This topic has been rehashed to no end on ET but in light of recent events , it should be of increased concern I believe. For ex. Oanda holds your funds with JP Morgan, so far so good for JPM but what happens if the custodian bank goes under ? There is no FDIC here. Anyone knows another FX dealer allowing mini lot trading with some sort of insurance on funds such as Lloyds or FDIC ?
There are some in Europe, for example ABN Amro or Saxobank. Minimum bank insurance in the EU is EUR 20K if i remember correctly, many provide more than this minimum. Most UK FX shops are members of the 'Financial Services Compensation Scheme' (Hotspot EU division i.e.) - but you got to read the fineprint, for example Alpari UK does not provide that.