Highest Borrow-Fee Stocks Today: September 9, 2026 — Hard-to-Borrow Rates
BIAF carries the highest borrow fee in Tapeboard's market-wide ranking at 930% annualized as of September 9, 2026, with 11 names in the hard-to-borrow or extreme tier.
TL;DR: As of 10:50 PM ET on September 9, 2026, BIAF carries the highest borrow fee in Tapeboard's market-wide ranking at 930% annualized. The next costliest names are ATPC at 612.9% annualized and JZ at 588.8% annualized.
The costliest name to borrow on a market-wide basis is BIAF at 930% annualized as of September 9, 2026. Fees on today's list span 1.4% to 930% annualized; the median is 8.7%. This ranking covers the full securities-lending universe, not a curated squeeze watchlist — and that context matters. Ultra-high borrow fee rates in the triple-digit range typically flag distressed names, very-low-float stocks, recent IPOs, or post-reverse-split situations where shares are nearly impossible to locate in the lending pool. A steep fee means the stock is scarce to borrow; it does not, by itself, mean a short squeeze is likely.
Today's Hard-to-Borrow Rate Table
| Rank | Symbol | Annualized Borrow Fee | Rebate Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | BIAF | 930.0% | −926.4% |
| 2 | ATPC | 612.9% | −609.3% |
| 3 | JZ | 588.8% | −585.2% |
| 4 | GCTK | 219.9% | −216.2% |
| 5 | RGC | 216.9% | −213.3% |
| 6 | INM | 165.1% | −161.5% |
| 7 | SHOT | 86.4% | −82.8% |
| 8 | KITT | 25.7% | −22.1% |
| 9 | ATER | 17.6% | −14.0% |
| 10 | ZVSA | 13.3% | −9.7% |
| 11 | LGVN | 12.4% | −8.8% |
| 12 | BIRD | 10.0% | −6.3% |
| 13 | ACON | 8.7% | −5.0% |
| 14 | CGC | 8.5% | −4.9% |
| 15 | RVPH | 6.0% | −2.4% |
| 16 | CHPT | 5.7% | −2.1% |
| 17 | OPTT | 4.9% | −1.3% |
| 18 | ALPP | 3.9% | −0.3% |
| 19 | SVRA | 2.2% | 1.5% |
| 20 | CRDL | 2.0% | 1.7% |
| 21 | PCRX | 1.9% | 1.7% |
| 22 | OCGN | 1.9% | 1.8% |
| 23 | XRX | 1.8% | 1.8% |
| 24 | BARK | 1.5% | 2.1% |
| 25 | OPAL | 1.4% | 2.2% |
*Source: Securities Lending rates as compiled by Tapeboard, September 9, 2026 10:50 PM ET. Market-wide ranking across all tracked securities. Not investment advice.*
Borrow-Fee Tiers
Tapeboard categorizes annualized borrow fees as normal (under 2%), elevated (2-10%), hard-to-borrow (10-50%), and extreme (above 50%). On September 9, 2026, 11 names on today's market-wide list fell in the hard-to-borrow or extreme tier. Seven of those sit in the extreme tier, led by BIAF, ATPC, and JZ — all above 580% annualized as of September 9, 2026. Names like GCTK at 219.9% and INM at 165.1% annualized as of September 9, 2026 reflect the same pattern: at these levels, the borrow is so scarce that holding a short position costs multiples of the position's value per year.
What a High Borrow Fee Signals
An annualized borrow fee is the stock-loan cost a short seller pays to maintain a short position. A high fee reflects scarcity in the lendable pool — when few shares are available to borrow, the price of borrowing them rises. Critically, a high fee does not by itself predict a squeeze. Names with triple-digit fees are often distressed companies, very-low-float stocks, post-reverse-split issues, or recent IPOs where shares are almost impossible to locate. High cost-to-short is not the same as squeeze potential: genuine squeeze setups also require elevated short interest, price momentum, and volume. That is why the borrow fee is weighted 25% in Tapeboard's composite squeeze score rather than treated as a standalone signal — see the methodology for the full factor breakdown.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which stocks have the highest borrow fees today?
As of September 9, 2026, the three highest borrow fees in Tapeboard's market-wide ranking are BIAF at 930% annualized, ATPC at 612.9%, and JZ at 588.8%. All three sit deep in the extreme tier (above 50%).
What is considered a high stock borrow fee?
Tapeboard categorizes annualized borrow fees as normal (under 2%), elevated (2-10%), hard-to-borrow (10-50%), and extreme (above 50%). Anything above 10% is meaningfully expensive to short, and fees above 50% typically indicate severely constrained share supply.
Where do these borrow rates come from?
Tapeboard compiles Securities Lending borrow fees daily and refreshes them each evening across the full market universe. Rates are daily snapshots, not real-time intraday figures, and may differ from rates quoted by other brokers.
Data and Methodology
Borrow fee: broker-dealer stock-loan data, updated daily each evening, covering the full market-wide universe of tracked securities. Rebate rate: Securities Lending data, where available; negative rebates represent an additional cost to the borrower. See today's full squeeze analysis for the 7-factor composite ranking, or the hard-to-borrow leaderboard for the live pillar.
This post is for educational and informational purposes only and is not investment advice. Borrow fees reflect securities-lending conditions reported in the daily stock-loan data; they are not real-time intraday rates and may differ from rates at other brokers. A high borrow fee does not constitute a buy or sell signal. Short selling carries unlimited downside risk. Editor: Marcus Reilly.