Starting in January 2016, our clients’ qualifying individual U.S. holders who need to replace lost certificates valued up to $50,000 will be able to initiate and complete the replacement process within Investor Center. The new online offering will eliminate the extended steps of speaking with a service representative, and then waiting for an affidavit form to arrive in the mail. And they will be able to replace their certificates at a discounted fee.
This first-of-its-kind service will enable shareholders to have their shares replaced right away in the holder’s account in book-entry form, enabling the holder to regain access to their shares. Once the shares are replaced, holders will be able to immediately take advantage of Investor Center options for book-entry holdings including certificate issuance, transfer or sale actions they may have planned.
If the issuer does not offer book-entry, the system will immediately start the certificate issuance process, still saving considerable time.
Other qualifying domestic shareholders who need to replace a lost certificate with a market value up to $250,000 will also be able to benefit from a faster online process. These holders will be able to print a prepopulated affidavit form from the Investor Center site. They can then complete and mail in the form with payment right away, without having to speak with a service representative and wait for a form in the mail. All holders will continue to have the option to choose to work with one of our service representatives rather than using the online process.