Managing your Shares

Shareview

Shareview is a free and secure service, provided by Equiniti. It is quick and easy to register for a Shareview Portfolio and you will need your Shareholder Reference (8 or 11-digit number which can be found on your share certificate, FlexiShare statement or previous dividend confirmation/tax voucher). Once registered, Equiniti will send you an activation code by post to your registered address. You will then be able to:

  • Manage your shareholding quickly and securely online;
  • Update your address and set up or amend your direct dividend payment details online;
  • View the Annual Report on the day it is published;
  • Cast your AGM vote electronically; 
  • Receive your dividend confirmation electronically; and
  • Receive an email when shareholder documents are available online.

If you have already registered for a Shareview Portfolio, perhaps because you hold shares in other companies for which Equiniti is registrar, but do not see your Centrica shareholding please contact Equiniti.

You can also confirm the number of shares you hold by contacting Equiniti on 0371 384 2985*.

*Calls to a 03 number cost no more than a national rate call to a 01 or 02 number. Lines open 8.30am to 5.30pm (UK time), Monday to Friday (excluding public holidays in England and Wales).

Useful links

Further Information

The Centrica FlexiShare Service (FlexiShare) is a ‘corporate nominee’, sponsored by Centrica and provided by Equiniti Financial Services Limited (Equiniti FS). It is a convenient way to manage your Centrica shares without a paper share certificate.

Your Centrica shares are held on your behalf by Equiniti Financial Services Limited, but you remain the beneficial owner of the shares. Your share account details will be held on a separate register and you will receive a statement when you join FlexiShare and a statement at least once every twelve months as long as Equiniti FS continues to hold shares or cash on your behalf in relation to your FlexiShare holding. The number of shares held in FlexiShare is set out in your FlexiShare statement or can be found online by registering for a Shareview Portfolio.

There are no charges for joining or holding your shares within FlexiShare or for leaving the service.

By transferring your shares into FlexiShare you will benefit from:

  • A statement issued at least once every twelve months, normally sent with your Annual General Meeting voting form at the end of March each year;
  • A buy or sell facility - FlexiShare participants can buy or sell at favourable commission rates with appointed providers;
  • Quicker settlement periods;
  • No paper certificates to lose;
  • Your details will be held on a separate register, which is not open to public inspection.

To transfer all or some certificated shares into FlexiShare, complete and return the FlexiShare Transfer Form available by visiting My Investments in your Shareview Portfolio and clicking on your certificated Centrica shares, or by contacting Equiniti.

You will receive confirmation that you have joined FlexiShare soon after the transfer of your shares has been completed. The transfer will also show on your next FlexiShare statement.

If you have lost or misplaced your share certificate(s), you will need to complete and sign the indemnity on the reverse of the FlexiShare Transfer Form. There is no charge to you for the indemnity. If you subsequently locate your missing certificate(s), you must send it immediately to Equiniti for cancellation.

You can keep track of your Centrica shareholding online by registering for a Shareview Portfolio or by contacting Equiniti.

Following your opening statement, you will not receive written confirmation of any further completed transfers. Instead transfers will appear on your next FlexiShare statement. If you buy or sell shares, the appointed broker will provide you with a contract note as confirmation of the deal.

View FlexiShare Terms and Conditions

More information regarding FlexiShare can be found in our Shareholder FAQs.

Centrica itself does not endorse any one service for the buying and selling of its shares. However, Centrica has made arrangements with the following independent share-dealing providers to offer certificated shareholders competitive charges.

Alternatively, you can arrange dealing through your own stockbroker or at most high street banks. To sell your shares, you must present the original share certificate to the broker.

Equiniti Financial Services
Tel: 03456 037 037 (+44 121 415 7560 from outside the UK)
Website: www.shareview.co.uk/dealing

Stocktrade
Tel: 0131 240 0414 (quote "Centrica Dial & Deal service")
Website: www.stocktrade.co.uk

You should note that:

  • Stamp Duty Reserve Tax is payable at 0.5% on all purchases; and
  • £1 PTM levy is payable on all trades with a value of £10,000 or more.

FlexiShare Account Holders

Centrica has made arrangements to allow FlexiShare account holders to buy or sell Centrica shares at favourable commission rates with the appointed providers below.

You will need to quote the Shareholder Reference provided on your FlexiShare statement or previous dividend confirmation/tax voucher. You should check the charges and terms and conditions with the appointed broker before dealing.

If you are unable to locate any of this paperwork you can call Equiniti FS for this information.

Shares held in FlexiShare cannot be sold directly through any other broker service. Please note that Centrica itself does not endorse or recommend any share dealing provider's products or services.

Equiniti Services and Charges

Online buy or sell straight away

Visit www.shareview.co.uk/dealing during UK market hours 8.00am to 4.30pm, Monday to Friday (excluding public holidays in England and Wales).

Charges for online service:

  • 1% commission on first £50,000
  • 0.25% commission on any excess
  • £20 minimum charge

Telephone buy or sell straight away

Call 03456 037 037 (+44 121 415 7560 if calling from outside the UK) during UK market hours 8.00am to 4.30pm, Monday to Friday (excluding public holidays in England and Wales).

Charges for telephone service:

  • 1.5% commission on first £50,000
  • 0.25% commission on any excess
  • £60 minimum charge

Postal Share Dealing

Download a Postal Share Dealing Form by visiting www.shareview.co.uk/dealing or calling 0371 384 2248 (+44 121 415 7172 if calling from outside the UK). Lines open 8.30am to 5.30pm (UK time), Monday to Friday (excluding public holidays in England and Wales). Dealing will normally be the next business day following receipt of your instruction.

Charges for postal service:

  • 1.9% Commission
  • £70 minimum charge

 

Please note that:

  • Stamp Duty Reserve Tax is payable at 0.5% on all purchases; and
  • £1 PTM levy is payable on all trades with a value of £10,000 or more.

Sharegift

If you have a small number of shares and the dealing costs or the minimum fee make it uneconomical to sell them, it is possible to donate these to ShareGift, a registered charity, who provide a free service to enable you to dispose charitably of such shares. More information on this service can be found at sharegift.org or by calling +44 (0) 20 7930 3737.

  Online Telephone Post
  You can update many details online via your Shareview Portfolio You can update some details by calling the shareholder helpline Download and send completed forms and supporting documents to:
Equiniti, Aspect House, Spencer Road, Lancing, BN99 6DA, UK
Direct Dividend Payment
Arrange for your dividends to be paid direct to your UK bank or building society account		 Use ‘Quick Links’ via your Shareview Portfolio to click on ‘Arrange direct dividend payments’ If you hold 2,500 or fewer shares you can provide your UK bank or building society account details by calling the shareholder helpline Direct Dividend Payment Form
Corporate Shareholder Direct Dividend Payment For security purposes, all requests relating to corporate holdings need to be sent by post. Corporate Dividend Payment Form
Change of Address Use ‘Quick Links’ via your Shareview Portfolio to click on ‘Change my address’ If you hold 2,500 or fewer shares you can register a change of address by calling the shareholder helpline Change of Address form
Share Account Combination
If you have more than one Centrica share account, use this form to merge them into one.		     Share Account Combination form
FlexiShare Application 
Application form to transfer your certificated Centrica shares into FlexiShare		 Although you can’t transfer your shares online you can download the FlexiShare Application Form by visiting My Investments via your Shareview Portfolio Please contact Equiniti and they will arrange to send you the appropriate form
Transfer from FlexiShare to another CREST participant   Please contact Equiniti and they will arrange to send you the appropriate form
Transfer shares to spouse or to another beneficial holder within FlexiShare   Please contact Equiniti and they will arrange to send you the appropriate form
Transfer Existing Shares into Existing Corporate Nominee Account   Please contact Equiniti and they will arrange to send you the appropriate form
Request for share certificate in own name   Please contact Equiniti and they will arrange to send you the appropriate form
Request for share certificate in another name   Please contact Equiniti and they will arrange to send you the appropriate form

 

Shareholding tracing and share reunification

Centrica plc tracing programme with ProSearch

In common with many other large FTSE listed companies, Centrica routinely undertakes tracing programmes from time to time aimed at re-uniting ‘dormant’ shareholders (or their estates) with their Centrica shares and, where applicable, uncashed Centrica dividends.

To do this, Centrica works in partnership with ProSearch Asset Solutions (ProSearch) and Centrica’s Registrar, Equiniti Limited.  ProSearch specialise in helping trace the beneficial owners of assets like shares and dividends.

The most common reasons why tracing shareholders is needed are:

  • a shareholder has moved and not notified the Registrar of the change of address;
  • beneficiaries or executors of an estate are not aware of the holding; or
  • a shareholder may forget about or be uncertain about their shareholdings.

How do accounts on Centrica’s share register become 'dormant' and what happens to the shares registered to 'dormant' accounts and any unclaimed dividends?

A shareholder account is deemed dormant if three consecutive dividend cheques, sent by the Company to the registered address, remain uncashed or there are three instances of unreturned mail.

Once a shareholder's account has been flagged as 'dormant', their shares remain on the register and continue to accumulate dividends.  However, if a period of 12 years has elapsed without the shareholder re-establishing contact, their shares and any dividend payments which remain unclaimed can, in accordance with the Company’s Articles, be forfeited and returned to the Company.  Whilst the Company has the choice under the Articles how to use any such proceeds, the Company’s standard position is to use the resulting monies for contributing to charities and good causes.

What should you do if you have received a Validation Form and wish to be re-united with your shares and, where applicable, any dividend entitlements?

The Validation Form is designed to make the recovery of entitlements as easy as possible. Please follow the instructions provided and return the signed and dated form (along with any necessary documents) to ProSearch in the reply-paid envelope provided.

The form will then be reviewed and vetted to protect against fraud and you will be contacted further with next steps.

Why ProSearch?

ProSearch has over 30 years of experience in the provision of Asset Reunification solutions and has worked with many FTSE 100 and 250 companies on similar projects. You can call their helpline on 0371 384 2837 (or +44 (0)371 384 2837 from outside the UK) from 8.30am to 5.30pm Monday to Friday (excluding UK public holidays in England and Wales) via the contacts section on their website http://www.prosearchassets.com/. Please note that there maybe charges for the services provide by Equiniti.