How to Get a Florida Medallion Signature Guarantee: Rules and Costs

To get a Medallion Signature Guarantee in Florida, book an in-person appointment at a bank, credit union, or brokerage firm where you already hold an account and that participates in one of the three SEC-recognized Medallion programs. Bring the unsigned transfer document, a government-issued photo ID, and a recent statement showing you own the securities. The stamp itself takes minutes; the preparation is what trips people up.

Start With an Institution Where You Already Have an Account

Only institutions that belong to one of three SEC-recognized programs can issue the guarantee: the Securities Transfer Agents Medallion Program (STAMP), the Stock Exchanges Medallion Program (SEMP), or the New York Stock Exchange Medallion Signature Program (MSP).¹ Under SEC Rule 17Ad-15, eligible guarantor institutions include banks, broker-dealers, credit unions, and savings associations.²

In practice, your best starting point is the bank, credit union, or brokerage that already holds your accounts. Florida-based credit unions such as First Florida Credit Union offer the service to members who appear in person with identification and the original security document.³ Larger national banks with Florida branches also participate, but not every branch has an authorized officer or the physical stamp on site. Call ahead before driving across town.

The Existing-Customer Rule

This is where most people hit a wall. Financial institutions almost universally require you to be a current customer, and many impose a minimum account age. Bank of America requires at least six months of account history before it will provide the service.⁴ The institution issuing the stamp takes on financial liability for the signature, so it wants a real relationship behind the request.

If you have no relationship with a participating institution, your options narrow. Opening a new account and waiting out the holding period is one path, but it does not help if you need the guarantee quickly. A brokerage firm handling the transaction is often the most flexible provider, because it already has your account history and can verify ownership directly.

What to Bring to the Appointment

Show up without the right paperwork and the visit is wasted. The officer will not make exceptions. Bring:

The unsigned document. The stock certificate, transfer form, or other paperwork that needs the stamp. Do not sign it beforehand. The officer has to watch you sign.
Government-issued photo ID. A valid driver’s license or passport.
Proof of ownership. A recent account statement showing the securities in your name and their current value, so the institution can confirm the transaction falls within its stamp limit.

If the securities have multiple owners, every owner must appear in person at the same appointment.³ This catches people off guard with jointly held assets. Coordinate schedules before booking.

If You’re Signing for Someone Else

When you sign in a representative capacity rather than as the account owner, the institution needs proof of your legal authority as well as your identity.

Estate of a deceased person: the original death certificate and current Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration from the Florida probate court. Bring originals or certified copies, not photocopies.
Trust: a copy of the trust agreement or a Certification of Trust that names you as trustee and confirms your authority to transfer the trust’s securities.
Corporation: a corporate resolution authorizing the specific transaction and identifying the officer authorized to sign.

Power of attorney is harder. A POA may grant broad financial authority, but many institutions hesitate to issue a Medallion based on a POA alone because they cannot easily verify that the document has not been revoked or that the principal is still living and competent. Expect extra scrutiny, and call ahead to ask about the institution’s specific POA policy before making the trip.

Check the Stamp’s Surety Limit Before You Go

Every Medallion stamp carries a letter prefix that caps the dollar value of the transaction it can cover. Limits range from $100,000 for an E or F prefix up to $14 million for a Z prefix, with credit unions typically at the lower end and larger banks and brokerages at the higher tiers.⁵

The value of the securities you’re transferring has to fit within the stamp’s limit. If your transfer is worth $600,000 and your credit union carries a $250,000-limit stamp, it will decline. Ask about the stamp’s prefix level when you schedule so you don’t waste a visit.

What It Costs

Many institutions provide the guarantee free to existing customers. Bank of America offers it at no charge to qualifying Private Bank and Merrill clients.⁴ The bigger obstacle for most Florida residents is finding a willing provider, not paying for the stamp.

Common Reasons You’ll Be Turned Away

The transaction value exceeds the stamp’s surety limit.
Insufficient proof of authority: missing or outdated court documents, an expired trust certification, or an unsigned corporate resolution.
No established customer relationship, or an account that has not met the minimum age.
Name mismatch: the receiving account is not in your name, or the names on the securities do not match your identification exactly.
You already signed the document. If the officer cannot witness the signature, you may need a fresh form and a new start.

Transfer agents on the receiving end can also reject a guarantee after the fact if the issuing institution is not a recognized program member or does not maintain the required net capital.²

When No Florida Institution Will Help

Some Florida residents get stuck: no account at a participating institution, a new account that has not aged long enough, or a transfer that exceeds every local provider’s surety limit. A few realistic paths remain.

Contact the transfer agent or issuer directly. The SEC advises investors who cannot obtain a Medallion Guarantee to reach out to the transfer agent requiring it, because the agent may accept alternative verification for certain transactions, particularly lower-value redemptions or checks mailed to the shareholder’s address on file.¹

Try your broker-dealer. If the securities are held through a brokerage, that firm has every incentive to help complete the transfer and often carries a higher surety limit than a retail bank branch.

Use an authorized online provider. The Securities Transfer Association lists online Medallion services, including eSignatureGuarantee.com for U.S. shareholders. These services are STAMP participants and use encrypted technology. They charge a fee, but they solve the access problem when no local institution will help.⁶

If You’re Outside the United States

Florida has plenty of seasonal residents and international investors who cannot appear at a Florida branch. U.S. consular officers abroad cannot provide a Medallion Signature Guarantee.⁷ Overseas branches of U.S. or Canadian banks, brokers, and credit unions that participate in a Medallion program can issue the stamp.¹ The Securities Transfer Association also lists international providers: ShareData for the UK and Europe, and Fortrend for Australia and the Asia-Pacific region.⁶

Make Sure You Actually Need a Medallion

A Medallion Guarantee is for transferring ownership of securities. It is not required for address changes, updates to bank information on an account, or adding or removing a beneficiary. Some transfer agents ask for one anyway, but the guarantee was designed for ownership transfers, not account maintenance.

Non-securities transactions like check endorsements, loan applications, changes to certificates of deposit, or updates to trust agreements use a separate stamp under the Signature Validation Program (SVP). The two programs are not interchangeable. If a transfer agent or institution tells you that you need an SVP stamp instead of a Medallion, your transaction is not a securities transfer and requires the lighter-weight validation.⁸ A notary public cannot substitute for either stamp, because a notary does not accept the financial liability that makes the guarantee meaningful.

1
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Medallion Signature Guarantees: Preventing the Unauthorized Transfer of Securities
2
eCFR. 17 CFR 240.17Ad-15 – Signature Guarantees
3
First Florida Credit Union. Branch Services
4
Bank of America. Medallion Signature Guarantee
5
Federated Hermes. Original Medallion Guarantee and Signature Validation Program (SVP) Stamps – Section: Surety Limits for the Medallion Stamp
6
Securities Transfer Association. Medallion Guarantee
7
U.S. Department of State. Medallion Signature Guarantees – Not a Notarial Service
8
Federated Hermes. Original Medallion Guarantee and Signature Validation Program (SVP) Stamps