Margin Call, Due For Action, and Debit Report Workflow


Take Action

NOTE: Please see the Action Type Descriptions below for additional information on the Due for Action Alert.

  1. You are responsible for monitoring and resolving margin calls.
  2. In a margin account, core money market funds automatically liquidate to pay down any margin debit balance.
  3. You should determine how to satisfy margin calls using one of the following methods. NOTE: All calls must be met by 3:00 p.m. Eastern time on the day they are due.
    • Sell securities in an amount that releases sufficient loan value to meet the call.
      EXAMPLE 1: Selling marginable securities with a 30% house requirement releases 30% towards a house call and 50% towards a Fed call. Therefore, selling $60,000.00 of marginable stock with a 30% house requirement, releases $18,000.00 towards a house call ($60,000.00 x 0.30 = $18,000.00) and $30,000.00 towards a Fed call ($60,000.00 x 0.50 = $30,000.00).
      EXAMPLE 2: To calculate how much of a security you must sell to cover a house call, divide the amount of the call by the house requirement of the security you wish to sell. For example, if the house call is $35,750.00, you must sell $119,166.00 worth of a security with a 30% house requirement to cover the $35,750.00 house call ($35,750.00 / 0.30 = $119,166.00).
      EXAMPLE 3: Using the same logic as described in EXAMPLE 2 (house call) to cover a Fed call, you divide the Fed call by the amount of the Fed requirement on the security. For example, a $10,000.00 Fed call divided by 50% (.50) yields the $20,000.00 required to sell to cover the Fed call.
    • Deposit marginable securities with sufficient loan value to meet the call. EXAMPLE: Depositing marginable securities with a 30% house requirement will release 70% towards a house call and 50% towards a Fed call.
    • Deposit cash equal to the call amount via one of the following (listed in order of preference based on processing times) bank wire, journal, MoneyLine (EFT), or check. EXAMPLE: $600 is due on 5/21. Since a MoneyLine (EFT) takes 2 days to process, you must submit the MoneyLine (EFT) by the close of business on 5/19.

      Bank Wire Instructions
      Chase Manhattan Bank, New York, NY
      ABA #0210-0002-1
      For the account at: NFS Account #066196-221
      FBO: Client's Name, Client's Account Number

      Journal
      Using the Integrated Cash Platform (ICP), you can journal money from another Fidelity brokerage account.

      MoneyLine (EFT) Instructions
      MoneyLine enables clients to move money in or out of their Fidelity accounts. Instructions are established with the Standing Bank Wire and Electronic Funds Transfer Instructions Form for Non-Retirement Accounts and the Premiere Select IRA Contribution by EFT Form for Retirement Accounts. NOTE: These forms are located in the Forms Library. Clients may have multiple sets of MoneyLine instructions on their accounts. There is a pre-note period of 7 business days before requests may be made to utilize MoneyLine. During this time, account information is validated at the receiving bank.

      Mailing Address for Check
      Regular Mail Address:
      National Financial Services, LLC
      Attn: Check Processing
      PO Box 770001
      Cincinnati, OH 45277-0040
      Overnight Address:
      National Financial Services, LLC
      100 Crosby Parkway
      Mailzone KC1H
      Covington, KY 41015

  4. If the call is not met, positions in the account are sold. NOTE: Please refer to your margin agreement with any questions regarding sell-out policy.
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Extension Request Using Service Requests

If additional time is required to settle the call, you may request an extension by initiating a Service Request (Securities & Money Movement > Margin > Extension Request). The common extension requests are:

NOTE:

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Sufficient Loan Value

In a margin account, release pertains to the amount of funds "released" as a result of an action taking place. For example, when selling securities in a margin account, the account receives the margin required on the position toward the account excess or any call present. If selling securities with a 30% margin requirement, 30% of the proceeds is released. If depositing fully paid-for securities that the account received or released, the amount exceeds the margin requirement. For example, if the security has a 30% maintenance margin requirement, 70% of the value is released toward your excess or any call that is present.

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Debit Balance

The amount owed (debit) by the account holder for activity in his/her account. The debit balance only displays on your report if your previous end of day Cash Collected Balance minus Cash Debit Balance is less than zero.

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Action Type Descriptions

The following table contains descriptions for the Action Types identified in the Due for Action Alert.

NOTE: Please see the take action section presented above.

Action Type Description
Buy-In A trade is executed by Fidelity to buy back the shares and cover the short position. A short sale is the sole liability of the customer who is responsible for the buy-in price.
Cash Account Exceptions on Trades An executed order (trade) that remains open and unsettled after the settlement date in a cash account. Appropriate action should be taken to resolve this item prior to its due date.
Exchange Call (NYSE) This type of margin call occurs only when the available to borrow margin amount in your brokerage account is above or below the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) minimum requirement. It is a positive amount (surplus) if your margin equity exceeds the NYSE maintenance requirement and is a negative amount (call) if your margin equity falls below the current NYSE maintenance requirement.
Federal Call This situation occurs when the initial 50% Regulation T margin requirement is not met by the settlement date. The investor has 5 business days from the trade date to meet the Regulation T purchase requirement. This type of margin call occurs only when the investor fails to meet the initial requirement.
Freeriding A practice, which violates Regulation T of the Federal Reserve Board, whereby a brokerage customer buys and sells securities in rapid order without putting up money for the purchase. If this occurs, the account in violation is frozen for 90 days.
House Call This type of margin call occurs when the equity in an account falls below its security requirements.
Margin Account Exception Due An executed order (trade) that remains open and unsettled after the settlement date in a margin account upon which a call has been placed in this account.
Margin Account Exception on Trades An executed order (trade) that remains open and unsettled after the settlement date in a margin account. Appropriate action should be taken to resolve this item prior to its due date.
Margin Call A notification which may be sent to a margin investor indicating that the account's margin equity percentage has fallen below a specified amount, thereby requiring the deposit of additional cash or securities. If a customer fails to respond, securities in the account may be liquidated.
Non-Trade Cash Exception A debit balance in your cash account that is unrelated to trade activity.
Regulation T (Reg T) A Federal Reserve Board regulation whereby members of the national securities exchanges set standards for credit extension to customers. Reg T establishes margin requirements and defines eligible, ineligible, and exempt securities. A violation may occur in this account when there is an executed order (trade) that remains open and unsettled after the settlement date or a debit balance in your account for which a buy-in or sell-out will occur in a sufficient dollar or share amount to cover the position or debit.
Sell-Out / Buy-In

Sell-Out: Liquidation of a margin account after a customer fails to bring his or her account up to a required level by producing additional equity after a margin call. A liquidation of a position after a customer fails to pay for a transaction.

Buy-In: A trade is executed by Fidelity to buy back the shares and cover the short position. A short sale is the sole liability of the customer who is responsible for the buy-in price. An executed order (trade) that remains open and unsettled after the settlement date or a debit balance in your account for which a buy-in or sell-out will occur in a sufficient dollar or share amount to cover the position or debit.

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For More Information About Margin

For more information concerning margin, see the OnLine Reference (Resources > Policies and Procedures). If you still have questions, please contact your dedicated service group for further details.

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