Protection for your securities

We work hard to make Schwab a secure place for your money.

Millions of investors have relied on us for 50 years.

  • 35.3M

    brokerage accounts*

  • US$9.12T

    in total client assets*

  • 400+

    offices worldwide

Your securities are protected at Schwab.

The securities in your Schwab account—including fully paid securities for stocks and bonds and excess margin securities—are segregated in compliance with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's Customer Protection Rule. This is the legal requirement for all U.S. broker-dealers. Your segregated assets are not available to general creditors and are protected against creditors' claims in the unlikely event that a broker-dealer becomes insolvent.

Plus your account has additional protection.

In addition to segregating your securities, we take additional measures to protect you. These measures happen automatically once you become a Schwab client.

  • SIPC account protection

    Charles Schwab & Co., Inc., a member of the Securities Investor Protection Corporation (SIPC), will serve as the custodian for your securities account. In the event that the SIPC-member custodian fails and is placed in liquidation under the Securities Investor Protection Act, SIPC protects the securities customers of its members up to US$500,000 (including US$250,000 for claims for cash). For details, please see www.sipc.org.

  • We work with Lloyd’s of London and other insurers.

    Besides our SIPC protection, Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. also provides additional brokerage insurance through an agreement with Lloyd's of London and other London insurers.

Protected up to US$600 million

The combined total of our SIPC coverage and our "excess SIPC" coverage means Schwab provides protection up to an aggregate of US$600 million, limited to a combined return of US$150 million per customer, up to US$1.15 million of which may be in cash. This protection becomes available in the event SIPC limits are exhausted. 

For more details on automatic customer account protection, contact us.

Have more questions? We're here to help.

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    New clients
    +44 203 795 2704 
     

    Existing clients 
    0808 234 6306 (freephone from the UK)
    1-800-362-1774 (in the US)

    Customer service hours
    10:30 pm Sunday to 6:00 am Saturday (UK Time)

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    Charles Schwab, UK., Limited
    33 Ludgate Hill
    London EC4M 7JN
    United Kingdom

    Office hours
    Monday-Friday, 9:00 am to 6:00 pm (UK Time)