What You Need to Know About the Claims Process
Understanding the claims process rules is the key to protecting
yourself...and your money. Here are key things to consider:
- Investors eligible for SIPC help. Although not every investor is protected by SIPC, SIPC aids most customers of failed brokerage firms who are owed cash and securities missing from customer accounts.
- Investments protected by SIPC. The cash and securities
– such as stocks and bonds – held by a customer at a financially
troubled brokerage firm are protected by SIPC. Among the investments
that are NOT protected by SIPC are commodity futures contracts (unless defined as customer property under the Securities Investor Protection Act) and
currency, as well investment contracts (such as limited partnerships)
and fixed annuity contracts that are not registered with the U.S.
Securities and Exchange Commission under the Securities Act of 1933.
- Terms of SIPC help. Customers of a failed brokerage firm get back all
securities (such as stocks and bonds) that already are registered
in their name or are in the process of being registered. After this
first step, the firm’s remaining customer assets are then divided
on a pro rata basis with funds shared in proportion to the size
of claims. If sufficient funds are not available in the firm’s customer
accounts to satisfy claims within these limits, the reserve funds
of SIPC are used to supplement the distribution, up to a ceiling
of $500,000 per customer, including a maximum of $250,000 for cash
claims. Additional funds may be available to satisfy the remainder
of customer claims after the cost of liquidating the brokerage firm
is taken into account.
- How account transfers work. In a failed brokerage firm with accurate
records, the court-appointed trustee and SIPC may arrange to have
some or all customer accounts transferred to another brokerage firm.
Customers whose accounts are transferred are notified promptly and
then have the option of staying at the new firm or moving to another
brokerage of their choosing.
- How claims are valued. Typically, when SIPC asks a court to put a troubled
brokerage firm in liquidation, the financial worth of a customer’s
account is calculated as of the “filing date.” Wherever possible,
the actual stocks and other securities owned by a customer are returned
to them. To accomplish this, SIPC’s reserve funds will be used,
if necessary, to purchase replacement securities (such as stocks)
in the open market. It is always possible that market changes or
fraud at the failed brokerage firm (or elsewhere) will result in
the returned securities having lost some – or even all – of their
value. In other cases, the securities may have increased in value.
For more information, read the brochure, "The Investor's Guide to Brokerage Firm Liquidations."
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