LOL, you guys sound like virgin brides on their honeymoon. I don't know how to put it clearer: YOU'RE BEING SCAMMED-AGAIN! NO ONE, and I mean NO ONE pays $5-10 for stock trading at a dime (at least until recently). The upfront fees should be a major clue. If the hold period is up, the "restricted" legend should be very easy to remove through the company transfer agent, if they do 144 registrations - and they should. You have to send in your cert, fill out some short forms, and all MSRM has to do is forward an opinion letter or a waiver of the opinion letter. It should cost about $75-125 ($50 for the service, $25 for a new cert, $25-50 for overnight delivery, depending where you live). CALL the transfer agent BEFORE you do anything. If no opinion letter exists (which I doubt), you might be charged several hundred dollars to get one. If this fails, you might want to try these guys: TRANSHARE http://www.transhare.com email: info@transhare.com (303)662-1112 I've used them several times and they've been fast, reliable, and completely professional. The entire "turnaround" time has been less than a week every time.