As a layman, I find the practice of share lending to be disappointing. Many people trust their brokers and relevant institutions to act in ways that aren't detrimental to their portfolio. Lending shares (even from ETFs) to satisfy the borrowing needs of short sellers? This needs to end. Retail's confidence in US capital markets has all but evaporated at this point. So really, things couldn't be much worse if the practice continues. I suppose what this rule amendment depends on is this: do veteran or well-vested market participants care anymore?