USI Overview
Timings
| Monday | 9:30am to 5:00pm |
|---|---|
| Tuesday | 9:30am to 5:00pm |
| Wednesday | 9:30am to 5:00pm |
| Thursday | 9:30am to 5:00pm |
| Friday | 9:30am to 5:00pm |
Transfers
| Amount | Fees |
|---|---|
£200 - 1,500 | £10 |
£1,501and above | No fee |
Glossary
Forward Points
The difference between the spot rate (today's exchange rate) and the forward rate (the future ex-change rate)
Currency
The type of money that country uses
Cross Rate
The exchange rate between 2 currencies.
IFR
Inward Funds Receipt from the customer in terms of currency sold. e.g. A customer SELLS GBP and BUYS USD, the Inward Funds Receipt will be in GBP.
IBAN
International bank account number
SWIFT
Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication.
SPOT RATE
Current Rate for spot transactions.
Deal Ticket
The basic method of recording the information related to transactions.
OFR
Outward Funds Remittance to the customer’s beneficiary. e.g. A customer SELLS GBP and BUYS USD, the Outward Funds Remittance will be in USD.
BACS
Bank Automated Clearing System - the electronic process for Sterling clearing for domestic banks. A cost saving process that should take 3 business days to reach the destination account.
CHAPS
Clearing House Automated Payment System (for transfers within the UK) - an electronic means of making payments. The fastest payment available, which usually results in the destination account being credited on the same day. Also called a WIRE (principally in the US) and formerly called a Tele-graphic Transfer (TT). The expression is also used when making payments overseas in foreign curren-cies and which, within banking system, are referred to as Electronic Payments and are either an Ur-gent or Standard Transfers, the Standard transfer taking an extra day.
Exposure
The amount of money at risk due to Foreign Exchange Rate movements.
Forward Rate
The rate at which two currencies can be exchanged on a pre-set future date.
GTC
Good Till Cancelled. A GTC foreign exchange order will be left in the market until executed or cancelled by the client.
Hedge
A method of protection against future currency exchange rate fluctuations.
Limit Order
lacing a limit order enables you to specify a defined rate of exchange that you would like to buy at. In other words, a better rate than is currently available. For example, if the Euro is currently trading at €1.48 to the £1, you can place a limit order to buy Euros if and when they reach €1.50 to the £1.
OCO
"One Cancels Other". A combination of a 'Stop Loss' order and a 'Take Profit' order. When one of these two foreign currency orders is executed, the other order is automatically cancelled.
Order
Where a client can leave an "order" with us to transact on your behalf if a particular exchange rate is reached.
Stop Loss Order
A stop loss order is a means of limiting a client's risk from adverse exchange rates. A currency ex-change level is set. If that currency exchange level is reached, the trade is automatically executed in the market. The currency level used for a stop loss order is always worse than the current market price. This is a way to protect you from adverse changes in exchange rates without needing to con-stantly monitor the rate. Using a Euro example, if the market is trading at Euros €1.49 and you think that you may get a better rate by waiting, you can still protect yourself in case the market moves against you by placing a stop loss order at Euros.
Take Profit Order
Like a "stop loss order", a take profit order first involves setting a currency exchange level. Once that currency exchange level is reached, the trade is executed in the foreign exchange market. The cur-rency level used for a take profit order is always better than the current market price. This is a way to capitalise on improvements in exchange rates without needing to constantly monitor the rate.
Settlement Date
The date for the exchange of payments of the currencies following an agreed foreign exchange con-tract.