and if you don't like it you can go to another brokerage.......................but the reality is they are just looking for ways to extract more $$$... when there is real risk of blowing up (usually to the downside) the margins go up....lets face it there is virtually little risk of blowing up to the upside....calls are cheap... so if your leverage is out of whack you should buy more calls/puts rather than have to pay a fee. At least the long call or put "may" give you some kind of return...there is no "return" on fees.
Think about what you posted "lets face it there is virtually little risk of blowing up to the upside....calls are cheap"
There are plenty of traders who short stock and short calls. Can't short a straddle or strangle without being short calls. Shorting cheap calls in a bull market is not a money maker.
Plenty of risk of the shorties blowing up with a strong upside move.