PAI...it's all about them making some $$$. The certificate that TDA holds is an electronic cert which holds multiple investors shares in street name. The "process" can be completed from TDA to the TA and back to TDA within a matter of hours....but...again...it's all about them making some $$$.
They will charge each and every shareholder the same fee...the TA will charge the same fee...they make some coin from each shareholder that makes the request. TDA simply verifies your request and sends an electronic copy of their bulk cert showing who owns and how many shares. They include specific info about you to prove you are the rightful owner, and typically a copy of your request for the free trade cert.
Now, I will say it is a bit more work for the TA because they have to actually do some manual labor...verify who you are...how many shares you own...then dump that info into their electronic copy of an ACLY cert...record the transfer from restricted to free trade...print it out...package it up and mail it. They also have to update the bulk cert and send it back to TDA to reflect the removal of you and your shares.
An FYI....each and every broker holds their own "bulk certs" for the various stocks they hold in street name for their investors.
TDA may have 50 investors that "own' ACLY which is held in street name...and they would all be reflected on that one "bulk cert". Keep in mind that these "bulk certs" (really these are buy/sell transactions in a database that is constantly being updated) change on a daily basis as shares are bought and sold constantly...hence the need for them to be electonically maintained.
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