Business Continuity Plan
Keel Point, LLC and Keel Point Capital, LLC (collectively “Keel Point”) has developed a Business Continuity Plan (BCP) so that all clients of the firm will immediately know what actions to take in the unlikely event of a significant business interruption. This plan will assist us in determining what to do if we were to suffer a problem such as a fire in the building, if our telephones were cut off, if there is a regional disaster, or if our clearing firm, National Financial Services, LLC (NFS), suffers a significant problem to its computer or telecommunications systems.
Our primary goals, after making certain that our employees are safe, will be to resume order taking capabilities as quickly as possible and to make certain that all of our clients have access to their accounts. Since the timing and impact of disasters and disruptions is unpredictable, we will have to be flexible in responding to the actual events as they occur. To that end, this notice is being sent to you so that you will know how to contact us in the case of a disaster that affects the manner in which you normally communicate with us, and to inform you of what actions you may take if communication to Keel Point becomes impossible.
Contacting Us
If Keel Point’s phone lines are not working properly, please try us through our alternative emergency numbers, Chattanooga (423) 718-4819 or (901) 828-2881, Huntsville (256) 656-8118 or (256) 714-8763, Vienna (804) 347-0354 or (703) 300-5285, and Leawood (816) 210-4422 or (816) 739-1637. Since those numbers are cellular based, if only land lines are affected by the disruption, you should be able to reach us. If those numbers fail, you can go to our website at keelpoint.com and either contact us or search for further instructions on how to contact us. If you try to reach us by visiting our location, please understand that if our building has suffered damage for any reason, we may move our operations to an alternate location.
Our Business Continuity Plan
Keel Point’s intent is to quickly recover and resume business operations after a significant business disruption. We plan to safeguard our employees and property, protect the firm’s books and records, make a quick financial and operational assessment, and allow you to transact business as efficiently as possible given the circumstances.
NFS maintains business continuity and disaster recovery plans that comply with laws and regulations applicable to NFS, including back-up systems to help ensure your transaction data and other account information are protected in the event of a disaster. While every emergency situation poses unique problems based on external factors, such as time of day and the severity of the disruption, NFS periodically updates and tests the operability of its business continuity and disaster recovery plan to help ensure minimal interruption. In short, NFS’ business continuity and disaster recovery plans are designed to permit NFS to resume operations as quickly as possible, given the scope and severity of the significant business disruption.
Our plan addresses a number of areas:
- Data backup and recovery
- Mission critical systems
- Financial and operational assessments
- Alternative communications with you, employees, and regulators.
- An alternate physical location for employees and operations.
- Succession plans; clearing firm and bank impact
- Regulatory reporting
- Making certain that you have access to your funds and securities in the unlikely event we are unable to resume our business operations quickly.
Various disruptions
A significant business disruption can vary in scope from just our firm, the building housing our home office and branches, the Chattanooga, Huntsville, Leawood and Vienna business districts, the cities of Chatanooga, Huntsville, Leawood and Vienna, or an entire region. If a disruption occurs only to Keel Point or to the building housing us, we expect to resume the ability to enter trades within 15 minutes and, if it is necessary to move our operations to a local site, we should be re-located within two hours. If our website remains operational, we will post and continually update a notification explaining our situation and of any additional actions we have taken that would allow you to communicate with us. Finally, if the business disruption is so severe that it prevents us from operating, Keel Point will assure that you have prompt access to your funds and securities.
For more information
If you have any questions regarding our business continuity plan, do not hesitate to contact us at (256) 704-5111. For your convenience, this disclosure is also posted on our website at keelpoint.com. Our full Business Continuity Plan is available upon request.