The New York Common Retirement Fund, the most recent addition to the list, went the furthest, removing 105 million shares in 19 banks and lending companies from the pool of available securities under the Fund's Securities Lending Program "so they can't be used by short sellers."

"The financial services industry has experienced declines in public equity values that in some cases are unconnected to the long-term financial health of the industry," New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli said in a statement. "By removing some of the fuel that is feeding this speculative fire, my action is intended to bring stability and rationality back to our equity markets."

A CalSTRS source told GlobeSt.com Thursday that it halted the lending of shares of only Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs yesterday at 4:30 p.m. EST. They also informed 60 peers of their actions, which like CalPERS and NY Common may react more broadly.