MREITs Shafted by SEC

So the SEC is going on a tirade against short-selling after public pressure forced them to do something. So exactly how and why were the 799 financial firms selected for the temporary short-selling prohibition chosen? Granted, most of the companies on the list on bank holding companies, which makes sense. However, there were a few oddball choices, such as Apollo Investment Corp. (AINV), which is a business development company, and FBR Capital Markets (FBCM). None of the mortgage REITs, which are vital to loan origination in the primary market and a significant source of purchases in the secondary market, made the list. Aren't these financial firms as well with "frozen" assets on the balance sheet? While it's true that taxpayers aren't on the hook if an mREIT goes under, taxpayers aren't on the hook if Goldman Sachs (GS), Morgan Stanley (MS), or FBCM goes under either.

If public interest demands that we curb short-selling (a dubious proposition in itself, but that's a separate rant), we should extend the ban to all publicly-traded companies. Let's just artifically prop up everyone's stock price.