Cross Margining

Cross Margining

The practice of a brokerage using the excess margin on one client's margin account to cover another margin account that has fallen below the margin requirement. An account that has fallen below the margin requirement is subject to a margin call, but some financial institutions practice cross margining to reduce the risk that a client will be unable to pay a margin call, which would create problems for all parties involved. Cross margining is also called a spread margin.