Morgan Stanley Smith Barney Establishes Universal Direct Broker Interface Connection to EASi’s World-Class Stock Plan Management Solution

Morgan Stanley Smith Barney announced today that its Global Stock Plan Services (GSPS) group has launched a second generation interface between its web site for stock plan participants and the stock plan administration platform of Equity Administration Solutions, Inc. (EASi), a provider of accounting, tax, administration and compliance services for companies that grant equity awards to employees. Morgan Stanley Smith Barney provides stock plan services to nearly 2.5 million participants at more than 500 corporations globally, including more than 20 percent of the Fortune 500.¹

The EASi Universal Direct Broker Interface (UDBI) connection allows for the secure, automated transfer of participant data with one click, greatly simplifying the administrative burden associated with the transfer of information between the plan sponsor and Morgan Stanley Smith Barney. Over the next few months, more than 100 Morgan Stanley Smith Barney corporate clients using EASi’s stock plan administration system will migrate to the new UDBI, which replaces an existing file exchange established in 2006.

"Using EASi’s UDBI eases the flow of data for plan administrators using EASi software," said Julian Clark, Head of GSPS at Morgan Stanley Smith Barney. "This initiative furthers our goal of continually enhancing our Partnered Solutions program to be an increasingly attractive option for our clients that prefer this type of solution.”

The Firm’s Partnered Solutions offering allows sponsors of equity compensation plans to administer those plans using their preferred software, such as EASi’s, while partnering with Morgan Stanley Smith Barney to give employees access to the Firm’s world-class trade execution, online account resources and personal support.

"We pride ourselves on delivering efficiency gains across the enterprise through our WorkStream approach, and UDBI is a prime example of our commitment to make things EASier,” said Carine Schneider, CEO of EASi.

Morgan Stanley Smith Barney, a global leader in wealth management, provides access to a wide range of products and services to individuals, businesses and institutions, including brokerage and investment advisory services, financial and wealth planning, credit and lending, cash management, annuities and insurance, retirement and trust services. For further information about Morgan Stanley Smith Barney, please visit www.morganstanleysmithbarney.com.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) is a leading global financial services firm providing a wide range of investment banking, securities, investment management and wealth management services. The Firm's employees serve clients worldwide including corporations, governments, institutions and individuals from more than 1,300 offices in 42 countries.

Equity Administration Solutions, Inc. (www.easiadmin.com) is the largest independent stock plan software technology company in the world. A SaaS company, EASi set the standard in stock plan solutions with its comprehensive industrial strength platform that handles all the accounting, tax, administration, participant services and compliance needs of companies that grant equity awards. Headquartered in Pleasanton, CA, EASi serves more than 700 companies on five continents in 18 countries with participants based in 70 countries, and continues to lead the industry with second-to-none solutions in areas including FAS123R, IFRS 2, Performance Awards, material modifications and WorkStream process automation. In 2010, Inc. Magazine ranked EASi 35th in the Financial Services industry segment and in the top 12 percent on its annual list of fastest growing private companies in America.

¹ As of June 30, 2011

Investments and services offered through Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC, member SIPC.

©2011 Morgan Stanley Smith Barney            2011-PS-2087