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Penson Discontinues Execution for Certain Non-DTCC Eligible Securities

Effective May 2, 2011, Penson Financial Services, Inc. ("Penson") (the clearing agent for Trading Direct) will discontinue execution through the managed (mngd) route for certain Non-DTCC eligible securities due to increasing pass-through costs. (The effected stocks are primarily all pink sheet stocks).

For various reasons, certain securities cannot be made DTCC-eligible or have had their eligibility revoked, usually due to operating or financial issues with the underlying company. As a result, the clearing of these physical positions can carry significant pass-through charges to settle the trade. Trades routinely carry with them the following pass-through charges: Execution Fee-$7.50, DTC Fee-$80.00, Deposit Fee-$75.00, and a New York Window Fee of $34.00. Additional pass-through fees from Transfer Agents ranging from $25.00 to $500.00 can also be associated with these securities that would increase the cost Penson passes through for clearing and execution. Please note that trades executed outside of Penson's MNGD'd route will also be subject to these fees for the clearance of these trades.

We intend to discontinue execution for the securities on the attached list (on a best-efforts basis). As Penson identifies additional securities that are Non-DTCC-eligible, they will bed added to the list and they will not be able to be traded through the MNGD route.

As more detailed information is made available from Penson regarding fee information for the effected securities, this memo and subsuquent stock list will be updated accordingly.

View the Non-DTCC eligible stock list {pdf,154kb}

If you require additional information

For various reasons, certain securities cannot be made DTCC-eligible or have had their eligibility revoked, usually due to operating or financial issues with the underlying company. As a result, the clearing of these positions can carry significant pass-through charges to settle the trade. Trades in these securities may carry with them some or all of the following pass-through charges: Execution Fee-$7.50, DTC Fee-$80.00, Deposit Fee-$75.00, and a New York Window Fee of $34.00. Additional pass-through fees from Transfer Agents ranging from $25.00 to $500.00 can also be associated with these securities.

These fees are almost exclusively associated with OTC Bulletin Board and Pink Sheet stocks, and should not appear on settlement for any Listed or Nasdaq trades. These fees are initiated by the Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (http://www.dtcc.com/), as well as various transfer agents, and are applied industry wide.

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