Unable to match security from downloaded transactions
When downloading transactions from Ameritrade, Moneydance does not match the security automatically and does not provide a way to match the security manually. I am presented with a window that says:
"Please choose the security that matches the information below. Your selection will be used to match downloaded transactions with the appropriate security."
However, the security that matches is not included in the list. There is an option for "None of the above" which creates a new duplicate security which I then have to go clean up manually later.
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32 Posted by g on 08 Apr, 2011 04:29 PM
Just tried Moneydance 2011 and this is still a problem unfortunately. I was prompted for each security twice. The second time, the security wasn't in the list, so it ended up creating each security twice. I have to manually go through and clean up each security.
33 Posted by john.prewitt on 13 May, 2011 06:21 PM
MD,
I have a similar problem to this. Citigroup has just declared a 1 for 10 reverse stock split and my brokerage house downloads this as SellXfr for the total number of existing shares and BuyXfr for the new whole shares. If used as is, one would lose original buy date and cost basis for all lots. These must be maintained in MD, the brokerage house maintains them but doesn't download transactions to effect such. The user must ignore these transactions and perform a stock split for the security.
When using Qucken 2007 for Mac, it too ask to match the new Citigroup security but it allows one to select the exiting Citigroup security. MD only allows one to select securities which are not currently in the Account. In Quicken, the two transactions, SellXfr and BuyXfr, are deleted and a 10 for 1 stock split for the Citigroup security is entered. MD should allow the security selection to include all securities.
It appears the CUSIP number was changed from 17296710 to 172967424 for Citigroup. I don't know how MD tracks securities but I believe they must use its CUSIP. Every once and awhile the CUSIP number will change for stock splits and name changes. Both of these events require new CUSIP numbers. By allowing the user to select the existing in use security this issue is resolved.
John Prewitt
34 Posted by g on 17 May, 2011 08:36 PM
Good point John. I don't see why a security couldn't haven't multiple CUSIP numbers associated with it. I'd think the only restriction would be that a CUSIP number isn't associated with multiple securities.
35 Posted by john.prewitt on 18 May, 2011 12:46 AM
A security only has one CUSIP at a time. Since the CUSIP is a 9 digit alphanumeric code the likely hood that it would repeat is null. See the following web site for more information about CUSIP.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CUSIP
John Prewitt
36 Posted by g on 19 May, 2011 05:24 PM
I understand that a security only has one CUSIP (at a time). Allowing a security to associate with multiple CUSIP numbers in the application, however, would solve both your problem, where the CUSIP changes, and my problem, where the brokerage sometimes uses a bogus CUSIP and sometimes uses the correct one.
37 Posted by john.prewitt on 19 May, 2011 05:38 PM
g,
Interesting that a brokerage would use two CUSIP's for a security at the same time. Could you elaborate?
If this was an error at the brokerage house, it is not MD fault and MD should not to be modified to handle such errors.
John Prewitt
PS - I don't work for MD. I'm a user just like you.
38 Posted by g on 19 May, 2011 09:39 PM
John,
What I suspect is happening is that the OFX data contains the transactions with the correct CUSIP and extra non-transaction information with a bogus CUSIP based on the ticker symbol. I can't say for sure what data is associated which each CUSIP as I haven't been able to inspect the OFX as it is a secure direct connection. I believe moneydance is trying to create an extra security for the bogus CUSIP when it probably could just ignore it altogether. However, this is just speculation. What I do know is that I didn't have any problems when I used Quicken.
There are probably a number of different solutions to my problem -- your point about the CUSIP changing made me think that a possible solution is to allow multiple CUSIP numbers for a security. What is annoying for me as a user is that I am asked to match the security from the OFX download with an existing security and the existing security isn't in the list to choose from. Then Moneydance creates a duplicate security (different CUSIP, same name) that I have to go and delete every time I download transactions.
This is an example of one of the things that appears to be a minor bug on the surface, but in reality is a major problem as it transforms a simple task into a lot of extra work in order to clean up the mess. I would think that there are plenty of other users with Ameritrade brokerage accounts running into this problem, but it appears I am in the minority based on the response here. Perhaps everyone else just lives with the duplicate securities? I don't know.
-g
P.S. - I understand you are just another user, but I appreciate your support in addressing the issue (or similar one). Perhaps we can catch the attention of someone from Moneydance in order to get a fix!
39 Posted by john.prewitt on 20 May, 2011 07:50 PM
g,
Under the Help menu, select Console Window. This will open a Console Messages window. Now download your transactions, the OFX messages will collect in this window. You can then copy the contents to the Clipboard and paste to a text editor like Notes on a PC or Text on a Mac.
What is happening to you is the same that is happening to me. The brokerage house has changed the CUSIP number for the security and there is no way, YET, to assign the new CUSIP to the exiting security. The exiting security has the old CUSIP number and no way to reset it. If MD allowed the CUSIP number for a security to be reset, then the next time you perform a download the security would show up on the list. Of course, you would have to be sure the security with the new CUSIP number is removed first. This could get messy. The best solution is to include all securities in the list and allow you to select the existing security.
What is the security that is giving you this problem? Has there been a name change for the security? A stock split? A spin off? A merge of two or more companies?
John Prewitt
40 Posted by g on 19 Oct, 2011 01:37 AM
Hi John,
Thanks for the tip about the console window. I have the OFX and can confirm that the stocks are included twice -- once with a valid CUSIP and once with a bogus one. All of the transaction data uses the correct CUSIP reference, but the list of stocks includes both entries. I actually engaged with Sean on this 4 years ago when the trac system was used (ticket #1126) but it didn't seem to go anywhere unfortunately as far as a fix. Here are OFX snippets illustrating the two listings.
<STOCKINFO> <SECINFO> <SECID> <UNIQUEID>100557107 <UNIQUEIDTYPE>CUSIP </SECID> <SECNAME>BOSTON BEER INC CL A <TICKER>SAM </SECINFO> </STOCKINFO>
<STOCKINFO> <SECINFO> <SECID> <UNIQUEID>DeSotoSAM <UNIQUEIDTYPE>CUSIP </SECID> <SECNAME>BOSTON BEER INC CL A <TICKER>SAM </SECINFO> </STOCKINFO>
While I can appreciate Moneydance isn't at 'fault' for an error by the brokerage, (1) This is happening with Ameritrade which I'd think would be fairly popular (2) Monedance could at least handle it such a way that isn't quite so maddening for me as a user (3) it worked in Quicken. Ultimately I avoid using Moneydance because it takes me hours to complete tasks that should only take minutes because I have to constantly do things like delete duplicate securities in order to maintain clean data.
Putting aside the technically correct details of CUSIPs, for me as a user, if I could simply be allowed to choose from the entire list of securities when the popup is displayed, then my problem would be solved. As it stands right now, when I get the popup to match a security, there is no right answer. Anything that I select is wrong and there is no way to avoid the program making a mess that I then have to manually clean up.
41 Posted by john.prewitt on 04 Dec, 2011 06:25 PM
It is common for brokerage houses to have two CUSIPs for the same company at the same time. One valid and the other bogus. The bogus usually represents the shares going out and the valid one represents the share going in. This is usually associated with splits, merges, ticker change and/or name changes.
Allowing the user to select all stocks when a new stock is detected would solve this problem.
John Prewitt
42 Posted by William Shepherd on 07 Jan, 2012 02:07 PM
Ditto on this problem when downloading investment transactions - I can't select the proper security from the list. Very annoying.