margin call

noun

, Stock Exchange.

1. a demand from a brokerage house to a customer that more money or securities be deposited in their margin account when the amount in it falls below that stipulated as necessary to cover the stock purchased.

Word History and Origins

Origin of margin call¹

First recorded in 1960–65

Example Sentences

Aesthetically, we’re looking at a smiling Midwestern version of Jeremy Irons’ coldblooded investment bank CEO character in the persistently underappreciated 2011 film Margin Call.

From Slate

That drop in valuations also appears to have led to his facing a margin call on a loan he used for other investments.

From New York Times

Canada’s steep rise in interest rates is akin to a national margin call, especially among homebuyers who took advantage of rock-bottom rates offered by adjustable mortgages.

From Seattle Times

At times I flashed back on “Margin Call,” that elegantly chilled drama about Wall Street on the eve of the 2008 financial crisis; at a few others my mind returned to “Promising Young Woman,” though to these eyes, Domont’s fearless consideration of male violence and female reckoning draws far more blood, both literally and figuratively.

From Los Angeles Times

We don’t know if it’s because he got a margin call.

From Slate