Page
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About
This Prospectus
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1
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Where
You Can Find More Information
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2
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The
Company
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2
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Risk
Factors
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2
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Cautionary
Statements Concerning Forward-Looking Statements
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3
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Key
Features of the Plan
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3
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Terms
and Conditions
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5
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1. How
can I participate in the Plan?
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5
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2. How
do I get started?
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5
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3. How
do I reinvest dividends?
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5
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4. How
do I change my election?
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5
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5. When
are dividends reinvested?
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5
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6. How
do I make an initial investment?
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6
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7. How
do I make additional investments?
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6
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8. What
is the source of shares purchased by the Administrator under the
Plan?
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6
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9. When
will shares be purchased?
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6
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10. How
will the price of shares purchased under the Plan be
determined?
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6
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11. Will
I receive certificates for shares purchased?
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6
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12. What
is safekeeping?
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7
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13. Can
I get certificates if I want them?
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7
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14. What
happens if there is a stock split, stock dividend or other distribution
with respect to PG&E Corporation common stock?
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7
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15. How
can I transfer or give gifts of shares?
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7
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16. How
do I sell shares?
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7
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17. What
are the costs?
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8
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18. What
about taxes?
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8
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19. Will
I have the same rights as a shareholder?
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8
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20. What
provisions are made for non-U.S. residents?
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8
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21. How
will I keep track of my investments?
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8
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22. How
would I terminate my participation?
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9
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23. What
if I have questions about the Plan?
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9
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24. What
are the responsibilities of PG&E Corporation and the
Administrator?
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10
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25. Can
PG&E Corporation make changes to the Plan?
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10
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26. What law governs the
Plan?
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10
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27. How is the Plan to be
interpreted?
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10
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Use
of Proceeds
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10
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Legal
Matters
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11
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Experts
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11
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·
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Annual
Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31,
2008;
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·
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All
other reports subsequently filed under Sections 13(a) or 15(d) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934 since the end of the fiscal year ended
December 31, 2008; and
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·
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A
description of PG&E Corporation common stock as set forth in PG&E
Corporation’s registration statement filed under the Securities and
Exchange Act of 1934, including all amendments and reports updating the
description.
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1.
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How
can I participate in the Plan?
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If
you already own PG&E Corporation common stock or Pacific Gas and
Electric Company preferred stock and the shares are registered in your
name, you may participate immediately. You may participate by
choosing to reinvest all or part of your quarterly dividend, or by making
an additional investment.
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Shareholders
of record who elect to reinvest all or part of their dividend, will have
access to their account on-line over the Internet and will receive
quarterly account statements.
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If
your shares are held for you in a brokerage account, you may participate
by instructing your broker to transfer your shares of PG&E Corporation
common stock or Pacific Gas and Electric Company preferred stock into your
own name and enrolling in the Plan.
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If
you do not currently own any PG&E Corporation common stock, you can
participate by making an initial investment through the
Plan. Please see question number 6 for details regarding an
initial investment.
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2.
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How
do I get started?
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Enrollment
is available on-line through Investor ServiceDirect® (see question number
23 for information on how to access Investor
ServiceDirect®). Alternatively, you may enroll by completing an
enrollment form and mailing it to the Administrator. Your
participation will begin promptly after your authorization is
received. Once you have enrolled, your participation continues
automatically, for as long as you
wish.
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3.
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How
do I reinvest dividends?
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You
may choose to reinvest all or a portion of the dividends paid on shares
you own of PG&E Corporation common stock or Pacific Gas and Electric
Company preferred stock. Your cash dividends will be used to
purchase additional shares of PG&E Corporation stock without paying
any fees. PG&E Corporation pays dividends on both whole and
fractional shares in the Plan and will credit your account with the whole
and fractional shares that are purchased with your
dividends.
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For
a particular dividend to be reinvested, your authorization must be
received by the Administrator on or before the record date for that
dividend. The record date normally will be about two to four
weeks prior to the payment date. (For example, if the record
date for a dividend to be paid on July 15 is June 30, your enrollment form
must be received on or before June 30 in order for the July 15 dividend
payment to be reinvested.)
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4.
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How
do I change my election?
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5.
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When
are dividends reinvested?
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The
Administrator will invest dividends in additional shares of PG&E
Corporation common stock purchased on the open market as promptly as
practicable, on or after the payable date, normally within one
week. In the unlikely event that, due to unusual market
conditions, the Administrator is unable to invest the funds within 30
days, the Administrator will remit the funds to you by
check. No interest will be paid on funds held by the
Administrator pending investment.
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The
Administrator will invest dividends in additional shares of common stock
purchased directly from PG&E Corporation on the payment date or the
first business day after the payment
date.
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6.
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How
do I make an initial investment?
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You
can make an initial cash investment in the Plan for as little as $250 but
not more than $100,000 in a year. Your initial investment can
be made:
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Authorizing
one deduction (minimum of $250) from your bank
account;
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Authorizing
a minimum of five monthly $50 automatic deductions from your bank account;
or
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Opening
your account on-line and sending your initial investment of $250 or
more.
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Making
one payment (minimum of $250) by check payable to PG&E Corporation/BNY
Mellon or by authorizing a deduction from your bank account;
or
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By
authorizing a minimum of five monthly $50 automatic deductions from your
bank account.
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7.
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How
do I make additional investments?
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If
you already own PG&E Corporation common stock and are enrolled in the
Plan and want to make additional purchases, you can authorize individual
automatic deductions from your bank account through Investor
ServiceDirect® or send a check to the Administrator for each
purchase. If you choose to submit a check, please make sure to
include the contribution form from your Plan statement and mail it to the
address specified on the statement. Or, if you wish to make
regular monthly purchases, you may authorize automatic monthly deductions
from your bank account. This feature enables you to make
ongoing investments in an amount that is comfortable for you, without
having to write a check. Additional cash purchases are subject
to a minimum purchase requirement of $50 per investment and a maximum of
$100,000 annually.
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8.
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What
is the source of shares purchased by the Administrator under the
Plan?
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The
Administrator will purchase the shares needed to meet participants’
investments under the Plan either directly from PG&E Corporation or on
the open market, as directed by us.
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9.
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When
will shares be purchased?
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Upon
receipt of the funds, the Administrator will invest initial and additional
cash investments, less applicable fees, in whole and fractional shares as
promptly as practicable, at least once every five business
days. Neither PG&E Corporation nor participants in the Plan
will control the timing or pricing of shares
purchased. Participants will bear any risk associated with
fluctuations in the market price of PG&E Corporation stock while
investment funds are held pending investment. In the unlikely
event that, due to unusual market conditions, the Administrator is unable
to invest the funds within 35 days, the Administrator will return the
funds to you by check. No interest will be paid on funds held
by the Administrator pending
investment.
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10.
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How
will the price of shares purchased under the Plan be
determined?
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The
price of PG&E Corporation shares purchased or sold under the Plan will
be calculated differently depending upon whether the transactions are
executed directly with PG&E Corporation or on the open
market.
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·
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The
price of shares purchased from PG&E Corporation will be the average of
the high and the low sale prices of PG&E Corporation common stock as
reported in the New York Stock Exchange Composite Transactions obtained
from Bloomberg, L.P. on the date of the purchase, or if the New York Stock
Exchange is closed on that date, on the next day that the New York Stock
Exchange is open.
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·
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The
price of shares purchased or sold on the open market will be the weighted
average price per share of all shares of common stock purchased or sold by
the Administrator on the date of the purchase or
sale.
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11.
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Will
I receive certificates for shares
purchased?
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No,
because the Plan provides for share safekeeping. For your
convenience, shares purchased under the Plan will be maintained by the
Administrator in your name in non-certificated (book-entry)
form. You may, however, request a stock certificate from the
Administrator at any time.
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12.
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What
is safekeeping?
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Shares
of PG&E Corporation common stock that you buy under the Plan will be
maintained in your Plan account in non-certificated form for
safekeeping. Safekeeping protects your shares against loss,
theft or accidental destruction and also provides a convenient way for you
to keep track of your shares. Only shares held in safekeeping
may be sold through the Plan.
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If
you own PG&E Corporation common stock in certificate form, you may
deposit your certificates for those shares with the Administrator, free of
charge. The Administrator will provide mail loss insurance
coverage for certificates with a value not exceeding $100,000 in any one
shipping package that is mailed to its address at 500 Ross Street, Room
0675, Pittsburgh, PA 15262 by USPS registered mail or by traceable
delivery service.
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Note: Mail loss
insurance covers only the replacement of shares of stock and in no way
protects any loss resulting from fluctuations in the value of such
shares.
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13.
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Can
I get certificates if I want them?
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Yes. You
may request stock certificates for the whole shares in your book-entry
account at any time. Simply contact the Administrator with your
request and they will mail you a stock certificate for the requested
number of whole shares. Certificates will be issued in the
name(s) in which the account is registered, unless you instruct the
Administrator otherwise. If the certificate is to be issued in
a name other than your Plan account registration, your signature must be
guaranteed by a bank or broker participating in the Medallion Guarantee
Plan. Detailed transfer instructions can be obtained by calling
the Administrator at
1-800-719-9056.
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14.
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What
happens if there is a stock split, stock dividend or other distribution
with respect to PG&E Corporation common
stock?
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Your
account will be adjusted in book-entry form to reflect the distribution of
any PG&E Corporation common stock paid as a stock dividend, stock
split or similar transaction.
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15.
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How
can I transfer or give gifts of
shares?
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You
may transfer or give gifts of PG&E Corporation common stock to anyone
you choose by contacting the Administrator and requesting a Gift/Transfer
Form. After the transfer or gift purchase is completed, upon
your request, the Administrator will send you a non-negotiable gift
announcement, which you can present to the recipient. A notice
indicating the transfer of PG&E Corporation common stock will also be
forwarded to the recipient.
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16.
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How
do I sell shares?
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You
can sell your Plan shares at any time by contacting the
Administrator. Your sale request will be processed and your
shares will, subject to market conditions and other factors, generally be
sold within 24 hours of receipt of your request. Please note
that the Administrator cannot and does not guarantee the actual sale date
or price, nor can it stop or cancel any outstanding sales or issuance
requests. All requests are final. The Administrator
will mail a check to you (less applicable sales fees) on the settlement
date, which is three business days after your shares have been
sold.
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Alternatively,
you may choose to sell your shares through a stockbroker of your choice,
in which case you would have to request a certificate for the whole shares
in your book-entry account from the Administrator for delivery to your
stockbroker, or arrange to have your shares transferred electronically to
your broker using the Direct Registration System. See question
number 13 for instructions on how to obtain a
certificate.
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17.
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What
are the costs?
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There
is no fee for enrolling in the Plan. Participation is voluntary
and you may discontinue your participation at any
time. Applicable fees, if any, are as
follows:
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Reinvestment
of all or a portion of quarterly dividends
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No
Charge
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Trading
fee for reinvested dividends (if open market purchase)
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No
Charge
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Purchase
of shares with initial investment
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$10.00
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Purchase
of shares with additional investments via check (per
investment)
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$5.00
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Purchase
of additional shares via automatic debit of bank account (per
investment):
· Individual
· Recurring
monthly debit
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$2.00
$2.00
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Trading
fee for initial or additional purchases (if open market
purchase)
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$.06
per share
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Transfer
shares as gift
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No
charge
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Certificate
safekeeping
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No
charge
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Certificate
issuance
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No
charge
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Sale
of shares (full and partial)
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$15.00
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Trading
fee for sales
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$.10
per share
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Current
year duplicate statement
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No
charge
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Charge
if check is returned for insufficient funds or if automatic debit of bank
account is rejected
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$35.00
per occurrence
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18.
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What
about taxes?
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The
Administrator will send a Form 1099-DIV to you and the Internal Revenue
Service after each year-end reporting all dividend income you received
during the year on your PG&E Corporation common stock. If
you sell shares through the Plan, the Administrator will send a Form
1099-B to you and the Internal Revenue Service after year-end, showing the
total proceeds of the transactions. We recommend that you keep
your transaction statements, which are helpful for record keeping and tax
purposes.
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19.
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Will
I have the same rights as a
shareholder?
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As
a Plan participant, you enjoy all the rights and privileges associated
with stock ownership. You will receive all shareholder
communications, including proxy material, and annual
reports. You will be given the opportunity to vote your Plan
shares, and your shares will be voted in accordance with your
direction. If you wish, you may vote your shares in person at
shareholder meetings.
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20.
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What
provisions are made for non-U.S.
residents?
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Cash
investments from non-U.S. residents must be in United States currency and
will be invested in the same manner as investments from other
participants. Each participant is responsible for reviewing the
applicable laws of his or her country of residence prior to investing in
PG&E Corporation common stock. All dividends will be
subject to withholding under the terms of any applicable tax treaty
provisions.
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21.
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How
will I keep track of my
investments?
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The
Administrator will send a transaction notice confirming the details of
each transaction you make. When you reinvest your dividends,
you will receive a statement of your account. If you do not
reinvest dividends and have no additional purchase or sale transactions,
you will receive an annual statement detailing the status of your holdings
of PG&E Corporation common stock in your Plan
account.
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You
can also access your Plan account statement through BNY Mellon Shareowner
Services’ on-line service offering, MLinkSM. Convenient
and easy on-line access to your shareholder communications is only a click
away. Besides your Plan account statements, you may access your
1099 tax documents, notification of
ACH
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·
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Faster
delivery of important documents
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Electronic
notification of account activity via
email
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Secure
access to your mailbox 24 hours a day, 7 days a
week
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·
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Convenient
management of your documents – view, print,
download
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22.
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How
would I terminate my participation?
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You
may discontinue the reinvestment of your dividends at any time by giving
notice to the Administrator. Notice may be made by telephone,
in writing or by changing your dividend election under the account
management service when you access your account over the Internet at www.bnymellon.com/shareowner/isd. To
be effective for a given dividend payment, the Administrator must receive
notice before the record date of that dividend. The
Administrator will continue to hold your shares unless you request a
certificate for any full shares and a check for any fractional
share. You may also request the sale of all or part of any such
shares or have the Administrator transfer your shares to your brokerage
account. See question number 16 for information on selling
shares.
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23.
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What
if I have questions about the Plan?
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Questions
regarding enrollment, purchase or sale of share requests, and other
transactions or services offered by the Plan should be directed to the
Administrator through the
following:
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·
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Internet
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You
can enroll in the Plan, obtain information, and perform certain
transactions on your PG&E Corporation account on-line via Investor
ServiceDirect®. New investors must establish a Personal
Identification Number (PIN) when setting up their account. For
existing shareholders to gain access, use the 12-digit Investor
Identification Number which can be found in a bolded box on your check
stub or statement, to establish your PIN. Upon initial access,
you will be required to complete an account activation
process. This one-time authentication process will be used to
validate your identity in addition to your Investor Identification Number
and self-assigned PIN. To access Investor ServiceDirect® please
visit the BNY Mellon Shareowner Services website at: www.bnymellon.com/shareowner/isd.
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·
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Telephone
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Telephone
shareholder customer service:
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Toll-free
within the United States and Canada: 1-800-719-9056
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Outside
of the United States and Canada: 1-201-329-8660
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For
the hearing impaired (TDD): 1-800-231-5469
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·
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In
Writing
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24.
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What
are the responsibilities of PG&E Corporation and the
Administrator?
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PG&E
Corporation cannot assure you a profit or protect you against a loss on
the shares you purchase under the Plan. Neither PG&E
Corporation nor the Administrator will be liable for any act done in good
faith, or as required by applicable laws, or for any good faith omission
to act. This includes, without limitation, any claims of
liability:
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·
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for
the prices at which stock purchases or sales are made as reflected in your
Plan account, or the dates of the purchases or sales of your Plan shares;
or
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·
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for
any fluctuation in the market value of your PG&E Corporation shares
after they are purchased or sold;
or
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·
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for
failure to terminate your account upon your death prior to receiving
written notice of such death.
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25.
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Can
PG&E Corporation make changes to the
Plan?
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PG&E
Corporation reserves the right to suspend, modify or terminate the Plan or
your interest in the Plan at any time. You will receive notice
of any such suspension, modification or termination. PG&E
Corporation also reserves the right to change any administrative
procedures of the Plan. If the Plan or your interest in the
Plan is terminated, the Administrator will continue to hold your shares of
PG&E Corporation stock in book-entry form unless you request that the
Administrator issue a stock certificate or you ask your broker to request
that the Administrator transfer the shares to your brokerage
account.
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26.
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What
law governs the Plan?
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The
terms and conditions of the Plan and its operation shall be governed by
the laws of the State of
California.
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27.
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How
is the Plan to be interpreted?
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Any
question of interpretation arising under the Plan will be determined by
us, and any such determination will be final. Any action taken
by us or the Administrator to effectuate the Plan in the good faith
exercise of our or their respective judgment will be binding on all
participants.
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