...and the prob is even more insideous when the lent security is an MLP or a REIT - the accounting becomes a freekin nightmare because you DON'T get a K-1 whim there is the PIL (payment in lieu. I'm trying to make the case that , absent an actual debit balance, they should not lend out...
That's the issue - I have NEVER BORROWed or had a debit bal.
I use the margin for collateral (rather than cash) on naked short options but never have had a debit bal.
The broker has "interpreted" the margin agreement to "mean" that is the same as a debit bal.