Sometimes you may wish to realise cash quickly to take up some other investment opportunity. The settlement period varies for different brokers between one and 10 days which is quite a difference. The main thing to ensure before you set up an account with an online broker, is that the account offers all the features that are important to you. It is worth remembering that switching accounts between brokers can be a time-consuming and costly process. At present, there is no single broker which offers everything in terms of cost and type of service.
Many online brokers are at present in the process of upgrading their computerised trading systems.
It is always worth double checking to see if any major improvements are planned in the near future.