Disclosures
ARGENT ADVISORS, INC.
ARGENT RETIREMENT PLAN ADVISORS
ARGENT TRUST COMPANY
ARGENT TRUST COMPANY – ESOP
Argent Advisors, Inc. Disclosure Statement
Argent Advisors, Inc. (“Company”) is an SEC registered investment adviser located in Monroe, Louisiana. Company may only transact business in those states in which it is registered, or qualifies for an exemption or exclusion from registration requirements. Company’s web site is limited to the dissemination of general information pertaining to its advisory services, together with access to additional investment-related information, publications, and links. Accordingly, the publication of Company’s web site on the Internet should not be construed by any consumer and/or prospective client as Company’s solicitation to effect, or attempt to effect transactions in securities, or the rendering of personalized investment advice for compensation, over the Internet. Any subsequent, direct communication by Company with a prospective client shall be conducted by a representative that is either registered or qualifies for an exemption or exclusion from registration in the state where the prospective client resides. For information pertaining to the registration status of Company, please contact the SEC or the state securities regulators for those states in which Company maintains a notice filing. A copy of Company’s current written disclosure statement discussing Company’s business operations, services, and fees is available from Company upon written request. Company does not make any representations or warranties as to the accuracy, timeliness, suitability, completeness, or relevance of any information prepared by any unaffiliated third party, whether linked to Company web site or incorporated herein, and takes no responsibility therefore. All such information is provided solely for convenience purposes only and all users thereof should be guided accordingly.
Please remember that different types of investments involve varying degrees of risk, and there can be no assurance that the future performance of any specific investment or investment strategy (including those undertaken or recommended by Company), will be profitable or equal any historical performance level(s).
Certain portions of Company’s web site (i.e. newsletters, articles, commentaries, etc.) may contain a discussion of, and/or provide access to, Company (and those of other investment and non-investment professionals) positions and/or recommendations as of a specific prior date. Due to various factors, including changing market conditions, such discussion may no longer be reflective of current position(s) and/or recommendation(s). Moreover, no client or prospective client should assume that any such discussion serves as the receipt of, or a substitute for, personalized advice from Company, or from any other investment professional. Company is neither an attorney nor an accountant, and no portion of the web site content should be interpreted as legal, accounting or tax advice.
Please Note: The scope of any financial planning and consulting services to be provided depends upon the terms of the engagement and the specific requests and needs of the client. Argent does not serve as an attorney, accountant, or insurance agent. Argent does not prepare legal documents or tax returns, nor does it sell insurance products. If the client desires, one of Argent’s representatives, in their separate individual licensed capacities, can be engaged to provide insurance sales/services as described on Argent’s written disclosure Brochure, per the terms and conditions of a separate engagement and fee.
Argent Retirement Plan Advisors, LLC. Disclosure Statement
Argent Retirement Plan Advisors, LLC (“Company”) is an SEC registered investment adviser located in New Orleans, Louisiana. Company may only transact business in those states in which it is registered, or qualifies for an exemption or exclusion from registration requirements. Company’s web site is limited to the dissemination of general information pertaining to its advisory services, together with access to additional investment-related information, publications, and links. Accordingly, the publication of Company’s web site on the Internet should not be construed by any consumer and/or prospective client as Company’s solicitation to effect, or attempt to effect transactions in securities, or the rendering of personalized investment advice for compensation, over the Internet. Any subsequent, direct communication by Company with a prospective client shall be conducted by a representative that is either registered or qualifies for an exemption or exclusion from registration in the state where the prospective client resides. For information pertaining to the registration status of Company, please contact the SEC or the state securities regulators for those states in which Company maintains a notice filing. A copy of Company’s current written disclosure statement discussing Company’s business operations, services, and fees is available from Company upon written request. Company does not make any representations or warranties as to the accuracy, timeliness, suitability, completeness, or relevance of any information prepared by any unaffiliated third party, whether linked to Company web site or incorporated herein, and takes no responsibility therefore. All such information is provided solely for convenience purposes only and all users thereof should be guided accordingly.
Please remember that different types of investments involve varying degrees of risk, and there can be no assurance that the future performance of any specific investment or investment strategy (including those undertaken or recommended by Company), will be profitable or equal any historical performance level(s).
Certain portions of Company’s web site (i.e. newsletters, articles, commentaries, etc.) may contain a discussion of, and/or provide access to, Company (and those of other investment and non-investment professionals) positions and/or recommendations as of a specific prior date. Due to various factors, including changing market conditions, such discussion may no longer be reflective of current position(s) and/or recommendation(s). Moreover, no client or prospective client should assume that any such discussion serves as the receipt of, or a substitute for, personalized advice from Company, or from any other investment professional. Company is neither an attorney nor an accountant, and no portion of the web site content should be interpreted as legal, accounting or tax advice.
Please Note: Argent Retirement does not serve as a law firm nor a certified public accounting firm. Argent Retirement does not prepare legal documents or tax returns.
Please Note: Limitations: Neither rankings and/or recognition by unaffiliated rating services, publications, media, or other organizations, nor the achievement of any designation or certification, should be construed by a client or prospective client as a guarantee that he/she will experience a certain level of results if Argent Retirement Plan Advisors, LLC is engaged, or continues to be engaged, to provide investment advisory services. Rankings published by magazines, and others, generally base their selections exclusively on information prepared and/or submitted by the recognized adviser. Rankings are generally limited to participating advisers (see link as to participation data/criteria, to the extent applicable). Unless expressly indicated to the contrary, Abbrev did not pay a fee to be included on any such ranking. No ranking or recognition should be construed as a current or past endorsement of Argent Retirement Plan Advisors, LLC by any of its clients. ANY QUESTIONS: Argent Retirement Plan Advisors, LLC’s Chief Compliance Officer remains available to address any questions regarding rankings and/or recognitions, including providing the criteria used for any reflected ranking.
To the extent that any client or prospective client utilizes any economic calculator or similar interactive device contained within or linked to Company’s web site, the client and/or prospective client acknowledges and understands that the information resulting from the use of any such calculator/device, is not, and should not be construed, in any manner whatsoever, as the receipt of, or a substitute for, personalized individual advice from Company, or from any other investment professional.
Each client and prospective client agrees, as a condition precedent to his/her/its access to Company’s web site, to release and hold harmless Company, its officers, directors, owners, employees and agents from any and all adverse consequences resulting from any of his/her/its actions and/or omissions which are independent of his/her/its receipt of personalized individual advice from Company.
Argent Trust Company Disclosure Statement
Third-Party Service Providers: In order to effect, administer, or enforce a transaction requested or authorized by you, the customer, we may share your personal information with third-party service providers. We do not disclose any nonpublic personal information about you to unaffiliated third parties for them to rent, sell, trade, or for their independent use.
Employee Access to Information: All employees must adhere to ATC’s policy on confidentiality. Employee access to customer information is authorized for business purposes only, and the degree of access is based on the sensitivity of the information and the employee’s need to know in order to service the customer’s account or comply with legal requirements.
Inactive Customers and Closed Accounts: Should you ever decide to close your account(s) or become an inactive customer at ATC, we will continue to adhere to the privacy policies and practices as described in this our Privacy Notice.
Internet Privacy: Like most websites, ATC’s website gathers and maintains statistics about the number of visitors. However, visitors to our website are anonymous except where registration is required and cookies are used to improve your online experience. ATC does not rent, sell, trade, or otherwise disclose any personal information collected through our website. Any information you provide is for ATC’s use only.
E-Mail: Please do not provide any account or personal information such as tax identification numbers, account numbers, or account balances within your e-mail correspondence to us. We cannot use e-mail to execute transaction instructions, provide personal account information, or change account registration.
Funds Awaiting Investment or Distribution: All cash or cash equivalents received for your account are generally invested or swept into a money market fund or other interest-bearing investment during the normal course of business. Distributions are removed from the account and from investment and other interest-bearing accounts on the business day that distributions are processed. Depending on the timing of the collection of funds received and distributed and the availability of those funds, interest or other income may be earned on funds held for investment, sweep or distribution. Such interest or other income may be paid to ATC. The possibility of the receipt of such interest or other income was a factor in determining the total fees charged to your account.
Mutual Fund Fees: From time to time, ATC may invest funds in mutual funds, bank deposits or other investments from which ATC may receive financial benefits. These benefits may include receipt of certain fees (such as 12b-1 fees) or other income for providing services to clients of these investments. These benefits may result from shareholder servicing, administrative, and accounting services, by example. The possibility of the receipt of these financial benefits was a factor in determining the total fees charged to your account.
Affiliated Entities: From time to time, ATC may invest funds in deposits of Origin Bank and may receive financial benefits in the form of interest or other income from that bank as disclosed above. Origin Bank’s parent, Origin Bancorp, Inc., is a minority (less than 10%) stockholder of ATC’s parent, Argent Financial Group, Inc., and both entities have other mutual contractual relationships. The ownership interests and other relationships may create a conflict of interest. You may write your account officer to request that your account not be invested in Origin Bank deposits.
Please contact your account officer to request current prospectuses or if you have any questions regarding this disclosure.
Class Action Litigation: ATC employs a third-party vendor for the processing for class actions. Class Action Settlements will be deposited from each successful claim, less processing fees.
Important Information About Procedures For Opening A New Account With Argent Trust Company
To help the government fight the funding of terrorism and money laundering activities, federal law requires all financial institutions to obtain, verify and record information that identifies each person who opens an account.
What this means for you: When you open an account, we will ask you for your name, address, date of birth (in the case of an individual), taxpayer identification number, and other information that will allow us to identify you. We may also ask to see your driver’s license or other identifying document in order to verify the information that you have provided to us. We are required by law to attempt to match the information provided by you against lists issued by various governmental agencies to confirm that you are not a known or suspected terrorist or in any way affiliated with a known or suspected terrorist group.
If you have any questions about this process, please discuss them with your account officer or our internal anti-money laundering program coordinator. Thank you for your cooperation and understanding with this process.
Pricing
Pricing for securities traded on the exchange is provided by third-party sources. While sources used for pricing publicly traded securities are considered reliable, the prices displayed on your statement may be based on actual trades, bid/ask information or vendor evaluations. As such, the prices displayed on your statement may or may not reflect actual trade prices you would receive in the current market. It is possible prices for certain securities may vary widely at the time of trade execution in comparison to valuation prices displayed for statement purposes. Securities not traded on an exchange are valued by a variety of sources, which may include issuer-provided or client-provided information. ATC, including any of its affiliates, does not guarantee the accuracy, reliability, completeness or attainability of any pricing information provided by third party sources.
Objection To Disclosure of Beneficial Ownership
In an effort to permit direct communications between a company which issues securities and the shareholder who votes the securities, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has adopted a rule, referenced as 14b-1, “Shareholders Communication Act”.
For your protection, the Rule prohibits the requesting company from using your name and address for any purpose other than corporate communications.
ATC is authorized to refuse to disclose the Owner’s name, address, and security position(s) of current and/or future holdings that the Owner(s) may own from time-to-time pursuant to SEC Rule #14b-1.
Please contact your account officer to request current prospectuses or if you have any questions regarding this disclosure.
Notice To Consumers Who Are Residents Of California:
I. Your Rights:
The California Consumer Privacy Act (“CCPA”) grants California residents (“Consumers”) or another person authorized to act on behalf of the consumer, the right to:
A. Know what personal information Argent Trust Company, including its subsidiaries and affiliates, has collected about you during the prior twelve months;
B. Know where Argent Trust Company sells your personal information, and if so, to whom;
C. Give or withhold consent for Argent Trust Company to sell your personal information;
D. Request that Argent Trust Company disclose to you:
1. The categories of personal information collected about you;
2. The categories of sources from which the personal information is collected;
3. The purpose for collecting the personal information;
4. The categories of third parties with whom Argent Trust Company shares personal information; and
5. The specific pieces of personal information collected about you
E. Request that Argent Trust Company delete your personal information, to the extent possible; and
F. Receive non-discriminatory services and product pricing from Argent Trust Company, regardless of whether you exercise your privacy rights under the CCPA.
II. What Information Is Covered?
Personal information is defined under the CCPA to include any information that identifies, relates to, describes, is capable of being associated with, or could reasonably be linked with a particular consumer of household. Examples include social security numbers, account information, transaction histories, and other biometric data.
III. What Information Is Not Covered?
Much of the personal information Argent Trust Company collects is already regulated by federal and state laws, and therefore is exempt from the CCPA. For instance, the CCPA does not apply to personal information collected or disclosed in connection with financial products or services that are used primarily for personal, family, or household purposes. The CCPA also does not apply to personal information that reflects a communication or transaction between Argent Trust Company and another company, partnership, sole proprietorship, non-profit, or government agency, so long as that communication or transaction involves due diligence about Argent Trust Company or other business, or Argent Trust Company is providing or receiving a product or service. The CCPA also currently does not afford access or deletion rights to you if your information was collected and used by Argent Trust Company in the context of your role as a job applicant, employee, director, officer, medical staff member, or contractor.
IV. Your Choices
Under the CCPA, a consumer who is a resident of California has the right to request that Argent Trust Company delete any personal information about the consumer which Argent Trust Company has collected from the consumer. Argent Trust Company is not required to comply with a consumer’s request to delete if it is necessary to maintain the consumer’s personal information in order to, for example:
1. Complete the transaction for which the personal information was collected, provide a good or service requested by the consumer, or reasonably anticipated within the context of the ongoing business relationship with the consumer, or otherwise perform a contract between the business and the consumer;
2. Enable solely internal uses that are reasonably aligned with the expectations of the consumer based on the consumer’s relationship with Argent Trust Company; or
3. Comply with a legal obligation, such as a regulatory requirement to retain information for a period of time.
Consumers who are residents of California may request that Argent Trust Company disclose to the consumer the specific pieces of personal information that Argent Trust Company has collected about the consumer and may request deletion of their personal information by calling the toll-free number 800-375-4646 or emailing compliance@argenttrust.com. However, as noted above, there are provisions of the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 that permit us to retain your personal information, in which case we may be unable to fulfill your request.
Currently, Argent Trust Company, its subsidiaries and affiliates, do not sell your personal information. If in the future, Argent Trust Company, its subsidiaries and affiliates, seeks to sell the personal information of California residents, it will provide notice and the opportunity to opt-out. California residents Argent Trust Company knows to be under the age of sixteen (16) would be opted out of the sale of their personal information.
Argent Trust Company ESOP Disclosure Statement
Third-Party Service Providers: In order to effect, administer, or enforce a transaction requested or authorized by you, the customer, we may share your personal information with third-party service providers. We do not disclose any nonpublic personal information about you to unaffiliated third parties for them to rent, sell, trade, or for their independent use.
Employee Access to Information: All employees must adhere to ATC’s policy on confidentiality. Employee access to customer information is authorized for business purposes only, and the degree of access is based on the sensitivity of the information and the employee’s need to know in order to service the customer’s account or comply with legal requirements.
Inactive Customers and Closed Accounts: Should you ever decide to close your account(s) or become an inactive customer at ATC, we will continue to adhere to the privacy policies and practices as described in this our Privacy Notice.
Internet Privacy: Like most websites, ATC’s website gathers and maintains statistics about the number of visitors. However, visitors to our website are anonymous except where registration is required and cookies are used to improve your online experience. ATC does not rent, sell, trade, or otherwise disclose any personal information collected through our website. Any information you provide is for ATC’s use only.
E-Mail: Please do not provide any account or personal information such as tax identification numbers, account numbers, or account balances within your e-mail correspondence to us. We cannot use e-mail to execute transaction instructions, provide personal account information, or change account registration.
Funds Awaiting Investment or Distribution: All cash or cash equivalents received for your account are generally invested or swept into a money market fund or other interest-bearing investment during the normal course of business. Distributions are removed from the account and from investment and other interest-bearing accounts on the business day that distributions are processed. Depending on the timing of the collection of funds received and distributed and the availability of those funds, interest or other income may be earned on funds held for investment, sweep or distribution. Such interest or other income may be paid to ATC. The possibility of the receipt of such interest or other income was a factor in determining the total fees charged to your account.
ATC provides trustee, paying agency, custodial and accounting services to retirement plans. ATC maintains and performs its own back office processing and custody activities. As a part of ATC’s overall operating structure in performing these services, ATC may receive and retain for its own account, as additional compensation, any earnings (i.e., “float”) on amounts received from plan assets and new contributions before such amounts are invested, on amounts held pending distribution, and on disbursements made by check until the check is cleared by the bank on which the check is drawn (or, in the case of an un-cashed check, until the check is returned to ATC and the funds otherwise distributed). Specific information concerning the time frames during which float earnings may be realized by ATC and rates at which earnings on float are expected to accrue to ATC are as follows:
1. Contributions and Purchases: If Argent receives your payroll contributions by pre-authorized Automated Clearing House (ACH) debit to your bank account, such contributions will generally be invested by the close of business on the business day following receipt of such funds and corresponding investment instructions. If you (or your agent) transmits funds to ATC by wire transfer, ACH or check, such funds will generally be invested by the close of business on the second business day following receipt of such funds and investment instructions. Float earnings will accrue to ATC on funds received from the date of deposit with Argent until the date the monies are disbursed (generally by wire transfer) in settlement of investment purchases in your account.
2. Distributions and Sales: Funds received from sales of investments will generally be disbursed, or if ATC has received reinvestment instructions, reinvested, by the close of business on the business day following funds availability. In the case of disbursements by check, the float period begins on the date the check is written and ends when the check is cleared by the bank on which the check is drawn (or, in the case of an un-cashed check, when the check is returned to ATC and the funds otherwise distributed). Argent will generally issue checks by the close of business on the second business day following receipt of available funds and complete payment instructions. Typically, a disbursement check is mailed on the same day it is written.
Mutual Fund Fees: From time to time, ATC may invest funds in mutual funds, bank deposits or other investments from which ATC may receive financial benefits. These benefits may include receipt of certain fees (such as 12b-1 fees) or other income for providing services to clients of these investments. These benefits may result from shareholder servicing, administrative, and accounting services, by example. The possibility of the receipt of these financial benefits was a factor in determining the total fees charged to your account.
Affiliated Entities: From time to time, ATC may invest funds in deposits of Origin Bank and may receive financial benefits in the form of interest or other income from that bank as disclosed above. Origin Bank’s parent, Origin Bancorp, Inc., is a minority (less than 10%) stockholder of ATC’s parent, Argent Financial Group, Inc., and both entities have other mutual contractual relationships. The ownership interests and other relationships may create a conflict of interest. You may write your account officer to request that your account not be invested in Origin Bank deposits.
Please contact your account officer to request current prospectuses or if you have any questions regarding this disclosure.
Class Action Litigation: ATC employs a third-party vendor for the processing for class actions. Class Action Settlements will be deposited from each successful claim, less processing fees.
Important Information About Procedures For Opening A New Account With Argent Trust Company
To help the government fight the funding of terrorism and money laundering activities, federal law requires all financial institutions to obtain, verify and record information that identifies each person who opens an account.
What this means for you: When you open an account, we will ask you for your name, address, date of birth (in the case of an individual), taxpayer identification number, and other information that will allow us to identify you. We may also ask to see your driver’s license or other identifying document in order to verify the information that you have provided to us. We are required by law to attempt to match the information provided by you against lists issued by various governmental agencies to confirm that you are not a known or suspected terrorist or in any way affiliated with a known or suspected terrorist group.
If you have any questions about this process, please discuss them with your account officer or our internal anti-money laundering program coordinator. Thank you for your cooperation and understanding with this process.
Pricing
Pricing for securities traded on the exchange is provided by third-party sources. While sources used for pricing publicly traded securities are considered reliable, the prices displayed on your statement may be based on actual trades, bid/ask information or vendor evaluations. As such, the prices displayed on your statement may or may not reflect actual trade prices you would receive in the current market. It is possible prices for certain securities may vary widely at the time of trade execution in comparison to valuation prices displayed for statement purposes. Securities not traded on an exchange are valued by a variety of sources, which may include issuer-provided or client-provided information. ATC, including any of its affiliates, does not guarantee the accuracy, reliability, completeness or attainability of any pricing information provided by third party sources.
Objection To Disclosure of Beneficial Ownership
In an effort to permit direct communications between a company which issues securities and the shareholder who votes the securities, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has adopted a rule, referenced as 14b-1, “Shareholders Communication Act”.
For your protection, the Rule prohibits the requesting company from using your name and address for any purpose other than corporate communications.
ATC is authorized to refuse to disclose the Owner’s name, address, and security position(s) of current and/or future holdings that the Owner(s) may own from time-to-time pursuant to SEC Rule #14b-1.
Please contact your account officer to request current prospectuses or if you have any questions regarding this disclosure.
Dormancy Service Charges
As provided in the Tenn. Code Ann. Section 66-29-133, a dormancy service charge of up to $5.00 per month may be assessed by Argent for any unclaimed property required to be paid or delivered to the Treasurer of the State of Tennessee.
Notice To Consumers Who Are Residents Of California:
I. Your Rights:
The California Consumer Privacy Act (“CCPA”) grants California residents (“Consumers”) or another person authorized to act on behalf of the consumer, the right to:
A. Know what personal information Argent Trust Company, including its subsidiaries and affiliates, has collected about you during the prior twelve months;
B. Know where Argent Trust Company sells your personal information, and if so, to whom;
C. Give or withhold consent for Argent Trust Company to sell your personal information;
D. Request that Argent Trust Company disclose to you:
1. The categories of personal information collected about you;
2. The categories of sources from which the personal information is collected;
3. The purpose for collecting the personal information;
4. The categories of third parties with whom Argent Trust Company shares personal information; and
5. The specific pieces of personal information collected about you
E. Request that Argent Trust Company delete your personal information, to the extent possible; and
F. Receive non-discriminatory services and product pricing from Argent Trust Company, regardless of whether you exercise your privacy rights under the CCPA.
II. What Information Is Covered?
Personal information is defined under the CCPA to include any information that identifies, relates to, describes, is capable of being associated with, or could reasonably be linked with a particular consumer of household. Examples include social security numbers, account information, transaction histories, and other biometric data.
III. What Information Is Not Covered?
Much of the personal information Argent Trust Company collects is already regulated by federal and state laws, and therefore is exempt from the CCPA. For instance, the CCPA does not apply to personal information collected or disclosed in connection with financial products or services that are used primarily for personal, family, or household purposes. The CCPA also does not apply to personal information that reflects a communication or transaction between Argent Trust Company and another company, partnership, sole proprietorship, non-profit, or government agency, so long as that communication or transaction involves due diligence about Argent Trust Company or other business, or Argent Trust Company is providing or receiving a product or service. The CCPA also currently does not afford access or deletion rights to you if your information was collected and used by Argent Trust Company in the context of your role as a job applicant, employee, director, officer, medical staff member, or contractor.
IV. Your Choices
Under the CCPA, a consumer who is a resident of California has the right to request that Argent Trust Company delete any personal information about the consumer which Argent Trust Company has collected from the consumer. Argent Trust Company is not required to comply with a consumer’s request to delete if it is necessary to maintain the consumer’s personal information in order to, for example:
1. Complete the transaction for which the personal information was collected, provide a good or service requested by the consumer, or reasonably anticipated within the context of the ongoing business relationship with the consumer, or otherwise perform a contract between the business and the consumer;
2. Enable solely internal uses that are reasonably aligned with the expectations of the consumer based on the consumer’s relationship with Argent Trust Company; or
3. Comply with a legal obligation, such as a regulatory requirement to retain information for a period of time.
Consumers who are residents of California may request that Argent Trust Company disclose to the consumer the specific pieces of personal information that Argent Trust Company has collected about the consumer and may request deletion of their personal information by calling the toll-free number 800-375-4646 or emailing compliance@argenttrust.com. However, as noted above, there are provisions of the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 that permit us to retain your personal information, in which case we may be unable to fulfill your request.
Currently, Argent Trust Company, its subsidiaries and affiliates, do not sell your personal information. If in the future, Argent Trust Company, its subsidiaries and affiliates, seeks to sell the personal information of California residents, it will provide notice and the opportunity to opt-out. California residents Argent Trust Company knows to be under the age of sixteen (16) would be opted out of the sale of their personal information.