Account Transfers

Account Transfers

Core Concepts

ACAT Transfer System

The Automated Customer Account Transfer Service (ACATS) is operated by DTCC's National Securities Clearing Corporation (NSCC) and provides a standardized, automated mechanism for transferring customer accounts between broker-dealers and banks. ACATS is the primary system for transferring brokerage accounts in the United States and is governed by FINRA Rule 11870 (Customer Account Transfer Contracts).

How ACATS works — the transfer lifecycle:

1. Transfer Initiation (Day 0) — The customer signs a Transfer Initiation Form (TIF) authorizing the transfer. The receiving firm submits the transfer request through ACATS, specifying whether the transfer is full or partial and listing the assets to be transferred.
2. Validation (Days 1-3) — The delivering firm receives the transfer request and has 3 business days to validate the account information and asset positions. The delivering firm must verify the customer's identity, account number, SSN/TIN, and the assets listed in the request. If the information matches, the delivering firm validates the request. If there are discrepancies, the delivering firm may reject the request with a specific reject code.
3. Asset Transfer (Days 4-6) — Once validated, the delivering firm must transfer the account assets within 3 business days (6 business days total from initiation). ACATS coordinates the settlement of securities between the firms through NSCC. Cash balances are transferred via the Federal Reserve wire system or NSCC settlement.
4. Residual Processing (Days 7+) — After the primary transfer completes, the delivering firm processes residual items: dividends or interest that were accrued but not yet paid, fractional shares (typically liquidated and sent as a residual credit), reorganization proceeds, and any other items that could not be transferred on the primary settlement date.

Full ACAT vs partial ACAT:

• A full ACAT transfers the entire account — all positions, cash, and account features. The delivering firm closes the account after transfer completion. Full ACATs are the most common transfer type and benefit from the highest degree of automation.
• A partial ACAT transfers only specified positions and/or cash amounts. The account remains open at the delivering firm with the remaining positions. Partial ACATs require the receiving firm to specify exactly which positions and quantities to transfer. Partial ACATs are used when a client wants to consolidate specific holdings, when certain assets are ineligible for ACAT transfer, or when the client is maintaining accounts at both firms.

ACAT-eligible vs ineligible assets:

• Eligible: Equities (common stock, preferred stock, ADRs), fixed income (corporate bonds, municipal bonds, treasury securities), options (listed options — transferred with assignment of the Options Clearing Corporation position), mutual funds (if the fund is available on the receiving firm's platform), ETFs, unit investment trusts, and cash balances.
• Ineligible or restricted: Proprietary products of the delivering firm (proprietary mutual funds, structured notes), limited partnerships and direct participation programs (often require manual transfer), annuities (transferred directly between insurance carriers, not through ACATS), physical certificates held outside DTC, bank deposits (CDs, money market deposit accounts at the bank level), alternative investments (hedge funds, private equity — transferred via assignment or redemption/re-subscription), 529 plan accounts, and certain foreign securities not held at DTC.

When a full ACAT encounters ineligible assets, those assets remain at the delivering firm in a residual account while all eligible assets transfer. The receiving firm and client must then coordinate the manual transfer of ineligible assets or the client must decide whether to liquidate them.

Transfer Initiation Form (TIF): The TIF is the customer's written authorization for the transfer. It must include: customer name, SSN/TIN, delivering firm account number, receiving firm account number, transfer type (full or partial), and for partial transfers, the specific assets and quantities to be transferred. The customer's signature on the TIF is required. Many firms now accept electronic signatures on TIFs. The receiving firm retains the TIF as part of its account records and must produce it upon regulatory request.

Receiving firm responsibilities:

• Obtain the signed TIF from the customer
• Submit the ACATS transfer request within one business day of receiving the completed TIF
• Ensure the account is open and properly registered at the receiving firm before submitting the transfer request
• Monitor the transfer status and communicate progress to the customer
• Reconcile received assets against the expected transfer and investigate discrepancies
• Process residual credits as they arrive from the delivering firm

Delivering firm responsibilities (FINRA Rule 11870):

• Validate or reject the transfer request within 3 business days — the delivering firm cannot unreasonably delay or refuse a valid transfer request
• Complete the transfer of assets within 3 business days after validation (6 business days total)
• Process and forward residual items (dividends, interest, fractional share proceeds) promptly after the transfer
• Provide cost basis information for transferred securities as required by IRS regulations
• Not charge unreasonable fees for account transfers (FINRA prohibits fees designed to discourage transfers)

Non-ACAT Transfers

Not all asset movements between firms use the ACATS system. Non-ACAT transfers are used for assets ineligible for ACATS, transfers between non-ACATS-participating institutions, and situations where alternative transfer mechanisms are more appropriate.

Mutual fund direct transfers (NSCC Fund/SERV): Mutual fund shares can be transferred between firms through NSCC's Fund/SERV system without going through ACATS. This is commonly used when the receiving firm has a direct relationship with the fund company. Fund/SERV transfers typically settle in 1-3 business days and preserve the original purchase date, cost basis, and share lot information. The receiving firm submits a transfer request through Fund/SERV, and the fund company re-registers the shares in the receiving firm's name.

DTC free delivery: A DTC free delivery (also called a free receipt/free delivery or DTC transfer) moves securities between DTC participant accounts without a corresponding cash payment. This is used for in-kind transfers where no sale is involved, such as gifting securities, moving positions between related accounts at different firms, or charitable donations of appreciated stock. The delivering firm initiates the delivery through DTC's Deposit/Withdrawal at Custodian (DWAC) system, and the receiving firm must confirm receipt. DTC deliveries typically settle same-day or next-day.

Physical certificate transfers: When securities are held in physical certificate form (increasingly rare but still encountered), the transfer process requires: the certificate to be submitted to the transfer agent with a stock power (signed assignment form) and a medallion signature guarantee. The transfer agent re-registers the shares in the new owner's name and issues a new certificate or deposits the shares into DTC in book-entry form. Medallion Signature Guarantee programs (STAMP, SEMP, MSP) provide the guarantee, and only eligible financial institutions (banks, broker-dealers, credit unions) can provide them. Physical transfers can take 2-4 weeks.

Alternative investment transfers: