Is cash no longer fully insured in an IB account ?

Discussion in 'Interactive Brokers' started by Damrak, Dec 27, 2011.

  1. Hoi

    Hoi

    That's not an option anyway, as the trader in my original question wants to be a pure-daytrader (no position what so ever during overnight or weekends). He wants to be 100% cash...

    But where to sweep his cash, if he only trades Futures during RTH ?
     
    #271     Mar 11, 2012
  2. Nick29

    Nick29


    Securities accounts are segregated as well are they not?
    From IB's site:

    " Current SEC regulations require broker-dealers to perform a detailed reconciliation of customer money and securities (known as the “reserve computation”) at least weekly to ensure that customer monies are properly <b>segregated</b> from the broker-dealer’s own funds.

    In order to further enhance our protection of our customers’ assets, Interactive Brokers recently sought and received approval from FINRA (the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority), to perform and report the reserve computation on a daily basis, instead of once per week. IB initiated daily computations in December 2011, along with daily adjustments of the money set aside in safekeeping for our customers. Reconciling our accounts and customer reserves daily instead of weekly is just another way that Interactive Brokers seeks to provide state-of-the-art protection for our customers.

    Customer-owned, fully-paid securities are protected in accounts at depositories and custodians that are specifically identified for the exclusive benefit of customers. IB reconciles positions in securities owned by customers daily to ensure that these securities have been received at the depositories and custodians."
     
    #272     Mar 11, 2012
  3. I'm pretty certain that's no longer the case since IB enabled trading of T-Bills on the secondary market.

    The catch with IB is - unlike traditional FCM's which let you use the T-Bill itself as commodities collateral, IB forces you to borrow against the T-Bills in the securities account (paying a margin loan) in order to move cash into the commodities account.
     
    #273     Mar 11, 2012
  4. I don't know, but he showed his cards on another thread

    like I said, good conversation and informative

    but run by a shill
     
    #274     Mar 11, 2012
  5. Hoi

    Hoi

    Well, I'm not sure... as on the page in Account-management, where you get the option to chose your Sweep-methode, the following text is printed:

    You can interpret this, as if the benefit of selecting CFTC is "segregation" as opposit to the other option.
     
    #275     Mar 11, 2012
  6. Nick29

    Nick29

    This quote from IB's strength & security section seems just as valid though:

    "Current SEC regulations require broker-dealers to perform a detailed reconciliation of customer money and securities (known as the “reserve computation”) at least weekly to ensure that customer monies are properly <b>segregated</b> from the broker-dealer’s own funds."

    Can someone from IB reading this clarify please?
     
    #276     Mar 11, 2012


  7. IB is just quoting the boilerplate from the two different agencies, as they are required to do by each agency.

    As far as the CFTC is concerned, you lose the benefit of its segregation requirements if you move cash to a securities account. Maybe it is segregated there as well, under a different agency's rules, but the CFTC does not know or care about that.

    Actually, segregation of commodities account funds is better than segregation under SEC rules, because the SEC allows hypothecation and re-hypothecation of those funds to a much larger extent than the CFTC does.
     
    #277     Mar 11, 2012
  8. opt789

    opt789

    If the FDIC member bank allows a broker to steal money from your FDIC covered account, I think that would be considered bank fraud. But since a case like that has never happened, I am not sure we know what will occur.
     
    #278     Mar 11, 2012
  9. Agreed.

    It might depend on the wording of the account agreement.

    For example, the agreement might explicitly exonerate the bank for any liability for withdrawals made in your name for any reason.
     
    #279     Mar 11, 2012
  10. Options12

    Options12 Guest

    These are false statements. I don't work for anyone and did not start this thread.
     
    #280     Mar 11, 2012