The definition of solvent must admit of a pretty low activity; my own accounts
attest to needing nowhere near Reg D qualifications to open a margin account.
Having failed to find anything coherent at the Federal Reserve Board site, I
consulted my (perhaps dated) account handbooks. In order to get to the 90%
range, it looked like one had to be playing with options. Generally,
requirements for equities were only 50% initially, which could decline to 30%
before a maintenance call. Bonds could be had at 75% (4:1 leverage) and
maintained for as little as 10% of principal. Various other instruments were
available at 10:1 leverage, and for those with the desire to wring some action
out of those boring T-bills, $10K sufficed to establish a million dollar
position.
-Dave
Is one who believes that markets may be in Brownian motion an ecclesiastic?