A medallion signature guarantee is a special signature guarantee for the transfer of securities. It is a guarantee by the transferring financial institution that the signature is genuine and the financial institution accepts liability for any forgery.
Signature guarantees protect shareholders by preventing unauthorized transfers and possible investor losses. They also limit the liability of the transfer agent who accepts the certificates.
Different institutions have different policies as to what type of identification they require to provide the medallion guarantee and whether they charge a fee for such service. Most institutions will not guarantee a signature of someone who is not their customer.
If you were told that your stock transfer requires a Medallion Signature Guarantee, please take a print out of the transfer request to a local office of your financial institution. A copy of the transfer request was sent to the email address you provided and is available in your account history if you have a Stock Donator Account.
Your financial institution will then confirm your identity and provide the Medallion Signature Guarantee. Once the Guarantee is provided, please mail the transfer request per instructions provided on the form.