Berks Connect
Money & Insurance

Medallion Signature Guarantee in Berks County

Where to get a medallion signature guarantee in Berks County, why a notary stamp won't do, what to bring, and what a cashier's check or money order costs.

Berks Connect Blog|Published October 9, 2026
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Start at the bank or credit union where you already have an account, because a medallion signature guarantee is a stamp that only institutions in a medallion program can give, and they usually give it only to their own customers or members. Bring a photo ID, proof you own the shares and the form still unsigned. If you were also asked for a cashier's check, your own bank or credit union writes those too, usually for $5 to $15 at the counter on a standard account as of 2026.

To find a branch of your own bank, check our list of banks in Berks County, and call first to ask whether that branch does the stamp and whether you need an appointment.

What a medallion signature guarantee is, and why a notary stamp won't do.

A medallion signature guarantee is a stamp from a bank, credit union or brokerage in one of the medallion programs. It says the signature on your form is yours and that you have the authority to sign, and the institution takes on the liability if the signature turns out to be forged.

You'll be asked for one when you sell or transfer shares held as a paper certificate, or shares registered in your name with the company that keeps the stock's shareholder records, usually called the transfer agent. The same goes for moving shares to someone else, including out of a parent's estate, and for changing the name on a registered account. A brokerage can ask for one too, for example when the name on a certificate doesn't match the account you're putting it in.

You might be thinking a notary stamp will do, since it looks just as official, but it won't. The companies that process stock transfers turn down a notary seal in place of a medallion, because a notary's stamp isn't a signature guarantee. If the form asks for a medallion, take it to a bank or credit union.

Where to get a medallion signature guarantee near you in Berks County.

Institutions usually give the stamp only to their own customers or members, which is why the best place to go is where you already bank. Credit unions work the same way for members, so if you belong to one of the county's credit unions, start there. If your only account is at an online bank with no branch nearby, call the company that asked for the stamp and ask what else it accepts, and ask a local bank or credit union whether you'd have to open an account there first.

Several Berks banks and credit unions say on their own websites that they offer medallion guarantees. The table lists the ones whose own sites say so, with what each says about who qualifies and where. Others may offer it too, so if yours isn't listed, ask.

Institution What its own website says
Discovery Federal Credit Union Lists medallion signatures among the services you can book an appointment for, at its Wyomissing office.
First National Bank of Pennsylvania Lists a medallion stamp guarantee on its consumer fee schedule, at $10 each.
Fleetwood Bank Guarantees up to $250,000 for its customers.
Mid Penn Bank Its Wyomissing branch at 1310 Broadcasting Road lists medallion stamps.
Utilities Employees Credit Union For members in good standing, at its Wyomissing office. Call 800-288-6423 to schedule; walk-ins are taken case by case when staff are free.
Visions Federal Credit Union For members in good standing, with a standard limit of $100,000 that may be higher at some offices. Stop by a branch.

Each row comes from that institution's own website, read in September 2026, and terms can change, so call ahead.

Where a row says who qualifies, it's customers or members. Some ask you to call for an appointment, and some handle the stamp at a particular branch, so ask which one.

Every stamp also carries a dollar limit, shown by a letter printed on the stamp, and a transfer worth more than that limit gets rejected. Fleetwood Bank guarantees up to $250,000 for its customers, and Visions Federal Credit Union's standard limit is $100,000 and may be higher at some of its offices. If the shares are worth a lot, ask about the limit before you go. The fee is small: where Berks institutions publish a fee, it's $5 to $10 per guarantee, and at least one bank waives its fee for some customers.

So what if nobody will stamp it? Call the company that asked for it. For smaller holdings, two of the big transfer agents take a paid waiver instead, each for its own shareholders only, so this helps only if your shares are held by one of them. Computershare's waiver is for an account where the whole account is worth under $10,000; it costs $50, and you send a copy of the signer's photo ID. EQ's waiver is for a transfer worth $10,000 or less, and it costs $100 when the transfer is under $5,000 and $200 from $5,000 to $10,000.

What to bring to the bank for a medallion stamp.

Bring all of this the first time:

  • A photo ID for every signer. Each person whose signature is being guaranteed brings their own.
  • Proof each signer is a customer or member. Ask the branch what it accepts.
  • Proof of the shares. If they're on paper, that means the original certificate, even when it's in a parent's name.
  • The form or certificate, unsigned. Wait to sign until you're in front of the person stamping it, and sign exactly the way the name is printed. For an executor or someone signing under a power of attorney, signing in front of the person stamping it is required.
  • Papers showing your authority, if you're signing for someone else. Someone with power of attorney, or an executor, brings the document that gives them the right to sign.

Moving a parent's shares out of an estate in Berks County.

An estate transfer is where you'll likely need both a notary and a medallion, for two different pieces of paper. The transfer agent usually asks for a copy of the death certificate, a short certificate (the paper from the Register of Wills showing who's been appointed to handle the estate), a sworn form stating where your parent lived, which has to be notarized, and, for a Pennsylvania estate, sometimes a state inheritance tax waiver. In Berks, short certificates come from the Register of Wills and cost $10 each.

Follow the list the company sends you. If you're the executor, you then sign the transfer form at the bank or credit union for the medallion, and bring the short certificate as proof of your authority.

What a cashier's check costs at Berks banks and credit unions.

A cashier's check is a check the bank writes on its own money after taking yours up front. You may also see it called an official check or a treasurer's check.

At Berks banks and credit unions, a standard account usually pays $5 to $15 for one at the counter, and some accounts pay nothing. Before you go, ask whether you need to be a customer and whether they'll take cash, because it isn't the same at every bank. Check our list of banks in Berks County for the branch nearest you, and bring your account number.

Cashier's check or money order: which one should you bring?

Whoever's asking for the payment decides what they'll take, whether that's a title company's closing instructions, a seller or a landlord. Ask them first, and buy what they ask for.

At the post office, a money order costs $2.65 up to $500 and $3.75 from $500.01 to $1,000. One money order can't be more than $1,000, and you pay with cash or a debit card, not a credit card. Banks and credit unions sell money orders to their customers too, usually for a few dollars and up to $10 where they publish a price. Because of the $1,000 limit, a bigger payment means several money orders or a cashier's check.

If you're the one being paid, know that banks have to make deposited money available quickly, and fake cashier's checks exist, so seeing the money in your account doesn't prove the check is good. Never accept one written for more than the price with a request to send back the difference.

If you lose one you bought, tell the bank right away and sign a sworn form saying it was lost. The bank doesn't have to pay you until the 90th day after the date on the check, and if it's paid to someone entitled to cash it before then, the bank owes you nothing on it. Ask your bank how it handles a lost one.

Whichever you need, call your own bank or credit union first, ask what to bring, and go in once with everything in hand.

Questions people ask about medallion guarantees and cashier's checks.

Can a notary do a medallion signature guarantee?

No. The companies that process stock transfers turn down a notary seal in place of a medallion. In an estate transfer, the notary handles the form stating where your parent lived, and the transfer still needs the medallion.

How much does a medallion signature guarantee cost in Berks County?

Where Berks institutions publish a fee, it's $5 to $10 per guarantee, and at least one bank waives its fee for some customers.

What happens if you lose a cashier's check?

Tell the bank right away and sign a sworn form saying it was lost. The bank doesn't have to pay you until the 90th day after the check's date, and if it's paid first to someone entitled to cash it, the bank owes you nothing on it.

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