(a) General. Securities, whether in registered or bearer form, are payable in regular course of business at maturity unless called for redemption before maturity in accordance with their terms, in which case they will be payable in regular course of business on the date of call. The Secretary of the Treasury may provide for the exchange of maturing or called securities, or in advance of call or maturity, may afford owners the opportunity of exchanging a security for another security pursuant to a prerefunding or an advance refunding offer. Registered and bearer securities should be presented and surrendered for redemption to the Bureau. No assignments or evidence in support of assignments will be required by or on behalf of the registered owner or assignee for redemption for his or its account, or for redemption-exchange, or exchange pursuant to a prerefunding or an advance refunding offer, if the new securities are to be registered in exactly the same names and forms as appear in the registrations or assignments of the securities surrendered. To the extent appropriate, these rules also apply to securities registered in the title of public officers who are official custodians of public funds.

(b) “Overdue” securities. If a bearer security or a registered security assigned in blank, or to bearer, or so assigned as to become in effect payable to bearer, is presented and surrendered for redemption after it has become overdue, the Secretary of the Treasury will ordinarily require satisfactory proof of ownership. (Form PD 1071 may be used.) A security shall be considered to be overdue after the lapse of the following periods of time from its face maturity:

(1) One month for securities issued for a term of 1 year or less.

(2) Three months for securities issued for a term of more than 1 year but not in excess of 7 years.

(3) Six months for securities issued for a term of more than 7 years.

Registered securities presented and surrendered for redemption at maturity or pursuant to a call for redemption before maturity need not be assigned, unless the owner desires that payment be made to some other person, in which case assignments should be made to “The Secretary of the Treasury for redemption for the account of (inserting name and address of person to whom payment is to be made). Specific instructions for the issuance and delivery of the redemption check, signed by the owner or his authorized representative, must accompany the securities, unless included in the assignment. (Form PD 3905 may be used.) Payment of the principal will be made by check drawn on the United States Treasury to the order of the persons entitled and mailed in accordance with the instructions received. Securities presented for prerefunding or advance refunding should be assigned as provided in the prerefunding or advance refunding offer.

All interest coupons due and payable on or before the date of maturity or date fixed in the call for redemption before maturity should be detached from coupon securities presented for redemption and should be collected separately in regular course. All coupons bearing dates subsequent to the date fixed in a call for redemption, or offer of prerefunding or advance refunding, should be left attached to the securities. If any such coupons are missing, the full face amount thereof will be deducted from the payment to be made upon redemption or the prerefunding or advance refunding adjustment unless satisfactory evidence of their destruction is submitted. Any amounts so deducted will be held in the Department to provide for adjustments or refunds in the event it should be determined that the missing coupons were subsequently presented or their destruction is later satisfactorily established. In the absence of other instructions, payment or bearer securities will be made by check drawn to the order of the person presenting and surrendering the securities and mailed to him at his address, as given in the advice accompanying the securities. (Form PD 3905 may be used.) Under appropriate circumstances, payment to a financial institution for detached past due coupons may be made by crediting the amount of the proceeds to the account maintained by the financial institution at the Federal Reserve bank of its district.