How do I change (correct) the CUSIP symbol for a bond I already own?

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JJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJ
JJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJ Member ✭✭
edited May 4 in Investing (Windows)

I mistyped the CUSIP for a bond I purchased some time ago. I just bought more of the same issue and discovered that I had mistyped the CUSIP at the time of the original purchase. When I go to the "Edit Security Details" dialog, the Symbol field is dimmed and cannot be modified. Is there any way to edit the CUSIP for the existing bond?

Best Answer

  • Jim_Harman
    Jim_Harman SuperUser ✭✭✭✭✭
    Answer ✓
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    The Symbol field is for the Ticker symbol of a stock, mutual fund, or ETF. Quicken uses the ticker to get quote data from its quote provider. The quote provider does not have price information for bonds; the only way to get bond prices is via downloads from your broker.

    Quicken gets the CUSIP number from the broker and uses it to match the broker's data to the security in Quicken.

    You can enter the CUSIP in number for a bond in the Symbol field but it will not help Quicken update the bond's price. To access the Symbol field for a bond, open the Security Details and temporarily change the security type to something else. Enter whatever you want then change the Type. back to Bond

    QWin Premier subscription

Answers

  • NotACPA
    NotACPA SuperUser ✭✭✭✭✭
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    CUSIP and Symbol aren't the same thing. So, is it the symbol that you want to change?

    If so, see if you can do a "Corporate Acquisition" of the bond with the incorrect symbol by the correct one.

    Q user since February, 1990. DOS Version 4
    Now running Quicken Windows Subscription, Business & Personal
    Retired "Certified Information Systems Auditor" & Bank Audit VP

  • JJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJ
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    I assumed a bond's "Symbol" for Quicken purposes was its CUSIP. No? If not, where should I put the CUSIP, and what should I put in the Symbol field when I acquire a bond?

    Doing a Corporate Acquisition requires me to change one bond for another. I don't want to change the bond, I just want to correct what I put in the Symbol field (specifically, the CUSIP). For stocks and mutual funds, I can simply change the symbol in the dialog box shown above. For bonds, it's frozen for some reason. Is there no simple workaround to change the symbol?

  • Jim_Harman
    Jim_Harman SuperUser ✭✭✭✭✭
    Answer ✓
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    The Symbol field is for the Ticker symbol of a stock, mutual fund, or ETF. Quicken uses the ticker to get quote data from its quote provider. The quote provider does not have price information for bonds; the only way to get bond prices is via downloads from your broker.

    Quicken gets the CUSIP number from the broker and uses it to match the broker's data to the security in Quicken.

    You can enter the CUSIP in number for a bond in the Symbol field but it will not help Quicken update the bond's price. To access the Symbol field for a bond, open the Security Details and temporarily change the security type to something else. Enter whatever you want then change the Type. back to Bond

    QWin Premier subscription
  • JJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJ
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    That worked! Thank you, @Jim_Harman .

    (I have to use Quicken totally offline at this point, since my 2016 version expired long ago. Quicken can't get any data from my broker, and it can't look up any stock prices anymore. So it doesn't matter what I put in the Symbol field, except that I can use that to find a bond when, like today, I buy more of the same issue or sell what I have.)

    I appreciate the help today!

  • JJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJ
    Options

    That worked! Thank you, @Jim_Harman .

    (I have to use Quicken totally offline at this point, since my 2016 version expired long ago. Quicken can't get any data from my broker, and it can't look up any stock prices anymore. So it doesn't matter what I put in the Symbol field, except that I can use that to find a bond when, like today, I buy more of the same issue or sell what I have.)

    I appreciate the help today!

  • NotACPA
    NotACPA SuperUser ✭✭✭✭✭
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    I understood that you had bought/created the bond twice. Once with the correct CUSIP and one wrong.

    A Corp Acq won't get rid of the incorrect purchase, it will merely "purchase" it by the correct holding so that they're the same.

    Isn't that what you want?

    Q user since February, 1990. DOS Version 4
    Now running Quicken Windows Subscription, Business & Personal
    Retired "Certified Information Systems Auditor" & Bank Audit VP

  • JJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJ
    JJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJ Member ✭✭
    edited April 3
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    No, sorry. I bought it twice. The first time I had a typo in the CUSIP. The second time when I searched by CUSIP, nothing came up. That led me to discover my earlier typo. I've fixed it by following Jim_Harman's suggestion above. Thank you for your efforts.

This discussion has been closed.