"Now, stung by the loss of customer money from the failure of MF Global Inc, many cannot sleep soundly without transferring every spare cent into their own banks overnight." http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/02/17/mfglobal-collateral-idUSL2E8DH1MG20120217
Moral of the story: stay away from old school brokers. Stick with fully electronic firms that have embraced the digital age and with it , the age of transparancy.