I get the general gist of the whole shorting thing but am...

I get the general gist of the whole shorting thing but am definitely no expert. I obviously didn't initially read the announcement very carefully as I didn't realise that that they hadn't bought the shares (rather simply borrowed them) till I read this thread.
I would think the only reason they would "borrow shares" is to sell them on market then hopefully buy them back again later at a cheaper price (shorting).
I think the fundamentals of this company are very strong so it would seem like a risky move, however I think, if in fact they are thinking of shorting (just guessing here), maybe they might feel that if the convertible bonds are converted later this month this might lead to a lot of selling which will force the price down. I also think this may be the rationale for the share buyback (to soak up some of those shares to try and limit the impact on ordinary shareholders).
Again all just a theory, and before anyone gets on my case for not holding any stock and "down ramping", I was holding stock till today and am definitely not downramping. I believe the fundamentals of this company make it a screaming buy, just might wait till the motives of BOA and the impact of the bond conversions (if they happen) are a bit clearer till I get back in. May turn out to be a bad move but guess I'll only know in hindsight.