A Swiss Treasury note issued by the federal government and Treasury bills issued by the cantons and communities. They can run for up to four years. Generally employed by public authorities to raise funds temporarily. Used in part also to achieve cyclical or capital market objectives, e.g. when the state sells sterilization rescriptions to the banks in order to mop up liquidity. Such rescriptions can sometimes be sold by the bank to the Swiss National Bank for short terms under repurchase agreements or discounted like other rescriptions during their remaining life of three months.