"In a cash account, you must pay for the purchase of a stock before you sell it."
How can you not "pay" for the stock before selling it? If I buy a stock, the brokerage reduces my buying power instantly by that amount. If I sell the stock, the buying power should be returned as quickly, not in three days. The certificates obviously are in the hands of the broker already. It seems the SEC blurbs say you have to settle *within* three days, they don't say it's mandatory.
About Settling Trades in Three Days:
Introducing T+3 Beginning on June 7, 1995, investors must settle their security transactions in three business days rather than five. This shortened settlement cycle is known as âT+3â - shorthand for "trade date plus three days." This new rule means that when you buy securities, your payment must be received by your brokerage firm no later than three business days after the trade is executed. And if you sell securities, your brokerage firm must receive your securities certificate no later than three business days after you authorized the sale.
Freeriding
In a cash account, you must pay for the purchase of a stock before you sell it. If you buy and sell a stock before paying for it, you are freeriding, which violates the credit extension provisions of the Federal Reserve Board. If you freeride, your broker must "freeze" your account for 90 days. This means that while you may still trade, you must fully pay for any purchase on the date you trade during the 90-day freeze. In other words, you won't get the benefit of settling your trades in three days .
Freeze, Brokerage Account
In a cash account, you must pay for the purchase of a stock before you sell it. If you buy and sell a stock before paying for it, you are freeriding, which violates the credit extension provisions of the Federal Reserve Board. If you freeride, your broker must "freeze" your account for 90 days. This means that while you may still trade, you must fully pay for any purchase on the date you trade during the 90-day freeze. In other words, you won't get the benefit of settling your trades in three days.
You can avoid the freeze if you fully pay for the stock within five days from the date of the purchase with funds that do not come from the sale of the stock. You can always ask your broker for an extension or waiver, but you may not get it.