Transitions & transfers
TIF
Transfer Initiation Form
A TIF (Transfer Initiation Form) is the form the receiving firm submits to start an ACATS transfer; errors on the TIF are a common source of NIGO rejections.
The Transfer Initiation Form is what kicks off an account transfer: the receiving firm completes it with the client’s delivering-firm account details and submits it to begin the ACATS process. The delivering firm then validates the request against its records.
Because the TIF is the hand-off point between two firms’ records, small mismatches — a wrong account number, a name that does not match the delivering firm’s registration, a missing signature — are exactly what turn into NIGO rejections and reset the transfer clock. Getting the TIF right the first time is one of the highest-leverage steps in a clean transfer.
Also called: Transfer Initiation Form.
See how FastTrackr handles this in practice.
Advisor Transitions