"Portfolio margin is geared toward sophisticated investors who understand risk and want more flexibility in how they manage risk and leverage capital," said Michael Curcio, President, E*TRADE Securities. "Through portfolio margin, investors have access to potentially lower margin requirements, thereby unlocking capital and maximizing their trading potential."

E*TRADE's portfolio margin accounts are available to customers who meet specific eligibility criteria, including:

• $100,000 minimum equity requirement (maintained at all times)
• Level 4 options trading approval

Portfolio margin requirements are based on the net risk to a given portfolio for theoretical changes in market conditions, rather than using position-level formulas and pre-defined options strategies, such as spreads.

An added benefit to E*TRADE's portfolio margin accounts is that no additional "up front" capital is required on top of maintenance requirements, as the initial and maintenance margin requirements are the same.

Separately, E*TRADE Financial Corporation (NASDAQ:ETFC - News) today announced that E*TRADE Securities LLC has introduced a number of enhancements to its premier, customizable desktop trading platform, E*TRADE Pro, in conjunction with the launch of E*TRADE's new "Pro Elite" program for sophisticated traders.

E*TRADE Pro offers active traders real-time access to the markets along with idea generation tools, customization capabilities, and charts and screeners, and has recently added several new features, including:

• Options strategies: Customers can now trade all option strategies, including multi-legged orders, and weekly options are fully supported (as available on etrade.com)
• Expanded CNBC content: Video-on-demand capabilities, as well as additional live content from CNBC Europe and Asia, are accessible to customers
• Logarithmic charts: The E*TRADE Pro chart window includes a logarithmic scaling option, giving investors a powerful new tool to analyze price trends
• Cloud-based layouts: The same personalized layout and experience can be enjoyed by investors from any desktop computer
• E*TRADE Community: The platform is integrated with E*TRADE Community, offering direct access to an exclusive network where E*TRADE customers can exchange ideas and insights with like-minded investors

The company announced separately today the availability of Portfolio Margin, also accessible on E*TRADE Pro, which offers qualified investors* risk-based margin to increase their buying power at competitive rates.

"Active traders have specialized needs, and we continue to invest in E*TRADE's Pro platform to ensure customers have the tools, features and access they need to make informed, real-time trading decisions," said Michael Curcio, President, E*TRADE Securities. "E*TRADE's Pro Elite program combines this premier trading platform with competitive pricing and priority service and support to deliver the best investing experience."

The enhanced E*TRADE Pro platform is part of E*TRADE's new Pro Elite program. In addition to no-fee access to E*TRADE Pro, exclusive benefits for Pro Elite customers include:

• Elite service and support: Priority call-routing to a specialized service team
• Low commissions: $7.99-$9.99 stock and options trades, $0.75 per options contract and low margin rates
• Access to all key markets: Stocks, options and futures, including access to dedicated trading specialists