Program Basics
How do I qualify for $0 online equity trades?
How do I sign up?
What trades qualify?
Is this a limited time offer?
Is there a limit on the number of commission-free trades I can make?
What is the commission per trade after I reach my 30-trade limit?
Is the trade limit applied per account, household, or individual?
When is the $25,000 combined deposit account balance calculated?
How can I fund my deposit account?
Are there any other brokerage fees that will apply with the new $0 online equity trade price?
For Bank of America, N.A. deposit accounts, how do I know what the interest rate is for each of the qualifying deposit accounts?
Who Can Qualify
What states qualify for this offer?
Are Premier and Platinum clients eligible for this pricing program?
Are U.S. Trust, Bank of America Private Wealth Management clients eligible for this pricing program?
Are Active Trader Program members eligible for the $0 online equity trade offer?
Do my commission-free trades apply toward the quarterly minimum of trades required to maintain Active Trader Program membership?
I'm a Full-Service customer. Am I eligible?
Do Bank of America associates qualify for this program?
Which of Your Accounts Qualify
Which Bank of America, N.A. deposit accounts are included in the $25,000 minimum?
Which Self-Directed brokerage accounts qualify?
Are Bank of America N.A. Small Business deposit accounts applied toward the $25,000 balance to qualify?
Will my Banc of America Investment Services, Inc. Small Business brokerage account(s) be eligible for $0 online equity trades?
Individual Brokerage Accounts
For individual brokerage accounts, do my Bank of America, N.A. joint deposit account balances count toward my combined deposit balance requirement of $25,000?
Joint Brokerage Accounts
Are joint brokerage accounts eligible for this offer?
For joint brokerage accounts, how is the $25,000 combined deposit balance calculated?
More About Balance Requirements
How do you determine if I meet the balance requirement?
What happens if my balance goes below $25,000?
If my deposit account is new and/or I make a large deposit to meet the balance requirement, do I have to wait before I can get commission-free online equity trades?
Is there a brokerage account minimum to be eligible for this program?
How often are deposit account balances reviewed to see if they continue to qualify for this preferred pricing?
Can I receive backdated commission adjustments if I increase the funds in my qualifying deposit accounts to meet the $25,000 minimum?
How the $0 Trade Offer Works
How will I know if I received the $0 commission for my online equity trade?
If I exceed the limit of 30 $0 online equity trades in a calendar month, what will I be charged for additional trades?
Does the new pricing apply to broker-assisted or Intellibroker trades?
Are Good-Till-Cancelled (GTC) orders eligible?
Does this program affect the commissions for mutual funds, options, or fixed-income products?
What if I trade penny stocks? Is there a minimum trade value to qualify?
I have more than $25,000 on deposit but am not receiving the $0 trade price -- why?
Program Basics
How do I qualify for $0 online equity trades?
At a minimum, you must have:
How do I sign up?
There is no sign up or enrollment for this offer - you may automatically qualify by having an individual or joint self-directed brokerage account with Banc of America Investment Services, Inc. and the minimum deposit balance of $25,000 with Bank of America, N.A.
What trades qualify?
This offer applies to online equity trades only (stock and exchange-traded fund [ETF]). Standard commissions apply for all other trades.
Visit Fees & Commissions for a complete view of Banc of America Investment Services, Inc. account and trade related fees and commissions.
Is this a limited time offer?
This is not intended to be a limited-time or promotional offer. Banc of America Investment Services, Inc. does, however, reserve the right to change or discontinue this offer at any time.
Is there a limit on the number of commission-free trades I can make?
Yes. Each Banc of America Investment Services Inc. Self-Directed investor who qualifies for this offer is limited to 30 commission-free online equity trades per calendar month. Each Banc of America Investment Services, Inc. Self-Directed investor is allowed a maximum of 30 commission-free trades across all of their Self-Directed accounts.
What is the commission per trade after I reach my 30-trade limit?
If you reach the 30 commission-free trade threshold in a calendar month, the online equity trade commission will default to Banc of America Investment Services, Inc.’s standard relationship pricing, which is based on your checking account relationship with Bank of America, N.A.
| $0 Qualify for as many as 30 online equity trades per calendar month: U.S. Trust, Bank of America Private Wealth Management clients or Self-Directed Brokerage customers who maintain a combined balance of $25,000 or more across their Bank of America, N.A. deposit accounts (checking, savings, CDs).1 Thereafter, your online equity price per trade is based on the schedule to the right. |
| $5 U.S. Trust, Bank of America Private Wealth Management clients, or Premier Banking & InvestmentsTM clients |
| $7 Bank of America Advantage®, Advantage for Seniors, FirstChoiceTM Gold, Prima®, or Preferred checking account holders1 Money Manager or Master Relationship Account holders 1,2 Active Trader Program membership3 |
| $10 All other Bank of America, N.A., checking account holders |
| $14 Customers who have a Self-Directed Brokerage account(s), and do not meet any of the criteria above. |
Is the trade limit applied per account, household, or individual?
The limit is applied to the individual, specifically the Banc of America Investment Services Inc. Self-Directed account owner whose social security number is on the account.
For joint brokerage accounts, the 30 commission-free trades for the account are applied to the primary account owner.
If the primary owner of a joint brokerage account also has an individual brokerage account or is the primary account owner on another joint brokerage account, the 30-trade limit will apply to the total number of trades in all accounts.
When is the $25,000 combined deposit account balance calculated?
When you make an online equity trade, Banc of America Investment Services, Inc. determines whether you meet the balance requirement to qualify that trade for the commission waiver. First, Banc of America Investment Services, Inc. adds the average collected balances in your checking and savings accounts for the prior calendar month to the balances in your CD and FDIC-insured IRA accounts as of the prior business day. If this calculation reflects a combined balance of less than $25,000, Banc of America Investment Services, Inc. then makes a second calculation to see if the trade qualifies by adding the current balances in your checking, savings, CD, and FDIC-insured IRA accounts as of the prior business day.
How can I fund my deposit account?
Are there any other brokerage fees that will apply with the new $0 online equity trade price?
Banc of America Investment Services, Inc. waives its online equity commission fee for eligible clients. Other standard brokerage fees continue to apply, including a FINRA fee which is charged on sell orders. This fee is calculated at .000075 x principal and must be less than $3.75 .Clients are also subject to a SEC fee. The SEC Section 31 fee rate is applied to sales of listed securities at a rate of .0000153 x principal. There is no maximum cap to the SEC fee.
Standard account maintenance fees still apply as do standard commission charges for non-equity transactions. If you trade on margin you will still accrue margin interest based on your debit balance. Standard brokerage fees associated with, but not limited to, option trading, special stock registration/gifting, account transfer and processing, account maintenance, research request, termination, and IRA custodial accounts also apply.
Visit Fees & Commissions for a complete view of Banc of America Investment Services, Inc. account and trade related fees and commissions.
For Bank of America, N.A. deposit accounts, how do I know what the interest rate is for each of the qualifying deposit accounts?
To view current rates for the qualifying deposit accounts listed below, please select the appropriate link and visit the Rates & Fees tab of the corresponding page. Current rate information for the other qualifying deposit accounts can also be found online through www.bankofamerica.com
Who Can Qualify
What states qualify for this offer?
All states qualify for this offer.
Are Premier and Platinum clients eligible for this pricing program?
Premier and Platinum clients are eligible but must meet the balance requirements of this program to qualify.
Are U.S. Trust, Bank of America Private Wealth Management clients eligible for this pricing program?
U.S. Trust, Bank of America Private Wealth Management clients automatically qualify for this program.
Are Active Trader Program members eligible for the $0 online equity trade offer?
Active Trader Program members are eligible for as many as 30 commission-free online equity trades, subject to the balance requirements of the offer.3
Do my commission-free trades apply toward the quarterly minimum of trades required to maintain Active Trader Program membership?
Yes. Commission-free trades do apply toward the quarterly minimum of 31 trades required to maintain Active Trader Program membership.
I'm a Banc of American Investment Services, Inc. Full-Service customer. Am I eligible?
The program is offered to Banc of America Investment Services, Inc. Self-Directed Investing clients only.
Do Bank of America associates qualify for this program?
Bank of America associates are eligible but must meet the deposit balance requirements and must maintain a self directed brokerage account.
Which of Your Accounts Qualify
Which Bank of America, N.A. deposit accounts are included in the $25,000 minimum?
Which Self-Directed brokerage accounts qualify?
Only individual and joint Banc of America Investment Services, Inc. Self-Directed brokerage accounts are eligible for this commission-free trade offer. These include:
Are Bank of America N.A. Small Business deposit accounts applied toward the $25,000 balance to qualify?
Small Business deposit accounts with the same social security number as the brokerage account are eligible.
Will my Banc of America Investment Services, Inc. Small Business brokerage account(s) be eligible for $0 online equity trades?
Individual and joint Self-Directed brokerage accounts are eligible. Corporate/Business Brokerage accounts are not eligible for $0 online equity trades.
Individual Brokerage Accounts
For individual brokerage accounts, do my Bank of America, N.A. joint deposit account balances count toward my combined deposit balance requirement of $25,000?
All Bank of America, N.A deposit accounts that include your social security number will be counted toward your combined deposit balance. If one of the social security numbers on a Bank of America, N.A. joint deposit account is your social security number, the balance will qualify toward the offer.
Joint Brokerage Accounts
Are joint brokerage accounts eligible for this offer?
Yes, joint brokerage accounts are eligible for $0 online equity trades. The 30 commission-free trades count towards the primary brokerage account owner and across all Self-Directed accounts held by this primary brokerage owner.
For example: If the primary account holder on a Joint Brokerage Account also holds an individual brokerage account, trades in both accounts are added together and applied to the 30 commission-free limit. This primary holder would receive a maximum of 30 commission-free trades per calendar month.
For joint brokerage accounts, how is the $25,000 combined deposit balance calculated?
For joint brokerage accounts, Banc of America Investment Services, Inc. calculates the combined deposit balance for each account holder. If the combined deposit balance for either the primary or secondary brokerage account holder individually exceeds the $25,000 minimum balance, the joint brokerage account qualifies for $0 online equity trades.
To calculate the combined deposit balance for each account holder, we include the following balances:
Primary Brokerage Account Holder:
Secondary Brokerage Account Holder:
For example: Jim and Christine are the account holders of a joint brokerage account - Jim is the primary owner. Collectively, they have the following deposit account balances:
Jim - individual deposit account with a balance of $10,000
Christine - individual deposit account with a balance of $3,000
Jim & Christine - joint deposit account with a balance of $20,000
To determine if their joint brokerage account meets the combined balance requirement, we calculate each brokerage account owner's combined deposit balance:
| Jim | Christine | |
| Individual Deposit Balance(s) | $10,000 | $3,000 |
| Joint Deposit Balance(s) | $20,000 | $20,000 |
| Total Combined Balance | $30,000 | $23,000 |
Banc of America Investment Services, Inc. automatically picks the higher of the two totals which, in this case, is $30,000. Since this exceeds the minimum combined balance of $25,000, Jim and Christine's joint brokerage account is eligible for $0 online equity trades.
Jim also has an individual brokerage account. Since he is the primary owner of the joint brokerage account, he will be allowed 30 commission-free online equity trades per calendar month, totaled across both the joint brokerage account and his own individual brokerage account. He will not receive an additional 30 commission-free trades for his individual brokerage account.
Christine also has her own individual brokerage account. She would not be eligible for $0 online equity trades unless she increased her total deposits by $2,000 to $25,000. If she did this, she would be eligible for an additional 30 commission-free trades in her individual brokerage account, as she is not the primary owner of the joint brokerage account.
More About Balance Requirements
How do you determine if I meet the balance requirement?
When you make an online equity trade, Banc of America Investment Services, Inc. determines whether you meet the balance requirement to qualify that trade for the commission waiver. First, Banc of America Investment Services, Inc. adds the average collected balances in your checking and savings accounts for the prior calendar month to the balances in your CD and FDIC-insured IRA accounts as of the prior business day. If this calculation reflects a combined balance of less than $25,000, Banc of America Investment Services, Inc. then makes a second calculation to see if the trade qualifies by adding the current balances in your checking, savings, CD, and FDIC-insured IRA accounts as of the prior business day.
What happens if my balance goes below $25,000?
When you make an online equity trade, Banc of America Investment Services, Inc. determines whether you meet the balance requirement to qualify that trade for the commission waiver. First, Banc of America Investment Services, Inc. adds the average collected balances in your checking and savings accounts for the prior calendar month to the balances in your CD and FDIC-insured IRA accounts as of the prior business day. If this calculation reflects a combined balance of less than $25,000, Banc of America Investment Services, Inc. then makes a second calculation to see if the trade qualifies by adding the current balances in your checking, savings, CD, and FDIC-insured IRA accounts as of the prior business day.
If both the first and second calculations reflect a combined balance of less than $25,000, the standard commission fee applies.
Visit Fees & Commissions for a complete view of Banc of America Investment Services, Inc. account and trade related fees and commissions.
If my deposit account is new and/or I make a large deposit to meet the balance requirement, do I have to wait before I can get commission-free online equity trades?
Yes, but not for long. Your Banc of America Investment Services, Inc. Self-Directed Brokerage account would become eligible for commission-free online equity trades on the next business day after your deposit is credited to your Bank of America, N.A. deposit account.
Is there a brokerage account minimum to be eligible for this program?
No. You may have any amount in your Banc of America Investment Services, Inc. brokerage account as long as you meet the combined Bank of America, N.A. deposit account balance minimum of $25,000.
How often are deposit account balances reviewed to see if they continue to qualify for this preferred pricing?
Accounts are reviewed daily. The review is prompted when you log into your Self-Directed brokerage account for the first time each day.
If you qualify for preferred pricing based on the previous calendar month's average collected balances, you continue to receive preferred pricing for as many as 30 online equity trades in the calendar month. Alternatively, you may also qualify based on current balances as of the previous business day of $25,000 or more in combined deposit accounts.
Can I receive backdated commission adjustments if I increase the funds in my qualifying deposit accounts to meet the $25,000 minimum?
No. Commissions will not be post-dated. This offer applies only to future trades upon eligibility.
How the $0 Trade Offer Works
How will I know if I received the $0 commission for my online equity trade?
You can review your commission when you place a trade online. When you place the trade you will receive the estimated commission on the Preview Order screen. Once you have reviewed your trade and commission, you can either "Place Order" or cancel the trade.
If I exceed the limit of 30 $0 online equity trades in a calendar month, what will I be charged for additional trades?
Should you meet the 30 trades per calendar month maximum, fees for additional online equity trades during that month will follow Banc of America Investment Services, Inc.'s current pricing schedule. The schedule is based on your relationship with Bank of America, N.A. and its affiliates.
| $0 Qualify for as many as 30 online equity trades per calendar month: U.S. Trust, Bank of America Private Wealth Management clients or Self-Directed Brokerage customers who maintain a combined balance of $25,000 or more across their Bank of America, N.A. deposit accounts (checking, savings, CDs).1 Thereafter, your online equity price per trade is based on the schedule to the right. |
| $5 U.S. Trust, Bank of America Private Wealth Management clients, or Premier Banking & InvestmentsTM clients |
| $7 Bank of America Advantage®, Advantage for Seniors, FirstChoiceTM Gold, Prima®, or Preferred checking account holders1 Money Manager or Master Relationship Account holders 1,2 Active Trader Program membership3 |
| $10 All other Bank of America, N.A., checking account holders |
| $14 Customers who have a Self-Directed Brokerage account(s), and do not meet any of the criteria above. |
Does the new pricing apply to broker-assisted or Intellibroker trades?
No. Only online equity trades qualify for this offer.
Are Good-Till-Cancelled (GTC) orders eligible?
Yes, online orders placed Good-Till-Cancelled (GTC) are eligible for $0 commissions. You should be aware, however, that trades are assigned commissions at execution and not at the time of entry of the order.
For example, if you place a GTC order during a month in which you are eligible for $0 online equity trades, but the order executes 45 days later and you are no longer eligible at that time, you would be charged the normal commission for the trade.
This also applies to orders that execute over multiple days.
Does this program affect the commissions for mutual funds, options, or fixed-income products?
No, this offer only applies to online equity trades - stocks and exchange-traded funds (ETFs). Standard commissions and fees apply for all other trades.
What if I trade penny stocks? Is there a minimum trade value to qualify?
No, there is no minimum trade value to qualify.
I have more than $25,000 on deposit but am not receiving the $0 trade price -- why?
If your Bank of America, N.A. deposit account (checking, savings, CD or FDIC-insured IRA) balances are not being aggregated systematically for the Banc of America Investment Services, Inc. $0 online equity trade offer, please call 1.800.926.1111. (8am - 12am EST, Monday - Friday and 8am to 9pm EST on Saturdays)
This offer and investment products provided by Banc of America Investment Services, Inc® Banking products provided by Bank of America, N.A., Member FDIC
Offer available with an individual or joint Banc of America Investment Services, Inc. (BAI) Self-Directed Brokerage account. If you have a combined total of $25,000 or more in your deposit accounts at Bank of America N.A., BAI waives its commission fee for as many as 30 online equity trades each month. When you make an online equity trade, BAI determines whether you meet the balance requirement to qualify that trade for the commission fee waiver. BAI adds the average collected balances in your checking and savings accounts as of the prior month to the balances in your CD and FDIC-insured IRA accounts as of the prior business day. If this calculation reflects a combined total of less than $25,000, BAI then makes a second calculation to see if the trade qualifies by adding the balances in your checking, savings, CD and FDIC-insured IRA accounts as of the prior business day. Offer applies only to online equity trades, including stock and exchange traded fund (ETF) trades. Standard commission fees for online equity trades range from $5 to $14 depending on your relationship with Bank of America and apply when the balance requirement is not met, or when you exceed 30 qualifying trades.
To determine the 30 trade limit, BAI adds the qualifying trades in your individual accounts and in each joint account for which you are the primary account owner. Deposit accounts with the same social security number as the social security number(s) on the Self-Directed Brokerage account are systematically included in the balance determination. Deposit accounts maintained with the Military Bank of Bank of America, N.A. are not systematically included in the balance determination.
Other standard brokerage fees associated with, but not limited to, margin transactions, option trading, special stock registration/gifting, account transfer and processing, account maintenance, research request, termination and IRA custodial accounts apply. Standard deposit fees apply to deposit accounts.
Relationship requirements and pricing are subject to change. Offer does not apply to Business/Corporate Accounts, Investment Club Accounts, Partnership Accounts and certain fiduciary accounts held at BAI.
U.S. Trust, Bank of America Private Wealth Management clients are automatically eligible for this 30 trade offer.
Money market mutual funds and FDIC accounts offer different rates, returns and yields so that transferring funds from a money market mutual fund to a deposit account may lead to a lower rate of return.
1Offered through Bank of America, N.A.
2Offered through Banc of America Investment Services, Inc.
3Active Trader Program eligibility is based on the trading activity and total assets in your account. In order to be eligible, you must have executed at least 31 stock, option, or mutual fund trades per calendar quarter and have a minimum of $250,000 in your account
Banking products provided by Bank of America, N.A., Member FDIC
Investment products are provided by Banc of America Investment Services, Inc.® and:
| Are Not FDIC Insured |
May Lose Value | Are Not Bank Guaranteed |
Banc of America Investment Services, Inc. is a registered broker-dealer, Member FINRA and SIPC, and a nonbank subsidiary of Bank of America, N.A.