Privacy and Security:
• What about client confidentiality and security?
• Is this service secure?
Reports:
• Are the reports in compliance with industry regulations?
• How are rates-of-return calculated?
• Are dividends included in my returns?
• Where Do The Investment Objective Categories Come From?
• Who Defines Asset Allocations?
• Can I/Do I have to print the reports?
• Can I Adjust The Statement Summary Report Settings?
• Can I Change The Order That Reports Print In The StatementReport?
• Can I Personalize The Statement Report Cover Page?
• Can The Font On The (pdf) Reports Be Changed?
• Why Are The Graphics On Reports Appearing Blurry?
Batch Jobs:
• When will Batch Jobs be ready to print?
• Batch Jobs - What is the difference between Light and Full?
Accounts and Data Accuracy:
• How accurate and complete is the information on this site?
• I know the industry has difficulty providing a clean flow of account data. How are accounts "cleansed?"
• Why is the Data on the system 2 Days old?
• Why Are Accounts Appearing Duplicated On The System?
• How do I correct an incorrect Social Security Number?
• Account Types: Variable Annuities | 401Ks | Trusts
• How do I edit Account Types?
• How do I edit the various Manual Account fields?
• Missing Accounts or Clients?
• Is this screen scraping?
Data Sources:
• From which sources do you pull data?
• Which Product Companies are currently supported?
• Can the data be sorted?
• Is Cost-Basis information in the system?
• Is there a way to import historical information into the system?
• Does a user have to manually download transactional data?
Data Convertor:
What is Data Convertor?
Why do I need Data Convertor?
How does it work?
What do I need to provide?
When is Data Convertor Available?
How do I get Data Convertor?
What are my Alternatives?
Client Lists:
• How does the system handle Joint Rep Numbers?
• How do I change the Investor Password?
Miscellaneous Questions:
• Can this be linked to my existing web site?
• Who keeps e-mailing my Password To Me?
• Why can't I access the system?
What about client confidentiality and security?
We respect your right to privacy, understanding the importance you place on the privacy and security of information.
Your submittal of information to Albridge Solutions ensures the following:
Information will be maintained in a secure environment and employees will have limited access to this information based on their job function.
You can be assured that we will not offer your information to outside parties that would conduct offers of products, services, contests, sweepstakes, and promotions (i.e., Spam).
If certain circumstances warrant the disclosure of information, we will do so only if given express permission by you.
We will protect the confidentiality of any personal information you give to us.
5. We continue to evaluate our efforts to protect personal information and make every effort to keep this information accurate and up to date. Much of the data is generated by sources so modifications to this data will have to be completed on that level. This may need to be conducted on the level of the Broker/Dealer or Mutual Fund Company, for example.
To enhance security within the system, we may assign your computer browser a unique random number, called a "cookie". Cookies enhance the web site performance in several important ways: they provide a secure way for us to verify your identity, they personalize your experience on our site, and they make your visit to our site more convenient for you. Your privacy and security are not compromised when you accept a cookie from our site. We do not use cookies to collect personal information. Cookies from a secure site such as this system are encrypted and sent securely, and a cookie cannot read data from your computer's hard disk or read cookie files from other web sites.
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Is this service secure?
Extremely. The FDN and all related interfaces were designed with security in mind -- we use 128-bit encryption throughout, and in addition, you and your Clients alike must log on to the service with their respective private User Name and Password. You and your Clients can rest assured that their transactions have optimal security.
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Are the reports in compliance with industry regulations?
Yes, the Disclaimer that appears on the bottom of each report has been prepared by the respective Financial Institution's compliance department, so you can feel comfortable sending out and making these reports available via the Web.
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How are rates-of-return calculated?
We follow AIMR guidelines and utilize a Modified Dietz return calculation, to produce a daily time-weighted rate-of-return.
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Are dividends included in my returns?
Yes.
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Where do the Investment Objective categories come from?
Investment objective categories are driven by our primary data provider - Thomson CDA.
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Who defines Asset Allocations?
Asset Allocations for mutual funds are categorized using standards supplied by CDA Wiesenberger or your Broker/Dealer.
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Can I/Do I have to print the reports?
The reports are printable by both you and your Clients. If you're using these reports to satisfy internal or regulatory statementing requirements, you would have to print and send them. To do so, you would simply use the Printable Reports function to generate a PDF (Adobe's Portable Document Format) report. This report can then be printed on your office color laser printer, or it can be set to be automatically sent to the client, using a secure, password-protected method. Of course, the reports are always available online for easy access to you and your Clients.
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Can I adjust the Core Summary Report Settings?
No. At this time there is no plan for adding the capability to adjust the settings for the Core Summary Report.
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Can I change the order that reports Print in the Report Package Report?
Yes. However, this functionality may or may not be available in your version. Contact your Broker Dealer's home office for availability.
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Can I personalize Report Package's Cover Page?
No. You cannot personalize the cover page.
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Can the Font on the PDF Reports be changed?
Currently the fonts on all the PDF Reports cannot be edited.
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Why are the graphics on reports appearing blurry?
Although the titles on the graphics are less crisp than those of the table below we find that they are still legible. Unfortunately, with the way the system is currently set it is not possible to increase the clarity of these graphics.
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When will Batch Jobs be ready to print?
The status of your batch jobs will change from "Waiting" to "Retrieve" when they are available to download and print. Batch Jobs run by the eighth business day following the end of the period (month, quarter, year).
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What is the difference between Light and Full version?
The creator of an e-mail batch job has the option of making the version, which is sent "Light" or "Full". The "Full" version allows the clients to access the system to view or print the PDF Report that has been previously selected as part of their Batch Job. The "Full" version also enables clients to have full range use of all the other functionalities that the system has available. The "Light" version gives the clients access to the "White Page" version. The "White Page" version gives the client the ability to view only the report that has been selected for them. It does not permit the user to access full functionality and performance reporting located within the full system.
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How accurate and complete is the information on this site?
Although every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information on this site, the web site is for informational purposes only and the information enclosed here cannot be guaranteed for timeliness, accuracy or completeness.
Information on this web site may contain technical inaccuracies or typographical errors. Information may be changed or updated without notice. Albridge Solutions or the Financial Institution may also make improvements and/or changes in the products and/or the programs described in this information at any time without notice.
Neither Albridge Solutions or your Financial Institution make any representations or endorsements whatsoever regarding any other web site that you may access through this one and Albridge Solutions and your Financial Institution have no control over the content on those web sites. Furthermore, links to web sites that offer securities/investments for sale do not constitute a solicitation or offer to sell such securities.
In no event will Albridge Solutions or the Financial Institution be held liable to any party, any direct, indirect, special or other consequential damages for any use of this web site, or on any other hyperlinked web site, including, without limitation, any lost profits, business interruption, loss of programs or other data on your information handling system or otherwise, even if we are expressly advised of the possibility of such damages.
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I know the industry has difficulty providing a clean flow of account data. How are accounts "cleansed?"
The predominant vehicle for ensuring the accuracy of the account balances and returns - especially when there is incomplete or bad data delivered to the system - is through a account reconciliation process where the cumulative number of units of an asset in a given account is compared with a Position file for that same asset, as provided by the custodian. If there is an imbalance, the system automatically reconciles that account balance to the number of units by generating a Reconcile Positive or Negative transaction.
For example, an account has 100 units of fund XYZ on June 1; on June 15, this fund receives a dividend of 2 units but the accounting for that transaction is, for whatever reason, not delivered to the system. On June 30, we receive the position file which lists 102 units in the account (the original 100 units plus the 2 that were reinvested). On that day we would automatically create a "Reconcile Adjust Positive" transaction of 2 units for that asset. This, in essence, is similar to having simply received the correct dividend.
Of note, if the transaction comes in late or if there is a corrective transaction sent by the custodian to the FDN system after the reconcile date, we would include the new transaction in the account balance. On the next position file date, the FDN will create a counter-reconciling entry, to remove the "original" reconcile.
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Why is the Data on the system 2 Days old?
The system operates using a Trade Date+2 format. This means that the data should be posted on the system by no later than the second business day following the close of business on the trade date. When the markets close for the night the Product Companies do not immediately download their data to us. We do not receive the data until sometime the following business day. The data is then processed, cleaned and sorted before being downloaded late in the afternoon on the second business day.
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Why are Accounts appearing Duplicated on the system?
The duplicated accounts are the result of both the Product Company and Clearing Firm sending us data. Most product companies can exclude level three accounts from the data they send, but some cannot at this time. If you notice a duplicate account in the system please contact customer service to have a representative suppress one of the accounts.
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How do I correct an incorrect Social Security Number?
First run a "Holdings by Investor" report to determine what Product Company has the incorrect Social Security Number. Then contact them to have the incorrect Social Security Number corrected.
Once the change has been implemented, the accounts appearing under the incorrect social security number will begin to download to the correct Social Security Number. This will occur once there is financial activity within the account or we receive the end of the month position files. Once you notice the accounts appearing under the correct Social Security Number you can contact customer service to have the incorrect Social Security Number and its corresponding accounts suppressed.
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Are VAs reported to the Policy or to the Sub-Account level?
The system will allow a view to the Sub-Account level.
From which Variable Annuities can you accept data?
Any VA that downloads through DST Fanmail.
Is the Client View included in the system, or is it an extra-cost module?
The Client View is included as a part of the system, and there are no additional costs or fees your Clients.
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How are 401k's represented and priced?
There are two types of 401Ks: FBO and Omnibus.
FBO
With FBO 401Ks, the participants are listed individually in the client list, and as a result you have the ability to report on each participant individually as well as to do Plan reporting (using the Create New Portfolio tool). In addition, you have the ability to enable your Clients to have their own private log-in. For these types of plans, each participant is counted as a "single" client for billing purposes.
Omnibus
With Omnibus 401Ks, the plan's Tax ID Number is listed in the client list. While you will be able to do Plan reporting, there is currently no individual reporting on the Participant level. In this scenario, the entire plan counts as single client for billing purposes.
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Are Trusts listed?
Trusts are listed under Tax ID numbers.
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How do I edit Account Types?
There is a link on the system that gives you the functionality to edit Account Types. To use this feature please locate the correct client name on the "Client List" and click on the "Accounts" link. When the Accounts page opens click on the "Edit Accounts" link the new page that opens will have an editable field called "Account Type". Use the drop down menu to select the correct account type and click "submit" to save the changes that have been made.
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How do I edit the various Manual Account fields?
The only way to edit the fields associated with an initial position is to delete the entire asset and re-enter it. If you want to edit one of the subsequent transactions you have to delete just that one incorrect transaction and re-enter it. The only way to edit a spelling error in an asset is to delete the entire asset. If the spelling error is in a Manual Account you need to delete the entire account.
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Missing Accounts or Clients?
If you notice that you are missing product companies or clients from your client list please contact customer service with the following information concerning the missing clients or product companies:
-Investor Name
-Investor Social Security Number
-Product Company Name
-Account Number
-Rep Number at Product Company
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Is this screen scraping?
Albridge Solutions's proprietary Financial Data Network (FDN) backbone utilizes direct, dealer-level data feeds, which provides much more accurate information. Screen scraping is simply a "picture in time" of your data, literally pulled from a user's screen. It is therefore static, unreconciled, and basically unusable from the standpoint of performance reporting. Albridge Solutions, on the other hand, provides a daily update of your accounts with reconciled, accurate data. This allows you to report on accounts and holdings across any number of parameters and time periods. And since our system stores historical data and transactions, it enables you to give your customers better financial advice based on actual trend information.
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From which sources do you pull data?
Our current interfaces include Advent Axys, American General, Bank of New York, Bear Stearns, BONY, DAZL, dbCAMS, DST, DTCC, FIDELITY, First Clearing, FT IDC, Lincoln Annuities, Lockwood, National FIAG, National IBG, Nationwide - Annuity, Nationwide - Life, Pershing, Putnam, Schwab, and SEI, with others in the development pipeline. Our goal is to collect as much transactional data as possible, to enable you and your Clients to make better-informed investment decisions.
Note - The interfaces listed here may or may not apply to your broker dealer.
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Which Product Companies are currently supported?
We currently provide transactional data from a wide range of product companies, with more becoming available on an ongoing basis.
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Can the data be sorted?
We have a client search feature that allows you to query on a number of different parameters including Social Security Number/Tax ID and Client Name.
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Is Cost-Basis information in the system?
Yes, providing the original position was incurred after the beginning date at which the historical data begins to flow between a Financial Institution and Albridge Solutions. If the position were incurred prior to that date, then the Cost-Basis information would not appear in the system unless you use the Cost Basis Assignment tool to manually enter Cost Basis information for individual assets which could then be included in your reports.
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Is there a way to import historical information into the system?
Data Convertor allows you to upload historical data in an electronic format into the system. Once the historical data is successfully loaded, you will be charged a one time fee for the data loading process. In this way, Cost-Basis information and performance history - for positions incurred prior to the initial data flow - will be available.
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Does a user have to manually download transactional data?
No, we've automated the entire process; we also ensure that all data is scrubbed and reconciled before it reaches you and your Clients.
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What is Data Convertor?
Data Convertor is the first fully-automated data conversion platform for the portfolio accounting industry which allows you, branch offices or entire Financial Institutions an efficient means to import historical transactions and client information from existing systems like Advent Axys, Centerpiece and dbCAMS.
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Why do I need Data Convertor?
Performance History - Having all your client's historical transactions joined with their current data will allow you to provide accurate performance reporting for a greater span of history including more "since inception" reporting.
Cost Basis - Data Convertor gives you the ability to provide accurate Gain/Loss reports and do year end tax selling for your clients.
Centralized Database - Transition off your old Portfolio Management Software system and consolidate all your reporting and data management through Albridge Solutions.
Enhanced Client Services - Access all your client information through one system, providing faster and more accurate reporting when speaking to or meeting with clients.
Audits & Compliance - Having complete historical data is crucial in responding to requests by the SEC during the audit process. They will usually go back at least 2 or 3 years when reviewing fees and transactions. They will want to see Account Values that were used for fee calculations. If this data is not readily accessible, the audit can drag on for weeks, effectively shutting down an office while they are scrambling to provide all the information requested by the auditor. Data Convertor will put much of the necessary data at the your fingertips, allowing you to quickly and efficiently complete the audit with the least amount of disruption to your business.
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How does it work?
After delivering your historical data to Albridge Solutions, Data Convertor scrubs your data, maps it to your existing core accounts and then load it into a separate database for your review. You need only to Review and Approve the accuracy of the imported data so it can then be automatically added to the existing core data. We have addressed Compliance concerns over the prospect of joining unreconciled legacy system data to cleaner Albridge Solutions data by creating Recon transactions and other alerts that automatically raise a flag for you if any discrepancies with the imported data are present. Full editing privileges are available in Review and Approve to allow you to clean up any data issues that may be present. This is a one time only privilege available prior to Approval and once approved to core the data is no longer editable by you.
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What do I need to provide?
You must have all of your old system's data files in as clean a condition as possible prior to forwarding them to us. We will provide you with detailed delivery instructions outlining exactly what data fields to provide us and the areas that are key to help achieve the most successful Data Convertor load possible. Once we receive your data, we will have a Data Convertor specialist provide a high-level sanity check before loading commences.
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When is Data Convertor Available?
For Advent and dbCAMS, Data Convertor is currently available. In 2003, we will be developing Interfaces for Centerpiece, Ezdata and Portfolio 2000. If you don't see your system here or have a proprietary one, call us to check on future availability.
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How do I get Data Convertor?
You should check with your Home Office to see if they have approved Data Convertor and what the cost is. If Data Convertor has not yet been approved, let us know so we can notify you as soon as it is approved. If Data Convertor has been approved, contact us and we will walk you through the registration process and provide you with delivery instructions for your data.
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What are my Alternatives?
If you can't wait for Data Convertor to be approved or only have partial historical data in an existing portfolio management system, we have a manual version of Data Convertor called Historical Entry. Historical Entry allows you to update all of your Initial Positions in the same manner as Data Convertor and with the same reconciliation controls. The only difference is that you do all the work. Please contact your Home Office to see if Historical Entry is available to you as a privilege level enhancement.
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How does the system handle Joint Rep Numbers?
Joint rep numbers will result in both Reps having access to the same client. You must be the Rep of Record, in order to view a client's holdings.
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How do I change the Investor Password?
The client is the only one with the authorization to change their password. To do this they would first log in, and click on the "My Info" link. On that screen, in the top right corner, they will find a link called "Change Password". Once this link is clicked the system will guide them through the password changing process.
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Can this site be linked to my existing web site?
Absolutely. Copy the login URL, then link it to your web site.
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Who keeps E-mailing my Password to me?
The most likely explanation for this is that another user, with a similar Username, is inadvertently typing your Username when using the "forgot password" link. If you call customer service, one of our representatives will be able to verify your security information and change your Username.
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Why Can't I Access The System?
If you find that you are having trouble accessing the system or are receiving an error message, please contact customer service with the following information:
What is your full name?
What broker/dealer are they affiliated with?
What is the web address that you are going to?
What browser you are using?
What version is your browser?
What operating system are you using? (Windows/Mac)
What version is your operating system?
What error message are you receiving?
How long has this problem been occurring?
When was the last time you used the system and did NOT receive this error message?
**To verify the browser and version click on the "Help" function in your menu bar. Then "About..." (such as "About Internet Explorer" or "About Navigator/Communicator").
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