HSBC Securities (USA) Inc. ("HSBC Securities") Self-Directed Brokerage Frequently Asked Questions

As the self-directed investor, you decide what products and when you want to buy/sell as it suits your investment goals and objectives. There is no other monitoring or management beyond what you direct.

Investments and the securities owned in your Self-Directed Brokerage account are subject to market risk and will fluctuate in value. Investment products may gain or lose value and are not FDIC insured.

Unlike traditional bank deposits, which are protected by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, your investments with Self-Directed Brokerage are insured through the Securities Investor Protection Corporation (SIPC), of which HSBC Securities is a member. Through SIPC, if HSBC Securities were to become insolvent, SIPC would step in, and within certain limits, work to return your cash, stock and other securities you had at the firm. However, SIPC does not protect against investment loss.

SIPC protects securities customers of its members up to $500,000 (including $250,000 for claims for cash). An explanatory brochure is available at www.sipc.org.

Any historical returns, expected returns, or probability projections may not reflect actual future performance. All securities involve risk and may result in loss.

Yes, commissions are charged when trading in your Self-Directed Brokerage account. The HSBC Securities Commission and Fee Schedule is located at the following link.

This Brokerage is a Self-Directed program, which means you make the decisions. Therefore you will not have an option to receive investment advice from a financial professional at HSBC Securities. By leveraging technology, it allows us to reduce the cost of services to you. There are other products that HSBC Securities offers that provide you with the ability to speak and meet with a financial professional.

If you have any technical or operational questions about the site or if you have interest in hearing about our other products, please don't hesitate to call us and speak with a registered Wealth Services Desk Agent at 888.809.3802 or from outside the U.S. or Canada, call 847.876.1574 8am - 6pm ET. Please note, our customer service personnel do not give financial advice over the phone. They are available Monday through Friday from 8am - 6pm ET.

Yes, you can transfer your existing brokerage account held away from HSBC Securities to a Self-Directed Brokerage account. In order to do this you will need to execute an Account Transfer (“ACAT”) form, as well as provide a copy of your current statement. For questions related to the ACAT process, please call the Wealth Services Desk at 888.809.3802 or from outside the U.S. or Canada, call 847.876.1574 8am - 6pm ET. Certain transactions may not be eligible through the ACAT form.

Certain Equities, ETFs, Mutual Funds, and Fixed Income may be held in your Self-Directed account. However, Fixed Income transactions CANNOT be processed by you online. All Fixed Income transactions must be executed through our Wealth Services Desk. In order to process a Fixed Income transaction, you must have the exact CUSIP and quantity of the fixed income security(s) you wish to purchase or sell.  The Wealth Services Desk is not able to make any recommendations for you. If you have any questions please call the Wealth Services Desk at 888.809.3802 or from outside the U.S. or Canada, call 847.876.1574 8am - 6pm ET.

You will have the ability to withdraw only the amount of cash available within your Self-Directed Brokerage account. If you would like to withdraw more than what is available, you will have to place a trade(s) to increase the amount of cash available in your account. You then would have to wait for the trade(s) to settle before a withdrawal can be processed. This usually takes 3 business days. If you have any questions about your withdrawal request, you can call our Wealth Services Desk at 888.809.3802 or from outside the U.S. or Canada, call 847.876.1574 8am - 6pm ET.

You have the ability to make changes online to your name, address, and email information. Please contact a Contact Center Agent at 888.662.4722 or Intl. 716.841.6866 if you need to make changes on other items within your account profile