If your broker shows a position as unpriced or you hold a paper certificate, the transfer agent can confirm what you actually own.
When a stock stops trading, one of the most useful things you can do is get written confirmation of exactly what you hold. The transfer agent is the company that keeps the official shareholder records, and they can tell you your share count and status even when your broker cannot.
The transfer agent is usually named in the company's SEC filings and often on the investor-relations page. Common agents include Computershare, Equiniti (formerly American Stock Transfer), Continental Stock Transfer, and VStock Transfer. If the company has gone dark, its last annual report on EDGAR is the most reliable place to find the name.
Request a written statement of your holdings: the number of shares, how they are registered, and the current status. Ask specifically for records rather than an open-ended question a service rep can deflect. If you hold a physical certificate, ask what is required to confirm or replace it, and what it costs, because the fee is sometimes not worth it on a small position.
A written record from the transfer agent is the foundation for everything else, from a worthless-securities tax claim to an unclaimed-property search. It is also the document a tax professional will want to see.
Start here, free. Check whether a ticker is still filing with the SEC and see why it may have lost its quote. No signup, no card.
If the position looks stuck, the Trapped Shareholder Toolkit ($29.99) gives you the document templates and step by step guidance to document a worthless-securities tax loss, request your records from the transfer agent, and search state unclaimed property. Information and templates only, not legal, tax, or investment advice.
This guide is general information and document education only. It is not legal, tax, or investment advice, and nothing here is a promise that any security can be sold or recovered. Talk to a qualified professional about your own situation.
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