Transferring to Alliance Trust Savings

Transcription

1 Transferring to Alliance Trust Savings

2 ATS TERMINOLOGY ATS uses some terminology that you may not be familiar with as a Stocktrade client. Here are a few of the main examples to help explain. INVESTMENTS ATS does not talk about investments and cash as we tend to at Stocktrade. At ATS, they use investments as a general term to cover both of these things. INVESTMENT DEALING ACCOUNT this is the ATS equivalent of the Stocktrade Nominee account. PLATFORM this is really just short hand for the technology that supports ATS online service. Take a look at page 4 of Managing your Account: The Platform Guide for ATS own definition of what a platform is and the benefits it can bring you. SHAREHOLDER ENFRANCHISEMENT SERVICE This is the name of a service that ATS provides to let you keep receiving copies of the communications that companies send to their shareholders, even though you hold your shares through a nominee company. Issuers have to agree to participate in this service, so it may not be available in all cases. ATS does not charge for it. 2

3 Transferring to Alliance Trust Savings This document compares the service ATS would provide you with to your current service from Stocktrade, to help you understand the similarities and the differences (for example, what it means to hold your investments through a nominee rather than through a Crest Personal Membership account). It also gives more information about ATS, explains how the move to ATS will work if you consent to it, and aims to answer any other questions you may have. If you have any further queries please call us on (press option 3 for enquiry) lines open 8am to 5pm, Monday to Friday. Who is ATS? ATS has been providing investment services to clients like you since It is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority. ATS already has 7 billion of investments under administration (at 31 March 2015) and look after the investments of more than 50,000 clients. ATS is a wholly owned subsidiary of Alliance Trust plc, a major UK investment trust company that has been around since Added to its experience and scale, ATS has a reputation for high standards of client service and was voted Best Customer service at the Shares Awards in 2012, 2013 and You can find out more about ATS and the services it offers by reading Managing your Account: The Platform Guide (enclosed) or by visiting Why are you talking to me about transferring my investments and cash to ATS? Brewin Dolphin has agreed to sell its Stocktrade business to ATS. After the sale is completed (expected to be in the autumn) Brewin Dolphin will no longer support the Stocktrade services. What are the benefits of transferring to ATS? Clients who want to deal for themselves may benefit from lower charges (depending on the type of account you hold and how much trading you do) and from access to a larger combined trading platform as part of ATS. You will find a comparison of the Stocktrade and ATS services on pages 5 to 7 along with some examples of how the charges compare on page 8. ATS will be waiving its exit charges for 60 days from the date your investments and cash are transferred to it. Can I continue with a Crest Personal Membership account? As Stocktrade were already in the process of withdrawing the Crest Personal Membership account service at the time of the sale, after careful consideration ATS have decided that they will not be offering a Crest account. If you consent to the transfer to ATS your investments will in future be held through a nominee in an ATS Investment Dealing account (similar to the Stocktrade Nominee account) rather than in your own name. We understand this may not be for everyone but there are some potential benefits to holding your investments in this way. You can find out more about what it means to hold your investment through a nominee later in this document (page 6 and page 12). 3

4 What if I don t want to transfer to ATS? We ask you to read the documents provided before you make up your mind. If, after doing that and assessing your own personal circumstances, you decide that you don t want to transfer to ATS you have the following options: 1. Transferring your investments and cash to another broker. You will have to contact this broker to let them know that you want to transfer to them. We will not be able to transfer your investments and cash unless your new broker agrees to accept them. 2. Closing your account, selling the investments in it and having the cash returned to you. You must contact Stocktrade to arrange the sale of all investments in your account before the cash can be returned to you. Your cash will be paid into the bank account you have already registered with us. 3. Closing your account, registering the investments in your own name and holding the certificates yourself. Your investments will be transferred into certificate form, in the name(s) of the current Stocktrade account holder(s) and posted to you at the last known address we have for you. If any investments cannot be transferred into certificate form Stocktrade will contact you to take further instructions. Please complete your Consent Form and return it to us in the pre-paid envelope by 2nd September We will act on your instructions no later than 23rd September You will not have to pay any exit charges to Stocktrade (these are the charges that would normally apply if you wish to end your relationship with Stocktrade). If you decide to sell any investments held in your account prior to the transfer, normal commission charges will apply. I m not sure what to do, can you give me advice? Both Stocktrade and ATS offer an execution only telephone and online dealing service which means we can only conduct a transaction when you instruct us and we are unable to provide you with advice. You will need to seek your own independent financial, legal and tax advice about the implications of transferring to ATS, in the event that you need any guidance. How will my new ATS service compare to my Stocktrade account? The comparison in the table on pages 5 to 7 is for Crest Personal Membership account holders with Stocktrade. If you have more than one account with Stocktrade (including a different type of account) we will be writing to you separately about each one. Your investments and cash will move to an Investment Dealing account with ATS. The left hand column of the table describes your current service with Stocktrade. The right hand column describes your new service with ATS, if you consent to the transfer. You should also read: Managing your Account: The Platform Guide Charges Guide Terms and Conditions Which will give you full information about the ATS service. 4

5 What types of investment can I deal in? How do I contact you to place a deal? What are the charges for dealing online? What are the charges for dealing over the telephone? UK listed securities, including exchange traded funds, investment trusts, gilts and bonds. Overseas listed securities that can be traded through Crest as Crest Depository Interests (CDIs). Complex instruments. You can login and place deals online 24/7 at During market hours dealing is in real time for UK and Overseas listed securities. You can place deals over the telephone by calling or (lines open 8am to 9pm Monday to Friday). 0.4% commission per trade with a minimum charge of and a maximum charge of 50. Reducing after 50 trades ( Star trader ) to 0.2% per trade with a minimum charge of and a maximum charge of 50. As above. UK listed securities, including exchange traded funds, investment trusts, gilts and bonds. Regulated funds (OEICs and Unit Trusts) that are available through the ATS trading platform (over 2,000). Overseas listed securities that can be traded through Crest as Crest Depository Interests (CDIs). That includes North American and European securities. Complex instruments. You can login and place deals online 24/7 at During market hours dealing will be in real time for UK and Overseas listed securities (CDIs only). You will be able to place deals over the telephone by calling (lines open 8am to 9pm Monday to Friday) per trade. You start to earn a loyalty discount after 5 years. You will automatically qualify for this if you have held your Stocktrade Account for 5 years or more from the date you move to ATS years years years > 20 years per trade. What s the ongoing administration charge for my account? 10 a quarter plus VAT a quarter. VAT is not payable on this charge. What foreign exchange rate do you charge when settling international deals? Transaction value (GBP) Rate Up to 20, % 20,001 to 50, % 50,001 to 100, % 100,001 to 500, % > 500, % Transaction value (GBP) Rate Up to 25, % 25,001 to 50, % 50,001 to 100, % > 100, % 5

6 Can I pay my administration charge by direct debit if I like? How are my investments held? What does this mean for my rights as a shareholder? Do I get interest on cash in my Account? Yes. In your name through Crest. You hear directly from the issuer. You are sent copies of reports and accounts. You can vote directly on any issue for which your investments have voting rights. That includes corporate actions. In these cases you can give us your instructions online. All UK dividends are paid directly to you by the issuer. Yes, on deposits in GB Pounds. Balance Rate Up to 100,000 0% 100,001 and over 0.15% No. ATS will collect this from your account. They will normally collect it from cash you hold. If they can t do this, they may sell investments to collect it. Details are in the Terms and Conditions. If you don t want investments to be sold to cover your charges, you can always top up your account using a debit card. Through a nominee company. If your issuer has agreed to take part in ATS Shareholder Enfranchisement service, and you opt in to this, you hear from them directly. You will be sent copies of reports and accounts. You can exercise your right to vote on any issue if you wish. Otherwise you do not hear directly from the issuer. ATS tell you about certain corporate actions including those where you have the opportunity to take part in a decision about your investments. In these cases you can give ATS your instructions. Your dividends will be paid to ATS and will be managed based on instructions you give them. No, as interest rates are so low at the moment and the ATS service is designed for investment dealing rather than holding cash deposits in the longer term. ATS do review this policy regularly. Do you accept limit orders? Do you accept stop loss orders? Do I have a choice of settlement currency for Overseas securities? Can I set up regular investment instructions? Yes. Online and over the telephone. Yes. Online and over the telephone. Yes. US Dollars, Euros or GB Pounds. No. Yes. Online and over the telephone. But not for overseas listed securities. No. No. ATS will settle all trades to your cash account in GB Pounds. If you are holding any cash in other currencies when your Account is moved, these will have to be converted to GB Pounds. How this will work is explained on page 11. Yes. The minimum monthly investment amount is 50 and if you set up your instructions online ATS charge only 1.50 for each buy deal you make this way (compared to their standard dealing charge). 6

7 Can I access research resources at no extra cost? What information will you send me? What information can I access online about my account? As well as researching and dealing in investments, what else can I do online? What if I want to move investments out of my account? Yes. Online. Provided by Digital Look in association with Stocktrade. Includes the ability set up watch lists. We issue documents online or in paper form, whichever you prefer. We send you: Valuation statement twice a year, including a listing of all your account holdings. A consolidated tax certificate after the tax year end, to help you complete your tax return. Contract notes, whenever you buy and sell investments. The total value of your account. A breakdown of the investments and cash held in it. Your transaction history. Copies of information we have sent you (valuation statements, tax certificates, contract notes). Change some of your personal details. Monitor the gains and losses you are making on investments in your account. Monitor ongoing orders on your account. Add money to your account by debit card. Give instructions for how to manage your dividends and other investment income. Give cash withdrawal instructions. We charge you 15 per UK investment and 90 per overseas investment to move investments out to another provider or in to your own name. You won t be charged for the move to ATS. And if you don t want to move to ATS and give us instructions to close your Stocktrade account instead we will waive our exit charges. Remember to give us your instructions by 2nd September 2015 using your Consent Form. Yes. Online. Provided by Morningstar and Edison on behalf of ATS. Includes the ability to set up watch lists and mock portfolios to track. ATS issue documents online unless you ask for them to be issued in paper instead. ATS send you: Valuation statement twice a year, including a listing of all your account holdings. If you ask for this in paper form ATS will charge you 5 plus VAT per statement. A consolidated tax certificate after the tax year end, to help you complete your tax return. Contract notes, whenever you buy and sell investments. The total value of your account. A breakdown of all the investments and cash held in it. Your transaction history with ATS. Copies from recent years of the information previously sent to you by Stocktrade along with copies of information ATS send you in future. Change some of your personal details. Monitor ongoing orders on your account. Move cash around inside your account. Set up a direct debit and give instructions to make regular investments. Add money to your account by debit card. Give instructions for how to manage your dividends and other investment income. Give cash withdrawal instructions. ATS charge 60 plus VAT to move all your investments out to another provider. ATS charge 20 per investment to transfer an investment out into your own name. We and ATS want you to be happy with its service. So if you consent to the move but then close your account within 60 days of doing so, ATS will waive these charges. 7

8 Will I pay lower charges with ATS? ATS charges flat fees for its trading and administration services. Stocktrade s trading charges are based on the value of your investments. Whether this means you pay more or less with ATS depends on your individual circumstances. Here are four simple examples to help give you some idea. Remember that VAT is not payable on the ATS annual account charge. I trade only occasionally and only deal over the telephone. You instructed one buy deal for UK listed securities in the past year. The value of that deal was 10,000. Annual account charge (4 x 10): 40 + VAT ( 48) Dealing charge (0.4% of 10,000): 40 Total charges: 88 Charges would have been the same if you had dealt online instead. Annual account charge (4 x 18.75): 75 Dealing charge: 40 Total charges: 115 Charges would have been if you had dealt online instead. I trade 2 or 3 times a year, using both the telephone and online dealing. You instructed two sell deals for UK listed securities in the past year and one buy deal. The value of these deals was 3,000, 10,000 and 15,000 respectively. Annual account charge (4 x 10): 40 + VAT ( 48) Dealing charge (0.4% of 3,000): (min charge) Dealing charge (0.4% of 10,000): 40 Dealing charge (0.4% of 15,000): 50 (max charge) Total charges: Charges would have been the same if you had dealt on the telephone instead. Annual account charge (4 x 18.75): 75 Dealing charges (3 x 12.50): Total charges: Charges would have been 195 if you had dealt over the telephone instead ( 40 a deal instead of 12.50). I trade fairly often and I always trade online. You traded 12 times over the year in UK listed securities. Each trade was valued at 10,000. Annual account charge (4 x 10): 40 + VAT ( 48) Dealing charge (0.4% of 10,000 x 12): 480 Total charges: 528 Annual account charge (4 x 18.75): 75 Dealing charges (12 x 12.50): 150 Total charges: 225 8

9 I m a frequent trader and I always trade online. You traded 240 times over the year in UK listed securities. You qualify for the Star Trader dealing charge rate. Each trade was valued at 8,000. Annual account charge (4 x 10): 40 + VAT ( 48) Dealing charge (0.2% of 8,000 x 240): 3,840 Total charges: 3,888 Annual account charge (4 x 18.75): 75 Dealing charges (240 x 12.50): 3,000 Total charges: 3,075 TRANSFERRING TO ATS: WHAT AND WHEN 1 By 2nd September 2015 You should read this information pack and sign and return your consent form. 2 11th September 2015 ATS will open your new account(s) and post you a personal ID and (under separate cover) a password. This lets you activate your new online service and be ready to start dealing as soon as your investments and cash are moved to the ATS trading platform. 3 Weekend of 25th 27th September 2015 Your investments and cash will be moved to the ATS trading platform. You will be able to continue dealing through Stocktrade until 4.30pm, Friday 25th September. Please note that we will not trade in North American markets after 4.30pm on this date. All limit and stop loss orders will be cancelled at 4.30pm, Friday 25th September. You will be able to set up new limit orders on your ATS account once it is open. 4 From Monday 28th September From the next business day after your investments and cash are moved you ll be able start trading right away, online or over the telephone. You can also change all the default settings on your new account(s). For example you ll be able to give ATS online instructions to manage any income from your investments and to set up regular investment instructions by direct debit (if you haven t done it by then). Taking action is important We don t want you to experience any interruption in your ability to trade during the transfer to ATS. That is why it is important that you complete and return your Consent Form to us by 2nd September By doing this you give us time to act on your instructions and minimise the risk of any interruption to your ability to trade, whether you decide to transfer to ATS or ask us to do something else instead. LEARN YOUR WAY AROUND THE ATS ONLINE SERVICE If you can t wait until September to start learning your way around the ATS online service you can see video demonstrations of how to use it at 9

10 Will the instructions I have given to Stocktrade about managing my account be carried over automatically to ATS? That depends on the type of instructions you have given. If someone else has a legal authority to operate your account (for example under a Power of Attorney) that we already know about, you will not have to tell ATS about that. We will give this information to them. For other types of instruction, ATS will open your account with default settings that you will be able to change quickly and easily once you have activated it. The default settings include: That dividend or income payments on your investments are paid into your ATS account in cash. That no instructions are in place for taking income out of your account. That no third parties (other than those with existing legal authority) can operate your account. That you have no investment watch lists set up. That all information will be sent to you online. Once your account with ATS has been opened they will send you more information about how to change your default settings and to give other instructions, either online or over the telephone. What if I hold investments through Stocktrade that are not offered by ATS? This affects only a very small proportion of Stocktrade clients, for example those who hold overseas securities in markets other than Europe or North America or some complex investments. If you are affected we will have told you in your covering letter and also provided a list of the investments that you will not be able to hold through ATS. If you otherwise consent to the transfer to ATS you should still complete and return the consent form enclosed to tell us that. But for these particular investments you will have to make alternative arrangements before 23rd September Two options are open to you: Transfer them to another broker. We will not charge you an exit fee. You will have to contact this broker to let them know that you want to transfer to them. We will not be able to transfer your investments unless your new broker/plan manager agrees to accept them. Sell them by contacting us in the usual way and (if you wish) we will transfer the cash proceeds to your ATS account. We will charge you commission on your sale at our usual rates. 10

11 What happens to any investments or cash that I hold in a foreign currency such as US Dollars or Euros? ATS only offer accounts in GB Pounds (Sterling). If you hold cash in foreign currencies: If you wish, you can convert any cash held in other currencies to GB Pounds ahead of the move by contacting Stocktrade in the usual way and no later than 22nd September Otherwise your cash will be converted automatically to GB Pounds at the foreign exchange market rate that applies at 4.30pm on 23rd September Stocktrade s usual charges for foreign currency exchange will apply in both cases (see page 5 for the details). If you hold investments in foreign currencies: ATS only supports overseas investments in the form of Crest Depositary Interests (CDIs). If you hold CDIs valued in currencies other than GB Pounds, after the transfer these will show a value in GB Pounds, based on the prevailing foreign exchange rate at the time you check. When you trade in these CDIs ATS s charges for foreign currency exchange will apply (see page 5 for the details). Will I still be able to see my Stocktrade transaction history on the ATS platform? When you activate your online account with ATS you will just see an opening balance for the investments and cash that have been moved over from Stocktrade. Copies of recent statements that Stocktrade issued to you will be in the document store of your new account with ATS. These will let you check back on your transaction history with Stocktrade if you need to. If you require access to any older details then you will need to submit a request to ATS who will be able to retrieve this information for you. How are my investments and cash with ATS protected? ATS will hold your investments (along with those of others) in a separate nominee company. This means those investments would not normally be affected if ATS itself was unable to meet its financial obligations. In the event your investments were affected, you may be eligible for compensation up to 50,000 from the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS). This is the same as your Stocktrade account. ATS is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority to take cash deposits. The FCA Client Money Rules will not apply to these cash deposits. Instead, ATS uses the banking exemption under the FCA s Client Money Rules. This means ATS will hold your cash as banker and not as trustee or agent on your behalf. The cash legally belongs to ATS, but is subject to the obligations ATS owes to you. Should ATS fail you will not share in any distribution under Client Money rules but you may be able to apply for compensation under the FSCS. The current compensation limit is 85,000 for each person who is eligible to make a claim across all their accounts with the bank. How are these arrangements different from Brewin Dolphin? Brewin Dolphin is not a bank. However, Brewin Dolphin offers client money protection under the FCA s Client Money Rules. These rules require Brewin Dolphin to hold your money in Client Money bank accounts which are established with statutory trust status. This ensures that your money is protected and held by banks as belonging to you rather than Brewin Dolphin itself. What it means is that if Brewin Dolphin were to go into administration, your client money will be protected and will be fully returned to you. When you consent to your cash being transferred to ATS, you will no longer have this client money protection as ATS uses the banking exemption as noted above. 11

12 What is a nominee? A nominee is a company that simply holds investments on behalf of others. It carries out no other business. When you hold your investments through a nominee as you will with ATS the nominee becomes the legal owner of the investment. You remain the beneficial owner, meaning the money associated with the investment belongs to you. What does a nominee mean for me? There are two main differences between a nominee holding your investments and holding them directly in your own name. Shareholder rights. The issuer of your investments will normally communicate with the nominee company instead of you. This means you no longer automatically get copies of annual reports and accounts for example. It is the nominee company that is legally entitled to exercise voting rights and make decisions about any corporate actions (for example whether to take up a rights issue or not). Your dividends are also paid to the nominee and will be managed based on instructions you give. Dealing and administration. You ask ATS to place deals on your behalf and handle the administration associated with your investment (for example, managing any dividends you receive) and this is arranged through their nominee. You no longer have to make these arrangements yourself you just give instructions for what you want to be done. Is there any way I can still exercise my rights as a shareholder through a nominee? Yes. ATS supports this in two main ways. Telling you about corporate actions. ATS will tell you about important corporate actions that might significantly affect the value of your investment, or where you have the opportunity to buy or receive more shares or a distribution of profits. Where necessary it will also ask for your instructions on what to do and the nominee will act accordingly. Shareholder Enfranchisement service. If the issuer of your investment participates in the ATS Shareholder Enfranchisement service you can opt in to continue receiving all shareholder communications. You can also tell the nominee how you would like to vote on any issues where you were eligible to vote had you been the legal owner. There is no charge for this. You can find more detail on pages of Managing your Account: The Platform Guide. Are there benefits in using a nominee? Yes. The main benefit is that the nominee deals with all investment administration on your behalf. For example there is no paperwork to complete if you want to trade and dividend payments will be reinvested or paid to you automatically in line with instructions you give to ATS. You will also be able to invest in regulated funds (OEICs and Unit Trusts) through the ATS nominee. This option is not available through your Crest Personal Membership account. 12

13 I had to complete a form for the US tax authorities so I could trade in US investments through Stocktrade. Do I have to complete another one for ATS? No. If you completed this form (known as a W8-BEN form) then this will transfer over with your account. I had to complete a form to show it was appropriate for me to purchase a complex instrument through Stocktrade. Do I have to complete another one for ATS? Not for the move. If you previously completed a form like this you will be able to sell your complex instrument without completing another one. However, if you ask to buy any new instruments in future that ATS consider to be complex, you will have to complete this form again. I use Stocktrade s extended settlement service. Will this be available through ATS? No. This is not a service that ATS provides. I ve moved abroad since I opened my Stocktrade account. Will this make a difference when my investments and cash are transferred to ATS? If you have a non-uk address you will not be able to buy any Unit Trusts or OEICs through ATS (which would otherwise have been an option for you if you consent to the transfer). It won t affect your existing investments. Will I be able to take part in Initial Public Offerings (IPOs) through ATS? Yes. ATS participates regularly in IPOs. You can see the latest IPOs available to ATS account holders at 13

14 A closing message from ATS Our award-winning team stands ready to help you get the best out of your new trading platform. We are investing in both the people and technology that support it so we can continue providing you with an excellent investment dealing and administration service, backed by the kind of personal support you ve come to expect from Stocktrade. We want you to be happy with ATS and our service. Because of that we ll be waiving our exit charges for 60 days from the date your investments and cash transfer to us. So if you are not sure right now whether ATS is for you, please let us convince you. Return your Consent Form by 2nd September 2015 and give our service a try before you decide on the long term future for your investments. Thank you and we ll look forward to welcoming you to ATS. Patrick Mill Managing Director Alliance Trust Savings. 14

15 ACTION FOR YOU: A REMINDER Please read the information we have sent you carefully. Then let us know what you would like to do by completing and returning your Consent Form in the pre-paid envelope provided by 2nd September Taking action now will help to avoid any delays to investment deals you may wish to make following the sale to ATS.

16 Sixth Floor, Atria One, 144 Morrison Street, Edinburgh, 144 Morrison Street, Edinburgh, EH3 8BR T (Registered Share Dealing Clients) T (Registered ISA clients or any ISA enquiries) E sharedealing@stocktrade.co.uk Stocktrade is a division of Brewin Dolphin Limited, which is a member of the London Stock Exchange and is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (Financial Services Register reference number: ). Registered office: 12 Smithfield Street, London, EC1A 9BD. Registered in England and Wales company number VAT number: GB INFOCREST