SWS Financial Services - Frequently Asked Questions

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1 Paperwork Where do I send my client s check to be deposited into their account? All customer checks sent by regular mail should be addressed: SWS Financial Services P.O. Box Dallas, TX Attention: Broker/Client Services All customer checks sent by overnight mail should be addressed: SWS Financial Services 1201 Elm Street, Suite 3500 Dallas, TX Attention: Broker/Client Services To whom does the client make the check payable? All checks should be made payable to Southwest Securities, Inc.. Remember to include the client s account number on every check. Where do I send completed paperwork to be processed? All completed paperwork should be addressed: SWS Financial Services P.O. Box Dallas, TX Attention: Broker Client Services How do I know the paperwork I sent has been received and is in process? Broker Client Services has the capability to track all documents that have been received. You may contact the Broker Client Services team by phone, , or by , bcs@swst.com. Do you help in any way with transition charges? Since SWS Financial Services offers higher payout, registered representatives are expected to absorb any costs associated with closing accounts at another broker dealer. Many representatives that join SWS Financial Services offer to discount the first commissions to clients to help offset the account-closing fee. Page 1 of 12

2 How do I open a new account for my client? You can open an account for your client in one of two ways. Fill out the paper applications and send all the appropriate paperwork to the new accounts department via fax, The appropriate forms (organized by account type) located on the SWS Financial Services website are under Forms tab and the New Account drop down box, then select the type of account you wish to open. This area will display all required forms. The second option is to submit the account online through our online account application located in CSS. This program will allow you to open an account online and print out all the required forms. You will immediately receive an account number and then you have 30 days to fax over or mail a copy of the signed applications. Trust, estate and education accounts are ineligible to be established online. May I open a personal account for myself? You may open a personal account for yourself in the same manner you would open an account for your client. How do I know if an account transfer is in process? You can track the process of an account transfer through the contact management section in CSS. This area will detail who received the paperwork and when it will settle from the delivering firm. Also, you can view the progress of an account transfer in the ActivityView module under CSS. Can I open an account online? Yes, you can open an Individual, Joint, Custodial, Partnership, Corporate, Exempt, Non-Corporate, Traditional IRA, Rollover IRA, Roth IRA, SEP IRA or SIMPLE IRA accounts in CSS under the New Account Module. Simply answer the questions as they appear and you will be able to print and submit new account forms. Can I wire my client s cash balances? You can Fed wire funds from your client s account. The fee charged by the Fed is $ This fee is normally charged to the client, but you can offer to pay the fee for the client. Is there an account with check writing privileges available? The Vision account does have free unlimited check writing. Page 2 of 12

3 Who is my first point of contact if an issue arises? Broker Client Services is your first point of contact for any issue that arises. They will work with you to make sure your problem is solved quickly and efficiently. You may contact them in one of two ways. Phone Do you have an account service fee for accounts not generating a minimum amount of commission? We do have a $35.00 holding and reporting fee. If an account meets any one of the following criteria, it will not be charged: There is one billable securities transaction in the prior year The account is marked closed or in ACAT status The account is an IRA account under Southwest Securities prototype The account has been opened for less than one year The account value exceeds $25, The account has no balance or positions Are there any other fees charged to clients? Are there ancillary charges like stock transfers, reorgs, etc.? What is the cost to the client? Like most firms, we do have certain service fees. The most common are: $5.00 Postage and Handling on each transaction If a client requests to transfer and ship a security not purchased at Southwest Securities, there is a $75.00 per CUSIP number charge. This would include securities transferred into our system. Restricted stock or other holdings requiring legal clearing would incur fees from the transfer agent, which is passed to client. Transfer of foreign stocks incur a $75.00 charge. The following standard fees cover processing costs for Reorgs at Southwest Securities: Tenders & Exchanges $.04 per share, $4 Min, $80 Max Cash Mergers $.04 per share, $4 Min $80 Max Acquisitions $.04 per share, $4 Min, $80 Max Warrant & Rights Exercise $25.00 Flat Fee How much are your wire fees? The Fed wire charge is $15.00 for domestic wires, $35.00 for foreign. Page 3 of 12

4 How much are your prepayment fees? The amount charged is based on the current margin interest rate for the number of days money is advanced. Do you have a termination fee if a client moves their account? There is a $25 termination fee for IRA accounts. If an account is transferred to another firm, there is an additional $100 transfer fee. The transfer fee applies to both IRA and basic accounts. STATEMENTS Does your system and statements show cost basis information? The order entry system on CSS does record cost basis for all trades executed in the system. A Realized and Unrealized Profit and Loss report can be produced by this system. Once you have inputted all cost basis information on transferred accounts, you have the ability to turn on cost basis information for viewing on client statements one by one. This gives you the ability to organize the data and decide when and if cost basis will appear on your client statements. Do you offer different statements for different types of accounts? Southwest Securities has one standard statement for all accounts. The Investment Management Group (IMG) does produce Performance Reports for all fee-based accounts. How often do you send account statements to clients? Per industry standard, any account activity, including interest posting, will generate a monthly statement with the exception of money market interest. Interest generated in money market accounts will generate a quarterly statement. All accounts, regardless of activity, receive quarterly statements. As their broker, you may also authorize your client to access ClientEXP, which allows them to view their account balances, open orders and their statements online at any time. OPERATIONS How quickly can we set up a margin account? You may make a margin trade in an existing account at any time. Signed margin agreements and all required paperwork must be in SWS Financial Services hands within 30 days of opening the account. To facilitate the changing needs of investors, the New Account Form combines new account information with margin and option agreement forms so that your client can complete and sign all at once. Page 4 of 12

5 Do brokers get margin credits? SWS Financial Services brokers are paid for margin balances. The formula is: Average balance x (.0050/margin interest balance) = gross x payout = net Are there any firm requirements for opening option accounts? The appropriate trading level of an account must be determined and approved by a qualified FINRA Series Four (Senior Registered Option Principal) before any option transactions are executed. Our SROP is Bill Temple, Associate National Sales Supervisor. The appropriate trading level determination should be made on a case-by-case basis in light of all the information obtained from, or known about, the client based upon the following criteria: Level I - While no specific financial requirements apply, the Registered Representative (RR) and the Option Principal should determine that writing covered call options is suitable for the client in light of all information obtained from, and know about, the client. Level II Permits Level I activities, purchases to hedge and speculative purchasing of listed equity options and indexes. While no specific financial requirements apply, the RR and the Option Principal should determine that purchasing options is suitable for the client in light of premiums that could be lost if the options expire out of the money. The client must have Income Hedge marked for Strategy 3 and Speculation marked for Strategy 4 as an investment objective and must have a minimum of one year option experience. Level III Permits Level I and Level II activity plus spreading listed options, buying straddles or combination and put writing on equities. This client must have the following in order to qualify for Level III option trading: Annual income of at least $50,000 per year and an estimated liquid net worth of at least $75,000. Speculation as an investment objective. Sufficient option experience to understand the risks in writing naked options (minimum of one year). Page 5 of 12

6 Level IV Permits Level I, Level II and Level III activities plus all other types of option transactions including selling uncovered put options on indexes, selling uncovered call options, variable (ratio) hedging, selling straddles and selling combinations. The client must have the following in order to qualify for Level IV option trading: Annual income of a least $100,000 per year and an estimated liquid net worth of at least $100,000. Speculation as an investment objective. Sufficient option experience to understand the risks in writing naked options (minimum of three years). Note: All Level IV activities must be done in a margin account. Note these special account restrictions: IRA accounts are limited to writing covered calls and buying puts and calls only. Trust accounts will be able to trade options at a level consistent with the types of option transactions indicated in the written Trust Agreement. Accounts opened under the Uniform Gifts to Minors Act or the Uniform Transfer to Minors Act will be limited to covered call writing only. How long does it take to get an option account approved? As a rule, Option Accounts are approved the same day that the appropriate completed paperwork is received by our SROP, Bill Temple. What is your equity percentage rate for house calls? The current equity percentage rate for maintenance calls is 30%. Accounts that fall below 30% will receive a call requiring the account equity be raised to 35% or 40% (concentrated accounts would be 40%, non-concentrated 35%). Cash positions do not count as part of your account equity for margin purposes. Page 6 of 12

7 Do you require a Low Price Securities Letter for stocks bought below a certain price? If so, what price is it? Registered representatives should not solicit transactions in low priced securities. In general, a lowpriced security is considered as any security priced less than $5.00. If the security is listed on a major exchange, a low priced security letter is not necessary. The low priced security letter is written confirmation by the customer that the transaction was unsolicited. See section of are WSP s for additional details. Do you have any minimum cash balance requirements for accounts holding low priced securities? There are currently no cash requirements for low priced securities transactions. Do you offer in house training and support for new brokers? Personalized one-on-one and group training is offered to our brokers. The SWS Financial Services Transition Manager is available for on site training and support. Training sessions are designed to introduce new brokers to the various systems, processes and personnel that will help them complete transactions for their clients. Do you offer advertising resources? In the private practice business model, the independent investment professional earns a high payout and makes the decisions regarding advertising feasibility, potential benefit and is responsible for the cost. However, SWS Financial Services does have several compliance pre-approved advertising materials, letters, postcards and statement stuffers available for use. These documents can be personalized for use by and broker. These resources can be found on our website under Preapproved Marketing Materials. SWS Financial Services is continually creating new pre-approved materials to make advertising easier for you. If you have any ideas or suggestions for new preapproved pieces, please contact Jennifer Reed at or jreed@swst.com. We welcome ideas from you to make your marketing efforts as easy as possible. Page 7 of 12

8 Do you audit my office on a yearly basis? The Compliance Department will conduct a review of each branch office/osj on a periodic basis. Each of our reps is assigned a Regional OSJ manager who is always available to answer your questions and to help you understand and implement regulatory requirements. Do you help with licensing fees? Because of the benefit of receiving a higher payout, independent registered representatives are responsible for payment of their own licensing fees. SWS Financial Services passes along FINRA and various state charges to each registered representative. Can clients receive monthly distributions from their accounts? Yes, automatic monthly distributions may be made from IRA or regular accounts at no cost. Account holders may also have check-writing privileges thereby controlling their own distributions. How do you primarily communicate with your offices? Our primary methods of communication are through the website, and . It is important to check the website on a daily basis for relevant updates. All correspondence will be sent to your SWS Financial Services address. Do you communicate with my clients in any way aside from their account statements? The front page of our web site, is investor friendly. Clients access MyView to view their accounts through the site as well. However, as a broker dealer for independent investment professionals, SWS Financial Services regards client relationship building and nurturing as the registered representative s responsibility and SWS Financial Services does not communicate with investors except in regulator required instances such as margin calls, response to client complaints, etc. Do I have the ability to lower the commission on a bond in order to give a better yield to my client? Our fixed-income service desk routinely offers bonds with broker compensation included in the offering price. However, they will reduce the amount of broker compensation at your request. Page 8 of 12

9 Can I offer signature guarantees from my branch office? Medallions signature guarantee stamps are not available at branch locations. Signatures are guaranteed by firm principals located in our home office at 1201 Elm Street in Dallas, Texas. Will the trading desk buy CD s and municipal bonds 2-3 weeks prior to their maturity for redemption trading purposes? CDs, while liquid, may be bid at a value less than par. The municipal desk has helped clients in this way in the past; however, these types of situations depend on size, rating, coupon, market conditions and time to maturity. What online trading system do you offer? Our proprietary order entry system is Comprehensive Software System (CSS). PRODUCTS Do you have a competitive money market? SWS Financial Services has five money market choices. You can find the current interest rates of these funds on the SWS Financial Services website. They are updated on a weekly basis (every Monday morning) and are scrolling on the lower left corner of the screen. Bank Insured Deposit Bank Insured Deposit (BID) is an FDIC insured NOW account maintained at the Southwest Securities Bank of Arlington (a wholly owned subsidiary of SWS Group, Inc.). The FDIC insurance, up to $100,000, insures your customer s balances held in the BID account. Southwest Securities Bank of Arlington is a Federal Savings Bank with assets in excess of $600 million. Dreyfus Money Market Fund The fund seeks as high a level of current income as is consistent with the preservation of capital. To pursue this goal, the fund invests in a diversified portfolio of high quality, short-term debt securities. Page 9 of 12

10 Dreyfus Government Fund The fund seeks as high a level of current income as is consistent with the preservation of capital and the maintenance of liquidity. To pursue this goal, the fund invests solely in securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government or its agencies or instrumentalities, and repurchase agreements collateralized by these securities. Dreyfus Municipal Fund The fund seeks to maximize current income exempt from federal personal income tax, to the extent consistent with the preservation of capital and the maintenance of liquidity. To pursue this goal, the fund normally invests substantially all of its assets in municipal obligations that provide income exempt from federal personal income tax. The fund also may invest in high quality, short-term structured notes, which are derivative instruments whose value is tied to underlying municipal obligations. Dreyfus Treasury Prime Money Market Fund The fund seeks as high a level of current income as is consistent with the preservation of capital and the maintenance of liquidity. To pursue this goal, the fund normally invests substantially all of its assets in U.S. Treasury securities. Do I have access to IPOs for my clients? SWS Financial Services does not participate in IPOs. However, our parent company and clearing organization does participate and, from time to time, those offerings may be available to our registered representatives. As new issues become available SWS Financial Services will alert you in the Weekly Wire (a weekly you will receive every Monday morning), and they will be posted on the SWS Financial Services website. Does your firm participate in the underwriting of new debt offerings? SWS Financial Services does not underwrite new debt offerings. However, our sister company, Southwest Securities has active corporate and public finance departments to which our brokers may refer deals and earn attractive referral fees. Page 10 of 12

11 Do you offer a separately Managed Account Program? SWS Financial Services offers the Premier managed account program through the Investment Management Group. Currently 80 managers with 25 different styles from which to choose are available. The Investment Management Group has a wonderful website resource where you will find continually updated manager due diligence, performance information, and marketing materials to promote your fee-based business, sales ideas and much more. You can obtain a user ID and password by contacting them at or img@swst.com. Do you have fee-based accounts where clients can trade individual securities on a fee basis instead of a transaction basis? Partner is available through the Southwest Securities Investment Management Group, offers the ability to trade individual securities inside a fee-based account. Partner provides the advisor flexibility in managing the client s customized portfolio, delivering ongoing investment advice, and eliminating the increasingly competitive costs of executing brokerage transactions. The minimum account size is $50,000. For more information on this and other types of feebased accounts, you can contact them at or img@swst.com. How extensive is your municipal bond inventory? Southwest Securities normally carries a daily municipal inventory between $10 and $20 million of mostly investment grade paper. Although these offerings are usually heavy with names of companies in the Southwest, Southwest Securities offers a broad national inventory with maturity ranges that vary from as short as one year to as long as 30 years. The fixed-income sales desk prides themselves on getting to know you, your clients, their preferences and shopping the market for just the right bond. They their municipal bond inventory out on a daily basis. You can be added to their distribution list by contacting Mona Hughes at mhughes@swst.com. Do you have any restrictions on what products I can sell? SWS Financial Services must have a signed selling agreement for any type of product you wish to sell before you talk to your client. SWS Financial Services has selling agreements with over 7,000 mutual fund companies and over 300 insurance companies. Evaluating new selling agreements is always an option. Page 11 of 12

12 BACK OFFICE SUPPORT Who is my main point of contact when I have a question? Broker Client Services is a support team for you. They will be able to answer questions on all of our software programs, account paperwork and processes. If you don t know who to call, Broker Client Services is a great place to start. You can reach them at or bcs@swst.com. Is management available if needed? Management and staff are always available to you. The direct line of every manager is located on the SWS Financial Services website under general information, who to contact. BROKER PAYOUT/OFFICE CHARGES What are your ticket charges? The ticket charge for all equity trades entered by the trading desk is $27.00 per ticket. If you enter the trade yourself through CSS, the ticket charge is $ Fixed-Income trades are $2.00 per bond with a minimum of $ Mutual fund ticket charges are based on the amount invested with a minimum charge of $3.50. All ticket charges are listed in the addendum of the Letter of Understanding. What is your payout to the financial advisor? Your payout will be negotiated before you become licensed with SWS Financial Services and it is based on your production level with your prior broker/dealer. After one year it can be adjusted to reflect your actual production. CREDIBILITY What do you consider to be the most important asset your firm brings to the client regarding credibility? SWS Financial Services is a wholly owned subsidiary of SWS Group, which has been in business since With total assets as of June 2008 of 5.1 Billion, our parent company assures investors of our financial viability. Since SWS Group is a publicly traded company (on the NYSE under the symbol SWS), audited information about our group is readily available. Do you offer health insurance? SWS Financial Services offers health insurance through The Brokerage Inc. The Brokerage Inc offers a variety of plans most beneficial to you in your geographical area. For additional information please go to and look under the Endorsed Partners tab. Page 12 of 12