When I owned CTIX (now IPIX) and XXII, and wasn't signed up for the lending program, Fidelity called and asked if I was interested in loaning my shares. They are both OTC stocks. These calls didn't come until the share price was $3 or $4.
Do you know if Schwab lends shares from their mutual funds to the shorts. I asked and found out that Fidelity does. This is where most of the availability of shares to short comes from at Fidelity.