as are from time to
time in effect. (Section 4.03)
 
  Notices. Unless otherwise provided in the applicable Prospectus Supplement,
any notice required to be given to a holder of a Registered Certificate will
be mailed to the last address of such holder set forth in the applicable
Certificate Register. (Section 10.04)
 
EVIDENCE AS TO COMPLIANCE
 
  The Trust Agreement will also provide for delivery to the Trustee on behalf
of the Certificateholders, on or before a specified date in each year, of an
annual statement from the principal executive, financial or accounting officer
of the Depositor as to his or her knowledge of the Depositor's compliance with
all conditions and covenants under the Trust Agreement. (Section 3.10).
 
  Copies of the annual statement of an officer of the Depositor may be
obtained by Certificateholders without charge upon written request to the
Trustee at the address set forth in the related Prospectus Supplement.
 
REPLACEMENT CERTIFICATES
 
  Unless otherwise provided in the applicable Prospectus Supplement, if a
Certificate is mutilated, destroyed, lost or stolen, it may be replaced at the
corporate trust office or agency of the Trustee in the City and State of New
York, or such other location as may be specified in the applicable Prospectus
Supplement, upon payment by the holder of such expenses as may be incurred by
the Trustee in connection therewith and the furnishing of such security and
indemnity as the Trustee and the Depositor may require to hold each of them
and any Paying Agent harmless. (Section 5.05)
 
TERMINATION
 
  The obligations created by the Trust Agreement for each Series of
Certificates will terminate upon the payment to Certificateholders of that
Series of all amounts held in the related Certificate Account and required to
be paid to them pursuant to the Trust Agreement following the final payment or
other liquidation of the last Deposited Asset subject thereto or the
disposition of all property acquired upon foreclosure or liquidation of any
such Deposited Asset. In no event, however, will any Trust created by the
Trust Agreement continue beyond the respective date specified in the related
Prospectus Supplement. Written notice of termination of the obligations with
respect to the related Series of Certificates under the Trust Agreement will
be provided as set forth above under "--Reports to Certificateholders;
Notices--Notices", and the final distribution will be made only upon surrender
and cancellation of the Certificates at an office or agency appointed by the
Trustee which will be specified in the notice of termination. (Section 9.01)
 
DUTIES OF THE TRUSTEE
 
  The Trustee makes no representations as to the validity or sufficiency of
the Trust Agreement, the Certificates of any Series or any Deposited Asset or
related document and is not accountable for the use or application by the
Depositor, of any of the Certificates or of the proceeds of such Certificates.
(Section 7.04) However, upon receipt of the various certificates, reports or
other instruments required to be furnished to it, the Trustee is required to
examine such documents and to determine whether they conform to the applicable
requirements of the Trust Agreement. (Section 7.01)
 
 
                                      32
<PAGE>
 
THE TRUSTEE
 
  The Trustee for any given Series of Certificates under the Trust Agreement
will be named in the related Prospectus Supplement. The commercial bank,
national banking association or trust company serving as Trustee will be
unaffiliated with, but may have normal banking relationships with, the
Depositor and its affiliates.
 
                    CERTAIN FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSEQUENCES
 
GENERAL
 
  The following is a general discussion of the material Federal income tax
consequences of the purchase, ownership and disposition of Certificates that
will apply to any Series of Certificates. This discussion is based upon laws,
regulations, rulings and decisions currently in effect, all of which are
subject to change, possibly on a retroactive basis. The discussion does not
deal with all Federal tax consequences applicable to all categories of
investors, some of which may be subject to special rules. In addition, this
discussion is generally limited to investors who will hold the Certificates as
"capital assets" (generally, property held for investment) within the meaning
of Section 1221 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the "Code"),
and who do not hold their Certificates as part of a "straddle", a "hedge" or a
"conversion transaction". The discussion contained herein assumes that the
aggregate deemed purchase price of the Certificates (as described herein),
excluding accrued interest on the Underlying Securities, will at least equal
the stated principal amount of the Underlying Securities. If this is not the
case for a particular Series of Certificates (and to the extent otherwise
applicable), the Prospectus Supplement relating to such Series will contain a
discussion of any additional material Federal income tax consequences
applicable to Certificates of that Series. INVESTORS SHOULD CONSULT THEIR OWN
TAX ADVISORS REGARDING THE PARTICULAR FEDERAL, STATE, LOCAL AND OTHER TAX
CONSEQUENCES TO THEM OF THE PURCHASE, OWNERSHIP AND DISPOSITION OF THE
CERTIFICATES.
 
  Each Trust will be provided with an opinion of Milbank, Tweed, Hadley &
McCloy, special Federal tax counsel to the Offering Agent ("Federal Tax
Counsel"), regarding certain Federal income tax matters discussed below. An
opinion of Federal Tax Counsel, however, is not binding on the Internal
Revenue Service (the "IRS") or the courts. Prospective investors should note
that no rulings have been or will be sought from the IRS with respect to any
of the Federal income tax consequences discussed below, and no assurance can
be given that the IRS will not take contrary positions.
 
  THE TAX DISCUSSION CONTAINED HEREIN ASSUMES THAT THE AGGREGATE DEEMED
PURCHASE PRICE OF THE CERTIFICATES (AS DESCRIBED HEREIN) WILL AT LEAST EQUAL
THE STATED PRINCIPAL AMOUNT OF THE UNDERLYING SECURITIES.
 
TAX STATUS OF TRUST
 
  It is expected that each Prospectus Supplement will contain an opinion of
Federal Tax Counsel that the Trust will be classified as a grantor trust and
not as an association (or publicly traded partnership) taxable as a
corporation for Federal income tax purposes. If, in the opinion of Federal Tax
Counsel, the Trust will not be classified as a grantor trust for Federal
income tax purposes, the Prospectus Supplement will contain a statement to
that effect. If the Trust will be classified as a grantor trust, each
Certificateholder will be subject to Federal income taxation as if it owned
directly the portion of the Underlying Securities allocable to such
Certificates, as if (in the case of a Callable Series) it issued directly the
portion of the call right allocable to such Certificates and as if it paid
directly its allocable share of reasonable expenses paid by the Trust. The
following discussion assumes that the Underlying Securities were not issued
with original issue discount ("OID") and, accordingly, the Certificateholders
will not realize OID except with respect to a "stripped bond" (as defined
below).
 
INCOME OF CERTIFICATEHOLDERS
 
  In General. A Certificateholder will allocate the amount it paid (or, as
explained in the next sentence, is deemed to have paid) for its Certificate
among the portions of the Underlying Securities allocable to such
 
                                      33
<PAGE>
 
Certificate, in proportion to their relative fair market values on the date of
purchase of the Certificate. If a Series of Certificates is a Callable Series,
a Certificateholder should be treated as having purchased the portion of the
Underlying Securities represented by the Certificates for their full fair
market value, which may exceed the actual purchase price of the Certificates,
and, to the extent that the aggregate amount of the fair market value of the
portion of the Underlying Securities that are allocable to its Certificates
exceeds the amount the Certificateholder actually paid for its Certificates,
be deemed to have been paid such excess by the holder of the call right as a
call premium. A Certificateholder would calculate separately its income, gain,
loss or deduction realized with respect to each such asset.
 
  If a Series of Certificates provides that a third party has the right to
retain or receive a portion of the interest paid on the Underlying Securities
(a "Retained Interest"), the Underlying Securities represented by a
Certificate of such Series will be considered to be a "stripped bond" within
the meaning of Section 1286 of the Code, because the holder of the Retained
Interest will be entitled to receive part of the interest on the Underlying
Securities but no principal on the Underlying Securities. Under Section 1286
of the Code, as stripped bonds, the portion of the Underlying Securities
represented by the Certificate is treated as having OID if the principal
amount of those Underlying Securities exceeds their ratable share of the
deemed purchase price, as described above. If there is OID, a holder would
(subject to a de minimis exception) be required to include in income the
portion of the OID allocable to such Underlying Securities based upon the
constant yield method. If the stripped bonds represented by the Underlying
Securities are purchased at a premium, the application of Section 1286 should
not result in any OID. If, however, a subsequent purchaser purchases the
Certificates for an amount such that the deemed purchase price of such
stripped bonds represented by the Certificates is less than their principal
amount by more than the de minimis amount, the portion of the Underlying
Securities represented by the Certificates so purchased will be treated as
having OID. If a Series of Certificates is a Callable Series and includes a
Retained Interest, in determining the price at which the portion of the
Underlying Securities represented by the Certificates is deemed to have been
purchased, the value of the stripped bond and the call right are taken into
account in the manner described in the preceding paragraph.
 
  Based upon the foregoing, each Certificateholder will be required to report
on its Federal income tax return, in a manner consistent with its method of
accounting, its share of the gross income of the Trust, including interest
earned on the Underlying Securities, and any gain or loss upon collection or
disposition of the Underlying Securities. The portion of each payment to a
Certificateholder that is allocable to principal on the Underlying Securities
will represent a recovery of capital, which will reduce the tax basis of such
Certificateholder's undivided interest in the Underlying Securities.
 
  Bond Premium. To the extent that the portion of the (deemed) purchase price
of a Certificate allocated to a Certificateholder's undivided interest in the
Underlying Securities is greater than the portion of the principal balance of
the Underlying Securities allocable to the Certificate, such interest in the
Underlying Securities will have been acquired at a premium. In determining the
amount of such premium, a portion of the purchase price for a Certificate will
be allocated to the accrued interest on the Underlying Securities at the time
of purchase as though such accrued interest were a separate asset, thus
reducing the portion of the purchase price allocable to the
Certificateholder's undivided interest in the Underlying Securities. A
Certificateholder may elect to amortize any premium as an offset to interest
income (with a corresponding reduction in the Certificateholder's basis) under
a constant yield method over the term of the Underlying Securities under
Section 171 of the Code. If a Certificateholder makes or has made that
election with respect to any debt instrument, the election would also apply to
all debt instruments held by the Certificateholder during the year in which
the election is made and all debt instruments acquired thereafter. If the
election is not made, any premium would be recognized as a capital loss under
the rules discussed below upon the maturity or redemption of the Underlying
Security, at which time the Certificateholder would recognize a capital gain
in connection with the lapse of any call right.
 
  Modification or Exchange of Underlying Securities. Depending upon the
circumstances, it is possible that a modification of the terms of the
Underlying Securities would be a taxable event to Certificateholders on which
they would recognize gain or loss.
 
                                      34
<PAGE>
 
DEDUCTIBILITY OF TRUST'S FEES AND EXPENSES
 
  In computing its Federal income tax liability, a Certificateholder will be
entitled to deduct, consistent with its method of accounting, its share of
reasonable administrative fees, trustee fees and other fees paid or incurred
by the Trust and paid out of the Trust corpus as provided in Section 162 or
212 of the Code. If a Series of Certificates provides for a Retained Interest
and any fees and expenses paid to the Trustee and the Depositor are borne by
the holder of the Retained Interest, it is possible that such fees and
expenses will be treated as having been constructively received by the Trust
from the holder of the Retained Interest. In that case, a Certificateholder
will be required to include in its income and will be entitled to deduct its
pro-rata share of such fees. If a Certificateholder is an individual, estate
or trust, the deduction for his share of fees will be a miscellaneous itemized
deduction that may be disallowed in whole or in part.
 
PURCHASE AND SALE OF A CERTIFICATE
 
  Upon purchase of a Certificate, a Certificateholder should be deemed to have
acquired its pro-rata share of the Underlying Securities at a price equal to
their fair market value and, in the case of a Callable Series, as having
received a payment in respect of any call right allocable to such Underlying
Securities equal to the difference between the fair market value of such
Underlying Securities and the purchase price of the Certificate (excluding any
amount paid in respect of accrued interest on the Underlying Securities).
Accordingly, in the case of a Callable Series, the Certificateholder's basis
in its interest in the Underlying Security would be greater than the amount
the Certificateholder paid for its Certificate (excluding any amount paid in
respect of accrued interest on the Underlying Securities).
 
  Upon sale of a Certificate, the selling Certificateholder should be treated
as having received proceeds in respect of the Underlying Securities equal to
their fair market value (excluding accrued interest) and, if a Series of
Certificates is a Callable Series, as having paid an amount equal to the
difference between such fair market value and the proceeds received in respect
of the Certificates (excluding the portion thereof attributable to accrued
interest) to terminate its obligation under the call right. Gain or loss
should be determined separately for the portion of the Underlying Securities
and the call right allocable to the Certificates.
 
  Gain or loss with respect to a call right will equal the difference between
the amount deemed to have been received with respect to the call right upon
the purchase of the Certificates and the amount deemed paid by the
Certificateholder in respect of the discharge of its obligations under the
call right in connection with the sale of the Certificates. Any such gain or
loss will be short term gain or loss, regardless of the holding period for the
Certificates. Gain or loss with respect to the Underlying Securities will
equal the difference between the amount deemed received in respect of the
Underlying Securities (excluding accrued interest, which will be treated as
interest received) and the Certificateholder's basis therefor. Subject to the
discussion below under "Application of the Straddle Rules," such gain or loss
will be long-term capital gain or loss if the Certificates have been held for
more than one year and short-term otherwise.
 
CALL PREMIUM; EXERCISE OF CALL RIGHT
 
  As described above, if a Series of Certificates is a Callable Series, each
Certificateholder of that Series should be deemed to have received at the time
of its purchase of its Certificate a call premium in an amount equal to the
fair market value of the portion of the Call Right allocable to its
Certificate. The receipt of such call premium should not be a taxable event to
the Certificateholder until such time as the call right so allocable to its
Certificate is exercised or lapses. If the call right lapses unexercised, the
Certificateholder will be required to include the call premium in income for
the taxable year the call right terminated as short-term capital gain. If the
call right is exercised, the proceeds of sale of the Certificate will be
deemed for federal income tax purposes to be increased by the amount of the
call premium. The gain from such sale will be long-term if the Certificate was
then held for more than one year and short-term otherwise.
 
APPLICATION OF THE STRADDLE RULES
 
  It is possible that a Certificateholder's interest in the Underlying
Security and a call right may constitute positions in a "straddle." If so, a
Certificateholder selling its Certificate would be required to treat any gain
or
 
                                      35
<PAGE>
 
loss recognized with respect to the Underlying Security as short term gain or
loss, regardless of the period for which the Certificate is held. In addition,
the straddle rules might require a Certificateholder to capitalize, rather
than deduct, interest and carrying charges allocable to the
Certificateholder's interest in its Certificates. Further, if the Internal
Revenue Service were to take the position that a Certificateholder's interest
in the Underlying Security and the call right constituted a "conversion
transaction" as well as a straddle, then a portion of any gain realized with
respect to the Underlying Security or call right may be characterized as
ordinary income.
 
BACKUP WITHHOLDING
 
  Payments made on the Certificates and proceeds from the sale of the
Certificates will not be subject to a "backup" withholding tax of 31% unless,
in general, the Certificateholder fails to comply with certain reporting
procedures and is not an exempt recipient under applicable provisions of the
Code.
 
FOREIGN CERTIFICATEHOLDERS
 
  Amounts paid to Certificateholders that are not United States persons
("Foreign Certificateholders") generally will not be subject to the annual 30%
withholding tax, provided that such Foreign Certificateholder fulfills certain
certification requirements. Under such requirements, the holder must certify,
under penalties of perjury, that it is not a "United States person" and
provide its name and address. A "United States person" means a citizen or
resident of the U.S., a corporation, partnership or other entity created or
organized in or under the laws of the U.S. or any political subdivision
thereof, or an estate or trust the income of which is includable in gross
income for U.S. Federal income tax purposes, regardless of its source.
 
                             ERISA CONSIDERATIONS
 
  The Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended ("ERISA"),
and the Code impose certain requirements on (a) an employee benefit plan (as
defined in Section 3(3) of ERISA), (b) a plan described in Section 4975(e)(i)
of the Code or (e) any entity whose underlying assets include plan assets by
reason of a plan's investment in the entity (each, a "Plan").
 
  In accordance with ERISA's general fiduciary standards, before investing in
a Certificate, a Plan fiduciary should determine whether such an investment is
permitted under the governing Plan instruments and appropriate for the Plan in
view of the Plan's overall investment policy and the composition and
diversification of its portfolio. Other provisions of ERISA and the Code
prohibit certain transactions involving the assets of a Plan and persons who
have certain specified relationships to the Plan ("parties in interest" within
the meaning of ERISA or "disqualified persons" within the meaning of the
Code). Thus, a Plan fiduciary considering an investment in Certificates should
also consider whether such an investment might constitute or give rise to a
prohibited transaction under ERISA or the Code.
 
  An investment in Certificates by a Plan might result in the assets of the
Trust being deemed to constitute Plan assets, which in turn might mean that
certain aspects of such investment, including the operation of the trust,
might be prohibited transactions under ERISA and the Code. Neither ERISA nor
the Code defines the term "plan assets". Under Section 2510.3-101 of the
United States Department of Labor ("DOL") regulations (the "Regulation"), a
Plan's assets may include an interest in the underlying assets of an entity
(such as a trust) for certain purposes, including the prohibited transaction
provisions of ERISA and the Code, if the Plan acquires an "equity interest" in
such entity. Thus, if a Plan acquired a Certificate, for certain purposes
under ERISA and the Code (including the prohibited transaction provisions) the
Plan would be considered to own its share of the underlying assets of the
Trust unless (1) such Certificate is a "publicly-offered security" or (2)
equity participation by "benefit plan investors" is not "significant".
 
  Under the Regulations, a publicly-offered security is a security that is (1)
freely transferable, (2) part of a class of securities that is owned by 100 or
more investors independent of the issuer and of one another at the conclusion
of the initial offering and (3) either is (A) part of a class of securities
registered under Section 12(b) or 12(g) of the Exchange Act, or (B) sold to
the Plan as part of an offering of securities to the public pursuant to an
effective registration statement under the Securities Act and the class of
securities of which such security is a part is registered under the Exchange
Act within 120 days (or such later time as may be allowed by the
 
                                      36
<PAGE>
 
Commission) after the end of the fiscal year of the issuer during which the
offering of such securities to the public occurred. The Depositor anticipates
that the Certificates will be considered publicly-offered securities within
the meaning of the Regulation.
 
  Participation by benefit plan investors in the Certificates would not be
significant if immediately after the most recent acquisition of a Certificate,
whether or not from the Depositor or an Agent or Offering Agent, less than 25%
of the value of such Certificates were held by benefit plan investors, which
are defined as Plans and employee benefit plans not subject to ERISA (for
example, governmental plans).
 
  If the assets of the Trust were deemed to be plan assets, certain
transactions involving the Trust, including the acquisition of the
Certificates themselves by a Plan, could be prohibited transactions. If, for
example, an obligor with respect to any of the Underlying Securities, or any
of such obligor's affiliates, were a party in interest or disqualified person
with respect to an acquiring Plan, the acquisition of the Certificate could be
construed as a prohibited indirect loan from the Plan to the obligor.
 
  Certificates will not be sold to any Plan unless the Depositor is able to
confirm the existence of at least 100 independent purchasers of the
Certificates.
 
  ANY PLAN OR INSURANCE COMPANY INVESTING ASSETS OF ITS GENERAL ACCOUNT
PROPOSING TO ACQUIRE CERTIFICATES SHOULD CONSULT WITH ITS COUNSEL.
 
                             PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION
 
  Certificates may be offered in any of three ways: (i) through underwriters
or dealers; (ii) directly to one or more purchasers; or (iii) through agents.
The applicable Prospectus Supplement will set forth the material terms of the
offering of any Series of Certificates, which may include the names of any
underwriters, or initial purchasers, the purchase price of such Certificates
and the proceeds to the Depositor from such sale, any underwriting discounts
and other items constituting underwriters' compensation, any initial public
offering price, any discounts or concessions allowed or reallowed or paid to
dealers, any securities exchanges on which such Certificates may be listed,
any restrictions on the sale and delivery of Certificates in bearer form and
the place and time of delivery of the Certificates to be offered thereby.
 
  If underwriters are used in the sale, Certificates will be acquired by the
underwriters at a fixed price for their own account and may be resold from
time to time in one or more transactions, including negotiated transactions,
at a fixed public offering price or at varying prices determined at the time
of sale. Such Certificates may be offered to the public either through
underwriting syndicates represented by managing underwriters or by
underwriters without a syndicate. Such managing underwriters or underwriters
in the United States will include Citicorp Securities, Inc. Unless otherwise
set forth in the applicable Prospectus Supplement, the obligations of the
underwriters to purchase such Certificates will be subject to certain
conditions precedent, and the underwriters will be obligated to purchase all
such Certificates if any of such Certificates are purchased. Any initial
public offering price and any discounts or concessions allowed or reallowed or
paid to dealers may be changed from time to time.
 
  Certificates may also be sold through agents designated by the Depositor
from time to time. Any agent involved in the offer or sale of Certificates
will be named, and any commissions payable by the Depositor to such agent will
be set forth, in the applicable Prospectus Supplement. Unless otherwise
indicated in the applicable Prospectus Supplement, any such agent will act on
a best efforts basis for the period of its appointment.
 
  If so indicated in the applicable Prospectus Supplement, the Depositor will
authorize agents, underwriters or dealers to solicit offers by certain
specified institutions to purchase Certificates at the public offering price
described in such Prospectus Supplement pursuant to delayed delivery contracts
providing for payment and delivery on a future date specified in such
Prospectus Supplement. Such contracts will be subject only to those conditions
set forth in the applicable Prospectus Supplement and such Prospectus
Supplement will set forth the commissions payable for solicitation of such
contracts.
 
                                      37
<PAGE>
 
  Any underwriters, dealers or agents participating in the distribution of
Certificates may be deemed to be underwriters and any discounts or commissions
received by them on the sale or resale of Certificates may be deemed to be
underwriting discounts and commissions under the Securities Act. Agents and
underwriters may be entitled under agreements entered into with the Depositor
to indemnification by the Depositor against certain civil liabilities,
including liabilities under the Securities Act, or to contribution with
respect to payments that the agents or underwriters or their affiliates may be
required to make in respect thereof. Agents and underwriters and their
affiliates may be customers of, engage in transactions with, or perform
services for, the Depositor or its affiliates in the ordinary course of
business.
 
  Only Certificates rated in one of the investment grade rating categories by
a Rating Agency will be offered hereby.
 
  Affiliates of the underwriters may act as agents or underwriters in
connection with the sale of the Certificates. Any affiliate of the
underwriters so acting will be named, and its affiliation with the
underwriters described, in the related Prospectus Supplement. The underwriters
or their affiliates may act as principals or agents in connection with market-
making transactions relating to the Certificates. A Prospectus Supplement will
be prepared with respect to the Certificates for use by such underwriters or
affiliates in connection with offers and sales related to market-making
transactions in the Certificates.
   
  If an Underwriter has participated in the initial public offering of the
Underlying Securities relating to a Series of Certificates, at least 90 days
will have elapsed since the date on which such Underwriter completed its sale
of its allotment of the Underlying Securities in such public offering.     
 
                                 LEGAL MATTERS
 
  Certain legal matters with respect to the Certificates will be passed upon
for the Depositor and the underwriters by Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy New
York, New York or other counsel identified in the applicable Prospectus
Supplement.
 
                                      38
<PAGE>
 
                             INDEX OF DEFINED TERMS
 
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                                       PAGE
                                                                  --------------
<S>                                                               <C>
$................................................................              3
Base Rate........................................................             11
Business Day.....................................................             11
Calculation Date................................................. 13, 14, 15, 16
Calculation Agent................................................             12
Callable Series..................................................             18
Call Date........................................................             18
Call Price.......................................................             18
CD Rate..........................................................             13
CD Rate Certificate..............................................             11
CD Rate Determination Date.......................................             13
CDs (Secondary Market)...........................................             13
Cede.............................................................              3
CertificateS.....................................................       cover, 9
Certificate Account..............................................             25
Certificate Principal Balance....................................             16
Certificate Rate.................................................              9
Certificateholders...............................................          cover
clearing agency..................................................             18
clearing corporation.............................................             18
Code.............................................................             33
DOL..............................................................             36
Commercial Paper Rate Certificate................................             11
Commercial Paper Rate Determination Date.........................         13, 14
Commercial Paper Rate............................................         13, 14
Commercial Paper.................................................             13
Commission.......................................................       cover, 2
Company..........................................................           II-3
Composite Quotations.............................................             12
Concentrated Underlying Security.................................             21
Cut-off Date.....................................................             26
Definitive Certificates..........................................      cover, 18
Deposited Assets.................................................      cover, 20
Depositor........................................................          cover
Depository.......................................................             18
Determination Date...............................................             10
Distribution Date................................................              2
DMG..............................................................              7
dollar...........................................................              3
DTC..............................................................          cover
Eligibility Criteria.............................................             21
ERISA............................................................             36
Exchange Act.....................................................              2
Exchangeable Series..............................................          7, 16
Excluded Interest................................................              8
Federal Funds Rate...............................................             14
Federal Funds Rate Certificate...................................             11
Federal Funds Rate Determination Date............................             14
Federal Funds (Effective)........................................             14
</TABLE>
 
                                       39
<PAGE>
 
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                                           PAGE
                                                                          ------
<S>                                                                       <C>
Federal Funds/Effective Rate.............................................     14
Federal Tax Counsel......................................................     33
Fixed Rate Certificates..................................................     11
Floating Rate Certificates...............................................     11
Foreign Certificateholders...............................................     36
Global Security..........................................................  cover
H.15(519)................................................................     12
Identifying Information..................................................     21
Index Maturity...........................................................     11
Interest Reset Date......................................................     12
Interest Reset Period....................................................     12
IRS......................................................................     33
LIBOR Determination Date.................................................     15
LIBOR Certificate........................................................     11
LIBOR....................................................................     15
London Banking Day.......................................................     11
Maximum Certificate Rate.................................................     12
Minimum Certificate Rate.................................................     12
Money Market Yield.......................................................     14
Offering Agent...........................................................  cover
OID......................................................................     33
Option to Elect Exchange.................................................     17
Optional Exchange Date...................................................     17
Original Issue Date......................................................      9
Outstanding Debt Securities..............................................     23
participants.............................................................     18
Prospectus Supplement....................................................  cover
Rating Agency............................................................      6
Realized Losses..........................................................     16
Registration Statement...................................................      2
Regulations..............................................................     36
Required Percentage--Waiver..............................................     31
Required Percentage--Amendment...........................................     30
Required Percentage--Remedies............................................ 28, 30
Retained Interest........................................................     34
Reuters Screen LIBO Page.................................................     15
Secured Underlying Securities............................................     23
Securities Act...........................................................      2
Senior Underlying Securities.............................................     23
Series...................................................................  cover
Spread...................................................................     11
Spread Multiplier........................................................     11
Sub-Administration Agreement.............................................     27
Sub-Administrative Agent.................................................     27
Subordinated Underlying Securities.......................................     23
Treasury Rate Certificate................................................     11
Treasury Rate Determination Date.........................................     16
Treasury Rate............................................................ 15, 16
Treasury bills...........................................................     15
Trust....................................................................  cover
Trust Agreement..........................................................  cover
</TABLE>
 
                                       40
<PAGE>
 
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                                         PAGE
                                                                       ---------
<S>                                                                    <C>
Trust Indenture Act...................................................        22
Trustee...............................................................     cover
Trustee's Fee.........................................................         8
U.S. dollars..........................................................         3
U.S.$.................................................................         3
Underlying Securities................................................. cover, 20
Underlying Securities Currency........................................        24
Underlying Securities Indenture.......................................        22
Underlying Securities Interest Accrual Periods........................        24
Underlying Securities Issuer..........................................    20, 21
Underlying Securities Payment Dates...................................        24
Underlying Securities Rate............................................        24
Underlying Securities Trustee.........................................        22
Underlying Security Events of Default.................................        23
USD...................................................................         3
Variable Certificate Rate.............................................         9
</TABLE>
 
                                       41
<PAGE>
 
  NO DEALER, SALESPERSON OR OTHER PERSON HAS BEEN AUTHORIZED TO GIVE ANY IN-
FORMATION OR MAKE ANY REPRESENTATION NOT CONTAINED IN THIS PROSPECTUS OR RE-
LATED PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT AND, IF GIVEN OR MADE, SUCH INFORMATION OR REPRE-
SENTATION MUST NOT BE RELIED UPON AS HAVING BEEN AUTHORIZED BY ELMWOOD FUNDING
LIMITED OR THE OFFERING AGENT OR ANY UNDERWRITER. THIS PROSPECTUS OR RELATED
PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT DOES NOT CONSTITUTE AN OFFER TO SELL, OR A SOLICITATION
OF ANY OFFER TO BUY, ANY OF THE SECURITIES OFFERED HEREBY IN ANY JURISDICTION
TO ANY PERSON TO WHOM IT IS UNLAWFUL TO MAKE SUCH AN OFFER IN SUCH JURISDIC-
TION. NEITHER THE DELIVERY OF THIS PROSPECTUS OR RELATED PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT
NOR ANY SALE MADE HEREUNDER OR THEREUNDER SHALL, UNDER ANY CIRCUM- STANCES,
CREATE ANY IMPLICATION THAT THE INFORMATION HEREIN OR THEREIN IS CORRECT AS OF
ANY TIME SUBSEQUENT TO THE DATE HEREOF OR THEREOF OR THAT THERE HAS BEEN NO
CHANGE IN THE AFFAIRS OF ELMWOOD FUNDING LIMITED SINCE SUCH DATE.
 
                               ----------------
 
                               TABLE OF CONTENTS
 
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                                            PAGE
                                                                            ----
<S>                                                                         <C>
PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT.....................................................    2
AVAILABLE INFORMATION.....................................................    2
INCORPORATION OF CERTAIN DOCUMENTS BY REFERENCE...........................    2
REPORTS TO CERTIFICATEHOLDERS.............................................    3
ENFORCEMENT OF CIVIL LIABILITIES..........................................    3
RISK FACTORS..............................................................    4
THE DEPOSITOR.............................................................    7
USE OF PROCEEDS...........................................................    7
FORMATION OF THE TRUST....................................................    7
DESCRIPTION OF CERTIFICATES...............................................    9
 General..................................................................    9
 Distributions............................................................   10
 Interest on the Certificates.............................................   11
 Principal of the Certificates............................................   16
 Optional Exchange........................................................   16
 Call Right...............................................................   18
 Global Securities........................................................   18
DESCRIPTION OF DEPOSITED ASSETS...........................................   20
 General..................................................................   20
 Selection of Deposited Assets............................................   20
 Underlying Securities Issuer.............................................   20
 Underlying Securities Indenture..........................................   22
 Principal Economic Terms of Underlying Securities........................   24
 Other Deposited Assets...................................................   25
 Collections..............................................................   25
DESCRIPTION OF THE TRUST AGREEMENT........................................   26
 General..................................................................   26
 Assignment of Deposited Assets...........................................   26
 Collection and Other Administrative Procedures...........................   26
 Retained Interest........................................................   27
 Trustee Compensation and Payment of Expenses.............................   27
 Distributions on Certificates............................................   28
 Optional Exchange........................................................   29
 Voting Rights with Respect to Underlying Securities......................   29
 Limitations on Rights of Certificateholders..............................   30
 Modification and Waiver..................................................   30
 Reports to Certificateholders; Notices...................................   31
 Evidence as to Compliance................................................   32
 Replacement Certificates.................................................   32
 Termination..............................................................   32
 Duties of the Trustee....................................................   32
 The Trustee..............................................................   33
CERTAIN FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSEQUENCES...................................   33
 General..................................................................   33
 Tax Status of Trust......................................................   33
 Income of Certificateholders.............................................   33
 Deductibility of Trust's Fees and Expenses...............................   34
 Purchase and Sale of a Certificate.......................................   35
 Call Premium; Exercise of Call Right.....................................   35
 Application of the Straddle Rules........................................   35
 Backup Withholding.......................................................   36
 Foreign Certificateholders...............................................   36
ERISA CONSIDERATIONS......................................................   36
PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION......................................................   37
LEGAL MATTERS.............................................................   38
</TABLE>
 
 
                            ELMWOOD FUNDING LIMITED
 
 
                              TRUST CERTIFICATES
                             (ISSUABLE IN SERIES)
 
                               ----------------
 
                                  PROSPECTUS
 
                               ----------------
 
                           CITICORP SECURITIES, INC.
                              
                           DATED MARCH 14, 1997     
 
<PAGE>
 
       
PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT
   
(To Prospectus Dated March 14, 1997)     
   
$25,000,000     
BOND-BACKED INVESTMENT CERTIFICATES, SERIES 1997-AT&T
 
(Underlying Securities will be 7.75% Notes due March 1, 2007 issued by AT&T
Corp.)
   
7.40% Fixed Rate Certificates     
   
The Bond-backed Investment Certificates, Series 1997-AT&T offered hereby
(collectively, the "Certificates") represent in the aggregate the entire
beneficial ownership interest in a trust (the "Trust") formed pursuant to the
Trust Agreement dated as of March 14, 1997 between Elmwood Funding Limited, a
Cayman Islands exempted limited liability company (the "Depositor"), and
United States Trust Company of New York, as trustee (the "Trustee").     
   
The sole assets of the Trust will be $25,000,000 aggregate principal amount of
7.75% Notes due March 1, 2007 (the "Underlying Securities") issued by AT&T
Corp. (the "Underlying Securities Issuer"), having the characteristics
described herein under "Description of the Underlying Securities".     
 
As of the date of this Prospectus Supplement, the Underlying Securities Issuer
is subject to the periodic reporting requirements of the Securities Exchange
Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act"), and in accordance therewith
files reports, including reports on Forms 10-K and 10-Q, and other information
with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "Commission") and meets
certain other criteria described under the heading "Description of the
Underlying Securities--Eligibility Criteria". The Underlying Securities will
be purchased by the Depositor in the secondary market and, correspondingly,
will not be acquired from the Underlying Securities Issuer (whether as part of
any distribution by or pursuant to any agreement with the Underlying
Securities Issuer or otherwise). The Underlying Securities Issuer is not
participating in the offering of the Certificates and will not receive any of
the proceeds from the sale of the Underlying Securities to the Depositor or
from the issuance by the Depositor of the Certificates.
 
The Underlying Securities were originally issued in an aggregate principal
amount of $500,000,000 pursuant to an indenture dated as of September 7, 1990,
between the Underlying Securities Issuer and The Bank of New York, as trustee
(the "Underlying Securities Trustee"), as amended by the First Supplemental
Indenture thereto, dated as of October 30, 1992 (as so amended, the
"Underlying Securities Indenture"), and constitute a separate series under the
Underlying Securities Indenture. The Underlying Securities were offered and
sold pursuant to (a) an effective registration statement on Form S-3
(Registration No. 33-49589) dated June 23, 1993 relating to the shelf
registration of an aggregate principal amount of $2,701,000,000 of the Notes
and Warrants (the "Debt Securities") of the Underlying Securities Issuer
pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the
"Securities Act"), and (b) a prospectus supplement dated February 28, 1995
relating to the issuance of an aggregate principal amount of $500,000,000 of
the Underlying Securities. According to the Annual Report on Form 10-K of the
Underlying Securities Issuer filed with the Commission on February 28, 1996,
as at December 31, 1995, the Underlying Securities Issuer had outstanding an
aggregate principal amount of $8,091,000,000 Notes bearing interest at rates
between 4 1/4% and 7 3/4% with maturities between 1995 and 2025, including the
Underlying Securities.
   
Distributions of interest and principal on the Certificates will be made on or
about March 1 and September 1 of each year, beginning on September 1, 1997
(each, a "Distribution Date"). The Certificates will receive interest
distributions at a rate of 7.40% per annum, and will receive principal
distributions as principal is received on the Underlying Securities (the
original principal amount of the Underlying Securities is due at maturity
thereof on March 1, 2007) or, as described herein, from the exercise of the
Call Right by the holder of such right on any Distribution Date on or after
September 1, 1999. The last day on which distributions on the Certificates are
scheduled to be made is March 1, 2007 (the "Final Scheduled Distribution
Date").     
 
The Depositor's only obligations with respect to the Certificates are to
assign and deliver the Underlying Securities and certain related documents to
the Trustee. The Certificates do not represent an obligation of or interest in
the Depositor, Citicorp Securities, Inc. (the "Offering Agent"), Dean Witter
Reynolds Inc. (together with the Offering Agent, the "Underwriters") or any of
their respective affiliates. Neither the Certificates nor the Deposited Assets
will be guaranteed or insured by any governmental agency or instrumentality,
or by the Depositor, the Underwriters or their respective affiliates.
   
PROSPECTIVE INVESTORS SHOULD CONSIDER THE FACTORS SET FORTH HEREIN UNDER "RISK
FACTORS", BEGINNING ON PAGE S-11 AND IN THE PROSPECTUS ON PAGES 4 THROUGH
7.                                          (cover continued on next page)     
                                ---------------
 
THE CERTIFICATES REPRESENT INTERESTS IN THE TRUST ONLY AND DO NOT REPRESENT
OBLIGATIONS OF OR INTERESTS IN THE DEPOSITOR, THE UNDERWRITERS OR ANY OF THEIR
RESPECTIVE AFFILIATES. THE CERTIFICATES DO NOT REPRESENT A DIRECT OBLIGATION
OF THE UNDERLYING SECURITIES ISSUER OR ANY OF ITS AFFILIATES.
 
THESE SECURITIES HAVE NOT BEEN APPROVED OR DISAPPROVED BY THE SECURITIES AND
EXCHANGE COMMISSION OR ANY STATE SECURITIES COMMISSION NOR HAS THE COMMISSION
OR ANY STATE SECURITIES COMMISSION PASSED UPON THE ACCURACY OR ADEQUACY OF
THIS PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT OR THE PROSPECTUS. ANY REPRESENTATION TO THE
CONTRARY IS A CRIMINAL OFFENSE.
                                ---------------
   
The Certificates offered hereby will be purchased by the Underwriters from the
Depositor at a fixed price and will be offered by the Underwriters from time
to time in negotiated transactions or otherwise at varying prices to be
determined at the time of sale. The Underwriters have severally agreed to
purchase the Certificates from the Depositor at 98% of the outstanding
principal balance thereof ($24,500,000 aggregate proceeds to the Depositor,
before deducting expenses), subject to the terms and conditions set forth in
the Underwriting Agreement referred to herein under "Plan of Distribution".
For further information with respect to the plan of distribution and any
discounts, commissions or profits that may be deemed underwriting discounts or
commissions, see "Plan of Distribution". The Certificates are offered subject
to receipt and acceptance by the Underwriters, to prior sale and to the
Underwriters' right to reject any order in whole or in part and to withdraw,
cancel or modify the offer without notice. It is expected that delivery of the
Certificates will be made in book-entry form through the facilities of The
Depository Trust Company on or about April 22, 1997 (the "Original Issue
Date").     
                                ---------------
 
CITICORP SECURITIES, INC.                             DEAN WITTER REYNOLDS INC.
                                 
                              March 25, 1997     
<PAGE>
 
(cover page continued)
 
The Certificates are a "Callable Series" as defined in the Prospectus and,
upon exercise of the Call Right by the holder thereof, are redeemable in whole
on any Distribution Date occurring on or after the Distribution Date in
September 1999 at a price (the "Call Price") equal to the principal amount of
the Certificates being called plus accrued and unpaid interest. See "Risk
Factors--Maturity and Yield Considerations" herein and in the Prospectus and
"Description of the Certificates--Call Right" herein.
 
The Certificates are an "Exchangeable Series" as defined in the Prospectus
and, subject to the conditions set forth under "Description of the
Certificates--Optional Exchange", the holder of the Optional Exchange Right
(as defined herein) will be entitled to require the Trustee, on any Business
Day (as defined herein) to effect a redemption of one or more Certificates
held by such holder. See "Description of the Certificates--Optional Exchange".
 
The Certificates have been authorized for listing, upon official notice of
issuance, with the New York Stock Exchange ("NYSE"). It is a condition to the
issuance of the Certificates that the Certificates have ratings assigned by
Moody's Investors Service, Inc. ("Moody's") and by Duff & Phelps Credit Rating
Co. ("Duff" and, collectively with Moody's, the "Rating Agencies") equivalent
to the ratings of the Underlying Securities, which, as of the date of this
Prospectus Supplement, were "Aa3" by Moody's and "AA+" by Duff.
 
As and to the extent described herein, collections received by the Trustee
with respect to the Underlying Securities will be distributed to
Certificateholders in the manner and priority described herein.
 
There is currently no secondary market for the Certificates, and there can be
no assurance that a secondary market for the Certificates will develop or, if
it does develop, that it will provide Certificateholders with liquidity of
investment or will continue for the life of the Certificates. See "Risk
Factors" in the Prospectus.
 
To locate the definition of a defined term herein, see the "Index of Defined
Terms" located at the back of this Prospectus.
 
The Certificates initially will be represented by one or more global
securities (each a "Global Security") registered in the name of Cede & Co., as
nominee of The Depository Trust Company ("DTC"). The interests of beneficial
owners of such Certificates will be represented by book entries on the records
of participating members of DTC ("Participants"). Definitive certificates in
registered form without coupons ("Definitive Certificates") will be available
only under the limited circumstances described herein under the heading
"Description of the Certificates--Definitive Certificates".
   
THE CERTIFICATES OFFERED BY THIS PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT WILL CONSTITUTE A
SEPARATE SERIES OF CERTIFICATES BEING OFFERED PURSUANT TO THE PROSPECTUS DATED
MARCH 14, 1997, OF WHICH THIS PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT IS A PART AND WHICH
ACCOMPANIES THIS PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT. THE PROSPECTUS CONTAINS IMPORTANT
INFORMATION REGARDING THIS OFFERING WHICH IS NOT CONTAINED HEREIN, AND
PROSPECTIVE INVESTORS ARE URGED TO READ THE PROSPECTUS AND THIS PROSPECTUS
SUPPLEMENT IN FULL. IN PARTICULAR, INVESTORS SHOULD CONSIDER CAREFULLY THE
FACTORS SET FORTH UNDER "RISK FACTORS" IN THE PROSPECTUS AND IN THIS
PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT.     
 
UNTIL 90 DAYS AFTER THE DATE OF THIS PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT, ALL DEALERS
EFFECTING TRANSACTIONS IN THE OFFERED CERTIFICATES, WHETHER OR NOT
PARTICIPATING IN THIS DISTRIBUTION, MAY BE REQUIRED TO DELIVER A PROSPECTUS
SUPPLEMENT AND THE PROSPECTUS TO WHICH IT RELATES. THIS DELIVERY REQUIREMENT
IS IN ADDITION TO THE OBLIGATIONS OF DEALERS TO DELIVER A PROSPECTUS
SUPPLEMENT AND PROSPECTUS WHEN ACTING AS UNDERWRITERS AND WITH RESPECT TO
THEIR UNSOLD ALLOTMENTS OR SUBSCRIPTIONS.
 
THIS PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT AND THE PROSPECTUS MAY BE USED BY THE UNDERWRITERS
IN CONNECTION WITH OFFERS AND SALES RELATED TO MARKET-MAKING TRANSACTIONS IN
THE CERTIFICATES. THE UNDERWRITERS MAY ACT AS PRINCIPALS OR AGENTS IN SUCH
TRANSACTIONS. SUCH SALES WILL BE MADE AT PRICES RELATED TO PREVAILING MARKET
PRICES AT THE TIME OF SALE.
<PAGE>
 
                                  PROSPECTUS
   
  The Certificates offered by this Prospectus Supplement constitute a separate
Series of Certificates being offered pursuant to the Prospectus (the
"Prospectus") dated March 14, 1997, which Prospectus has been filed by the
Depositor with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "Commission") as
part of a registration statement on Form S-3 (together with all amendments and
exhibits, the "Registration Statement") under the Securities Act of 1933, as
amended (the "Securities Act"). The Prospectus accompanies, and is an integral
part of, this Prospectus Supplement. THE PROSPECTUS CONTAINS IMPORTANT
INFORMATION REGARDING THIS OFFERING NOT CONTAINED IN THIS PROSPECTUS
SUPPLEMENT, AND PROSPECTIVE INVESTORS IN THE CERTIFICATES OFFERED HEREBY ARE
URGED TO READ IN FULL BOTH THE PROSPECTUS AND THIS PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT.     
 
                                      S-3
<PAGE>
 
                                    SUMMARY
 
  The following summary of certain pertinent information does not purport to be
complete and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the detailed
information appearing elsewhere herein and in the Prospectus, including under
the headings "Description of the Certificates" and "Description of the
Underlying Securities". Certain capitalized terms used herein are defined
elsewhere in this Prospectus Supplement on the pages indicated in the "Index of
Defined Terms" or, to the extent not defined herein, have the meanings assigned
to such terms in the Prospectus.
 
                                THE CERTIFICATES
 
CERTIFICATES OFFERED.........  The Bond-backed Investment Certificates, Series
                                1997-AT&T (the "Certificates"). The
                                Certificates, each of which represents a
                                fractional undivided beneficial interest in the
                                Trust, will be issued pursuant to the Trust
                                Agreement and will consist of a single class
                                offered hereby. The Underlying Securities will
                                be the sole assets of the Trust from which
                                Certificateholders will receive any
                                distributions.
 
THE TRUST....................     
                               The Bond-backed Investment Certificates Trust,
                                Series 1997-AT&T (the "Trust"). The Trust will
                                be formed pursuant to the Standard Terms for
                                Trust Agreements dated as of March 14, 1997
                                (the "Standard Terms for Trust Agreements"),
                                between the Depositor and the Trustee, as
                                supplemented by the Series 1997- AT&T
                                Supplement dated as of the Original Issue Date
                                (the "Series Supplement" and, together with the
                                Standard Terms for Trust Agreements, the "Trust
                                Agreement").     
 
DEPOSITOR....................  Elmwood Funding Limited, a Cayman Islands
                                exempted limited liability company (the
                                "Depositor"), will deposit the Underlying
                                Securities into the Trust. See "The Depositor"
                                herein and in the Prospectus.
 
TRUSTEE......................  United States Trust Company of New York
 
INITIAL AGGREGATE
 CERTIFICATE PRINCIPAL
 BALANCE.....................
                                  
                               $25,000,000     
 
ORIGINAL ISSUE DATE..........     
                               April 22, 1997     
 
FINAL SCHEDULED DISTRIBUTION   March 1, 2007
 DATE........................
 
TRUST ASSETS.................     
                               The sole assets of the Trust will be $25,000,000
                                aggregate principal amount of the 7.75% Notes
                                due March 1, 2007 (the "Underlying Securities")
                                issued by AT&T Corp. (the "Underlying
                                Securities Issuer"), having the characteristics
                                described herein. The assets of the Trust will
                                be subject to the rights of the holder of the
                                Retained Interest, described below.     
 
RETAINED INTEREST............  Under the Trust Agreement, the holder of the
                                Retained Interest will retain the rights with
                                respect to the Underlying Securities to
 
                                      S-4
<PAGE>
 
                                   
                                receive on each Distribution Date, from
                                payments received on the Underlying Securities,
                                a distribution equal to .35% per annum
                                multiplied by the principal amount of the
                                Underlying Securities (the "Interest Strip"),
                                subject to payment of "Ordinary Expenses" of
                                the Trustee and "Depositor Administration
                                Expenses" of the Depositor as described below.
                                The rights of the holder of the Retained
                                Interest to the Interest Strip from payments
                                received on the Underlying Securities is of
                                equal priority with the rights of
                                Certificateholders to receive distributions of
                                interest. See "Description of the Underlying
                                Securities". The holder of the Retained
                                Interest will also retain the right to receive
                                interest on the Underlying Securities accrued
                                with respect to the period from and including
                                March 1, 1997 (the "Cut-Off Date") to but
                                excluding the Original Issue Date. The initial
                                holder of the Retained Interest will be the
                                Offering Agent or an affiliate thereof. The
                                Retained Interest is not being offered hereby.
                                    
DISTRIBUTION DATES...........  March 1 and September 1 of each year (or if such
                                date is not a Business Day, the next succeeding
                                Business Day); commencing on September 1, 1997
                                and ending on the earlier of the Final
                                Scheduled Distribution Date or the Call Date
                                (each, a "Distribution Date").
                                Certificateholders will be entitled to receive
                                on each Distribution Date interest on the
                                Certificates at the Certificate Rate and all
                                principal amounts received from the Underlying
                                Securities Issuer in respect of the Underlying
                                Securities during the applicable Collection
                                Period. "Business Day" with respect to any
                                Certificate means any day, other than a
                                Saturday or Sunday, that is not a day on which
                                banking institutions are authorized or required
                                by law or regulation to be closed in The City
                                of New York. See "Description of the
                                Certificates--Collection and Distributions"
                                herein.
 
CERTIFICATE RATE.............     
                               The Certificates are "Fixed Rate Certificates"
                                as defined in the Prospectus. The Certificate
                                Rate applicable to the calculation of the
                                interest distributable on any Distribution Date
                                on the Certificates is fixed at 7.40% per annum
                                and will be calculated on the basis of a year
                                of 360 days and twelve 30-day months.     
 
INTEREST ACCRUAL PERIODS.....  For any Distribution Date, the period from and
                                including the preceding Distribution Date (or,
                                in the case of the first Interest Accrual
                                Period, from and including the Original Issue
                                Date) to but excluding the current Distribution
                                Date.
 
THE CALL RIGHT...............  The Call Right represents a right by the holder
                                thereof to purchase all, but not less than all,
                                of the outstanding Certificates from the
                                holders thereof on any Call Date (as defined
                                below) at a price equal to the Call Price. The
                                initial holder of the Call Right will be the
                                Offering Agent or an affiliate thereof.
 
CALL DATE....................     
                               Any Distribution Date occurring on or after the
                                Distribution Date in March 1999.     
 
                                      S-5
<PAGE>
 
 
CALL PRICE...................  The aggregate Certificate Principal Balance,
                                together with unpaid interest thereon accrued
                                to but excluding the Distribution Date as of
                                which the Call Right is exercised.
 
CALL RIGHT PROVISIONS........  The holder of the Call Right must provide notice
                                to the Trustee (a "Call Request") not less than
                                10 Business Days prior to the relevant Call
                                Date that it intends to exercise the Call Right
                                on such Call Date.
 
                               On any Call Date as of which the Call Right has
                                been exercised, Certificateholders will be
                                entitled to receive the aggregate Certificate
                                Principal Balance of all outstanding
                                Certificates, together with interest thereon at
                                the Certificate Rate accrued to but excluding
                                such Call Date. Having acquired the
                                Certificates pursuant to its exercise of the
                                Call Right, the holder of the Call Right will
                                be entitled to receive any amounts
                                distributable on the Certificates on each
                                Distribution Date occurring from and after such
                                Call Date.
 
                               The Call Right will not be exercised unless the
                                value of the Trust Certificates being purchased
                                exceeds the Call Price payable upon exercise
                                thereof.
 
OPTIONAL EXCHANGE RIGHT......  The holder of the Optional Exchange Right will
                                be entitled to require the Trustee, on any
                                Business Day, to effect a redemption of one or
                                more Certificates held by such holder (the
                                "Subject Certificates"), all as described
                                below. The initial holder of the Optional
                                Exchange Right will be the Offering Agent or an
                                affiliate thereof.
 
OPTIONAL EXCHANGE              Any exercise of the Optional Exchange Right by
PROVISIONS...................   the holder thereof is subject to the conditions
                                that: (i) the holder of the Optional Exchange
                                Right is also the holder of the Call Right and
                                the Retained Interest and (ii) the outstanding
                                aggregate principal amount of the Subject
                                Certificates shall be an amount equal to an
                                authorized denomination of the Underlying
                                Securities. There may be one or more exercises
                                of the Optional Exchange Right.
 
                               The holder of the Optional Exchange Right must
                                provide notice to the Trustee (an "Optional
                                Exchange Request") not less than four Business
                                Days prior to the Business Day on which it
                                intends to exercise the Optional Exchange Right
                                (the "Optional Exchange Date").
 
                               On the Optional Exchange Date, the Subject
                                Certificates will be redeemed by the Trustee in
                                exchange for (x) delivery by the Trustee to the
                                holder of the Optional Exchange Right of
                                Underlying Securities in an outstanding
                                aggregate principal amount equal to the
                                outstanding aggregate principal amount of the
                                Subject Certificates and (y) payment by the
                                Trustee to such holder of funds on deposit in
                                the Certificate Account established under the
                                Trust Agreement that are attributable to the
                                Subject Certificates. No Optional Exchange
                                Request with respect to all outstanding
                                Certificates shall be effective unless the
                                holder of the Optional Exchange Right satisfies
                                the claims of all creditors of the Trust.
 
                                      S-6
<PAGE>
 
 
RECORD DATE..................  With respect to each Distribution Date, the
                                third Business Day preceding such Distribution
                                Date.
 
DENOMINATIONS................  The Certificates will be denominated and payable
                                in U.S. dollars and will be available for
                                purchase in minimum denominations of $1,000 and
                                integral multiples thereof.
 
FORM OF SECURITY.............  Book-entry Certificates with The Depository
                                Trust Company ("DTC"), except in certain
                                limited circumstances. See "Description of the
                                Certificates--Definitive Certificates" herein.
                                Distributions thereon will be settled in
                                immediately available (same-day) funds.
 
CUSIP NUMBER.................  290026 AA 1
 
CERTAIN FEDERAL INCOME TAX
 CONSEQUENCES................
                               In the opinion of special Federal tax counsel to
                                the Underwriters, the Trust will be classified
                                for Federal income tax purposes as a grantor
                                trust and not as an association taxable as a
                                corporation. See "Certain Federal Income Tax
                                Consequences" herein and in the Prospectus.
 
RATINGS......................  It is a condition to the issuance of the
                                Certificates that the Certificates have ratings
                                assigned by Moody's Investors Service, Inc.
                                ("Moody's") and by Duff & Phelps Credit Rating
                                Co. ("Duff") equivalent to the ratings of the
                                Underlying Securities, which, as of the date of
                                this Prospectus Supplement, were "Aa3" by
                                Moody's and "AA+" by Duff. The rating of the
                                Certificates by each of Moody's and Duff
                                addresses the likelihood of the ultimate
                                payment of principal and interest on the
                                Certificates to the Certificateholders. There
                                is no assurance that any such rating will
                                continue for any period of time or that it will
                                not be revised or withdrawn entirely by the
                                related Rating Agency if, in its judgment,
                                circumstances (including, without limitation,
                                the rating of the Underlying Securities) so
                                warrant. A revision or withdrawal of such
                                rating may have an adverse effect on the value
                                of the Certificates. A security rating is not a
                                recommendation to buy, sell or hold securities.
                                The rating on the Certificates does not
                                constitute a statement regarding the occurrence
                                or frequency of redemptions on, or extensions
                                of the maturity of, the Underlying Securities,
                                or the likelihood that the Call Right will be
                                exercised, and the corresponding effect on
                                yield to investors. See "Ratings" herein.
 
ERISA CONSIDERATIONS.........  An employee benefit plan subject to the Employee
                                Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as
                                amended ("ERISA"), including an individual
                                retirement account or Keogh plan, may purchase
                                Certificates if the Offering Agent is able to
                                confirm the existence
 
                                      S-7
<PAGE>
 
                                of at least 100 independent purchasers. See
                                "ERISA Considerations" herein and in the
                                Prospectus.
 
                           THE UNDERLYING SECURITIES
 
UNDERLYING SECURITIES........     
                               $25,000,000 aggregate principal amount of the
                                7.75% Notes due March 1, 2007 of AT&T Corp.
                                which rank on a parity with all other unsecured
                                and unsubordinated debt of AT&T Corp. Interest
                                on the Underlying Securities accrues at the
                                Underlying Securities Rate for each Underlying
                                Securities Accrual Period and is payable on
                                each Underlying Securities Payment Date. The
                                entire principal amount of the Underlying
                                Securities will be payable on the Underlying
                                Securities Maturity Date. As of the date of
                                this Prospectus Supplement, the Underlying
                                Securities have a remaining term to maturity of
                                approximately ten years.     
                                  
UNDERLYING SECURITIES          AT&T Corp. was incorporated on March 3, 1885
 ISSUER......................   under the laws of the State of New York and has
                                its principal executive offices at 32 Avenue of
                                the Americas, New York, New York 10018-2412
                                (telephone number 212-387-5400). The Underlying
                                Securities Issuer is subject to the periodic
                                reporting requirements of the Exchange Act, and
                                in accordance therewith files reports,
                                including reports on Forms 10-K and 10-Q, and
                                other information with the Commission (under
                                Commission File Number 1-1105) and meets
                                certain other criteria described under the
                                heading "Description of the Underlying
                                Securities--Eligibility Criteria" herein.     
 
UNDERLYING SECURITIES
 ORIGINAL ISSUE DATE.........
                               March 7, 1995
 
UNDERLYING SECURITIES          March 1, 2007
 MATURITY DATE...............
 
AMORTIZATION.................  None
 
DENOMINATIONS; UNDERLYING
 SECURITIES CURRENCY.........
                               The Underlying Securities are denominated and
                                payable in U.S. dollars and are available in
                                minimum denominations of $1,000 and integral
                                multiples thereof.
 
UNDERLYING SECURITIES          March 1 and September 1, commencing September 1,
 PAYMENT DATES...............   1995.
 
UNDERLYING SECURITIES RATE...  7.75% per annum, calculated on the basis of a
                                year of 360 days and twelve 30-day months.
 
UNDERLYING SECURITIES
 INTEREST ACCRUAL PERIODS....
                               Semi-annually
 
                                      S-8
<PAGE>
 
 
PRIORITY.....................  The Underlying Securities rank on a parity with
                                all other unsecured and unsubordinated
                                indebtedness of the Underlying Securities
                                Issuer.
 
SECURITY.....................  None
 
REDEMPTION/PUT/OTHER           None
 FEATURES....................
 
FORM OF UNDERLYING             Book-entry debt securities with DTC.
 SECURITIES..................
 
CUSIP NUMBER.................  001957ARO
 
RECORD DATES.................  February 15 and August 15, as the case may be,
                                immediately preceding the related Underlying
                                Securities Payment Date.
 
UNDERLYING SECURITIES          The Bank of New York (the "Underlying Securities
 TRUSTEE.....................   Trustee"). The Underlying Securities have been
                                issued pursuant to an indenture dated as of
                                September 7, 1990, as amended by the First
                                Supplemental Indenture thereto dated as of
                                October 30, 1992 (as so supplemented, the
                                "Underlying Securities Indenture"), by and
                                between the Underlying Securities Trustee and
                                the Underlying Securities Issuer.
 
RATINGS OF THE UNDERLYING
 SECURITIES AS OF THE
 ORIGINAL ISSUE DATE.........
                               Aa3 by Moody's and AA+ by Duff.
 
INFORMATION WITH RESPECT TO
 THE UNDERLYING SECURITIES
 ISSUER......................     
                               AT&T Corp. is subject to the informational
                                requirements of the Exchange Act and in
                                accordance therewith files reports, including
                                reports on Forms 10-K and 10-Q, and other
                                information with the Commission under
                                Commission File Number 1-1105. Such reports and
                                other information may be inspected and copied
                                at the public reference facilities maintained
                                by the Commission at 450 Fifth Street, N.W.,
                                Washington, D.C. 20549, and at the following
                                Regional Offices of the Commission: New York
                                Regional Office, Room 1100, 7 World Trade
                                Center, New York, New York 10048 and Chicago
                                Regional Office, Suite 1400, Northwestern
                                Atrium Center, 500 W. Madison Street, Chicago,
                                Illinois 60661-2511, and copies of such
                                material can be obtained from the Public
                                Reference Section of the Commission,
                                Washington, D.C. 20549, at prescribed rates.
                                The Commission maintains a Web site at
                                http://www.sec.gov containing reports, proxy
                                statements and other information regarding
                                registrants that file electronically with the
                                Commission. Such reports and other information
                                may also be inspected at the Information Center
                                of the New York Stock Exchange Inc., 20 Broad
                                Street, New York, New York 10005.     
 
A PROSPECTIVE PURCHASER OF CERTIFICATES SHOULD OBTAIN AND EVALUATE THE SAME
INFORMATION CONCERNING THE UNDERLYING SECURITIES ISSUER AS IT WOULD OBTAIN AND
EVALUATE IF IT WERE INVESTING DIRECTLY IN THE UNDERLYING SECURITIES OR IN OTHER
SECURITIES ISSUED BY THE UNDERLYING SECURITIES ISSUER.
 
                                      S-9
<PAGE>
 
 
All information contained in this Prospectus Supplement regarding the
Underlying Securities Issuer and the Underlying Securities is derived from
publicly available sources. None of the Depositor, the Trustee, the Offering
Agent or any of their respective affiliates assumes any responsibility for the
accuracy or completeness of any information concerning the Underlying
Securities Issuer (including, without limitation, no investigation as to its
financial condition or creditworthiness) or concerning the Underlying
Securities (whether or not such information is filed with the Commission) or
otherwise considered by a purchaser of the Certificates in making its
investment decision in connection therewith; provided that the foregoing shall
not apply to any information concerning the Underlying Securities and any
Underlying Securities Issuer that is expressly set forth in the Prospectus or
this Prospectus Supplement (i.e., Identifying Information, information of the
type described in this Prospectus Supplement under "Underlying Securities
Indenture" and "Principal Economic Terms of Underlying Securities" and as to
whether Concentrated Underlying Securities and the related Underlying
Securities Issuer meet the "Eligibility Criteria" described below).
 
                                      S-10
<PAGE>
 
                                 RISK FACTORS
 
  In connection with an investment in the Certificates, prospective purchasers
should consider, among other things, (1) the risk factors described in pages 4
through 7 of the Prospectus and (2) the risk factors set forth below (which
are in addition to, or which supplement, the risk factors described in the
Prospectus):
 
  EARLY REDEMPTION; REDUCTION IN YIELD. GIVEN THE EXISTENCE OF THE CALL RIGHT
(AS DESCRIBED HEREIN), THERE IS NO ASSURANCE THAT AN INVESTMENT IN THE
CERTIFICATES MAY BE HELD TO MATURITY. In particular, if the Call Right is
exercised by the holder thereof, the investment represented by the
Certificates will have a shorter maturity than if such right were not
exercised. The likelihood that the Call Right will be exercised will increase
as interest rates generally prevailing in the market for U.S. dollar-
denominated debt securities fall relative to those in effect on the Original
Issue Date. Because the Underlying Securities bear interest at a fixed rate,
any such reduction in interest rates will generally result in an increase in
the value of the Underlying Securities, making the exercise of the Call Right
more likely. Given such a reduction, the interest rates at which proceeds
received by Certificateholders from the exercise of the Call Right may be
reinvested may be lower than the return that would have been earned over the
remaining life of the Certificates if the Call Right had not been exercised.
 
  The Underlying Securities will be subject to acceleration upon the
occurrence of Underlying Securities Events of Default described below under
"Description of the Underlying Securities--Underlying Securities Indenture--
Events of Default; Notice and Waiver". The maturity and yield on the
Certificates will be affected by any early repayment of the Underlying
Securities as a result of the acceleration of the Underlying Securities by the
holders thereof. If the Underlying Securities Issuer becomes subject to a
bankruptcy or similar insolvency proceeding, the timing and amount of payments
with respect to both interest and principal may be materially and adversely
affected. A variety of factors influence the performance of private debt
issuers and correspondingly may affect the Underlying Securities Issuer's
ability to satisfy its obligations under the Underlying Securities, including
the Underlying Securities Issuer's operating and financial condition, capital
structure and social, geographic, legal and economic factors.
 
  RATINGS OF THE CERTIFICATES. At the time of issuance, the Certificates will
have ratings assigned by Moody's and Duff equivalent to the ratings of the
Underlying Securities, which, as of the date of this Prospectus Supplement,
were "Aa3" by Moody's and "AA+" by Duff.
 
  Any rating issued with respect to the Certificates is not a recommendation
to purchase, sell or hold a security inasmuch as such ratings do not comment
on the market price of the Certificates or their suitability for a particular
investor. There can be no assurance that the ratings will remain for any given
period of time or that the ratings will not be revised or withdrawn entirely
by the related Rating Agency if, in its judgment, circumstances (including,
without limitation, the rating of the Underlying Securities) so warrant. A
revision or withdrawal of such rating may have an adverse effect on the value
of the Certificates.
 
  AMENDMENT OF TRUST AGREEMENT. By its own terms, the Trust Agreement may be
amended or otherwise modified with the consent of 66 2/3% of the
Certificateholders. Any such amendment or other modification could have a
material adverse effect on those Certificateholders that do not consent to
such amendment or other modification. However, the Trust Agreement requires
that any amendment or other modification that would reduce the amount of, or
defer the date of, distributions to Certificateholders may become effective
only with the consent of each affected Certificateholder and that any such
amendment or other modification that would result in the reduction or
withdrawal of the then current rating assigned to the Certificates by a Rating
Agency requires the consent of 100% of the Certificateholders.
 
  CREDIT RISK OF ONE OBLIGOR. The Certificates represent interests in
obligations of a single obligor, AT&T Corp. In particular, the Certificates
will be subject to all the risks associated with a direct investment in
unsecured debt obligations of AT&T Corp. None of the Underwriters, the
Depositor, or any of their respective affiliates has
 
                                     S-11
<PAGE>
 
guaranteed or is otherwise obligated with respect to the Certificates.
Certificates are not entitled to the benefit of any deposit or other insurance
and will not be guaranteed by any governmental or other agency.
 
  A PROSPECTIVE PURCHASER OF CERTIFICATES SHOULD OBTAIN AND EVALUATE THE SAME
INFORMATION CONCERNING AT&T CORP. AS IT WOULD OBTAIN AND EVALUATE IF IT WERE
INVESTING DIRECTLY IN THE UNDERLYING SECURITIES OR IN OTHER SECURITIES ISSUED
BY AT&T CORP. The issuance of the Certificates should not be construed as an
endorsement by the Depositor, the Underwriters or the Trustee of the financial
condition or business prospects of AT&T Corp.
 
                                     S-12
<PAGE>
 
                                 THE DEPOSITOR
 
  Elmwood Funding Limited (the "Depositor") is a company incorporated with
limited liability in the Cayman Islands on September 17, 1996 by a firm of
attorneys at law with its principal place of business in the Cayman Islands.
The registered office of the Depositor is P.O. Box 309, Ugland House, South
Church Street, George Town, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands, British West Indies.
The principal business office of the Depositor is at P.O. Box 1984,
Elizabethan Square, George Town, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands, British West
Indies. See "The Depositor" in the Prospectus for additional information.
 
                                USE OF PROCEEDS
 
  The net proceeds to be received from the sale of the Certificates will be
used by the Depositor to purchase the Underlying Securities. Any remaining net
proceeds will be used by the Depositor for other purposes related to the
deposit of the Underlying Securities into the Trust and the preparation,
distribution and filing by the Depositor of periodic reports and other
information, including, but not limited to, reimbursement of the Depositor
Administration Expenses (as defined below) incurred in connection with the
ongoing activities of the Trust.
 
                                   THE TRUST
 
  The Trust will be formed pursuant to the Standard Terms for Trust
Agreements, as supplemented by the Series 1997-AT&T Supplement (the "Series
Supplement" and together with the Standard Terms for Trust Agreements, the
"Trust Agreement") between the Depositor and the Trustee. Concurrently with
the execution and delivery of the Series Supplement, the Depositor will
deposit the Underlying Securities into the Trust, subject to the Retained
Interest, the Call Right and the right of Optional Exchange (each, as
described below under "Description of the Certificates"). The Trustee, on
behalf of the Trust, will accept such Underlying Securities and will deliver
the Certificates to or upon the order of the Depositor. The Depositor's
assignment of the Underlying Securities to the Trustee is without recourse to
the Depositor (except as to certain limited representations and warranties).
 
  The Trustee will take such steps as may be necessary to ensure that, to the
extent the assignment of the Underlying Securities to the Trust by the
Depositor could be treated under applicable law as a financing as opposed to
an absolute sale, the Trust will have a first priority perfected security
interest (or its equivalent) in the Underlying Securities as against other
creditors of the Depositor.
 
  The Underlying Securities will be purchased by the Depositor in the
secondary market and, correspondingly, will not be acquired from the
Underlying Securities Issuer (whether as part of any distribution by or
pursuant to any agreement with the Underlying Securities Issuer or otherwise).
The Underlying Securities Issuer is not participating in the offering of the
Certificates, will not receive any of the proceeds from the sale of the
Underlying Securities to the Depositor or from the issuance by the Depositor
of the Certificates, and none of the Depositor, the Underwriters or any of
their respective affiliates have participated in the initial public offering
of the Underlying Securities.
 
  The Trust consists of (i) the Underlying Securities, exclusive of the
Retained Interest; (ii) such assets as from time to time are identified as
deposited in the Certificate Account established under the Trust Agreement;
(iii) property, if any, acquired on behalf of Certificateholders by
foreclosure or repossession and any revenues received thereon; and (iv) any
cash or other property received upon the sale, exchange, collection or other
disposition of any of the foregoing.
 
  Pursuant to the Trust Agreement, the Depositor shall receive compensation
for Depositor Administration Expenses (as defined below), which amounts shall
be deducted from payments to the holder of the Retained Interest. The Trustee
will be permitted to deduct such compensation from periodic distributions on
the Interest Strip for payment to the Depositor.
 
                                     S-13
<PAGE>
 
                   DESCRIPTION OF THE UNDERLYING SECURITIES
 
GENERAL
 
  The material economic terms of the Underlying Securities are described above
under "SUMMARY--The Underlying Securities".
   
  The Underlying Securities will be deposited into the Trust subject to the
right of the holder of the Retained Interest to receive on each Distribution
Date, from payments received on the Underlying Securities, a distribution
equal to .35% per annum multiplied by the principal amount of the Underlying
Securities (the "Interest Strip"), subject to payment of "Ordinary Expenses"
of the Trustee and "Depositor Administration Expenses" of the Depositor as
described below. The right of the holder of the Retained Interest to receive
the Interest Strip is of equal priority with the rights of the
Certificateholders to receive distributions of interest on the Certificates.
    
  The Underlying Securities represent the sole assets of the Trust that are
available to make distributions in respect of the Certificates. BECAUSE THE
UNDERLYING SECURITIES ARE THE ONLY MATERIAL ASSETS OF THE TRUST FROM WHICH TO
MAKE DISTRIBUTIONS OF AMOUNTS DUE IN RESPECT OF THE CERTIFICATES, THE RECEIPT
BY THE CERTIFICATEHOLDERS OF DISTRIBUTIONS IN RESPECT OF THE CERTIFICATES
(ABSENT EXERCISE OF THE CALL RIGHT, OF WHICH THERE CAN BE NO ASSURANCE) WILL
DEPEND ENTIRELY ON THE TRUST'S RECEIPT OF PAYMENTS ON THE UNDERLYING
SECURITIES. PROSPECTIVE PURCHASERS OF THE CERTIFICATES SHOULD CONSIDER
CAREFULLY THE UNDERLYING SECURITIES ISSUER'S FINANCIAL CONDITION AND ITS
ABILITY TO MAKE PAYMENTS IN RESPECT OF SUCH UNDERLYING SECURITIES. THIS
PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT RELATES ONLY TO THE CERTIFICATES BEING OFFERED HEREBY
AND DOES NOT RELATE TO THE UNDERLYING SECURITIES OR THE UNDERLYING SECURITIES
ISSUER. ALL INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT REGARDING THE
UNDERLYING SECURITIES ISSUER AND THE UNDERLYING SECURITIES IS DERIVED FROM
PUBLICLY AVAILABLE SOURCES.
 
  A PROSPECTIVE PURCHASER OF THE CERTIFICATES SHOULD OBTAIN AND EVALUATE THE
SAME INFORMATION CONCERNING THE RELEVANT UNDERLYING SECURITIES ISSUER AS IT
WOULD OBTAIN AND EVALUATE IF IT WERE INVESTING DIRECTLY IN THE UNDERLYING
SECURITIES OR IN OTHER SECURITIES ISSUED BY THE UNDERLYING SECURITIES ISSUER.
None of the Depositor, the Trustee, the Underwriters or any of their
respective affiliates assumes any responsibility for the accuracy or
completeness of any information concerning the Underlying Securities Issuer
(including, without limitation, no investigation as to its financial condition
or creditworthiness) or concerning the Underlying Securities (whether or not
such information is filed with the Commission) or otherwise considered by a
purchaser of the Certificates in making its investment decision in connection
therewith; provided that the foregoing shall not apply to any information
concerning the Underlying Securities and any Underlying Securities Issuer that
is expressly set forth in the Prospectus or this Prospectus Supplement (i.e.,
Identifying Information, information of the type described in this Prospectus
Supplement under "Underlying Securities Indenture" and "Principal Economic
Terms of Underlying Securities" and as to whether Concentrated Underlying
Securities and the related Underlying Securities Issuer meet the "Eligibility
Criteria" described above). None of the Depositor, the Trustee, the Offering
Agent or any of their respective affiliates has participated in the
preparation of any publicly available documents relating to the Underlying
Securities Issuer or the Underlying Securities or has made any independent
inquiry with respect to such publicly available information. There can be no
assurance that events affecting the Underlying Securities or the Underlying
Securities Issuer have not occurred or have not yet been publicly disclosed
which would affect the accuracy or completeness of the information described
above.
 
SELECTION OF UNDERLYING SECURITIES
 
  The Offering Agent has identified to the Depositor the Underlying Securities
being deposited into the Trust, together with the terms and conditions of the
Certificates, the Call Right, the Retained Interest and the Optional Exchange
Right. The board of directors of the Depositor, which is independent of the
Offering Agent, has determined by appropriate corporate action to deposit the
Underlying Securities into the Trust and cause the Trust to issue the
Certificates.
 
 
                                     S-14
<PAGE>
 
UNDERLYING SECURITIES ISSUER
 
  According to the prospectus pursuant to which the Underlying Securities were
originally offered and sold, AT&T Corp. was incorporated in 1885 under the
laws of the State of New York and has its principal executive offices at 32
Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York 10013-2412 (telephone number 212-
387-5400). AT&T Corp. is a major participant in two industries. In the global
information movement and management industry, AT&T Corp.'s services and
products which combine communications and computing include: voice, data and
image telecommunications services that can be used with the telecommunications
and information products or systems of AT&T Corp. and others;
telecommunications products and systems, ranging from voice instruments to
complex network switching and transmission systems; computer products and
systems; installation, maintenance and repair services for communication and
computer products; optical fiber and cable; and components for high-technology
products and systems. In the financial services and leasing industry, AT&T
Corp. provides direct financing and finance leasing programs for its own
products and the products of other companies, leases products to customers
under operating leases, and is in the general-purpose credit card business.
   
  The Underlying Securities Issuer is subject to the informational
requirements of the Exchange Act and in accordance therewith files reports and
other information with the Commission under Commission File Number 1-1105.
Such reports and other information may be inspected and copied at the public
reference facilities maintained by the Commission at 450 Fifth Street, N.W.,
Washington, D.C. 20549, and at the following Regional Offices of the
Commission: New York Regional Office, Room 1100, 7 World Trade Center, New
York, New York 10048 and Chicago Regional Office, Suite 1400, Northwestern
Atrium Center, 500 W. Madison Street, Chicago, Illinois 60661-2511, and copies
of such material can be obtained from the Public Reference Section of the
Commission, Washington, D.C. 20549, at prescribed rates. The Commission
maintains a Web site at http://www.sec.gov containing reports, proxy
statements and other information regarding registrants that file
electronically with the Commission. Such reports and other information may
also be inspected at the Information Center of the New York Stock Exchange
Inc., 20 Broad Street, New York, New York 10005.     
 
ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA
 
  As a condition to the deposit into the Trust of the Underlying Securities,
the Underlying Securities and the Underlying Securities Issuer will, at the
time of such deposit, meet the following criteria (collectively, the
"Eligibility Criteria"):
 
    (1) the Underlying Securities will have been issued pursuant to an
  effective registration statement under the Securities Act;
 
    (2) a class of equity securities of the Underlying Securities Issuer will
  have been registered under Section 12(b) or 12(g) of the Exchange Act;
 
    (3) the Underlying Securities Issuer will be subject to the periodic
  reporting requirements of the Exchange Act and, in accordance therewith,
  will be obligated to file reports, including reports on Forms 10-K and 10-
  Q, and other information with the Commission;
 
    (4) the Underlying Securities Issuer: (a) will have been subject to the
  periodic reporting requirements of Section 12 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act
  for a period of at least twelve calendar months immediately preceding the
  deposit date; and (b) will have filed in a timely manner all reports
  required to be filed under such periodic reporting requirements during the
  twelve calendar months and any portion of a month immediately preceding the
  deposit date;
 
    (5) the Underlying Securities Issuer will have outstanding voting
  securities (excluding securities held by affiliates of the Underlying
  Securities Issuer) having an aggregate market value of at least
  $75,000,000; and
 
    (6) the Underlying Securities will be rated at least "BBB-" or "Baa3" by
  Standard & Poor's Ratings Service ("S&P") or Moody's (or any comparable
  rating by another nationally recognized statistical rating organization).
 
                                     S-15
<PAGE>
 
  The Depositor will determine, by reference to publicly available sources
(and without other independent investigation), that, at the time of the
deposit of the Underlying Securities into the Trust, the Underlying Securities
and the Underlying Securities Issuer meet the Eligibility Criteria.
 
UNDERLYING SECURITIES INDENTURE
 
 
  General
 
  The Underlying Securities have been issued under an indenture, dated as of
September 7, 1990, between the Underlying Securities Issuer and The Bank of
New York, as Trustee (the "Underlying Securities Trustee"), as amended by the
First Supplemental Indenture, dated as of October 30, 1992, between the
Underlying Securities Issuer and the Underlying Securities Trustee (such
indenture, as amended, including the provisions deemed a part thereof, or
superseding provisions thereof, pursuant to the Trust Indenture Reform Act of
1990 (P.L. 101-550), being hereinafter referred to as the "Underlying
Securities Indenture"). The following summary describes certain general terms
of the Underlying Securities Indenture and is based upon (a) disclosure
contained in (i) an effective registration statement on Form S-3 (Registration
No. 33-49589) dated June 23, 1993 relating to the shelf registration of an
aggregate principal amount of $2,701,000,000 of the Notes and Warrants (the
"Debt Securities") issued by the Underlying Securities Issuer pursuant to Rule
415 under the Securities Act, and (ii) a prospectus supplement dated February
28, 1995 relating to the issuance of the Underlying Securities and (b) review
of the Underlying Securities Indenture, as filed with the Commission as an
exhibit to an effective registration statement on Form S-3 (Registration No.
33-36756) dated September 11, 1990. However, investors should refer to the
Underlying Securities Indenture itself for all of the terms governing the
Underlying Securities. References are to the Underlying Securities Indenture.
 
  The Underlying Securities Indenture does not limit the aggregate principal
amount of Underlying Securities which may be issued thereunder and provides
that the Underlying Securities may be issued from time to time in one or more
series. According to the prospectus supplement pursuant to which the
Underlying Securities were offered and sold, the Underlying Securities are
unsecured obligations of the Underlying Securities Issuer and rank pari passu
with all other unsecured and unsubordinated indebtedness of the Underlying
Securities Issuer.
 
  Covenants
 
  Limitation on Secured Indebtedness. The Underlying Securities Issuer
covenants in the Underlying Securities Indenture that it will not, and will
not permit any Restricted Subsidiary (as defined below) to, create, assume,
incur or guarantee any Secured Indebtedness (as defined below) without
securing the Underlying Securities equally and ratably with such Secured
Indebtedness unless immediately thereafter the aggregate amount of all Secured
Indebtedness (not including Secured Indebtedness with which the Underlying
Securities are equally and ratably secured or Secured Indebtedness which is
concurrently being retired) and the discounted present value of all net
rentals payable under leases entered into in connection with sale and
leaseback transactions (as further described below) would not exceed 10% of
Consolidated Net Tangible Assets (as defined below). (Section 4.03)
 
  Limitation on Sale and Leaseback Transactions. The Underlying Securities
Issuer covenants in the Underlying Securities Indenture that it will not, and
will not permit any Restricted Subsidiary to, enter into any lease longer than
three years (not including leases of newly acquired, improved or constructed
property) covering any Principal Property (as defined below) of the Underlying
Securities Issuer or any Restricted Subsidiary that is sold to any other
person in connection with such lease, unless either (a) immediately
thereafter, the sum of (i) the discounted present value of all net rentals
payable under all such leases entered into after April 1, 1986 (except any
such leases entered into by a Restricted Subsidiary before the time it became
a Restricted Subsidiary) and (ii) the aggregate amount of all Secured
Indebtedness (not including Secured Indebtedness with which the Underlying
Securities are equally and ratably secured) does not exceed 10% of
Consolidated Net Tangible Assets, or (b) an amount equal to the greater of (x)
the net proceeds to the Underlying Securities Issuer or a Restricted
Subsidiary from such sale and (y) the discounted present value of all net
rentals payable thereunder, is
 
                                     S-16
<PAGE>
 
applied within 180 days to the retirement of long-term debt of the Underlying
Securities Issuer or a Restricted Subsidiary (other than such debt which is
subordinate to the Underlying Securities or which is owing to the Underlying
Securities Issuer or a Restricted Subsidiary). (Section 4.04)
 
  Limitation on Consolidation, Merger, Sale or Conveyance of Assets. Nothing
in the Underlying Securities Indenture prevents any consolidation of the
Underlying Securities Issuer with, or merger of the Underlying Securities
Issuer into, any other corporation or corporations (whether or not affiliated
with the Underlying Securities Issuer), or successive consolidations or
mergers to which the Underlying Securities Issuer or its successor or
successors shall be a party or parties, or prevents any sale or conveyance of
the property of the Underlying Securities Issuer (including stock of
subsidiaries) as an entirety or substantially as an entirety to any other
corporation (whether or not affiliated with the Underlying Securities Issuer)
authorized to acquire and own or operate the same; provided that the
Underlying Securities Issuer covenants in the Underlying Securities Indenture
that upon any such consolidation, merger, sale or conveyance, the due and
punctual payment of the principal of (and premium, if any) and interest on all
of the Underlying Securities, according to their tenor, and the due and
punctual performance and observance of all of the covenants and conditions of
the Underlying Securities Indenture to be performed or observed by the
Underlying Securities Issuer shall be expressly assumed, by supplemental
indenture executed and delivered to the Underlying Securities Trustee by the
corporation formed by such consolidation, or into which the Underlying
Securities Issuer shall have been merged, or which shall have acquired such
property. (Section 5.01)
 
  Certain Definitions
 
  "Consolidated Net Tangible Assets" means the total assets of the Underlying
Securities Issuer and its subsidiaries, less current liabilities and certain
intangible assets (other than product development costs).
 
  "Principal Property" means land, land improvements, buildings and associated
factory, laboratory, office and switching equipment (excluding all products
marketed by the Underlying Securities Issuer or any of its subsidiaries)
constituting a manufacturing, development, warehouse, service, office or
operating facility owned by or leased to the Underlying Securities Issuer or a
Restricted Subsidiary, located within the United States and having an
acquisition cost plus capitalized improvements in excess of .25% of
Consolidated Net Tangible Assets as of the date of such determination, other
than any such property financed through the issuance of tax-exempt
governmental obligations, or which the board of directors of the Underlying
Securities Issuer determines is not of material importance to the Underlying
Securities Issuer and its Restricted Subsidiaries taken as a whole, or in
which the interest of the Underlying Securities Issuer and all its
subsidiaries does not exceed 50%.
 
  "Restricted Subsidiary" means (i) any subsidiary of the Underlying
Securities Issuer which has substantially all its property in the United
States, which owns or is a lessee of any Principal Property and in which the
investment of the Underlying Securities Issuer and all its subsidiaries
exceeds .25% of Consolidated Net Tangible Assets as of the date of such
determination, other than certain financing subsidiaries and subsidiaries
formed or acquired after April 1, 1986 for the purpose of acquiring the
business or assets of another person and that do not acquire all or any
substantial part of the business or assets of the Underlying Securities Issuer
or any Restricted Subsidiary and (ii) any other subsidiary designated by the
board of directors of the Underlying Securities Issuer as a Restricted
Subsidiary. (Section 1.01)
 
  "Secured Indebtedness" means indebtedness of the Underlying Securities
Issuer or any Restricted Subsidiary for borrowed money secured by any lien
upon (or in respect of any conditional sale or other title retention agreement
covering) any Principal Property or the stock or indebtedness of a Restricted
Subsidiary, but excluding from such definition all indebtedness: (i)
outstanding on April 1, 1986 secured by liens (or arising from conditional
sale or other title retention agreements) existing on that date; (ii) incurred
after April 1, 1986 to finance the acquisition, improvement or construction of
such property and either secured by purchase money mortgages or liens placed
on such property within 180 days of acquisition, improvement or construction
or arising from conditional sale or other title retention agreements; (iii)
secured by liens on Principal Property or
 
                                     S-17
<PAGE>
 
the stock or indebtedness of Restricted Subsidiaries and existing at the time
of acquisition thereof; (iv) owing to the Underlying Securities Issuer or any
other Restricted Subsidiary; (v) secured by liens existing at the time a
corporation becomes a Restricted Subsidiary; (vi) incurred to finance the
acquisition or construction of property secured by liens in favor of any
country or any political subdivision thereof; and (vii) constituting any
replacement, extension or renewal of any such indebtedness (to the extent such
indebtedness is not increased).
 
  Events of Default, Notice and Waiver
 
  The Underlying Securities Indenture provides that, if an Event of Default
specified therein in respect of the Underlying Securities shall have happened
and be continuing, either the Underlying Securities Trustee or the holders of
25% in principal amount of the outstanding Underlying Securities may declare
the principal of all of the Underlying Securities to be due and payable.
(Section 6.01)
 
  Events of Default in respect of the Underlying Securities are defined in the
Underlying Securities Indenture as being: default for 90 days in payment of
any interest installment when due; default in payment of principal of or
premium, if any, on Underlying Securities when due; default for 90 days after
written notice to the Underlying Securities Issuer by the Underlying
Securities Trustee or by the holders of 25% in principal amount of the
outstanding Underlying Securities in performance of any agreement in the
Underlying Securities or Underlying Securities Indenture; and certain events
of bankruptcy, insolvency and reorganization. (Section 6.01)
 
  The Underlying Securities Issuer is not required to furnish any periodic
evidence as to the absence of default or as to compliance with the terms of
the Underlying Securities Indenture. The Underlying Securities Indenture
provides that the Underlying Securities Trustee will, within 90 days after the
occurrence of a default in respect of any series of Underlying Securities,
give to the holders of such series notice of all uncured and unwaived defaults
known to it; provided that, except in the case of default in payment on the
Underlying Securities, the Underlying Securities Trustee will be protected in
withholding such notice if it in good faith determines that the withholding of
such notice is in the interest of the holders thereof. The term "default" for
the purpose of this provision means any event which is, or after notice or
passage of time or both would be, an Event of Default. (Section 7.05)
 
  The Underlying Securities Indenture contains provisions entitling the
Underlying Securities Trustee, subject to the duty of the Underlying
Securities Trustee during an Event of Default in respect of the Underlying
Securities to act with the required standard of care, to refuse to perform any
duty or exercise any right or power unless it receives indemnity satisfactory
to it. (Section 7.01)
 
  The Underlying Securities Indenture provides that the holders of a majority
in principal amount of the outstanding Underlying Securities may direct the
time, method and place of conducting proceedings for remedies available to the
Underlying Securities Trustee, or exercising any trust or power conferred on
the Underlying Securities Trustee, in respect of the Underlying Securities.
(Section 6.06)
 
  In certain cases, the holders of a majority in principal amount of the
outstanding Underlying Securities may on behalf of the holders of all
Underlying Securities waive any past default or Event of Default, or
compliance with certain provisions of the Underlying Securities Indenture,
except among other things a default in payment of the principal of, premium,
if any, or interest on, the Underlying Securities. (Sections 6.01 and 6.06)
 
  Discharge and Defeasance
 
  Under terms satisfactory to the Underlying Securities Trustee, the
Underlying Securities Issuer may discharge certain obligations to holders of
the Underlying Securities which have not already been delivered to the
Underlying Securities Trustee for cancellation and which have either become
due and payable or are by their terms due and payable within one year (or
scheduled for redemption within one year) by irrevocably depositing with the
Underlying Securities Trustee as trust funds an amount in cash sufficient to
pay at maturity (or upon redemption) the principal of and interest on the
Underlying Securities. (Section 8.01)
 
                                     S-18
<PAGE>
 
  The Underlying Securities Issuer at its option may also (i) discharge any
and all of its obligations to holders of the Underlying Securities
("defeasance") on the 91st day after the conditions set forth below have been
satisfied, but may not thereby avoid its duty to register the transfer or
exchange of the Underlying Securities, to replace any temporary, mutilated,
destroyed, lost or stolen Underlying Securities or to maintain an office or
agency in respect of the Underlying Securities, or (ii) be released with
respect to the Underlying Securities from the obligations imposed by the
covenants described under "Covenants" above ("covenant defeasance").
 
  Defeasance and covenant defeasance may be effected under the Underlying
Securities Indenture only if, among other things, (i) the Underlying
Securities Issuer irrevocably deposits with the Underlying Securities Trustee
as trust funds (a) money in an amount, (b) U.S. Government Obligations (as
defined in the Underlying Securities Indenture) which through the payment of
interest and principal in respect thereof will provide money in an amount or
(c) a combination of (a) and (b), certified by a nationally recognized firm of
independent public accountants to be sufficient to pay each installment of
principal of and interest on all outstanding Underlying Securities on the
dates such installments of principal and interest are due; and (ii) the
Underlying Securities Issuer delivers to the Underlying Securities Trustee an
opinion of independent counsel to the effect that the holders of the
Underlying Securities will not recognize gain or loss for United States
Federal income tax purposes as a result of such defeasance or covenant
defeasance and will be subject to United States Federal income tax on the same
amount and in the same manner and at the same time as would have been the case
if such defeasance or covenant defeasance had not occurred (which opinion may
include or be based on a ruling to that effect received from or published by
the Internal Revenue Service). (Section 8.02)
 
  Modification of the Underlying Securities Indenture
 
  The Underlying Securities Indenture contains provisions permitting the
Underlying Securities Issuer and the Underlying Securities Trustee, with the
consent of the holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding
Underlying Securities, to execute supplemental indentures adding any
provisions to or changing or eliminating any of the provisions of the
Underlying Securities Indenture or modifying the rights of the holders of the
Underlying Securities, except that no such supplemental indenture may, without
the consent of each holder affected, among other things, change the maturity
of the Underlying Securities, or change the principal amount thereof, or any
premium thereon, or change the rate or change the time of payment of interest
thereon, make any Underlying Security payable in money other than that stated
in the Underlying Security, or reduce the aforesaid percentage of outstanding
Underlying Securities. (Sections 9.01 and 9.02)
 
  Concerning the Underlying Securities Trustee
 
  The Underlying Securities Issuer may from time to time maintain lines of
credit, and have other customary banking relationships, with The Bank of New
York, the trustee under the Underlying Securities Indenture.
 
                                     S-19
<PAGE>
 
                        DESCRIPTION OF THE CERTIFICATES
 
GENERAL
   
  The Certificates will have an initial Certificate Principal Balance equal to
$25,000,000 and will be issued on April 22, 1997.     
 
  The Final Scheduled Distribution Date for the Certificates will be March 1,
2007.
 
  The Certificates will be denominated and payable in U.S. Dollars and will be
issued in registered form in minimum denominations of $1,000 and integral
multiples thereof.
 
COLLECTIONS AND DISTRIBUTIONS
 
  Collections on the Underlying Securities that are received by the Trustee
for a given Collection Period pursuant to the collection procedures described
herein and in the Prospectus and deposited from time to time into the
Certificate Account established under the Trust Agreement will be applied by
the Trustee on each applicable Distribution Date to the following
distributions in the following order of priority, solely to the extent of
Available Funds (as defined below) on such Distribution Date:
 
    (i) to the Certificateholders and the holder of the Retained Interest in
  payment of Certificate Interest and the Interest Strip, respectively, pro
  rata according to the respective amounts thereof then due and payable; and
 
    (ii) to the Certificateholders, Required Principal (if any).
 
  If the Trustee has not received payment on the Underlying Securities on or
prior to a Distribution Date, such distribution will be made upon receipt of
payment on the Underlying Securities. No additional amounts will accrue on the
Certificates or be owed to Certificateholders as a result of any such delay.
 
  All amounts received on or with respect to the Underlying Securities,
including amounts received in connection with the exercise of the Call Right
by the holder thereof, which are not distributed to Certificateholders on the
date of receipt, shall be invested by the Trustee in Eligible Investments.
Income on such investments will not constitute property of the Trust and will
not be available to Certificateholders.
 
  There can be no assurance that collections received from the Underlying
Securities over a specified period will be sufficient to make all required
distributions to the Certificateholders and the holder of the Retained
Interest. To the extent Available Funds are insufficient to make any such
distributions, any shortfall will be carried over and will be distributable on
the next Distribution Date on which sufficient funds exist to pay such
shortfalls. The holder of the Retained Interest will pay the Ordinary Expenses
of the Trustee and Depositor Administration Expenses from amounts otherwise
distributable as the Interest Strip.
 
  For purposes of this Prospectus Supplement, the following terms have the
following meanings:
 
    "Available Funds" for any Distribution Date means the sum of all amounts
  received on or with respect to the Underlying Securities during the
  preceding Collection Period.
 
    "Business Day" with respect to any Certificate means any day, other than
  a Saturday or Sunday, that is not a day on which banking institutions are
  authorized or required by law or regulation to be closed in The City of New
  York.
 
    "Certificate Interest" for the Certificates for any Distribution Date
  means accrued and unpaid interest on the outstanding principal balance of
  the Certificates, computed at a rate per annum equal to the Certificate
  Rate.
 
    "Depositor Administration Expenses" means fees and expenses payable by
  the Depositor to its administrator (currently Deutsche Morgan Grenfell
  (Cayman) Limited) pursuant to an administration agreement, which fees and
  expenses include (a) a one-time arrangement fee, (b) an annual fee and
 
                                     S-20
<PAGE>
 
  (c) reasonable out-of-pocket expenses incurred by the administrator in
  connection with the administration of the Depositor in accordance with such
  administration agreement.
 
    "Eligible Investments" means, with respect to the Certificates, those
  investments, consistent with the Trust's status as a grantor trust for
  Federal income tax purposes and acceptable to the Rating Agencies as being
  consistent with the rating of such Certificates, as specified in the Trust
  Agreement. Generally, Eligible Investments must be limited to obligations
  or securities that mature not later than the Business Day prior to the
  succeeding Distribution Date.
 
    "Interest Accrual Period" means, for any Distribution Date, the period
  from and including the preceding Distribution Date (or, in the case of the
  first Interest Accrual Period, from and including the Original Issue Date)
  to but excluding the current Distribution Date.
     
    "Interest Strip" allocable to the Retained Interest for any Distribution
  Date means accrued and unpaid interest on the outstanding principal balance
  of the Certificates, computed at a rate per annum equal to .35%, except
  that the Interest Strip for the first Distribution Date will include the
  right to receive interest on the Underlying Securities accrued with respect
  to the period from and including September 15, 1996 (the "Cut-Off Date") to
  but excluding the Original Issue Date.     
 
    "Required Principal" for the Certificates for any Distribution Date means
  the amount received on the Underlying Securities attributable to principal
  payments thereon during the related Collection Period.
 
  Except as provided in the succeeding paragraph, distributions with respect
to Certificates will be made at the corporate trust office or agency of the
Trustee specified below under "Description of the Trust Agreement--The
Trustee"; provided that any such amounts distributable on the Final Scheduled
Distribution Date will be distributed only upon surrender of such Certificate
at the location set forth above.
 
  Distributions on the Certificates will be made, except as provided below, by
check mailed to the Certificateholder listed on the relevant Record Date in
the ownership register maintained for that purpose under the Trust Agreement
(which, in the case of a Global Security, will be a nominee of the Clearing
Agency). A Certificateholder of $10,000,000 or more in aggregate principal
amount of Certificates shall be entitled to receive such distributions by wire
transfer of immediately available funds, but only if appropriate wire transfer
instructions have been received in writing by the Trustee not later than 15
calendar days prior to the applicable Distribution Date.
 
INTEREST ON THE CERTIFICATES
   
  The Certificates are "Fixed Rate Certificates" as defined in the Prospectus.
The Certificate Rate applicable to the calculation of the interest
distributable on any Distribution Date on the Certificates is fixed at 7.40%
per annum and will be calculated on the basis of a year of 360 days and twelve
30-day months. Interest on the Certificates will be distributable in arrears
on or about March 1 and September 1 of each year, beginning on September 1,
1997 (each, a "Distribution Date"). Each such distribution of interest shall
include interest accrued during the period from and including the preceding
Distribution Date (or, in the case of the first Interest Accrual Period, from
and including the Original Issue Date) to but excluding the current
Distribution Date.     
 
PRINCIPAL OF THE CERTIFICATES
 
  Each Certificate will have a "Certificate Principal Balance" which, at any
time, will equal the maximum amount that the holder thereof will be entitled
to receive in respect of principal out of the future cash flows on the
Underlying Securities. Distributions generally will be applied to
undistributed accrued interest on, then to principal of, and then to premium
(if any) on, each such Certificate until the aggregate Certificate Principal
Balance has been reduced to zero. The outstanding Certificate Principal
Balance of a Certificate will be reduced to the extent of distributions of
principal thereon. The initial aggregate Certificate Principal Balance equals
the outstanding aggregate principal balance of the Underlying Securities as of
the Cut-off Date. Distributions of principal will be made on a pro rata basis
among all the Certificates.
 
                                     S-21
<PAGE>
 
RETAINED INTEREST
   
  The Retained Interest (the "Retained Interest") represents the right by the
holder thereof to receive on each Distribution Date, from payments received on
the Underlying Securities, a distribution equal to .35% per annum multiplied
by the principal amount of the Underlying Securities (the "Interest Strip"),
subject to payment of "Ordinary Expenses" of the Trustee and "Depositor
Administration Expenses" of the Depositor as described herein. The rights of
the holder of the Retained Interest to the Interest Strip from payments
received on the Underlying Securities is of equal priority with the rights of
Certificateholders to receive distributions of interest. The holder of the
Retained Interest will also have the right under the Trust Agreement to
receive interest on the Underlying Securities accrued with respect to the
period prior to, and including, the Cut-Off Date. The initial holder of the
Retained Interest will be the Offering Agent or an affiliate thereof and may,
upon notice to the Trustee, be transferred by the holder thereof (in whole but
not in part) to another person at the sole option of the transferor without
the consent of the Certificateholders or any other person. The Retained
Interest is not being offered hereby.     
 
  Under the terms of the Trust Agreement, Certificateholders will not be
entitled to terminate the Trust or cause the sale or other disposition of the
Underlying Securities without the consent of the holder of the Retained
Interest. In addition, amendment of the Trust Agreement may require, and
amendment of the Retained Interest generally will require, consent of the
holder of the Retained Interest. See "Description of the Trust Agreement--
Voting Rights" herein.
 
CALL RIGHT
 
  General
 
  The Call Right represents a right by the holder thereof to purchase all, but
not less than all, of the outstanding Certificates from the holders thereof on
any Call Date (as defined below) at a price equal to the Call Price (as
defined below). The initial holder of the Call Right will be the Offering
Agent or an affiliate thereof and may, upon notice to the Trustee, be
transferred by the holder thereof (in whole but not in part) to another person
at the sole option of the transferor without the consent of the
Certificateholders or any other person. No Call Right is being offered hereby.
 
  Under the terms of the Call Right and the Trust Agreement,
Certificateholders will not be entitled to terminate the Trust or cause the
sale or other disposition of the Underlying Securities without the consent of
the holder of the Call Right. In addition, amendment of the Trust Agreement
may require, and amendment of the Call Right generally will require, consent
of the holder of the Call Right. See "Description of the Trust Agreement--
Voting Rights" herein.
 
  Exercise
   
  The Certificates are a "Callable Series" as defined in the Prospectus. The
Call Right may be exercised on any Distribution Date (or the next succeeding
Business Day if such Distribution Date is not a Business Day) occurring on or
after the Distribution Date in March 1999 (the "Call Date") at a price (the
"Call Price") equal to the aggregate Certificate Principal Balance, together
with unpaid interest thereon accrued to but excluding the Distribution Date as
of which the Call Right is exercised.     
 
  The holder of the Call Right must provide notice to the Trustee (a "Call
Request") not less than 10 Business Days prior to the relevant Call Date that
it intends to exercise the Call Right on such Call Date.
 
  On any Call Date as of which the Call Right has been exercised,
Certificateholders will be entitled to receive the aggregate Certificate
Principal Balance of all outstanding Certificates, together with interest
thereon at the Certificate Rate accrued to but excluding such Call Date.
Having acquired the Certificates pursuant to its exercise of the Call Right,
the holder of the Call Right will be entitled to receive any amounts
distributable on the Certificates on each Distribution Date occurring from and
after such Call Date.
 
  The Call Right will not be exercised unless the value of the Trust
Certificates being purchased exceeds the Call Price payable upon exercise
thereof.
 
                                     S-22
<PAGE>
 
OPTIONAL EXCHANGE
 
  General
 
  The Certificates are an "Exchangeable Series" as defined in the Prospectus.
 
  The holder of the Optional Exchange Right will be entitled to require the
Trustee, on any Business Day, to effect a redemption of one or more
Certificates held by such holder (the "Subject Certificates"); provided that
(i) the holder of the Optional Exchange Right is also the holder of the Call
Right and the Retained Interest and (ii) the outstanding aggregate principal
amount of the Subject Certificates shall be an amount equal to an authorized
denomination of the Underlying Securities. Any such Optional Redemption will
also be subject to compliance with the applicable conditions specified in the
Prospectus under "Description of the Certificates--Optional Exchange." There
may be one or more exercises of the Optional Exchange Right.
 
  The Optional Exchange Right will be issued to the Offering Agent or an
affiliate of the Offering Agent and may, upon notice to the Trustee, be
transferred by the holder thereof (in whole but not in part) to another person
at the sole option of the transferor without the consent of the
Certificateholders or any other person.
 
  Under the terms of the Optional Exchange Right and the Trust Agreement,
amendment of the Optional Exchange Right will require consent of all
Certificateholders and of the holders of the Retained Interest and the Call
Right. See "Description of the Trust Agreement--Voting Rights" herein.
 
  Exercise
 
  The holder of the Optional Exchange Right must provide notice to the Trustee
(an "Optional Exchange Request") not less than four Business Days prior to the
Business Day on which it intends to exercise the Optional Exchange Right (the
"Optional Exchange Date").
 
  On the Optional Exchange Date, the Subject Certificates will be redeemed by
the Trustee in exchange for (x) delivery by the Trustee to the holder of the
Optional Exchange Right of Underlying Securities in an outstanding aggregate
principal amount equal to the outstanding aggregate principal amount of the
Subject Certificates and (y) payment by the Trustee to such holder of funds in
the Certificate Account established under the Trust Agreement that are
attributable to the Subject Certificates. No Optional Exchange Request with
respect to all outstanding Certificates shall be effective unless the holder
of the Optional Exchange Right satisfies the claims of all creditors of the
Trust.
 
GLOBAL SECURITY
 
  The Certificates will initially be represented by one or more global
securities (each a "Global Security") registered in the name of Cede & Co., as
nominee of The Depository Trust Company ("DTC" and, together with any
successor clearing agency selected by the Depositor, the "Clearing Agency").
The interests of beneficial owners of such Certificates will be represented by
book entries on the records of participating members of DTC ("Participants").
Transfers of beneficial ownership in any Global Security will be effected in
accordance with the normal procedures of the Clearing Agency. No holder of a
beneficial interest in a Global Security will be entitled to receive a
definitive certificate (a "Definitive Certificate") representing such person's
interest, except as set forth below under "--Definitive Certificates". Unless
and until Definitive Certificates are issued under the limited circumstances
described herein, all references to actions by Certificateholders with respect
to any such Certificates shall refer to actions taken by DTC upon instructions
from its Participants. See " --Definitive Certificates" herein and
"Description of Certificates--Global Securities" in the Prospectus.
 
  Under the rules, regulations and procedures creating and affecting DTC and
its operations, DTC will take action permitted to be taken by a
Certificateholder under the Trust Agreement only at the direction of one or
more Participants to whose DTC account such Certificates are credited.
Additionally, DTC will take such actions with respect to specified Voting
Rights only at the direction and on behalf of Participants whose holdings of
 
                                     S-23
<PAGE>
 
such Certificates evidence such specified Voting Rights. DTC may take
conflicting actions with respect to Voting Rights, to the extent that
Participants whose holdings of Certificates evidence such Voting Rights,
authorize divergent action.
 
DEFINITIVE CERTIFICATES
 
  Definitive Certificates will be issued to Certificateholders or their
nominees in exchange for their respective beneficial interests in any Global
Security only if (i) the Depositor advises the Trustee in writing that DTC is
no longer willing or able to discharge properly its responsibilities as
Clearing Agency with respect to the Certificates and the Depositor is unable
to locate a qualified successor or (ii) the Depositor, at its option, elects
to terminate the book-entry system through DTC.
 
  Upon the occurrence of any event described in the immediately preceding
paragraph, the Trustee is required to notify all Participants of the
availability through DTC of Definitive Certificates. Upon surrender by DTC of
the Global Securities representing the Certificates and receipt of
instructions for re-registration, the Trustee will reissue such Certificates
as Definitive Certificates issued in the respective principal amounts owned by
the individual owners of such Certificates and thereafter an owner of a
beneficial interest in a Global Security will be entitled to physical delivery
of individual Definitive Certificates equal in principal amount to such
beneficial interest and to have such Definitive Certificates registered in its
name. Individual Definitive Certificates so issued will be issued in
registered form in denominations, unless otherwise specified by the Depositor,
of $1,000 and integral multiples thereof.
 
LISTING ON THE NEW YORK STOCK EXCHANGE
 
  The Certificates have been authorized for listing, upon official notice of
issuance, with the NYSE. There can be no assurance that the Certificates, once
listed, will continue to be eligible for trading on the NYSE.
 
                      DESCRIPTION OF THE TRUST AGREEMENT
 
GENERAL
   
  The Certificates will be issued pursuant to the Trust Agreement, a form of
which is filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement. A Current Report
on Form 8-K relating to the Certificates containing a copy of the Trust
Agreement as executed will be filed by the Depositor with the Commission
following the issuance and sale of the Certificates. The Trust created under
the Trust Agreement (including the Series 1997-AT&T Supplement) will consist
of (i) the Underlying Securities, exclusive of the Retained Interest; (ii)
such assets as from time to time are identified as deposited in the
Certificate Account established under the Trust Agreement; (iii) property, if
any, acquired on behalf of Certificateholders by foreclosure or repossession
and any revenues received thereon; and (iv) any cash or other property
received upon the sale, exchange, collection or other disposition of any of
the foregoing. Reference is made to the Prospectus for important information
in addition to that set forth herein regarding the Trust, the terms and
conditions of the Trust Agreement and the Certificates. The following
summaries of certain provisions of the Trust Agreement do not purport to be
complete and are subject to the detailed provisions contained in the form of
Trust Agreement, to which reference is hereby made for a full description of
such provisions, including the definition of certain terms used herein.     
 
THE TRUSTEE
 
  The United States Trust Company of New York will act as trustee (the
"Trustee") for the Certificates and the Trust pursuant to the Trust Agreement.
The Trustee's offices are located at 114 West 47th Street, 15th Floor, New
York, New York 10036 and its telephone number is (212) 852-1623.
 
 
                                     S-24
<PAGE>
 
  Pursuant to the Trust Agreement, the Trustee shall receive compensation for
Ordinary Expenses, payable by the holder of the Retained Interest. The Trustee
will be permitted to deduct its compensation from periodic distributions on
the Interest Strip.
 
  "Ordinary Expenses" are defined in the Trust Agreement and are generally
described as the Trustee's customary fee for its services as Trustee,
including but not limited to (i) the costs and expenses of preparing, sending
and receiving all reports, statements, notices, returns, filings, solicitation
of consent or instructions, or other communications required by the Trust
Agreement, (ii) the costs and expenses of holding and making ordinary
collection or payments on the assets of the Trust and of determining and
making distributions, (iii) the costs and expenses of the Trust's or Trustee's
counsel, accountants and other experts for ordinary or routine consultation or
advice in connection with the establishment, administration and termination of
the Trust, and (iv) any other costs and expenses that are, or reasonably
should have been, expected to be incurred in the ordinary course of
administration of the Trust.
 
  The Trust Agreement provides that the Trustee may not take any action which,
in the Trustee's opinion, would or might cause it to incur Extraordinary Trust
Expenses, unless (i) the Trustee is satisfied that it will have adequate
security or indemnity in respect of such costs, expenses and liabilities and
(ii) the Trustee has been instructed to do so by Certificateholders
representing not less than 66 2/3% of the Certificates then outstanding.
"Extraordinary Trust Expenses" are defined in the Trust Agreement as any and
all costs, expenses or liabilities arising out of the establishment, existence
or administration of the Trust, other than (i) Ordinary Expenses and (ii)
costs and expenses payable by a particular Certificateholder, the Trustee or
the Depositor pursuant to the Trust Agreement.
 
  Extraordinary Trust Expenses will not be paid out of the Trust property
unless (i) such Extraordinary Trust Expenses relate to a time when the
Underlying Securities Issuer was in default of any payment obligation under
the Underlying Securities Indenture, or (ii) Certificateholders representing
100% of the aggregate Voting Rights of the Certificates have voted to require
the Trustee to incur such Extraordinary Trust Expenses.
 
EVENTS OF DEFAULT
 
  An event of default with respect to the Certificates under the Trust
Agreement (an "Event of Default") will consist of (i) a default in the payment
of any interest on any Underlying Security after the same becomes due and
payable (subject to any applicable grace period) and (ii) a default in the
payment of the principal of or any installment of principal of any Underlying
Security when the same becomes due and payable.
 
  The Trust Agreement will provide that, within 30 days after the occurrence
of an Event of Default in respect of the Certificates, the Trustee will give
notice to the Certificateholders, the holder of the Call Right and the holder
of the Retained Interest, transmitted by mail, of all such uncured or unwaived
events of default known to it. However, except in the case of an Event of
Default relating to the payment of principal of or interest on any of the
Underlying Securities, the Trustee will be protected in withholding such
notice if in good faith it determines that the withholding of such notice is
in the interest of the Certificateholders, the holder of the Call Right and
the holder of the Retained Interest.
   
  The Trustee will distribute any amounts recovered in respect of the
Underlying Securities following a payment default by the Underlying Securities
Issuer under the Underlying Securities Indenture, first, to the
Certificateholders in payment of Required Principal (if any) and, second, to
the Certificateholders and the holder of the Retained Interest in payment of
Certificate Interest (in the case of the Certificateholders) and the Interest
Strip (in the case of the holder of the Retained Interest), respectively, pro
rata according to the respective amounts thereof then due and payable.     
 
VOTING RIGHTS
 
  At all times, 100% of all Voting Rights shall be allocated among all
Certificateholders in proportion to the then outstanding principal balances of
their respective Certificates; provided that any exercise of Voting Rights
that would adversely affect in any material respect the Retained Interest, the
Call Right or the Optional Exchange Right shall require the consent of the
holder thereof.
 
                                     S-25
<PAGE>
 
  The Required Percentage-Amendment of Voting Rights of those Certificates
that are materially adversely affected by any modification or amendment of the
Trust Agreement necessary to consent to such modification or amendment shall
be 66 2/3%, if each Rating Agency shall have notified the Depositor and the
Trustee in writing that such modification or amendment will not result in a
reduction or withdrawal of the then current rating of the Certificates, and
otherwise 100%.
 
  In addition to the other restrictions on modification and amendment
contained in the Trust Agreement, the Trustee shall not agree to or enter into
any amendment or modification of the Trust Agreement which would adversely
affect in any material respect (i) the Retained Interest without the consent
of the holder thereof, (ii) the Call Right without the consent of the holder
thereof or (iii) the Optional Exchange Right without the consent of all the
Certificateholders and of the holders of the Retained Interest and the Call
Right; provided that no such amendment or modification will be permitted which
would alter the status of the Trust as a grantor trust for Federal Income tax
purposes.
 
  In addition to the other restrictions on modification and amendment
contained in the Trust Agreement, the Trustee shall not agree to or enter into
any amendment or modification of the Retained Interest, the Call Right or the
Optional Exchange Right without the consent of the holder thereof or which
would adversely affect in any material respect the interests of the
Certificateholders without the consent of Certificateholders representing 66
2/3% of the aggregate Voting Rights of those Certificates that are materially
adversely affected by such modification or amendment and without confirmation
by each Rating Agency that such amendment will not result in a downgrading or
withdrawal of its rating of the Certificates; provided that (i) no such
amendment or modification will be permitted which would alter the status of
the Trust as a grantor trust for Federal Income tax purposes and (ii) any
amendment or modification of the Trust Agreement or the Call Right which would
alter the timing or amount of any payment of the Call Price shall require the
consent of Certificateholders representing 100% of the aggregate Voting Rights
of the Certificates.
 
TERMINATION OF THE TRUST
 
  The Trust shall terminate upon the earlier to occur of the payment in full
of the Certificates at maturity and the settlement by the Trust of all
payments and deliveries required in connection with any exercise of the
Optional Exchange Right. See "Description of the Trust Agreement--Termination"
in the Prospectus. Under the terms of the Trust Agreement, the
Certificateholders will not be entitled to terminate the Trust or cause the
sale or other disposition of the Underlying Securities without the consent of
the holder of the Retained Interest or the Call Right if and for so long as
the Retained Interest or the Call Right, respectively, remains outstanding.
 
                                     S-26
<PAGE>
 
                    CERTAIN FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSEQUENCES
 
  In the opinion of special federal tax counsel to the Underwriters, the Trust
will be classified as a grantor trust and not as an association (or publicly
traded partnership) taxable as a corporation for federal income tax purposes.
Accordingly, each Certificateholder will be subject to federal income taxation
as if it owned directly the portion of the Underlying Securities allocable to
the Certificates held by such holder, as if it issued directly the portion of
the Call Right allocable to such Certificates and as if it paid directly its
share of reasonable expenses of the Trust. In general, the federal income tax
consequences to the original holder of a Certificate who holds the Certificate
until repayment of the Underlying Securities or earlier exercise of the Call
Right, with certain exceptions, will be similar to that of a holder of an
Underlying Security that could be called by the Underlying Securities Issuer
prior to maturity on the same terms applicable to the Call Right. The
principal exceptions are: (1) if a Certificateholder does not make and does
not have in effect an appropriate election to amortize bond premium, it would
recognize a capital loss, which may be a long term capital loss, equal to the
amount of the bond premium on the repayment of the Underlying Securities and
would have a short term capital gain equal to the amount deemed to have been
received in respect of the Call Right if the Call Right expires unexercised,
(2) if a Certificateholder makes or has in effect an appropriate election to
amortize bond premium, it will be entitled to deductions as an offset to
ordinary income in respect of the amortization of premium (i.e., the excess of
the amount that is deemed to have been paid for the portion of the Underlying
Securities represented by the Certificates held by such holder over the
purchase price of the Certificates (excluding accrued interest)) over the term
of the Underlying Securities and would have a short term capital gain equal to
the amount deemed to have been received in respect of the Call Right if the
Call Right expires unexercised, and (3) a Certificateholder may be treated as
having received additional income equal to its pro rata share of expenses of
the Trust and as receiving a deduction for that amount, which deduction may be
disallowed in whole or in part for a Certificateholder who is an individual,
estate or trust under the limitations applicable to "miscellaneous itemized
deductions." For a complete discussion of the Federal income tax consequences
of the purchase, ownership and disposition of the Certificates and the tax
treatment of the Trust, see "Certain Federal Income Tax Consequences" in the
Prospectus. INVESTORS SHOULD CONSULT THEIR OWN TAX ADVISORS REGARDING THE
PARTICULAR FEDERAL, STATE, LOCAL AND OTHER TAX CONSEQUENCES TO THEM OF THE
PURCHASE, OWNERSHIP AND DISPOSITION OF THE CERTIFICATES.
                             ERISA CONSIDERATIONS
 
  The Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended ("ERISA"),
and the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the "Code") impose certain
requirements on (a) an employee benefit plan (as defined in Section 3(3) of
ERISA), (b) a plan described in Section 4975(e)(i) of the Code or (e) any
entity whose underlying assets include plan assets by reason of a plan's
investment in the entity (each, a "Plan"). Generally, a Plan may purchase
Certificates if the Offering Agent is able to confirm the existence of at
least 100 independent purchasers. For a discussion of certain ERISA
considerations relating to the purchase and ownership of Certificates by a
Plan, see "ERISA Considerations" in the Prospectus.
 
  ANY PLAN OR INSURANCE COMPANY INVESTING ASSETS OF ITS GENERAL ACCOUNT
PROPOSING TO ACQUIRE CERTIFICATES SHOULD CONSULT WITH ITS COUNSEL.
 
                             PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION
   
  Subject to the terms and conditions set forth in the Underwriting Agreement,
dated as of March 25, 1997 (the "Underwriting Agreement"), the Depositor has
agreed to sell to Citicorp Securities, Inc. (the "Offering Agent"), and Dean
Witter Reynolds Inc. (together with the Offering Agent, the "Underwriters"),
and each Underwriter has agreed to purchase from the Depositor, severally and
not jointly, the principal amount of Certificates set forth opposite its name
below. The Underwriting Agreement provides that, subject to the terms     
 
                                     S-27
<PAGE>
 
and conditions set forth therein, the Underwriters will be obligated to
purchase all of the Certificates if any such Certificates are purchased.
 
<TABLE>   
<CAPTION>
                                                                    PRINCIPAL
                                                                    AMOUNT OF
     UNDERWRITER                                                    CERTIFICATES
     -----------                                                    ------------
   <S>                                                              <C>
   Citicorp Securities, Inc........................................ $12,500,000
   Dean Witter Reynolds Inc. ...................................... $12,500,000
</TABLE>    
   
  The Depositor has been advised by the Offering Agent that the Underwriters
propose to offer the Certificates from time to time in negotiated transactions
or otherwise at varying prices to be determined at the time of sale. The
Underwriters may effect such transactions by selling Certificates to or
through dealers and such dealers may receive compensation in the form of
underwriting discounts, concessions or commissions from the Underwriters and
any purchasers of Certificates for whom they may act as agents. The
Underwriters and any dealers that participate with the Underwriters in the
distribution of Certificates may be deemed to be underwriters, and any profit
on the resale of Certificates by them may be deemed to be underwriting
discounts, or commissions under the Securities Act. Discounts and concessions
to dealers will vary but will not exceed 1.75% of the face amount of the
Certificates. The acquisition by the Offering Agent of the Call Right, the
Retained Interest and the Optional Exchange Right at a discount to their value
may be deemed to represent underwriting compensation.     
 
  Because the Retained Interest, the Call Right and the Optional Exchange
Right will be initially issued to, and may from time to time be held by, the
Offering Agent or any affiliate thereof, this Prospectus Supplement and the
Prospectus may be used by the Offering Agent or its affiliates in connection
with offers and sales related to market-making transactions in the
Certificates. The Offering Agent or its affiliates may act as principal or
agent in such transactions. Such sales will be made at prices related to
prevailing market prices at the time of sale.
 
                                 LEGAL MATTERS
 
  Certain legal matters relating to the Certificates will be passed upon for
the Depositor and the Underwriters by Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy, New
York, New York.
 
                                    RATINGS
 
  It is a condition to the issuance of the Certificates that the Certificates
have ratings assigned by Moody's Investors Service, Inc. ("Moody's") and by
Duff & Phelps Credit Rating Co. ("Duff") equivalent to the ratings of the
Underlying Securities, which, as of the date of this Prospectus Supplement,
were "Aa3" by Moody's and "AA+" by Duff. The rating of the Certificates by
each of Moody's and Duff addresses the likelihood of the ultimate payment of
principal of and interest on the Certificates. The ratings address the
likelihood of the receipt by Certificateholders of payments required under the
Trust Agreement, and are based primarily on the credit quality of the
Underlying Securities. The rating on the Certificates does not, however,
constitute a statement regarding the occurrence or frequency of redemptions or
prepayments on, or extensions of the maturity of, the Underlying Securities,
and the corresponding effect on yield to investors.
 
  A security rating is not a recommendation to buy, sell or hold securities
and may be subject to revision or withdrawal at any time by the assigning
Rating Agency. Each security rating should be evaluated independently of
similar ratings on different securities.
 
  The Depositor has not requested a rating on the Certificates by any rating
agency other than the Rating Agencies. However, there can be no assurance as
to whether any other rating agency will rate the Certificates, or, if it does,
what rating would be assigned by any such other rating agency. A rating on the
Certificates by another rating agency, if assigned at all, may be lower than
the ratings assigned to the Certificates by the Rating Agencies.
 
                                     S-28
<PAGE>
 
                             INDEX OF DEFINED TERMS
 
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                                            PAGE
                                                                            ----
<S>                                                                         <C>
Available Funds............................................................  20
Business Day...............................................................  20
Call Date..................................................................  22
Call Price.................................................................  22
Call Request...............................................................  22
Certificate Interest.......................................................  20
Certificate Principal Balance..............................................  21
Certificates...............................................................   4
Clearing Agency............................................................  23
Code.......................................................................  27
Commission.................................................................   3
Cut-Off Date...............................................................  21
Debt Securities............................................................  16
Definitive Certificate.....................................................  23
Depositor..................................................................  13
Depositor Administration Expenses..........................................  20
Distribution Date..........................................................  21
DTC........................................................................  23
Duff.......................................................................  28
Eligibility Criteria.......................................................  15
Eligible Investments.......................................................  21
ERISA......................................................................  27
Event of Default...........................................................  25
Exchange Act...............................................................   1
Extraordinary Trust Expenses...............................................  25
Final Scheduled Distribution Date..........................................   1
Global Security............................................................  23
Interest Accrual Period....................................................  21
Interest Strip.............................................................  21
Moody's....................................................................  28
NYSE.......................................................................   2
Offering Agent.............................................................  27
Optional Exchange Date.....................................................  23
Optional Exchange Request..................................................  23
Ordinary Expenses..........................................................  25
Original Issue Date........................................................   1
Participants...............................................................  23
Plan.......................................................................  27
Prospectus.................................................................   3
Rating Agencies............................................................   2
Registration Statement.....................................................   3
Required Principal.........................................................  21
Retained Interest..........................................................  22
S&P........................................................................  15
Securities Act.............................................................   3
Series Supplement..........................................................  13
Standard Terms for Trust Agreements........................................   4
Subject Certificates.......................................................  23
</TABLE>
 
                                      S-29
<PAGE>
 
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                                            PAGE
                                                                            ----
<S>                                                                         <C>
Trust......................................................................   4
Trust Agreement............................................................  13
Trustee....................................................................  24
Underlying Securities......................................................   4
Underlying Securities Indenture............................................  16
Underlying Securities Issuer...............................................   4
Underlying Securities Trustee..............................................   9
Underwriters...............................................................  27
Underwriting Agreement.....................................................  27
</TABLE>
 
                                      S-30
<PAGE>
 
   
  NO DEALER, SALESPERSON OR OTHER PERSON HAS BEEN AUTHORIZED TO GIVE ANY IN-
FORMATION OR MAKE ANY REPRESENTATION NOT CONTAINED IN THIS PROSPECTUS SUPPLE-
MENT OR IN THE PROSPECTUS AND, IF GIVEN OR MADE, SUCH INFORMATION OR REPRESEN-
TATION MUST NOT BE RELIED UPON AS HAVING BEEN AUTHORIZED BY ELMWOOD FUNDING
LIMITED OR THE OFFERING AGENT OR ANY UNDERWRITER. NEITHER THIS PROSPECTUS SUP-
PLEMENT NOR THE PROSPECTUS CONSTITUTES AN OFFER TO SELL, OR A SOLICITATION OF
ANY OFFER TO BUY, ANY OF THE SECURITIES OFFERED HEREBY IN ANY JURISDICTION TO
ANY PERSON TO WHOM IT IS UNLAWFUL TO MAKE SUCH AN OFFER IN SUCH JURISDICTION.
NEITHER THE DELIVERY OF THIS PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT OR THE PROSPECTUS NOR ANY
SALE MADE HEREUNDER OR THEREUNDER SHALL, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, CREATE ANY
IMPLICATION THAT THE INFORMATION HEREIN OR THEREIN IS CORRECT AS OF ANY TIME
SUBSEQUENT TO THE DATE HEREOF OR THEREOF OR THAT THERE HAS BEEN NO CHANGE IN
THE AFFAIRS OF ELMWOOD FUNDING LIMITED SINCE SUCH DATE.     
 
                                ---------------
 
                               TABLE OF CONTENTS
                             
                          PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT     
<TABLE>   
<CAPTION>
                                                                            PAGE
                                                                            ----
<S>                                                                         <C>
PROSPECTUS.................................................................   3
SUMMARY....................................................................   4
RISK FACTORS...............................................................  11
THE DEPOSITOR..............................................................  13
USE OF PROCEEDS............................................................  13
THE TRUST..................................................................  13
DESCRIPTION OF THE UNDERLYING SECURITIES...................................  14
DESCRIPTION OF THE CERTIFICATES............................................  20
DESCRIPTION OF THE TRUST AGREEMENT.........................................  24
CERTAIN FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSEQUENCES....................................  27
ERISA CONSIDERATIONS.......................................................  27
PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION.......................................................  27
LEGAL MATTERS..............................................................  28
RATINGS....................................................................  28
INDEX OF DEFINED TERMS.....................................................  29
</TABLE>    
                                   
                                PROSPECTUS     
<TABLE>   
<CAPTION>
                                                                            PAGE
                                                                            ----
<S>                                                                         <C>
PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT......................................................   2
AVAILABLE INFORMATION......................................................   2
INCORPORATION OF CERTAIN DOCUMENTS BY REFERENCE............................   2
REPORTS TO CERTIFICATEHOLDERS..............................................   3
ENFORCEMENT OF CIVIL LIABILITIES...........................................   3
RISK FACTORS...............................................................   4
THE DEPOSITOR..............................................................   7
USE OF PROCEEDS............................................................   7
FORMATION OF THE TRUST.....................................................   7
DESCRIPTION OF CERTIFICATES................................................   9
DESCRIPTION OF DEPOSITED ASSETS............................................  20
DESCRIPTION OF THE TRUST AGREEMENT.........................................  26
CERTAIN FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSEQUENCES....................................  33
ERISA CONSIDERATIONS.......................................................  36
PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION.......................................................  37
LEGAL MATTERS..............................................................  38
</TABLE>    
 
                            ELMWOOD FUNDING LIMITED
     
  U.S.$25,000,000 BOND-BACKED INVESTMENT CERTIFICATES, SERIES 1997--AT&T     
 
                                ---------------
 
                             PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT
                              
                           DATED MARCH 25, 1997     
                                      
                                   AND     
                                   
                                PROSPECTUS     
                              
                           DATED MARCH 14, 1997     
 
                                ---------------
 
                           CITICORP SECURITIES, INC.
 
                           DEAN WITTER REYNOLDS INC.
       
<PAGE>
 
                                    PART II
 
                    INFORMATION NOT REQUIRED IN PROSPECTUS
 
ITEM 14. OTHER EXPENSES OF ISSUANCE AND DISTRIBUTION.
 
  The expenses expected to be incurred in connection with the issuance and
distribution of the securities being registered, other than underwriting
compensation, are as set forth below. All such expenses, except for the SEC
registration and filing fees, are estimated:
 
<TABLE>   
     <S>                                                           <C>
     SEC Registration Fee......................................... $ 30,303.03*
     Legal Fees and Expenses...................................... $230,000.00
     Accounting Fees and Expenses................................. $      0.00
     Trustee's Fees and Expenses (including counsel Fees)......... $ 30,000.00
     Blue Sky Qualification Fees and expenses..................... $      0.00
     Printing and Engraving Fees.................................. $110,000.00
     Rating Agency Fees........................................... $ 45,000.00
     NYSE Listing Fee............................................. $  2,500.00
     Miscellaneous................................................ $      0.00
                                                                   -----------
         Total.................................................... $447,803.03
                                                                   ===========
</TABLE>    
- --------
   
 * Previously paid.     
 
ITEM 15. INDEMNIFICATION OF DIRECTORS AND OFFICERS.
 
  Section 123 of the Articles of Association of the Registrant provides that
the directors and officers of the Registrant and any trustee acting in
relation to any of the affairs of the Registrant and the heirs, executors,
administrators and personal representatives of any of the foregoing shall be
indemnified out of the assets of the Registrant from and against all actions,
proceedings, costs, charges, losses, damages and expenses incurred or
sustained by any of them by reason of any act done or omitted in connection
with their executing their duties in their respective offices or trusts,
except where such actions, proceedings, costs, charges, losses, damages or
expenses were incurred or sustained through the wilful neglect or default of
such director, officer or trustee. Section 123 further provides that no such
director, officer or trustee shall be answerable for (a) the act, receipt,
neglect or default of any other director, officer or trustee, (b) joining in
any receipt for the sake of conformity, (c) the solvency or honesty of any
banker or other person with whom any monies or effects belonging to the
Registrant may be lodged or deposited for safe custody, (d) any insufficiency
of any security upon which any monies of the Registrant may be invested or (e)
any other loss or damage resulting from any of the foregoing or incurred or
sustained in connection with the execution of his or her office or trust
unless the same shall result from the wilful neglect or default of such
director, officer or trustee.
 
  Reference is made to Section 7 of the form of Underwriting Agreement filed
as Exhibit 1.1 hereto for provisions relating to the indemnification of
directors, officers and controlling persons against certain liabilities
including liabilities under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.
 
ITEM 16. EXHIBITS.
 
<TABLE>
 <C>      <S>
  *1.1    Form of Underwriting Agreement
  *3.1    Certificate of Incorporation of Elmwood Funding Limited as currently
           in effect
  *3.2    Memorandum and Articles of Association of Elmwood Funding Limited as
           currently in effect
  *4.1    Form of Trust Agreement
  *5.1    Opinion of Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy as to legality (including
           consent of such firm)
  *8.1    Opinion of Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy as to certain tax matters
           (including consent of such firm)
 *23.1    Consent of Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy (included in Exhibits 5.1
           and 8.1)
</TABLE>
 
 
                                     II-1
<PAGE>
 
<TABLE>
 <C>       <S>
  *24.1    Power of Attorney
  *25.1(a) Statement of eligibility of Trustee
</TABLE>
- --------
 *Previously filed.
 
ITEM 17. UNDERTAKINGS.
 
  A. UNDERTAKING PURSUANT TO RULE 415.
 
  The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes:
 
    (1) To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made, a
  post-effective amendment to this Registration Statement:
 
      (i) To include any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3) of the
    Securities Act of 1933;
 
      (ii) To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising after
    the effective date of the Registration Statement (or the most recent
    post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the
    aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set forth
    in the Registration Statement; and
 
      (iii) To include any material information with respect to the plan of
    distribution not previously disclosed in the Registration Statement or
    any material change of such information in the Registration Statement.
 
    (2) That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the
  Securities Act of 1933, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed
  to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered
  therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed
  to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.
 
    (3) To remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment
  any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the
  termination of the offering.
 
    (4) To file a post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement to
  include any financial statements required by Rule 3-19 of Regulation S-X
  throughout the continuous offering.
 
  B. FILING INCORPORATING SUBSEQUENT EXCHANGE ACT DOCUMENTS BY REFERENCE.
 
  The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes that, for purposes of
determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each filing of the
registrant's annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (and, where applicable, each filing of an
employee benefit plan's annual report pursuant to Section 15(d) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934) that is incorporated by reference in the
Registration Statement shall be deemed to be a new registration statement
relating to the securities offered therein and the offering of such securities
at the time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.
 
  C. UNDERTAKING IN RESPECT OF INDEMNIFICATION.
 
  Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act
of 1933 may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the
Registrant, pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the Registrant
has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange
Commission, such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the
Securities Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for
indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the
Registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling
person of the Registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or
proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in
connection with the securities being registered, the Registrant, will, unless
in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling
precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether
such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the
Securities Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.
 
                                     II-2
<PAGE>
 
                                  SIGNATURES
   
  PURSUANT TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, THE UNDERSIGNED
HEREBY CERTIFIES ON BEHALF OF ELMWOOD FUNDING LIMITED (THE "COMPANY") THAT SHE
HAS REASONABLE GROUNDS TO BELIEVE THAT THE COMPANY MEETS ALL OF THE
REQUIREMENTS FOR FILING ON FORM S-3 AND HAS DULY CAUSED THIS AMENDMENT TO THE
REGISTRATION STATEMENT TO BE SIGNED ON ITS BEHALF BY THE UNDERSIGNED,
THEREUNTO DULY AUTHORIZED, IN GEORGE TOWN, GRAND CAYMAN, BRITISH WEST INDIES,
ON THE 26TH DAY OF MARCH, 1997.     
 
                                          Elmwood Funding Limited
 
                                                   /s/ Derrie Boggess
                                          By: _________________________________
                                                Derrie Boggess, Director
 
  PURSUANT TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, THIS AMENDMENT
TO THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT HAS BEEN SIGNED BY THE PERSONS LISTED BELOW IN
THE CAPACITIES AND ON THE DATES INDICATED BELOW:
 
              SIGNATURE                    POSITION             DATE
 
         /s/ Derrie Boggess                Director         
_____________________________________                    March 26, 1997     
           DERRIE BOGGESS
 
         /s/ David Egglishaw               Director         
_____________________________________                    March 26, 1997     
           DAVID EGGLISHAW
 
  Elmwood Funding Limited has no executive officers; therefore, David
Egglishaw has been temporarily designated as Chief Executive Officer and
Derrie Boggess has been temporarily designated as Chief Financial Officer and
Chief Accounting Officer, in each case solely for the purpose of complying
with the instructions for the filing of a Registration Statement on Form S-3.
 
AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE
            
         /s/ Gary Davis     
_____________________________________
   
Gary Davis, as the duly authorized
representative of Elmwood Funding
Limited in the United States     
   
Date: March 26, 1997     
   
Mr. Gary Davis     
c/o Citicorp Securities, Inc.
399 Park Avenue
7th Floor
New York, NY 10043
 
                                     II-3
<PAGE>
 
                                 EXHIBIT INDEX
 
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
 EXHIBIT NO.                         DESCRIPTION                          PAGE
 -----------                         -----------                          ----
 <C>         <S>                                                          <C>
   *1.1      Form of Underwriting Agreement
   *3.1      Certificate of Incorporation of Elmwood Funding Limited as
              currently in effect
   *3.2      Memorandum and Articles of Association of Elmwood Funding
              Limited as currently in effect
   *4.1      Form of Trust Agreement
   *5.1      Opinion of Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy as to legality
              (including consent of such firm)
   *8.1      Opinion of Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy as to certain
              tax matters (including consent of such firm)
  *23.1      Consent of Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy (included in
              Exhibits 5.1 and 8.1)
  *24.1      Power of Attorney
  *25.1(a)   Statement of eligibility of Trustee
</TABLE>
- --------
 * Previously filed.


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