Frequently asked questions

SEC Customer Protection Rule
All fully paid customer securities, including stocks and bonds, are 100% owned by the customer. These securities are required to be kept segregated from Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC's ("Morgan Stanley") own assets, and cannot be used by Morgan Stanley to satisfy its own obligations.

SIPC Protection
In addition, Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC is a Member of SIPC, which protects securities of its members up to $500,000 (including $250,000 for claims for cash). SIPC's explanatory brochure is available upon request or at www.sipc.org.

SIPC coverage is not the same as the insurance on bank accounts provided by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC). It does not protect investors against a decline in the market value of securities. SIPC generally protects customers against the physical loss of securities if the broker-dealer holding the securities for the customer fails.

Additional Brokerage Protection
Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC has purchased from London insurers additional protection with an aggregate limit of $600 million to pay amounts in addition to those returned in a SIPC liquidation, provided that (1) the combined return from the trustee distributions, SIPC, and London to any customer does not exceed $150 million, and (2) as a sub-limit, return of cash to any customer by London does not exceed $900,000. This coverage does not protect against loss of the market value of securities. Details are available on request.

Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC is a member of SIPC, which protects securities customers of its members up to $500,000 (including $250,000 for claims for cash). Explanatory brochure available upon request or at www.sipc.org.

Protecting our customers' personal and financial information is one of our top priorities. In addition to some of the most advanced online security available, we offer the E*TRADE Complete Protection Guarantee, which protects your privacy, your assets, and every transaction you make.

• Complete fraud protection: $0 liability for unauthorized use of your account.
• Complete payment protection: Plus on-time, accurate online Bill pay and Transfer Money.
• Complete privacy protection: We will not sell your personal information to third parties or marketers for any purpose.
• An optional Digital Security ID: Unauthorized logon is virtually impossible.
• Electronic documents: Help curb identity theft (you receive statements and account documents online instead of by mail).
• Alerts: You receive customized reports of account activity and every transaction by email or mobile phone.

For complete details, visit www.etrade.com/protection.

Escheatment is the process through which unclaimed property is sent to the state of a customer’s last known residence. To comply with state law, E*TRADE and Morgan Stanley Private Bank are required to monitor and “escheat” abandoned assets in bank or brokerage accounts to corresponding states if the account has been dormant for the requisite period as required by the state and the customer cannot be contacted to re-activate the account.  Once the funds are turned over to the state, the state holds the funds until the owner can be found. If you had property that has been escheated, you can reclaim your property by applying to your state.

Each state has different unclaimed property laws, but many consider an account abandoned after three to five years of inactivity. Other states’ “dormancy periods” are triggered by the receipt of returned mail. To keep your account active, simply periodically log on to your account at etrade.com or call Customer Service at 800-387-2331. If you are calling from outside the US or Canada, you can reach us at +1-678-624-6210. Also, be sure to keep your contact information up to date in the event that we need to contact you. You can do so on the My Profile page after logging onto your account at etrade.com.

If your last known address is foreign, assets in brokerage accounts will be delivered to the state of Delaware, the state in which Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC is incorporated. Assets in bank accounts with a foreign address will be delivered to the New York, the state in which Morgan Stanley Private Bank is headquartered.

If you have concerns about the status of your account, or if you have questions about an escheatment notice you received from us, don’t hesitate to call us at 800-387-2331. For more information about unclaimed property, visit unclaimed.org or the website for your state’s treasury.