Commitments and Contingencies

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2014

Commitments and Contingencies [Abstract]

Commitments and Contingencies

J. Commitments and Contingencies

From time to time, the Company may be named in legal actions and proceedings.  These actions may seek substantial or indeterminate compensatory as well as punitive damages or injunctive relief.  The Company is also subject to governmental or regulatory examinations or investigations.  The examinations or investigations could result in adverse judgments, settlements, fines, injunctions, restitutions or other relief.  The Company cannot predict the ultimate outcome of such matters.  For all such matters, the condensed consolidated financial statements include the necessary provisions for losses that the Company believes are probable and estimable.  Furthermore, the Company evaluates whether there exist losses which may be reasonably possible and, if material, makes the necessary disclosures.  Such amounts, both those that are probable and those that are reasonably possible, are not considered material to the Company's financial condition, operations or cash flows.

The Company indemnifies the clearing brokers of G.research, Inc. (formerly known as Gabelli & Company, Inc.), our broker-dealer subsidiary, for losses they may sustain from the customer accounts that trade on margin introduced by it.  At March 31, 2014, the total amount of customer balances subject to indemnification (i.e. unsecured margin debits) was immaterial.  The Company also has entered into arrangements with various other third parties many of which provide for indemnification of the third parties against losses, costs, claims and liabilities arising from the performance of obligations under the agreements.  The Company has had no claims or payments pursuant to these or prior agreements and believes the likelihood of a claim being made is remote.  The Company's estimate of the value of such agreements is de minimis, and therefore an accrual has not been made on the condensed consolidated financial statements.