Need answers to some of your queries? Check the answers out to some of the most common questions asked about CitisecOnline in this section.

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ABOUT US 
Who we are?
What services are offered by CitisecOnline?
How do I get in touch with CitisecOnline?


ACCOUNT OPENING 
Who can open an account?
Can Filipinos abroad open a CitisecOnline account?
How do I open an account?
What is the minimum requirement to open an account?
When can I start Trading?

ACCOUNT MAINTENANCE AND INFORMATION
How do I check my stock positions and account balances?
How do I pay for my stock purchases?
How do I deposit additional funds into my account?
Can I use BPI's Online Payment System to remit money?
When is my account information updated?
Can I deposit my stock certificates?
How do I transfer my stockholdings from another local stockbroker?
How can I withdraw / transfer my stock certificates from CitisecOnline?
How do I withdraw my funds?
Can I withdraw the proceeds of a stock sale immediately?
Do you provide margin facilities?
What should I do if I change my email or mailing address?
What do I do if I forget my password?
How do I change my password?

INVESTING & ORDER PROCESSING
What types of securities can I trade through CitisecOnline?
What is the schedule for trading hours?
How do I place an Order?
What are the various order types?
What are PSE restricted transactions/actions?
How do I see the price of a stock (requesting a quote)?
How do I read the quote screen into a stock (the Bid and Ask)?
What is a Posted Order, Matched Order and a Partially Filled Order?
How do I check my Posted Orders?
How do I cancel a Posted Order?
How do I modify a Posted Order?
Is there a minimum volume requirement per trade (Board Lot Rule)?
How do I confirm my completed transactions for the day, month, or year?
If I sell a stock position today, can I use the proceeds to buy immediately?
What would prevent me from placing an order?
My buy order was rejected for "Insufficient funds". Why did I get this error message?
My buy order was rejected by "Account does not have Stock Position for ___". Why did I get this error message?
I posted an order and cancelled it. But it seems the order still hasn't been cancelled?
Can I still place an order if I do not have access to a computer/internet?

TRADING AND HANDLING FEES
What are the fees charged for every executed trade?
Do I have to pay any monthly fees or handling charges?

TECHNICAL QUERIES
Which browsers can I use to access CitisecOnline?
How can I speed up the transmission of orders?
Does opening several windows slow down my system?
How do I activate and use the Charts, Ticker and Alerts functions?
How do I enable JAVA or Active X functionality?

SECURITY & PRIVACY
How secure is this website?
How do I change my password?

 

ACCOUNT OPENING Who can open an account? Any individual(s) of legal age of any nationality or legitimate corporation may apply for a CitisecOnline account. Management reserves the right to approve/deny any application as it sees fit based upon its measures of standard.  Can Filipinos abroad open a CitisecOnline account? Yes. There are no restrictions on place of residence. How do I open an account? 1) To open an account, please download the forms from our website under the Home>Forms function, then mail the completed and signed forms with the required documentation to our office address. Please wait for confirmation of your account validation, which will be sent via the e-mail address specified under the application form, before sending the payment to fund your account. 2) Remit funds via Telegraphic Transfer (TT) to any of the banks listed hereunder with the following instructions: Bank Name : HongKong & Shanghai Banking Corp. Address : Enterprise Center, Tower 1 6766 Ayala Ave., Makati City, Philippines Swift Code : HSBCPHMM Account No. : 000-059-998-070 In favor of : CitisecOnline.com  Inc. Address : 2401-B PSE Center, East Tower, Exchange Road Ortigas Center, Pasig City, Philippines For further credit to: [Indicate your Name, CitisecOnline Account No. (if available) and Address] Bank Name : Security Bank Corporation Address : G/F PSE Center, East Tower, Exchange Road Ortigas Center, Pasig City, Philippines Swift Code : SETCPHMM Account No. : 0273-012462-001 In favor of : CitisecOnline.com Inc. Address : 2401-B PSE Center, East Tower, Exchange Road Ortigas Center, Pasig City, Philippines For further credit to: [Indicate your Name, CitisecOnline Account No. (if available) and Address] Bank Name : Bank of the Philippine Islands Address : 5th Floor PSE Center, West Tower, Exchange Road Ortigas Center, Pasig City, Philippines Swift Code : BOPIPHMM Account No. : 4011-0049-33 In favor of : CitisecOnline.com Inc. Address : 2401-B PSE Center, East Tower, Exchange Road Ortigas Center, Pasig City, Philippines For further credit to: [Indicate your Name, CitisecOnline Account No. (if available) and Address] Bank Name: Banco de Oro Address: Ortigas Exchange Branch G/F East Tower Philippine Stock Exchange Centre, Exchange Road  Ortigas Center, Pasig City, Philippines Swift code: BNORPHMM Account Number: 343-004909-6 In favor of: CitisecOnline.com Inc. Address: 2401B East Tower PSE Centre, East Tower, Exchange Road,  Ortigas Center, Pasig City, Philippines For further credit to: [Indicate your name, CitisecOnline Account No. (if available) and Address For verification, please fax a copy of your deposit slip/ telegraphic transfer receipt to CitisecOnline Accounting Department at (632) 634-6958. Your copy of the Official Receipts will be sent to you by mail. Once your funds have been received and cleared (for check deposits), you will receive an 8-number User ID and electronically generated Password by email.  What is the minimum amount requirement to open an account? A Minimum of Php25,000 is required to open an account . When can I start trading? You can start trading after your initial funds have been received and/or cleared which can take from 1 to 3 days depending on your banks clearing time. Once you see your account has funds for trading you can immediately begin trading. Back to Top

 

ACCOUNT MAINTENANCE AND INFORMATION How do I check my stock positions and account balances? You can check your positions and balances by clicking on the upper menu option TRADING then clicking on the secondary option called PORTFOLIO. This will then display a summary of your accounts details including your listed stock positions with its current market value. You can also find your cash balance on this summary along with your potential buying power, which may be different from your cash balance if some funds are currently earmarked for making another purchase either through a posted order or an IPO order. Your total equity value will display your total net worth by adding both your remaining cash balance and the market value of all positions.  How do I pay for my stock purchases? A customer's cash account with CitisecOnline will serve as the payment source for stock purchases. Thus the limitation to a customer's amount to buy is what the customer has on hand into his/her cash account. Similarly, any proceeds generated by any stock sale will automatically be credited into the customer's cash account. How do I deposit additional funds into my account? You may visit our office or deposit cash or check directly to any of our accounts maintained with Security Bank, Hong Kong & Shanghai Banking Corp or Bank of the Philippine Islands. Our Account details for each of our banking partners are as follows: CitisecOnline.com Inc. [For account of: Indicate your Name, CitisecOnline Account No. (if available) and Address]     1) Security Bank - Account # 0273-012462-001     2) Hong Kong & Shanghai Bank - Account # 000-059-998-070     3) Bank of the Philippine Islands - Account # 004011-0049-33     4) Banco de Oro - Account # 343-004909-6 For verification, please fax a copy of your deposit slip to CitisecOnline Accounting Department at 634-6958. Your copy of the Official Receipt will be sent to you by mail. Can I use BPI's Online Payment System to remit money? Customers of BPI Express Online can now remit money to CitisecOnline using BPI's online banking service. 1) Log into your BPI ExpressOnline account by going to the web address: www.bpiexpressonline.com and entering your BPI User ID and password. 2) You must enroll "CitisecOnline" as a participating merchant by following the dropdown menu "Payments & Reloading" ' "Check Free Payments" ' "Enroll all other Bills". 3) Fill up the 'Enrollment of Bills' form by placing your BPI account number, a joint account indicator then under 'Bill Information' choose CITISECONLINE.COM INC. (COL) as the enrollee merchant followed by your CitisecOnline account number (8-digit code username) on the following space. (Please double check to make sure it is your account number that you use). Click on "Submit" to acknowledge the request. 4) Once your CitisecOnline account is enrolled you can proceed to remitting money to us by again by following the dropdown menu "Payments & Reloading" ' "Check Free Payments" ' "Pay Bills Today". 5) Under "Check Free Payments", choose your CitisecOnline Account under the option to pay and then enter the amount you wish to transfer/pay then identify your BPI account from where payment will come from. Click 'Submit' once again when you are done. Your order to remit will then commence. There will be a P10.00 transfer charge.  6) For quick monitoring please fax or send us a copy of the transfer notice to speed up processing. You can fax confirmations to CitisecOnline Accounting at (632) 634-6958 or you can send an email notice to Helpdesk@citiseconline.com. When is my account information updated? All account information is updated after 4:00 PM on the same trading day. This includes changes into one's balances caused by any trades made, deposits, withdrawals or whatever else. If you have any questions about your transactions you can refer to the statements posted online by clicking on the TRADING tab followed by the PORTFOLIO function then press on View Monthly Ledger. This will show you all entries made into your account for the current month. Can I deposit my stock certificates? Yes, as long as you are an existing client of CitisecOnline for at least six months. Certificates must be duly endorsed by the account holder. Note that certificates must be cleared by the Philippine Central Depository System (PCD), this can take from three to ten days depending on the speed of the clearing house. A Lodging fee of P120 per stock will be charged with an additional P22 per certificate of the same stock after the first certificate. For example if two certificates of ABS-CBN are deposited with CitisecOnline a Lodging fee of P144 will be charged. [ P120 (first ABS certificate) + P22 (second ABS certificate)]. If two certificates are to be deposited from two separate stocks, (i.e. ABS and MERALCO) then the charge would be P240 [P120 for the ABS and P120 for MER]. Charges can be applied to the account but if the charge would bring the account into a negative balance, it would need the account holder to supplement the extra cash to initiate the deposit. How do I transfer my stockholdings from another local stockbroker? If you are an existing client of CitisecOnline, you can transfer your stockholdings to CitisecOnline by giving your other stockbroker a written transfer instruction, a copy of which must be furnished to CitisecOnline. If your stockholdings are in street name and lodged with the PCD, the transfer will be done electronically. Electronic transfer can take one or two days and would entail a cost to the customer of P82.50 from the issuing broker and the receiving broker. Charges can be applied to the account but if the charge would bring the account into a negative balance, it would need the account holder to supplement the extra cash to initiate the transfer. How can I withdraw/ transfer my stock positions from CitisecOnline? Written instruction must first be given to CitisecOnline to accomplish this. You can print out the Upliftment or Transfer of Stock Certificate request forms found under the HOME > FORMS menu functions. Completely fill up the details necessary into the form and send the original copy to the CitisecOnline office or have it faxed back to our Accounting Department at (632) 634-6958. Requesting a certificate would entail an Uplifting charge of P165 per stock, and could take up to a month to generate a new certificate. Electronic transfer can take one or two days and would entail a cost to the customer of P82.50 from the issuing broker and the receiving broker. Charges can be applied to the account but if the charge would bring the account into a negative balance, it would need the account holder to supplement the extra cash to initiate the Upliftment or transfer. How do I withdraw my funds? Withdrawals from your CitisecOnline account may be made by filling up the Fund Withdrawal form found in the CitisecOnline website under the HOME > FORMS menu functions. Completely fill up the details necessary into the form and send the original copy to the CitisecOnline office address or have it faxed back to our Accounting Department at (632) 634-6958. Can I withdraw the proceeds of a stock sale immediately? An individual can withdraw the proceeds of a stock transaction sale in three days (T+3) after a stock is sold subject to the procedures on the withdrawal of funds. An unused cash balance longer than three days dormant can be withdrawn anytime thereafter, allowing for one day notice to prepare the check payment. Do you provide margin facilities? Yes.  To find out more about our margin facilities click here: COLX2 What should I do if I change my email or mailing address? You should immediately inform CitisecOnline either by phone or email followed by a written request to change the information. Please send the request to the CitisecOnline or have it faxed back to our Accounting Department at (632) 634-6958. This request will be verified by a CitisecOnline support staff. What do I do if I forget my password? If you forgot your password you can request for a newly regenerated password by following the process below: 1. Go to CitisecOnline's Home page then click on the 'Forgot your Password?' request statement besides the Log On button. 2. Fill up all the necessary fields asked into this request then press Submit. 3. A newly generated password code will then be sent to your listed email Address to which you can use to authenticate a new Login. 4. Thereafter it would be advisable to change the password to something more personal to address security and enhance recall. How do I change my password? You can change your password through the following manner: 1. Log On with your present Log In account number and Password. 2. On the Logged in HOME page you click on the Change Password function located as the first choice within the third level of the option bar. 3. Indicate your current Password followed by the new Password you intend to use (twice for confirmation), then click on Change Password to have your new Password activated.  Back to Top

 

TRADING AND HANDLING FEES What are the fees charged for every executed trade? The following lists the corresponding charges for buying and selling transactions: 1. Commission = 1/4 of 1% or 0.25% of the gross trade amount or a minimum charge of P20.00 pesos per transaction, whichever is higher. Should you require broker-assisted trades, a commission charge of 1/2 of 1% or 0.5% of the transaction amount or a minimum of P20.00 pesos per trade will be charged, whichever is higher.  2. VAT = 12 % of commission (Effective Feb 1, 2006) 3. PSE = Philippine Stock Exchange Transaction Fee = 0.005% of gross trade amount.  4. SCCP = Securities Clearing Corporation of the Philippines Fee = 0.01% of gross trade amount  5. Sales Tax = No. of shares x price x .005 (only on the SELLING side)  Each computed charge listed above are rounded to hundreths (2 decimal places) using Symmetric Arithmetic Rounding* for the calculation of the total fees. Example 1: Buying Commission + VAT + PSE + SCCP = total fees Total fees for buying 47,000 shares of GEO at Php2.55/share can be computed as follows: Total fees = Php299.63 + Php35.96 + Php5.99 + Php11.99 = Php353.57 Selling Commission + VAT + PSE + SCCP + Sales Tax = total fees Total fees for selling 47,000 shares of GEO at Php2.55/share can be computed as follows: Total fees = Php299.63 + Php35.96 + Php5.99 + Php11.99 + Php599.25 = Php952.82 Example 2: Buying Commission + VAT + PSE + SCCP = total fees For example, total fees for buying 10,000 shares of Meralco-A at Php15.00/share can be computed as follows: Total fees = Php375 + Php 45.00 + Php7.50 + Php15.00 = Php 442.50 Selling Commission + VAT + PSE + SCCP + Sales Tax = total fees Total fees for selling 10,000 shares of Meralco-A at Php16.00/share can be computed as follows: Total fees = Php400 + Php48 + Php8.00 + Php16.00 + Php800 = Php1,272.00 * This method is commonly used in accounting. It is the same method used by Microsoft Excel and SQL. The rounding rules are as follows: Decide which is the last digit to keep.  Increase it by 1 if the next digit is 5 or more (this is called rounding up)  Leave it the same if the next digit is 4 or less (this is called rounding down)  Examples: 3.044 rounded to hundredths is 3.04 (because the next digit, 4, is less than 5).  3.046 rounded to hundredths is 3.05 (because the next digit, 6, is 5 or more).  3.045 rounded to hundredths is 3.05 (because the next digit, 5, is 5 or more).  Using example number 1 (buying): Gross Amount = 47,000 * 2.55 = 119,850.00 Commission = Gross Amount * 0.0025 = 119,850 * 0.0025 = 299.625 = 299.63 (rounded to hundredths because the next digit, 5 is 5 or more) VAT = Gross Amount * 0.12 = 119,850 * 0.12 = 35.955 = 35.96 (rounded to hundredths because the next digit, 5 is 5 or more) PSE = Gross Amount * 0.00005 = 119,850 * 0.00005 = 5.993 = 5.99 (rounded to hundredths because the next digit, 3 is less than 5) SCCP = Gross Amount * 0.0001 = 119,850 * 0.0001 = 11.985 = 11.99 (rounded to hundredths because the next digit, 5 is 5 or more)  Total fees = 299.63 + 35.96 + 5.99 + 11.99 = 353.57  Do I have to pay any monthly fees or handling charges? There are no monthly fees for CitisecOnline.  Some handling charges are listed below: 1. Lodgement fee (Depositing a Stock Certificate) - A Lodging fee of Php120 + VAT per stock will be charged with an additional Php20 + VAT per certificate of the same stock after the first certificate. 2. Electronic Share Transfer (Broker to Broker) - Electronic transfer can take one or two days and would entail a cost to the customer of Php75.00/per stock from the issuing broker and the receiving broker. 3. Upliftment fee (Request a Certificate) - Requesting a certificate would entail an Uplifting charge of Php150+VAT per stock, and could take up to a month to generate a new certificate. Back to Top

 

TECHNICAL QUESTIONS Which browsers can I use to access CitisecOnline? All latest browsers (Netscape 8+ and Microsoft Internet Explorer Version 6+, or Firefox) can be used to access CitisecOnline's website. However, only Windows' Internet Explorer 6+ fully supports the site. The use of other browsers may need some additional downloads from our site to run our ticker and charting programs. You can download these tools by first logging into your account then clicking on HOME followed by DOWNLOADS on the third menu tier. Thereafter click on the CitisecOnline Toolkit to start the download of the application. Once downloading is finished run the application to install the process applications. How can I speed up the transmission of orders? The following factors can speed up the transmission of orders: 1) A faster computer preferably with large RAM or memory space.  2) A faster modem or a DSL connection is preferred.  3) Not opening too many applications or websites at the same time. 4) Turning off memory resident programs such as Yahoo Messenger, MSN Messenger, ICQ etc. Does opening several windows slow down my system? Yes. Like any other computer programs or internet applications, opening several programs or websites may slow down your system because it will occupy a lot of memory space. As a general rule, not more than 3 websites or programs should be opened at the same time unless you have a great deal of RAM on your PC. How do I activate and use the Charts, Ticker and Alerts functions? To activate and use the Chart, ticker and alert tool, you must first download the installation kit by following the instructions below:   1. Download the CitisecOnlineTools.zip file here. 2. Unzip the downloaded file using Winzip.  If you do not have Winzip download a copy from here. 3. Run the set-up.exe file. 4. Follow the corresponding installation instructions.   To Run the application:  1.Click on CitisecOnlineTools icon from your program files. 2. Login your user name and password. 3. Select the application you want to run from the toolbar. How do I activate/install Active X functionality? ActiveX functionality is limited to Internet Explorer users only.  To enable ActiveX applications such as the chart and ticker, follow the following steps:   1. Under the TOOL section of your Internet Explorer browser, select INTERNET OPTIONS. 2. Select the SECURITY tab then click on the CUSTOM LEVEL button. 3. Under the ActiveX controls and plugins, enable all the options. 4. Click on the OK button to save the changes. Back to Top

 

SECURITY & PRIVACY How secure is this website? The security of your financial information is very important to us and we take every step to protect you online. We use the latest technology to ensure that our online dealing service is a safe and secure environment. Here is what we do: Secure Sessions When you login to our website you are always in a 'secure session' - you can tell this by looking for a padlock at the bottom right hand of your browser and checking that the website address starts with 'https'. This means the data sent between your computer and our website is encrypted and even if it does fall into the hands of a third party, it is virtually impossible to decipher.  We use Secure Socket Layer (SSL) encryption - which makes our website very secure.  Secure Login Our login process provides another layer of security. We use the industry standard login process of User ID and Password. Only after you have correctly entered these details can you access your accounts. Our login process does not support 'Microsoft Internet Explorer Autocomplete' feature. This means that you will always be asked to enter some security details before you can access your account. You will always be asked to re-enter your password at each login and before every order is sent to the Exchange for processing. We do this to further help you secure your personal details. To ensure that a high level of security is maintained, please remember that you must not disclose your User ID, account details, account number(s), or passwords to anyone. Tell us immediately if you think these may have been disclosed to someone else.  Last Login Everytime you login to our site, you will be shown the last time you logged in to our website. This is a security feature - if the time and date are incorrect then please contact us immediately as it may indicate that someone else has accessed your account.  Session Timeout After logging into our website, if your session remains inactive for 15 minutes, you will be automatically logged off. This reduces the risk of unauthorized access of your account if you forget to logout. To eliminate this risk please ensure you 'logout' when you have finished. To do so use the 'Logout' button in the left hand side of the website. You will only see the 'Logout' button whenever you are logged in to your account.  How do I change my password? You can change your password through the following manner: 1. Log On with your present Log In account number and Password. 2. On the Logged in HOME page you click on the Change Password function located as the first choice within the third level of the option bar. 3. Indicate your current Password followed by the new Password you intend to use (twice for confirmation), then click on Change Password to have your new Password activated.  If you have other problems with our website you may contact our technical support at 635-5735. Back to Top