Ms. Rosalyn Kent reports

POINTING THE WAY TO ONLINE INVESTING INNOVATION: TRADE WITH POINTS A CANADIAN FIRST FROM RBC

Royal Bank of Canada has provided an update. On-line investors now have a new way to pay their on-line trade commissions with RBC Direct Investing's innovative Trade with Points program -- a Canadian first.

"Trade with Points gives investors another form of currency to use on-line, as they can now use their RBC Rewards points to pay their trade commissions for on-line stock, exchange-traded funds and options trades placed on Canadian and U.S. exchanges," explained Rosalyn Kent, president and chief executive officer, RBC Direct Investing. "Adding this option brings further simplicity, convenience and choice to our clients."

Trade with Points is just one of the industry-leading initiatives by RBC Direct Investing, which works to transform the on-line investing experience and serve the evolving needs of self-directed investors. Three other industry-shaping moves from RBC Direct Investing:

• The bank is introducing $9.95 flat commissions, making on-line investing more affordable for all investors, regardless of how much they wanted to invest or how often they wanted to trade. These flat $9.95 commissions are for on-line and mobile stock and exchange-traded fund (ETF) trades.
• The bank is championing increased access to lower-cost Series D mutual funds.
• The bank is connecting like-minded on-line investors through its social community platform -- which includes the unique universe page, where investors can compare the performance of their portfolio with the performance of other investors' portfolios. Community members can converse on-line with each other -- without revealing their real identities -- to discuss investment ideas and strategies and learn from each other in a secure on-line environment.

In addition, clients can now easily convert their RBC Rewards points on-line, into cash for deposits or contributions to eligible RBC Direct Investing personal accounts. Eligible accounts include RRSPs (registered retirement savings plans), TFSAs (tax-free savings accounts), RESPs (registered education savings plans) (in Canadian dollars), and non-registered cash and margin accounts.

"We are focused on providing our clients with more choice and flexibility in how they can redeem their RBC Rewards points," added Athena Varmazis, vice-president, global loyalty programs and rewards, RBC. "We already make it possible for our clients to redeem points for travel, merchandise and gift cards as well as use their points towards paying their credit card balance. Trade with Points is a great addition to the choices we offer rewards clients and an example of how RBC Rewards is redefining the loyalty experience."