Shareowner
FAQs
FAQs
Verizon Communications Inc., based in New York City and incorporated in Delaware, was formed on June 30, 2000, with the merger of Bell Atlantic Corp. and GTE Corp. Learn more about the history and timeline of Verizon Communications.
Bell Atlantic stock certificates remain valid and should not be sent in for exchange. We do, however, encourage you to take advantage of Book-Entry Direct Registration System (DRS) stock ownership, which allows shares to be issued in statement-based ownership. Shareowners can send their Verizon or Bell Atlantic certificates with a letter of instruction requesting to have their certificates deposited into a DRS Book-Entry account for safekeeping. When sending certificates in the mail, shareowners should use traceable mail insured for 3% of the current market value of the shares. This is the approximate replacement cost of a lost certificate. Certificates should be mailed to:
Verizon Communications
c/o Computershare
150 Royall Street
Suite 101
Canton, MA 02021
GTE and NYNEX stock certificates were called for mandatory exchange when GTE and NYNEX merged with Verizon. If you are still holding outstanding GTE or NYNEX stock certificates (even if they are lost or misplaced), they must be exchanged for you to receive the merger consideration and accrued dividends on those shares. Please call Computershare at 1-800-631-2355 for further instructions.
Verizon Communications shares are listed on the New York Stock Exchange and the NASDAQ Global Select Market, under the ticker symbol "VZ."
If your shares are registered directly in your name with the Company’s registrar and transfer agent, Computershare, you are considered a “shareowner of record,” also known as a “registered shareowner,” with respect to those shares. If your shares are held in a brokerage account or bank, trust, or other nominee, you are considered the “beneficial owner” of those shares.
Verizon provides an interactive worksheet to help shareowners in calculating their basis on stock owned, acquisition date, and original cost per share. Go to the cost basis calculator page.
Book-Entry ownership is a service offered to registered shareowners under the Direct Registration System (DRS) that allows shares to be issued in a statement-based form of ownership without having a physical stock certificate. DRS shares act as paperless certificates, allowing a registered owner to hold their VZ stock electronically on Verizon’s share registry maintained by Computershare, Verizon’s transfer agent. Some of the benefits of owning VZ shares in DRS Book-Entry include:
- DRS Book-Entry ownership eliminates the worry and responsibility of keeping track of stock certificates, as well as the time and expense of replacement if they are lost or misplaced. This also facilitates time-sensitive transactions such as sales and transfers.
- There is no fee to participate in DRS Book-Entry.
- Dividends can be paid in cash, via check or direct deposit, or can be reinvested to purchase more shares of Verizon stock (Direct Stock Purchase Plan reinvestment fees apply).
- DRS shares can be sold through Computershare (Direct Stock Purchase Plan sale fees apply), or by moving them electronically to the shareowner’s broker for sale.
- Book-Entry ownership is reflected in a statement, the DRS advice. Unlike stock certificates, the DRS advice is not a negotiable document and can be replaced with no fee. A shareowner who misplaces their DRS advice can simply call Computershare at 1-800-631-2355 to request a replacement statement be issued to them.
For more information about DRS Book-Entry share ownership, please call Computershare at 1-800-631-2355.
Yes. For information about a Direct Stock Purchase and Dividend Reinvestment Plan, please go to the shareowner services page.
Beneficial owners should contact their broker for help assigning beneficiaries. Registered shareowners, please visit computershare.com/tod for more information.
For information on stock transfers, please visit transferstock.computershare.com.
Please contact Computershare, Verizon’s Registrar and stock transfer agent, for assistance at 1-800-631-2355. For information on stock transfers due to the death of a registered owner, please visit transferstock.computershare.com.
Account documents are available to view or download from Computershare’s website, computershare.com/verizon.
Escheatment is the transfer of assets such as bank accounts, stock shares, or uncashed dividends as abandoned property to the state of last known residence. The transfer occurs when an account is dormant for a period of time without contact from the owner with the agent with or through whom they hold their shares. The dormancy period is typically 2 to 5 years, as specified in state abandoned property laws. After an account is escheated, the owner(s) or their representative must work with the state to reclaim their property.
Note that:
- Bell Atlantic or Verizon stock certificates can be escheated.
- Many states do not consider automated dividend reinvestment or direct deposit of dividends as contact.
- Registered shareowners residing outside the United States may have their share accounts escheated to Delaware, Verizon’s state of incorporation.
VZ owners can avoid escheatment by voting the shareowner annual meeting proxy, cashing checks promptly, updating their contact information, or regularly contacting the agent where their VZ shares are held.
The California Consumer Privacy Act, as amended, provides California residents certain rights to personal information a business holds about them. To learn more about how Verizon handles personal information about shareowners of record in California, please visit the Verizon Privacy Notice for California Shareowners.