Margin Accounts
What is the FINRA minimum maintenance requirement for long positions in a margin account?
FINRA requires minimum maintenance of 25% equity for long margin positions. If equity falls below this level, the customer receives a maintenance margin call. For short positions, the minimum is 30%. Firms may set higher
Complete Analysis & Legal Rationale
FINRA requires minimum maintenance of 25% equity for long margin positions. If equity falls below this level, the customer receives a maintenance margin call. For short positions, the minimum is 30%. Firms may set higher "house requirements."
Distractor Autopsy (Why Other Options Are Traps)
FINRA exam writers design incorrect distractors using specific calculation mistakes and regulatory misconceptions. Review why each option succeeds or fails:
Does not match the governing securities rule described in the explanation.
Matches the verified teaching point in the explanation.
Does not match the governing securities rule described in the explanation.
Does not match the governing securities rule described in the explanation.
Official Standard: Federal Reserve Regulation T margin/credit rules for broker-dealers (verify current text).
Official Standard: FINRA margin requirements supplementing Regulation T (verify current text).
Official Standard: Outline-level citation: item maps to Series 7 topic coverage. Prefer a specific FINRA/SEC/MSRB rule citation in a later author pass.