Stock Brokers > The Share Centre
About The Share Centre
Gavin Oldham, who founded The Share Centre, was a partner in Wedd Durlacher, one of the two big stockjobbers in the old market. His firm, which had family connections dating back to Bone Oldham in 1884, was bought by Barclays Bank. There he teamed up with Peter Forster, director of business development at The Share Centre, who had been at Barclays for 25 years, and Jeremy Helliwell, now Operations Director at The Share Centre. The result was Barclayshare, or Barclays Stockbrokers as it is now known.
In 1990 Gavin left Barclays to set up The Share Centre, which started providing share services to the public in April 1991. Since then the company has grown consistently, offering its services through newspapers, major listed companies, retail stores and the large UK government privatisations. In 1993 it was chosen to offer low-cost share dealing services for corporate client companies of SG Warburg. In 1994 it ran the House of Fraser employee new issue service and in 1995 it provided National Grid with a dedicated flotation service for its staff.
In 1996 The Share Centre introduced one of the lowest ever minimum commission for share-buying: just £2.50 (see their charges page). Meanwhile, to prepare for fully automated dealing, it introduced a share settlement system based on CREST, the new share clearing organisation designed to replace the old Stock Exchange systems. 1997 was the year of de-mutualisation, and a change of Government.
The Share Centre originated "subscription-free" transfer into PEP for Building Society Shares, and played a leading role in offering share services for the new plc's, including the new Colonial Share service. Thomson Travel was the major event in '98, and The Share Centre handled over 300,000 registrations, 105,000 of whom applied for the issue.
In a major expansion of its share services for employees and shareholders of listed companies, The Share Centre acquired the Corporate PEP business of Bradford & Bingley in early '99, completing the transfer over the Easter weekend. It now administers over 167,000 Share Accounts, PEP's and ISA's with a combined value of approximately £750m.
In the fourth quarter of 2000 The Share Centre started to provide direct Internet Access for Account Customers. This major development proved extremely popular, as customers are able to review their valuations and place dealing instructions 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. In January 2001 Immediate Dealing was introduced to the web site, and now accounts for over 40% of all dealing instructions placed.
The Share Centre is a privately owned, independent group. Gavin Oldham remains the majority shareholder in the parent company, now called Share plc, accompanied by fellow staff and directors and a number of long-standing personal shareholders. However, shareownership in the newly-restructured company underwent a major change in 2000, with existing Account holders and new ISA customers being offered the opportunity to receive Free Shares in Share plc.
In addition, they have created our own 'Internal Market' known as 'ShareMark' to allow the trading in Share plc shares, accessible via www.sharemark.co.uk.
Share Account
Opening a Share Account with The Share Centre couldn't be easier. You don't have to deal straight away. An unused account costs nothing to open and nothing to close - so if you change your mind there's nothing to lose.
ISAs
Individual Savings Accounts (ISAs) are a tax-free way of investing, designed to encourage savings and investment habit for everyone. They're the Government's alternative to PEPs and TESSAs for new subscriptions.
Their ISA allows you to invest directly in shares and the selection is yours. You will still avoid UK tax on all investments within your portfolio, so long as it stays fully invested - no UK dividend income tax and no UK capital gains tax. You can do so enjoying the same ease, flexibility and service that they give to all our Share Account customers, and if you're unsure of what to do at any stage, there's optional access to personal investment advice.
Benefits:
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Your own tax-free share portfolio
Low dealing and administration charges
24 hour, 7 day access to your portfolio online
Wide range of investments
The Shareholder magazine with your half-yearly valuations
Optional investment advice
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Visit http://www.share.com/
Stock Brokers > Comdirect
About Comdirect
comdirect is Europe's biggest stockbroker and a subsidiary of Commerzbank, a financial group with banking and investment operations across the world.
comdirect ltd, which has operated in the UK since June 2000, is a member of the London Stock Exchange and regulated by the Financial Services Authority. Their expertise in online broking has been developed since 1997, when comdirect bank AG launched its internet service in Germany.
comdirect ltd is a pioneer of a fair deal for investors, offering the same flat price of £12.50 for online and phone trades. They also take the lead in technological developments and product innovation. They were, for example, the first online broker in the UK to offer limit and stop orders, as well as the first to offer a SIPP Dealing account that gives the investor the flexibility to choose his/her own pension administrator.
Products and Services
Range of investments
With comdirect you can trade in:
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UK and international equities
investment trusts
exchange traded funds
over 150 unit trusts from 5 leading providers
gilts
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Markets
Invest in all UK CREST-settleable equities (including AIM) and all major European and North American markets, all for the same flat fee.
Dealing online or by phone
Best execution from a range of market makers: 80% of trades better "the touch" or "yellow strip" price - the best prevailing bid and offer quoted on SEAQ (Stock Exchange Automated Quotation), or the best prevailing bid and offer on the Order Book (also known as SETS - Stock Exchange Electronic Trading Service.)
They also offer limit and stop orders at no extra charge. These are constantly monitored and good for up to 90 days.
Investor support
The Market Focus pages offer comprehensive market index information. Drill down through the indices to news and reports on specific companies, and set up advanced charting to monitor key movements in selected stocks. Account holders also get free access to broker research, consensus estimates and directors' dealings.
Visit http://www.comdirect.co.uk/
