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Southwest Securities, Inc. Business Continuity Planning Disclosure
Southwest Securities, Inc., (“SWST”), provides services using computer systems and financial relationships. The events of September 11, 2001 emphasized the importance of the capital markets to our economy. As a result, we have been working to improve our responses to various situations that have the potential to impact our ability to serve you. This disclosure document is designed to provide you with information on how we have approached and/or plan to approach various situations that we may encounter.
Overview of Southwest Securities Inc.
Southwest Securities Inc., a Member Firm of the New York Stock Exchange, is a full-service brokerage firm providing customers with execution services on all major exchanges and access to all major markets. In addition, SWST performs, as agent, certain execution and clearing functions for independent brokerage firms. These functions are provided primarily in Dallas, Texas with various broker, trading, stock-loan and investment banking offices located in other locations in the United States.
SWST uses various mission critical systems to provide these services to our customers. These systems are housed at one of our data centers, one of our offices, or at a third party service provider, exchange or utility.
Our business continuity planning (“BCP”) first insures the safety and security of our employees. The events of 9/11 emphasized the unique skill sets of personnel who work in our industry and the need to put their safety first so that after an interruption they are available to continue serving our customers. In addition to protecting our personnel, our BCP and daily operations are focused on preserving our critical firm and customer data through regular backups which are moved offsite either via media and/or real time and near real time electronic copies of our data at remote locations. In 1996 we added a second data center in one of the suburbs of Dallas which houses our backup hardware/software, real time data copies and back office recovery space. We have constructed high bandwidth networks between our two data centers allowing us to utilize the resources of both centers during normal production, as well as facilitating the real time movement of data from the primary data servers to the backup data servers. Finally, our industry is heavily interconnected with data connections ranging from dial-up modem communication, dedicated private lines, frame relay technology and, in many cases, the Internet through encrypted sessions. Where mission critical systems are involved, we have installed, where possible, redundant connections to the exchanges, utilities and counterparties involved.
Business Continuity Planning Response Scenarios
The details of our BCP are proprietary and contain information which is confidential and in many cases potentially harmful to SWST and our customers if publicly available. The following series of event scenarios are presented to disclose to you our planned approach for dealing with a variety of hypothetical Significant Business Disruptions (SBD’s), but based on the number of variables present in each situation, SWST can’t guarantee we will follow these plans.
Scenario: An event occurs that, like 9/11, causes the complete shutdown of securities trading, clearance/ settlement or other banking services nationwide. (nationwide) SWST plans to continue business during this type of event and will await the reopening of the affected institutions. Unless a securities industry holiday is declared, we plan to be open each business day until full functionality is restored. The recovery time in this scenario will be dependent on the timing specified by the impacted organizations. We plan to be ready to open when they reopen.
Scenario: A specific exchange is unable to trade. (nationwide) SWST plans to continue business during this type of event and will route its order flow away from that exchange to alternative exchanges for the securities that exchange trades. Our recovery time objective for this scenario is less than one hour. Scenario: One of our major telecommunications vendors loses a key central office or service offering. (nationwide and/or firm only) SWST plans to continue business during this type of event and will use alternative dialing plans (e.g. placing/receiving local calls through a long distance vendor different from the failed vendor), backup lines from a different vendor for mission critical data applications (e.g. use the Sprint backup connection to an exchange when AT&T is down). Our planned recovery time objective is less than four hours.
Scenario: The power grid (ERCOT) that serves the majority of our Texas locations is down. (regional) SWST plans to continue business during this type of event and will utilize the backup generators that are located at both the primary data center location and the backup data center location to power our operations during the outage. Where necessary, we will relocate personnel among our facilities to compensate for any workspace outages. Our planned recovery time objective for power to our data centers from the backup generators is less than fifteen minutes. If we are required to activate our business resumption space for operations recovery, the planned recovery time objective is four hours for mission critical functions.
Scenario: Our headquarters location is closed. (single building, city wide, business district) SWST plans to continue business during this type of event and will transfer its mission critical activities to the backup data center and our other offices and affiliate offices. Assuming no access to and no power to the building, the planned recovery time objective for mission critical activities is four hours. Our planned recovery times for business resumption may be negatively impacted by the unavailability of external resources and other circumstances beyond our control. In the event of a significant business disruption, Southwest Securities. Inc. will supply additional information at 866-SWS-5BCP (866-797-5227).
Scenario: Your Broker/Dealer firm which clears through Southwest Securities, Inc. experiences a significant business disruption and cannot be contacted. SWST has set up operational procedures to assist the clients of Broker/Dealers for which we clear. Click here to access more information.
Updates to this disclosure As we continue to test our plans and as conditions in our firm and the industry change, we will continuously revise the plans as considered necessary. Whenever we update this disclosure document we will promptly place a copy of it on our website. You may request a hard copy of this disclosure in its current revision be sent to you at any time by mail.
Southwest Securities, Inc. Business Disruption Addendum
In the event that your Broker/Dealer experiences a significant business interruption and cannot be reached, Southwest Securities, Inc. (Southwest) may be contacted directly to process limited security transactions, transfers, and cash disbursements.
Southwest requires that these requests be submitted to us in writing, signed and transmitted via facsimile or U.S. Mail as follows:
Southwest Securities, Inc. 1201 Elm Street, Suite 3500 Attn: Special Projects, Operations Dallas, TX 75270 Fax: (214) 859-6095
The fax number above is for the receipt of business interruption requests only, and should not be used for any other purposes including, but not limited to, change of address changes, account transfers, and credit inquiries. Information received on this fax that is unrelated to business interruption issues will not be processed. For additional information about how to request funds and securities when your financial organization cannot be contacted due to a significant business interruption, please refer to the information below or call 866-SWS-5BCP (866-797-5227) for recorded instructions.
The specific transactions Southwest will perform for the clients of our introducing broker-dealers, and the required information in order for these requests, are as follows:
Trades
SWST will process the following closing security transactions as market orders only*:
- Sale of a security position held long in the client's account
- Buy of a security to close-out a short security position
*SWST will process the above closing security transactions only upon receipt of written instructions that include the following information:
- Client’s Southwest account number
- Client’s name (as listed on your Southwest account)
- Client’s phone number
- Security description, including symbol or CUSIP® number
- Number of shares
Securities Transfers
Southwest will process security transfer requests upon written instructions that should include the following information:
- Client’s Southwest account number
- Client’s name (as listed on your Southwest account)
- Client’s phone number
- Description of security or securities to be transferred, including symbol(s) and/or CUSIP® number(s)
- Quantity to be transferred
- Receiving account information for securities, as follows:
- Transfer to another brokerage account at Southwest
Provide receiving Southwest account number (Securities will only be transferred between accounts of like name)
- Transfer to another financial institution
Name of the receiving financial organization DTC number (if the receiving financial organization is a registered broker-dealer) Client’s account number at the receiving financial institution (Securities will only be transferred between accounts of like name)
Cash Disbursements
Southwest will process cash disbursements upon receipt of signed written instructions that include the following information:
- Client’s Southwest account number
- Client’s name (as listed on your Southwest account)
- Client’s phone number
- Exact amount to be disbursed
- Indicate method of disbursement (as follows) and provide the information indicated:
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Southwest Securities, Inc. Identification Theft
What to do if you're a victim of Identity Theft
If you are a client of and feel you may be a victim of identity theft, please contact your financial advisor immediately.
In addition, take the following four steps as soon as possible, and keep a record with the details of your conversations and copies of all correspondence.
- Place a fraud alert on your credit reports, and review your credit reports.
Fraud alerts can help prevent an identity thief from opening any more accounts in your name. Contact the toll-free fraud number of any of the three consumer reporting companies below to place a fraud alert on your credit report. You only need to contact one of the three companies to place an alert. The company you call is required to contact the other two, which will place an alert on their versions of your report, too. If you do not receive a confirmation from a company, you should contact that company directly to place a fraud alert.
- TransUnion: 1-800-680-7289;
www.transunion.com; Fraud Victim Assistance Division, P.O. Box 6790, Fullerton, CA 92834-6790
- Equifax: 1-800-525-6285;
www.equifax.com; P.O. Box 740241, Atlanta, GA 30374-0241
- Experian: 1-888-EXPERIAN (397-3742);
www.experian.com; P.O. Box 9532, Allen, TX 75013
Once you place the fraud alert in your file, you're entitled to order one free copy of your credit report from each of the three consumer reporting companies, and, if you ask, only the last four digits of your Social Security number will appear on your credit reports. Once you get your credit reports, review them carefully. Look for inquires from companies you haven't contacted, accounts you didn't open, and debts on your accounts that you can't explain. Check that information, like your Social Security number, address(es), name or initials, and employers are correct. If you find fraudulent or inaccurate information, get it removed. See Correcting Fraudulent Information in Credit Reports to learn how. When you correct your credit report, use an Identity Theft Report with a cover letter explaining your request, to get the fastest and most complete results.
Continue to check your credit reports periodically, especially for the first year after you discover the identity theft, to make sure no new fraudulent activity has occurred.
- Close the accounts that you know, or believe, have been tampered with or opened fraudulently.
Call and speak with someone in the security or fraud department of each company. Follow up in writing, and include copies (NOT originals) of supporting documents. It's important to notify credit card companies and banks in writing. Send your letters by certified mail, return receipt requested, so you can document what the company received and when. Keep a file of you correspondence and enclosures.
When you open new accounts, use new Personal Identification Numbers (PINs) and passwords. Avoid using easily available information like your mother's maiden name, your birth date, the last four digits of your Social Security number or your phone number, or a series of consecutive numbers.
If the identify thief has made charges or debits on your accounts, or has fraudulently opened accounts, ask the company for the forms to dispute those transactions:
- For charges and debits on existing accounts, ask the representative to send you the company's fraud dispute forms. If the company doesn't have special forms, use the sample letter to dispute the fraudulent charges or debits. In either case, write to the company at the address given for "billing inquires" NOT the address for sending your payments.
- If you want to file a dispute directly with the company, and do not want to file a report with the police, ask if the company accepts the FTC's ID Theft Affidavit . If it does not, ask the representative to send you the company's fraud dispute forms.
- However, filing a report with the police and then providing the company with an Identity Theft Report will give you greater protection. For example, if the company has already reported these unauthorized accounts or debts on your credit report, an Identity Theft Report will require them to stop reporting that information. Use the cover letter to explain to the company the rights Identity Theft Report. More information about getting and using an Identity Theft Report can be found here.
Once you have resolved your identity theft dispute with the company, ask for a letter stating that the company has closed the disputed accounts and has discharged the fraudulent debts. This letter is your best proof if errors relating to this account reappear on your credit report or you are contacted again about the fraudulent debt.
- File a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission.
You can file a complaint with the FTC using the online complaint form; or call the FTC's Identity Theft Hotline, toll-free: 1-877-ID-THEFT (438-4338);TTY: 1-866-653-4261; or write Identity Theft Clearinghouse, Federal Trade Commission, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20580. Be sure to call the hotline to update your complaint if you have any additional information or problems.
By sharing your identity theft complain with the FTC, you will provide important information that can help law enforcement officials across the nation track down identity thieves and stop them. The FTC can refer victims' complaints to other government agencies and companies for further action, as well as investigate companies for violation of laws the agency enforces.
Additionally, you can provide a printed copy of your online Complaint form to the police to incorporate into their report. The printed FTC ID Theft Complaint, in conjunction with the police report, can constitute an identity Theft Report and entitle you to certain protections. This Identity Theft Report can be used to (1) permanently block fraudulent information from appearing on your credit report; (2) ensure that debts do not reappear on your credit report; (3) prevent a company from continuing to collect debts that result from identity theft; and (4) place an extended fraud alert on your credit report.
- File a report with your local police or the police in the community where the identity theft took place.
Call your local police department and tell them that you want to file a report about your identity theft. Ask them if you can file the report in person.
If you cannot, ask if you can file a report over the Internet or telephone. See below for information about Automated Reports.
If the police are reluctant to take your report, ask to file a "Miscellaneous Incident" report, or try another jurisdiction, like your state police. You also can check with your state Attorney General's office to find out if state law requires the police to take reports for identity theft. Check the Blue Pages of your telephone directory for the phone number or check www.naag.org for a list of state Attorneys General.
When you go to your local police department to file your report, take a printed copy of your FTC ID Theft Complaint form, your cover letter, and your supporting documentation. The cover letter explains why a police report and an ID Theft Complaint are so important to victims.
Ask the officer to attach or incorporate the ID Theft Complaint into their police report. Tell them that you need a copy of the Identity Theft Report (the police report with your ID theft complaint attached or incorporated) to dispute the fraudulent accounts and debts created by the identity thief. (In some jurisdictions the officer will not be able to give you a copy of the official police report, but should be able to sign your Complaint and write the police report number in the "Law Enforcement Report" section.) |
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Southwest Securities, Inc.
Investment Protection Principles
We have adopted procedures to conform to the six "Investment Protection Principles" for investment banks
that were recently announced. The six principles are:
- Sever the link between compensation for analysts and investment banking
- Prohibit investment banking input into analysts' compensation
- Create a review committee to approve all research recommendations
- Require that upon discontinuation of research coverage of a company, firms will
disclose the termination and the rationale for such termination
- Disclose in research reports whether the firm has received or is entitled to receive any
compensation from a covered company over the past 12 months
We will continue to remain on the forefront of all aspects of corporate governance.
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Southwest Securities, Inc.
Our Customer Protection
A summary explanation of the protection provided to our customers.
Reading the booklet "How SIPC Protects Investors" is
an essential first step in becoming acquainted with
the protection of securities accounts provided to our
customers. It can be read and copied on the Website
of the Securities Investor Protection Corporation
at www.sipc.org or your investment executive can
furnish you with a copy. In addition, we have
purchased from underwriting syndicates at Lloyd's
of London additional security protection to cover the
net equity of customer’s accounts up to an aggregate
of $100 million.
Our capital strength – approximately $200 million –
also protects our customers. Historically, the firm
has always maintained greater capital than required
by any regulatory authority.
KEY PROVISIONS
The following presents a simplified summary of the most important provisions of the additional protection we
have purchased.
It does not contain the legal documents that actually govern coverage. The full policy terms, conditions and
limitations always
govern. This summary does not alter the terms of the excess securities policy in any way and cannot be used
to support a claim
in the event of loss.
There are several important conditions to the excess securities protection.
- Coverage is provided in addition to pro-rata return by a Trustee and the $500,000 SIPC limit provided by
the Securities
Investor Protection Act of 1970 as amended.
- The policy covers only customer claims for loss of securities that would have been recoverable except for
SIPC's limit.
- When SIPC files application for a protective court decree in accordance with the Securities Investor
Protection Act, the filing
date shall be the date of valuation of securities. Trustee returns and SIPC and supplementary insurer
protection does not
apply to any decline in the market value of your securities.
- The policy is renewable annually on March 30.
ADEQUACY OF COVERAGE
In the unlikely event of a liquidation process under the provisions of the Securities Investor Protection Act,
all customers would
share proportionately in any shortage in cash and securities belonging to customers. Here is a specific
example: Southwest
Securities typically holds $19.5 billion of customer assets - most are physically located at the Depository
Trust Company, a central
facility established to hold and deliver securities for brokerage firms and commercial banks.
For purpose of example, let's assume a failure with a very large initial shortage of $500 million. Although we
believe our internal
controls and safeguards would prevent such a shortage from occurring, it would be 3% of the $19.5 billion we
hold for customers.
A SIPC trustee would, therefore, return from customer property on hand 97% of each customer's account.
In addition, under SIPC* each customer would be entitled to replacement of any shortage up to $500,000
(including up to
$250,000 in cash) and would share with other non-customer creditors in any remaining firm assets. The example
of a $500
million shortage is illustrated in the table below.
| Customer Account Valued at |
Customer's Pro-rata Share of Assets |
Amount of SIPC Assistance |
Customer's Amount From the Policy |
Customer Loss Equals |
| |
| $50,000 |
$48,500 |
$1,500 |
$0 |
$0 |
| $1,000,000 |
$970,000 |
$30,000 |
$0 |
$0 |
| $5,000,000 |
$4,850,000 |
$150,000 |
$0 |
$0 |
| $18,000,000 |
$17,460,000 |
$500,000 |
$40,000 |
$0 |
| $25,000,000 |
$24,250,000 |
$500,000 |
$250,000 |
$0 |
| $40,000,000 |
$38,800,000 |
$500,000 |
$700,000 |
$0 |
Expressed in general terms, federal law requires broker/dealers to:
- Maintain accurate records of securities and monies they hold for each customer.
- Promptly take possession and control of securities purchased and hold customer securities identified as such in approved
locations.
- Make weekly computations of customer money balances and cash representing any customer securities not actually in possession
and to deposit any such balances in bank accounts identified as being for the benefit of customers.
The law permits customer cash balances to be used to finance fully collateralized margin loans. Southwest Securities, Inc. is
subject to periodic reviews by regulatory organizations, including the New York Stock Exchange, the Financial Industry
Regulatory Authority, and the Securities and Exchange Commission. Southwest Securities, Inc. makes a diligent effort to comply
with all securities laws, including those designed to safeguard customer assets.
*See SIPC booklet for all definitions. For example, the securities we hold in customer name without stock
powers are returned separately without affecting the distribution shown in the table. All examples are
assumed to be accounts with less than $250,000 in cash balances.
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Southwest Securities, Inc. Privacy Policy
At Southwest Securities, Inc. (Southwest), we are committed to protecting your privacy and the confidentiality of your personal and financial information. The measures we take to keep your personal information private and secure are outlined below.
Southwest Securities, Inc. has multiple affiliates, including SWS Financial Services, Inc., SWS Capital Corporation, Southwest Securities, FSB and Southwest Insurance Agency. These companies, along with Southwest Securities, Inc., are wholly owned subsidiaries of SWS Group, Inc., a financial holding company whose stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol SWS. Since the affiliates are all part of one corporate family, they work with one another and may work together to service your financial needs. The sharing of your information among our affiliates enables us to serve you more efficiently and makes it more convenient for you to do business with us. We are permitted by law to share information with our affiliates about your account history and your experiences with us. All of our affiliates follow the same privacy policies.
How We Protect Confidentiality
Southwest uses procedural, physical and electronic system safeguards to store and secure information about you in compliance with federal standards. Our systems protect your information from unauthorized access, alteration, and destruction. Access is permitted only to those individuals within our organization who need the information to perform their job responsibilities.
When we enter into agreements with other companies to provide services to us or to make products and services available to you, we include a confidentiality clause. Under such an agreement, these companies may receive information about you, but they may only use it for the intended purpose - to benefit you.
Persons Covered by the Privacy Policy
The Southwest Privacy Policy applies to anyone who is a current or former Southwest brokerage client or who registers with one of our services or promotional offers. We provide you with a copy of this policy when you open an account, and we send you annual notifications thereafter. If we change our policy regarding the sharing of information, we will notify you in advance and give you the opportunity to "opt out" of such disclosure.
How We Obtain Information About You
In the normal course of business, we collect, retain and use information about you to serve your financial needs, administer your account(s) and inform you of products and services that may be of interest. This data, known as non-public personal information, may be collected from several sources, including: applications and other forms you file with us (e.g., name, assets, and income), records of transactions with us, our affiliates, non-affiliated third parties and others (e.g., credit report). Because we strive to provide you with the best possible service, the accuracy and completeness of your personal information is important to us. We ask that you review your information regularly to ensure that it is correct. Please contact your account representative or Southwest directly if you need to correct or update your personal information.
Sharing Information-With Whom and Why
Southwest does not sell your personal information to anyone. We restrict the types of information we share and the types of entities with whom we share it. The primary reason for sharing information about you is to increase your convenience in transacting business with us and to give you more financial service choices.
We do not disclose your personal information to non-affiliated third parties, unless one of the following exceptions applies:
We disclose personal information to service providers that assist us in processing your transactions or servicing your account(s). An example would be the company that prints and mails your account statement. We may also disclose personal information to third party service providers in an effort to improve and better market the products and services we offer.
We disclose or report personal information in limited circumstances when we believe in good faith that disclosure is required or permitted under law. For example, we would provide information in cooperation with securities regulators or law enforcement authorities, to resolve consumer disputes, or to perform credit evaluations and authenticate checks.
Internet Security
We do not retrieve account or personal information from visitors who browse the public (pre-logon) areas of our Web sites. Clients who have the ability to access their accounts online are required to log on with their user name and individually selected password. Your password is known solely to you, the client, and should never be shared with anyone. You may change your password as often as you wish.
When you access your account online, it is through a Secure Socket Layer-encrypted session between your browser and our servers. To ensure the highest level of security, we have installed VeriSign Global Server IDs on each server. We will continue to enhance security procedures as new technologies become available. Each time you access your account please don't forget to log off when you are finished. This will prevent someone else from accessing your account if you leave your computer and your session hasn't automatically shut down.
Southwest employees use information about you to respond to your needs and to provide you with information about specific products in which you may have an interest. We instruct our employees to use strict standards of care in handling the personal, confidential information of customers and remind them on a regular basis of their obligations with regard to the confidentiality of customer information.
Option to Opt Out and Change Notices
If for any reason at any time in the future, we find it necessary to disclose any of your personal information in a way that is inconsistent with this policy, we will give you advance notice of the proposed change and the opportunity to opt out of such disclosure.
For your reference, this policy has been posted to our Web site at www.swst.com. If you have questions or concerns, please contact us via email at info@swst.com. |
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Non-Mortgage Royalty Trust Tax Information
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| CUSIP |
Security Name |
Website |
Trustee Mailing Booklets |
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| * For trusts that post their tax information on BusinessWire, the tax information reporting booklets can also be accessed from www.businesswire.com by clicking on the "News" tab followed by "Company News Centers" and then using the browse or search feature to find the page that contains tax information for the trust. The tax information booklets are found on the left side of the page under "Related Links." |
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Unable to display this Web Part. To troubleshoot the problem, open this Web page in a Windows SharePoint Services-compatible HTML editor such as Microsoft Office SharePoint Designer. If the problem persists, contact your Web server administrator. |
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Southwest Securities, Inc.
Anonymous Reporting Hotline
Report It
Have you noticed an issue of workplace misconduct such as theft, fraud, dishonesty, harassment, unethical
behavior or improper accounting practices? Then we urge you to report it.
You are never required to provide any personal identifying information to access the system online or by
telephone - it is all done by access code. The hotline and the Website link are completely confidential, and
are administered by an independent third-party to ensure full anonymity for anyone who uses them. The
toll-free hotline number, and the link to file a report online are both available 24 hours a day, 365 days a
year.
Call the hotline number 877-778-5463, give your username (swsgroup), and password (swsgroup),
and the operator with the reporting service will help you submit your report. The operator then files the
report and sends it to the company for you so that you may maintain complete anonymity. You will never have to
speak to anyone affiliated with SWS Group, and no one at the company will ever contact you, it will all be
done through the reporting service.
You may also file a report from any computer with online access. Go to www.reportit.net
and click on the Report it Online button, enter your username (swsgroup), and password (swsgroup).
Simply type in your answers to the given questions to submit your anonymous report. Try to be as clear and
complete as possible so that your concerns may be properly and thoroughly investigated.
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Southwest Securities, Inc. Sweep Account Disclosure
For new accounts, if no selection of a money fund is made, your account will default to sweep cash balances to the
Dreyfus General Money Market Fund. For existing accounts, please notify your Broker if you wish to sweep balances to the Dreyfus General Money Market Fund, the Bank Insured Deposit or other selection. The Bank Insured Deposit is an FDIC-insured account administered by Reich & Tang Insured Deposits that sweeps funds to participant banks in increments of $250,000, to achieve FDIC insurance coverage up to $2.5 million depending on the number of participant banks in the program. Deposits in these participant banks are generally insured up to $250,000 per depositor, while your IRA and other qualifying self-directed retirement funds on deposit are separately insured up to $250,000. Prior or additional bank accounts at any participant bank may affect insurance coverage. If your funds on deposit at the participant bank exceed the applicable FDIC insurance limit of $250,000 per depositor ($250,000 for qualifying retirement accounts), the FDIC will not insure your funds at that participant bank which are in excess of the limit. If you have a deposit with one of the participant banks that is separate from a balance in the Bank Insured Deposit, please notify your broker if the combined deposits are in excess of $250,000.
For a list of Bank Insured Deposit participant banks, please click here: Participant Banks
For the BID Terms and Conditions document, please click here: BID Terms and Conditions
It is important that you understand the unique nature, insurance coverage and risk associated with each type of account. SIPC coverage does not protect cash balances created and maintained solely for the purpose of earning interest, so funds in money market or CIP accounts must be intended for future reinvestment.
SWST may temporarily suspend or discontinue the sweep arrangement, or change the timing or frequency of the sweep, anytime without advance notice to you. SWST may change your sweep account terms by giving you written notice. If SWST fails to sweep your uninvested funds in the manner described in the Customer Account Agreement, SWST's liability is limited to the actual amount of the dividends or interest you would have earned had the sweep been performed. SWST may automatically sweep funds from your sweep account to your brokerage account anytime without advance notice to you to pay for securities transactions and withdrawal requests, satisfy a debit balance, settle any other obligation you owe SWST, pay your margin loan, provide necessary collateral in your margin account, or for any other permissible purposes. Should you wish to access these funds or information regarding the fund rates, contact your Broker or registered representative. With ongoing changes to the rates of return for the available sweep options, your personal financial circumstances and market conditions, you should always consider all of your investment options.
Bank Insured Deposit
We anticipate receiving fees, including fees for administrative services, and other financial benefits for providing sweep funds on deposit with the Bank Insured Deposit. A portion of fees received may be paid to your Broker. The FDIC insures bank deposit accounts such as checking, interest-bearing checking and savings accounts, money market deposit accounts, and certificates of deposit (CDs) if an insured bank or savings association fails. Your bank deposits are generally insured up to $250,000 per depositor, while your IRA and other qualifying self-directed retirement funds on deposit are separately insured up to $250,000. The FDIC does not insure the money you invest in stocks, bonds, mutual funds, life insurance policies, annuities, or municipal securities, even if you purchased those products from an insured bank. Prior or additional bank accounts at the Bank may affect insurance coverage. If your funds on deposit exceed the applicable FDIC insurance limit of $250,000 per depositor ($250,000 for qualifying retirement accounts), the FDIC will not insure your funds in excess of the limit. Additional information regarding FDIC coverage is available at www.fdic.gov. Please consult your broker, as certain types of accounts may not be eligible to invest in the Bank Insured Deposit.
Interest on funds in a bank deposit account is accrued daily, compounded monthly and credited to your account monthly. Interest begins to accrue on the date of deposit in the Bank up to, but not including, the date of withdrawal. The daily balance method is used to calculate the interest on these accounts. The daily rate is 1/365 (or 1/366 in a leap year) of the interest rate. Account rates are set in accordance with other Bank products and may be changed at any time. The rate of return paid on Bank Insured Deposit funds may vary from the rates of return available to depositors making deposits with the Bank directly, through other types of accounts at your brokerage, or with other depository institutions in comparable accounts. The bank deposit account may be more profitable to SWST and its affiliates, than other available sweep options. You should compare the terms, rates of return, required minimum amounts, charges and other features with other accounts and alternative investments.
Money Market Funds
Money market mutual funds, which may also be available as customer selected sweep options, are treated as securities
and are registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), pursuant to the Investment Company Act of
1940. The Securities Investor Protection Corporation (SIPC) covers most customers of failed brokerage firms when assets
are missing from customer accounts. If sufficient funds are not available to compensate customers fully, the reserve
funds of SIPC are used to supplement the distribution. There is a limit of $500,000 per customer, including a maximum of
$250,000 paid 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. Additional information regarding SIPC coverage is available at
www.sipc.org. Supplemental coverage by SWST through an Excess Securities Bond further additionally protects your
securities, up to an aggregate of $20 million, against physical loss or misplacement. Certain types of accounts, including
corporations, partnerships and employee benefit plans, are not eligible to invest in the funds, please consult your broker
for additional information. We anticipate receiving fees or other financial benefits based on your sweep account balance.
For money market funds, those benefits can include annual payments based on the amount you invest in the sweep
account. A portion of fees received may be paid to your broker. Please note that shares in a money market fund are not
FDIC-insured, not guaranteed by the Federal government, and are not deposits or obligations of any bank or guaranteed
by any bank. There can be no assurance that a money market fund will be able to maintain a stable net asset value of $1
per share. Tax-exempt money market funds may be subject to the alternative minimum tax. See the money market fund
prospectus for more complete information, including terms, management fees, prevailing rates and expenses. You can
obtain a prospectus by contacting your registered representative. You should consider the fund's investment objectives,
risks and expenses carefully before investing. |
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Southwest Securities, Inc. Mutual Funds Breakpoint Discounts Disclosure Statement
Before investing in mutual funds, it is important that you understand the sales charges, expenses, and management fees that you will be charged, as well as the breakpoint discounts to which you may be entitled. Understanding these charges and breakpoint discounts will assist you in identifying the best investment for your particular needs and may help you reduce the cost of your investment. This disclosure document will give you general background information about these charges and discounts. However, sales charges, expenses, management fees, and breakpoint discounts vary from mutual fund to mutual fund. Therefore, you should discuss these issues with your financial advisor and review each mutual fund’s prospectus and statement of additional information, which are available from your financial advisor, to get the specific information regarding the charges and breakpoint discounts associated with a particular mutual fund.
Sales Charges
Investors that purchase mutual funds must make certain choices, including which funds to purchase and which class share is most advantageous. Each mutual fund has a specified investment strategy. You need to consider whether the mutual fund’s investment strategy is compatible with your investment objectives. Additionally, most mutual funds offer different share classes. Although each share class represents a similar interest in the mutual fund’s portfolio, the mutual fund will charge you different fees and expenses depending upon your choice of share class. As a general rule, Class A shares carry a “front-end” sales charge or “load” that is deducted from your investment at the time you buy fund shares. This sales charge is a percentage of your total purchase. As explained below, many mutual funds offer volume discounts to the front-end sales charge assessed on Class A shares at certain pre-determined levels of investment, which are called “breakpoint discounts.” In contrast, Class B and C shares usually do not carry any front-end sales charges. Instead, investors that purchase Class B or C shares pay asset-based sales charges, which may be higher than the charges associated with Class A shares. Investors that purchase Class B and C shares may also be required to pay a sales charge known as a contingent deferred sales charge when they sell their shares, depending upon the rules of the particular mutual fund.
Breakpoint Discounts
Most mutual funds offer investors a variety of ways to qualify for breakpoint discounts on the sales charge associated with the purchase of Class A shares. In general, most mutual funds provide breakpoint discounts to investors who make large purchases at one time. The extent of the discount depends upon the size of the purchase. Generally, as the amount of the purchase increases, the percentage used to determine the sales load decreases. In fact, the entire sales charge may be waived for investors that make very large purchases of Class A shares. Mutual fund prospectuses contain tables that illustrate the available breakpoint discounts and the investment levels at which breakpoint discounts apply. Additionally, most mutual funds allow investors to qualify for breakpoint discounts based upon current holdings from prior purchases through “Rights of Accumulation,” and future purchases, based upon “Letters of Intent.” This document provides general information regarding Rights of Accumulation and Letters of Intent. However, mutual funds have different rules regarding the availability of Rights of Accumulation and Letters of Intent. Therefore, you should discuss these issues with your financial advisor and review the mutual fund prospectus to determine the specific terms upon which a mutual fund offers Rights of Accumulation or Letters of Intent.
- Rights of Accumulation – Many mutual funds allow investors to count the value of previous purchases of the same fund, or another fund within the same fund family, with the value of the current purchase, to qualify for breakpoint discounts. Moreover, mutual funds allow investors to count existing holdings in multiple accounts, such as IRAs or accounts at other broker-dealers, to qualify for breakpoint discounts. Therefore, if you have accounts at other broker-dealers and wish to take advantage of the balances in these accounts to qualify for a breakpoint discount, you must advise your financial advisor about those balances. You may need to provide documentation establishing the holdings in those other accounts to your financial advisor if you wish to rely upon balances in accounts at another firm.
In addition, many mutual funds allow investors to count the value of holdings in accounts of certain related parties, such as spouses or children, to qualify for breakpoint discounts. Each mutual fund has different rules that govern when relatives may rely upon each other’s holdings to qualify for breakpoint discounts. You should consult with your financial advisor or review the mutual fund’s prospectus or statement of additional information to determine what these rules are for the fund family in which you are investing. If you wish to rely upon the holdings of related parties to qualify for a breakpoint discount, you should advise your financial advisor about these accounts. You may need to provide documentation to your financial advisor if you wish to rely upon balances in accounts at another firm.
Mutual funds also follow different rules to determine the value of existing holdings. Some funds use the current net asset value (NAV) of existing investments in determining whether an investor qualifies for a breakpoint discount. However, a small number of funds use the historical cost, which is the cost of the initial purchase, to determine eligibility for breakpoint discounts. If the mutual fund uses historical costs, you may need to provide account records, such as confirmation statements or monthly statements, to qualify for a breakpoint discount based upon previous purchases. You should consult with your financial advisor and review the mutual fund’s prospectus to determine whether the mutual fund uses either NAV or historical costs to determine breakpoint eligibility.
Letters of Intent – Most mutual funds allow investors to qualify for breakpoint discounts by signing a Letter of Intent, which commits the investor to purchasing a specified amount of Class A shares within a defined period of time, usually 13 months. For example, if an investor plans to purchase $50,000 worth of Class A shares over a period of 13 months, but each individual purchase would not qualify for a breakpoint discount, the investor could sign a Letter of Intent at the time of the first purchase and receive the breakpoint discount associated with $50,000 investments on the first and all subsequent purchases. Additionally, some funds offer retroactive Letters of Intent that allow investors to rely upon purchases in the recent past to qualify for a breakpoint discount. However, if an investor fails to invest the amount required by the Letter of Intent, the fund is entitled to retroactively deduct the correct sales charges based upon the amount that the investor actually invested. If you intend to make several purchases within a 13 month period, you should consult your financial advisor and the mutual fund prospectus to determine if it would be beneficial for you to sign a Letter of Intent.
As you can see, understanding the availability of breakpoint discounts is important because it may allow you to purchase Class A shares at a lower price. The availability of breakpoint discounts may save you money and may also affect your decision regarding the appropriate share class in which to invest. Therefore, you should discuss the availability of breakpoint discounts with your financial advisor and carefully review the mutual fund prospectus and its statement of additional information, which you can get from your financial advisor, when choosing among the share classes offered by a mutual fund. If you wish to learn more about mutual fund share classes or mutual fund breakpoints, you may wish to review the investor alerts available on the FINRA Web site.
See http://www.finra.org/Investors/ProtectYourself/InvestorAlerts/MutualFunds/p006022, and http://www.finra.org/InvestorInformation/InvestorAlerts/MutualFunds/ MutualFundBreakpointsABreakWorthTaking/p006008 or visit the many mutual fund Web sites available to the public. |
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Southwest Securities, Inc.
USA Patriot Act Customer Identification Program Notice
Important Information You Need to Know About Opening A New Account
To help the government fight the funding of terrorism and money laundering activities, federal law requires
financial institutions to obtain, verify, and record information that identifies each person who opens an
account.
What this means for you: When you open an account, we will ask for your name, address, date of birth and other information that will allow us to identify you. We may also ask to see your driver's license or other identifying documents.
Types of Information You Will Need to Provide
When you open an account, our firm is required to collect information such as the following from you:
- Your name
- Date of birth
- Address
- Identification number:
U.S. Citizen: taxpayer identification number (Social Security number or employer identification number)
Non-U.S. Citizen: taxpayer identification number, passport number and country of issuance, alien
identification card number, or government-issued identification showing nationality, residence, and a
photograph of you.
You may also need to show your driver's license or other identifying documents. We may also screen your
name against various databases to verify your identity. All information and documentation will be treated in a
manner so as to protect your privacy.
A corporation, partnership, trust or other legal entity may need to provide other information, such as its
principal place of business, local office, employer identification number, articles of incorporation,
government-issued business license, a partnership agreement, or a trust agreement.
Securities and Exchange Commission, FINRA, and New York Stock Exchange rules may also require you to provide
additional information, such as your net worth, annual income, occupation, employment information, investment
experience and investment objectives.
If Your Identity Cannot Be Verified
In certain circumstances we may not be able to open an account or conduct any transactions for you until we
have obtained and verified the necessary identification information. If we have opened an account for you, we
may have to restrict trading or close it if you do not supply the necessary information or documents, or if we
are unable to verify your identity.
We thank you for your patience and hope that you will support our firm's efforts to deny terrorists and money
launderers access to America's financial system.
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Website Disclaimer
This Web site is offered to you, the user, conditioned on your acceptance without modification of the terms, conditions and notices contained herein. Your use of this Web site constitutes your agreement to all such terms, conditions and notices. Southwest Securities may at any time change or modify the terms and conditions applicable to your use of this Web site, or to any aspect or feature of the Web site itself.
The information provided in this Web site is intended for your personal and non-commercial use. You may not modify, copy, distribute, transmit, display, perform, reproduce, publish, license, create derivative works from, transfer, or sell any information, products or services obtained from this Web site.
Neither Southwest Securities, its affiliates, information providers nor content providers shall have any liability to you or third parties for the accuracy, completeness, timeliness or correct sequencing of information available on this Web site, or for any decision made or action taken by you in reliance upon such information, or for the delay or interruption of such information.
You should always consult your stock broker or other authorized financial advisor or representative to establish actual stock prices before making any stock trades or other financial decisions. Southwest Securities, its affiliates, information providers and content providers shall have no liability for investment decisions or other actions taken or made by you based on the information provided on this Web site.
The information available on this Web site is provided on an "as is" basis without warranties of any kind, either express or implied, including (but not limited to) warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose, title or non-infringement. In no event will Southwest Securities, its affiliates, information providers or content providers be liable to you or any third party for any direct, indirect, consequential, incidental, punitive or special damages (including but not limited to lost profits) arising out of or in any way connected with the use of this Web site, or with the delay or inability to use this Web site, or for any information, products or services obtained through this Web site, whether based in contract, tort, strict liability, or otherwise, even if Southwest Securities, its affiliates, information providers and/or content providers has been advised of the possibilities of damages.
Some states do not allow certain limitations on implied warranties, or the exclusion or limitation of incidental, consequential or other damages, so that these disclaimers and limitations may not apply to you.
The information provided is intended for U.S. residents only. | |
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