Researching Old Stock CertificatesIf you have found an 'old stock certificate' there are numerous print and electronic sources of information to help you determine if that old stock has value or if the security is obsolete. You must first determine the current status of the company, whether Canadian, American or international. Is the company still in business? Is the company operating under a different name? Has the company been acquired by or merged with another business? Has there been a liquidation distribution? The fine print on the certificate face contains vital information that will help you with your search such as:
Your broker or financial planner, if you have one, can tell you the value of the certificate if the company is still in business. If you do not have professional help, consult the following resources to determine whether the company still exists by the same name. Corporate Status References:Provides free information on more than 4,200 Canadian and on American publicly traded companies through a US affiliate, Wall Street Research Net.http://www.adviceforinvestors.com With more than 500,000 links to information of use to investors and analysts, it can be a useful starting place when you want to perform basic research on publicly traded companies. Information is available on both Canadian companies and US.Link:http://www.wsrn.com/index.html An excellent resource with over 350,000 indexed company profilesLink:http://www.corporateinforamtion.com Companies not listed on the major stock exchanges may be trading 'over-the-counter'. Search http://www.otcbb.com, the official source of information on American OTC stocks.Link:http://www.otcbb.com If you find the stock, you may need to do more research to determine the value of your certificate. It is possible that the shares have split. C-Net has an excellent database of U.S. and Canadian (large-cap) stock split histories in the investor section of the web site. Click on www.cnet.com; select real-time quotes, and then investor on the upper menu bar. Type the symbol, and then select 'splits' from the pull-down menu. Advice for investors provides stock split histories for Canadian companies. Companies may be delisted for any number of reasons, including (but not limited to) company insolvency, unsatisfactory financial condition and/or operating results, lack of public distribution, failure to comply with listing agreement, failure to pay fees or charges and/or substantial change in business. The major stock exchanges provide information on recently delisted stocks. Security exchange rules make it mandatory for incorporated companies to file information. In Canada, public companies are required to file with the System for Electronic Document Analysis and Retrieval (SEDAR) at www.sedar.com. Filing with SEDAR started January 1, 1997, and the system allows open access to public company information filed since that time. Check the database for information on mergers or acquisitions. The U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC) requires full disclosure of any merger, acquisition or tender offer. The SEC's Edgar Database contains these disclosure forms and is freely accessible at www.edgar-online.com. Unfortunately, the online database does not go back further than 1994. Large public libraries have print resources which help you track down company histories. Canadian Library ( http://www.lights.com/canlib/) indexes library home pages by province and city. The Financial Post Survey of Mines and Energy Resources (annual publication) and the Financial Post Survey of Industrials (annual publication) ensure coverage of all companies currently listed on a stock exchange in Canada. Canadian Mines Handbook (Southam Mining Group) also publishes the Canadian Oil and Gas Handbook. At times, companies are bought out by, or merged with, other companies, and their names change. The Financial Post Survey of Predecessor and Defunct Companies covers more than 12,000 firms going back over 60 years. The information provided includes: names changes, mergers, takeovers, and acquisitions. One can also learn if the company's charter has been cancelled. Other print sources that report corporate financial events, company histories or obsolete securities of American or large International companies include: Directory of Corporate Affiliations. "Who Owns Whom." New Providence, NJ: National Register Publishing, annual. Lists subsidiaries and divisions, some of which were once freestanding companies merged into larger entities. Capital Changes Reporter. Chicago: CCH Incorporated. Presents a record of changes in the corporate capital structure of individual public companies, including mergers, dividends, and liquidations. International Directory of Company Histories. Chicago: St. James Press, 1988–. Presents detailed essays on the historical development of more than 3,000 of the world's largest companies. Moody's Manuals. New York: MERGENT FIS. Provides comprehensive financial and narrative information on public companies traded on the three U.S. stock exchanges. Each entry gives an "annual report" of each company, including a capsule history, subsidiaries. Directory of Obsolete Securities. Jersey City, NJ: Financial Information Inc., annual. Contains brief profiles of companies whose original identities have been lost for a number of reasons, including name change, merger, bankruptcy, or charter cancellation. Annual Guide to Stocks: Directory of Active Stocks. Jersey City, NJ : Financial Information Inc. Provides information, as available, on outstanding foreign and domestic listed and unlisted stocks, including the place of incorporation, par value, CUSIP number, transfer agent, transfer charge, dividend disbursing agent, and recent changes in capital structure. Fisher Manuals. R. M. Smythe. Compiles the results of several decades of research on old stock certificates. The entry for each company includes the date upon which its stock was deemed worthless. Incorporation Strategis, Industry Canada's web site (http://strategis.ic.gc.ca/) provides access to a database on Canadian federally incorporated companies and Bankruptcy statistics. Goldsheet's Canadian and U.S. Resources on the Obsolete Securities Page http://www.goldsheetlinks.com/obsoletehtm provides links and phone numbers to provincial and state agencies that handle corporate records Financial Services Canada (Micromedia, 2001) provides current addresses for all corporate registries in Canada and can be found at most public libraries. Transfer Agents Computershare Trust Company of Canada CIBC Mellon Trust Pacific Corporate Services Ltd. Fee Based Search Services There are numerous commercial firms that will research your old certificates for a fee. Stock Search Global Don G. Levy and Associates Paper Chase Stock Search International R.M. Smythe & Co., Inc., Useful Addresses Toronto Reference Library Federal Incorporation Industry Canada, Corporations Directorate Bankruptcy Division: (613) 941-2863 Companies Branch General Inquiry: (416) 314-8880 The Financial Post publications are also available at: Micromedia Limited Southam Business Information and Communications Group Ltd. |
