To abandon a security, you must permanently surrender and relinquish all rights in the security and receive no consideration in exchange for it. Treat worthless securities as though they were capital assets sold or exchanged on the last day of the tax year.
The only thing delisting does is that the stock doesn't trade on whatever exchange it got delisted from. It would still exist and you would still own it. No one is going to pay you out. It would trade over the counter.
If the security is no longer being traded on any exchange, this means that it is no longer possible to close any open positions in that security through a normal transaction. The security can only be removed from your portfolio by waiving your economic ownership.
Yes, a delisted stock can be re-listed on a major exchange like the NYSE or Nasdaq if the company subsequently meets all of the exchange's listing requirements. This typically involves getting the stock price above the minimum threshold, meeting financial benchmarks, and filing up-to-date financial reports.
You don't automatically lose money as an investor, but being delisted carries a stigma and is generally a sign that a company is bankrupt, near-bankrupt, or can't meet the exchange's minimum financial requirements for other reasons. Delisting also tends to prompt institutional investors to not continue to invest.
If a company is delisted, you are still a shareholder, to the extent of a number of shares held. And yet, you cannot sell those shares on any exchange. However, you can sell it on the over-the-counter market. This means you can look for a buyer outside the stock exchange.
As these stocks are not listed on the stock exchange, you need to approach the broker or buyer privately to sell unlisted shares in India. You need to provide Demat A/c details, CMR copy, and bank details to the buyer after which the shares need to be transferred.
In this case, companies typically offer a buyback window to investors. Did you know? To close an account with delisted shares, they must be transferred to a different demat account using DIS or CDSL easiest if the ISIN is active.
If a stock becomes delisted, the liquidity drops immensely. In fact, they are considered illiquid. In many cases, they are untradeable on most brokerage platforms that don't support OTCBB or Pink Sheets trading.
However, there is one way to claim the losses on shares which are delisted and still lying in your demat account. You can transfer these shares from your demat account through off market transaction for a very nominal price to any of your friends or relatives.
You can use a capital loss to offset ordinary income up to $3,000 per year If you don't have capital gains to offset the loss. You can take a total capital loss on the stock if you own stock that has become worthless because the company went bankrupt and was liquidated.
Trading After Delisting
It is rare that a delisted stock will get itself back on to the more traditional exchanges. To do so, it would have to avoid bankruptcy, solve the issue that forced the delisting, and again become compliant with the exchange's standards.
Unless the loss qualifies as a business investment loss (see below), you will do this by recording the deemed disposal of shares on Schedule 3 of your tax return, as if you had actually sold the shares or debt for nil proceeds.
The value of shares doesn't automatically rise or fall with a delisting, but when an involuntary listing takes place, it's often a sign that a company is approaching bankruptcy. In this case, there's a chance investors might lose their investment.
If you haven't sold the shares through the reverse book building, you can hold them until you find a buyer on the over-the-counter market. However, you must know that it is difficult to sell the delisted shares as there will be very few interested buyers.
So though the shares are not traded on the stock exchanges after delisting, they are still there in your demat account. So, delisting cannot amount to extinguishment of the shares or your rights in the shares.
If you have not sold your shares during this exit period, you may check in the offline market, where unlisted shares are sold. There are many players in the market, who provide trading facility in unlisted shares through off-market transfers.
If your shareholder refuses to sell despite having the right, your company can use a power of attorney. Directors can enforce a sale, following specific powers outlined in the shareholders agreement or ESOP rules.
Report losses due to worthless securities on Schedule D of Form 1040 and fill out Part I or Part II of Form 8949.
If someone misses applying for the delisting, they can tender the shares offline directly to the company, and the company will buy them back. Shareholders will have a one-year period from the date of unlisting to tender the shares to the company.
When a stock is delisted, options trading on that stock typically ceases. This means that options holders are no longer able to buy or sell their options on the open market. However, they still have the right to exercise their options if they choose to do so.
When a stock's value falls to zero, or near zero, it typically signals that the company is bankrupt. The stocks are frozen and unless the company restructures, it's likely you will lose your investment.