And this from Michelle is a very handy article, most here should be familiar with the letters, but if you don't already have them in memory, perhaps print this out.
otcbbnn.com
Fifth Letter Identifiers on Stock Symbols
Written by Michelle DeMeritt
Published by OTCBB News Network
04/30/2001
Ticker symbols on the OTCBB are comprised of four letters; occasionally we see a fifth letter. Sometimes the fifth letter is permanent other times it is temporarily appended. The ‘E’ and the ‘Q’ are the most widely seen. The ‘E’ denotes a company that is currently delinquent in the periodic filings with the SEC. The ‘E’ appended as the fifth letter to a stock symbol shows that the company is in a 30-day grace period (occasionally 60 days) in which it has to file their financial information with the SEC. If the company fails to file - it may either be granted an extension or will not be allowed to be traded on the OTCBB but have to resume trading on the Pink Sheets. The ‘Q’ denotes a company involved in bankruptcy proceedings.
The daily list at the OTCBB website is extremely useful in determining which companies may be appended with the ‘E’. The ‘Q’ and ‘E’ qualifiers may not necessarily mean a company will make for a bad trade. As we have all noticed from time to time, even a bankrupt company can be traded for some nice gains. It does mean that investors need to be aware of the fifth letter and what the possible ramifications are for the company in question. This is the full list of fifth letter identifiers compiled from the OTCBB website.
A Class A
B Class B
D New (on Nasdaq listed issues - Reverse Split)
E Delinquent in required SEC filings
F Foreign securities, except ADRs
G, H and I Additional warrants or preferred
J Voting
K Nonvoting
L Miscellaneous situations, such as stubs, depositary receipts, second units, or additional warrants or preferred
M Fourth preferred, same company
N Third preferred, same company
O Second preferred, same company
P First preferred issue
Q Bankruptcy- involved in bankruptcy proceedings
R Rights
S Shares of beneficial interest
T Delinquent in filing
U Units
V When- issued and when-distributed
W Warrants
Y ADR (American Depositary Receipts)
Z Miscellaneous situations, such as stubs, depositary receipts, limited partnership units, or additional warrants or units |
