Freeze, Brokerage Account

In a cash account, you must pay for the purchase of a stock before you sell it. If you buy and sell a stock before paying for it, you are freeriding, which violates the credit extension provisions of the Federal Reserve Board. If you freeride, your broker must "freeze" your account for 90 days. This means that while you may still trade, you must fully pay for any purchase on the date you trade during the 90-day freeze. In other words, you won't get the benefit of settling your trades in three days.

You can avoid the freeze if you fully pay for the stock within five days from the date of the purchase with funds that do not come from the sale of the stock. You can always ask your broker for an extension or waiver, but you may not get it.

If you'd like to learn more about the 90-day freeze, read the section on cash accounts in the Federal Reserve's Regulation T.