Bancorp International Group Inc (fka BCIT)

[mretgnol]

let me ask you. when somebody buys a stock "thru" a brokerage - that the brokerage does not have in 'inventory' (which is almost always the case), and simply provides an ELECTRONIC FREAKIN' IOU - WHO GETS THE MONEY YOU PAY FOR THE STOCK - for the IOU? DOES THE FILTHY BROKER keep the money, issuing you a bunch of worthless IOU's? or does the broker pass it to the MM or what?

Op, depends on the issue. Don't forget, most non-reporting stinkies have no MM's. You sometimes see JEFF or NITE representing the sell side, but it's actually just making quotes for larger brokerages. (Almost always Ameritrade and Etrade)

Most of these stinkies start when someone, usually an insider, simply deposits shares with a broker...places a sell order, and that order is matched with a buyer. No MM needed. OP's money gets wired from your account to the sellers account (minus the trade fee).

Brokers know exactly who is buying, selling, where they filled their orders from. Otherwise, OPtrade could flood Ameritrade with a billion bogus shares and force them into financial hell. Great way to sabotage their competition.