XML 116 R88.htm IDEA: XBRL DOCUMENT v2.4.1.9
Share-Based Compensation and Employee Ownership Plans SARs (Details) (USD $)
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2014
Dec. 31, 2013
Aggregate Intrinsic Value    
Closing stock price, in dollars per share $ 4.80us-gaap_SharePrice $ 3.91us-gaap_SharePrice
Stock Appreciation Rights (SARs)    
Aggregate Intrinsic Value    
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Options, Exercisable, Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Term 0  
Equity Plans    
Aggregate Intrinsic Value    
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Options, Exercisable, Intrinsic Value $ 0us-gaap_SharebasedCompensationArrangementBySharebasedPaymentAwardOptionsExercisableIntrinsicValue1
/ us-gaap_PlanNameAxis
= cown_EquityPlansMember
[1]  
Equity Plans | Stock Appreciation Rights (SARs)    
Shares Subject to Option    
Balance outstanding, beginning of period, shares 400,000us-gaap_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByShareBasedPaymentAwardEquityInstrumentsOtherThanOptionsNonvestedNumber
/ us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis
= us-gaap_StockAppreciationRightsSARSMember
/ us-gaap_PlanNameAxis
= cown_EquityPlansMember
0us-gaap_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByShareBasedPaymentAwardEquityInstrumentsOtherThanOptionsNonvestedNumber
/ us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis
= us-gaap_StockAppreciationRightsSARSMember
/ us-gaap_PlanNameAxis
= cown_EquityPlansMember
Granted, shares 0us-gaap_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByShareBasedPaymentAwardEquityInstrumentsOtherThanOptionsGrantsInPeriod
/ us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis
= us-gaap_StockAppreciationRightsSARSMember
/ us-gaap_PlanNameAxis
= cown_EquityPlansMember
400,000us-gaap_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByShareBasedPaymentAwardEquityInstrumentsOtherThanOptionsGrantsInPeriod
/ us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis
= us-gaap_StockAppreciationRightsSARSMember
/ us-gaap_PlanNameAxis
= cown_EquityPlansMember
Acquired, shares 0us-gaap_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByShareBasedPaymentAwardEquityInstrumentsOtherThanOptionsVestedInPeriod
/ us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis
= us-gaap_StockAppreciationRightsSARSMember
/ us-gaap_PlanNameAxis
= cown_EquityPlansMember
0us-gaap_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByShareBasedPaymentAwardEquityInstrumentsOtherThanOptionsVestedInPeriod
/ us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis
= us-gaap_StockAppreciationRightsSARSMember
/ us-gaap_PlanNameAxis
= cown_EquityPlansMember
Expired, shares 0us-gaap_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByShareBasedPaymentAwardEquityInstrumentsOtherThanOptionsForfeitedInPeriod
/ us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis
= us-gaap_StockAppreciationRightsSARSMember
/ us-gaap_PlanNameAxis
= cown_EquityPlansMember
0us-gaap_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByShareBasedPaymentAwardEquityInstrumentsOtherThanOptionsForfeitedInPeriod
/ us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis
= us-gaap_StockAppreciationRightsSARSMember
/ us-gaap_PlanNameAxis
= cown_EquityPlansMember
Balance outstanding, end of period, shares 400,000us-gaap_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByShareBasedPaymentAwardEquityInstrumentsOtherThanOptionsNonvestedNumber
/ us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis
= us-gaap_StockAppreciationRightsSARSMember
/ us-gaap_PlanNameAxis
= cown_EquityPlansMember
400,000us-gaap_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByShareBasedPaymentAwardEquityInstrumentsOtherThanOptionsNonvestedNumber
/ us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis
= us-gaap_StockAppreciationRightsSARSMember
/ us-gaap_PlanNameAxis
= cown_EquityPlansMember
Balance exercisable, shares 0cown_SharebasedCompensationArrangementbySharebasedPaymentAwardEquityInstrumentsOtherthanOptionsExercisableNumber
/ us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis
= us-gaap_StockAppreciationRightsSARSMember
/ us-gaap_PlanNameAxis
= cown_EquityPlansMember
 
Weighted Average Exercise Price/Share    
Balance outstanding, beginning of period, in dollars per share $ 2.90us-gaap_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByShareBasedPaymentAwardEquityInstrumentsOtherThanOptionsNonvestedWeightedAverageGrantDateFairValue
/ us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis
= us-gaap_StockAppreciationRightsSARSMember
/ us-gaap_PlanNameAxis
= cown_EquityPlansMember
$ 0.00us-gaap_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByShareBasedPaymentAwardEquityInstrumentsOtherThanOptionsNonvestedWeightedAverageGrantDateFairValue
/ us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis
= us-gaap_StockAppreciationRightsSARSMember
/ us-gaap_PlanNameAxis
= cown_EquityPlansMember
Granted, in dollars per share $ 0.00us-gaap_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByShareBasedPaymentAwardEquityInstrumentsOtherThanOptionsGrantsInPeriodWeightedAverageGrantDateFairValue
/ us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis
= us-gaap_StockAppreciationRightsSARSMember
/ us-gaap_PlanNameAxis
= cown_EquityPlansMember
$ 2.90us-gaap_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByShareBasedPaymentAwardEquityInstrumentsOtherThanOptionsGrantsInPeriodWeightedAverageGrantDateFairValue
/ us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis
= us-gaap_StockAppreciationRightsSARSMember
/ us-gaap_PlanNameAxis
= cown_EquityPlansMember
Acquired, in dollars per share $ 0.00us-gaap_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByShareBasedPaymentAwardEquityInstrumentsOtherThanOptionsVestedInPeriodWeightedAverageGrantDateFairValue
/ us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis
= us-gaap_StockAppreciationRightsSARSMember
/ us-gaap_PlanNameAxis
= cown_EquityPlansMember
$ 0.00us-gaap_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByShareBasedPaymentAwardEquityInstrumentsOtherThanOptionsVestedInPeriodWeightedAverageGrantDateFairValue
/ us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis
= us-gaap_StockAppreciationRightsSARSMember
/ us-gaap_PlanNameAxis
= cown_EquityPlansMember
Expired, in dollars per share $ 0.00us-gaap_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByShareBasedPaymentAwardEquityInstrumentsOtherThanOptionsForfeituresWeightedAverageGrantDateFairValue
/ us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis
= us-gaap_StockAppreciationRightsSARSMember
/ us-gaap_PlanNameAxis
= cown_EquityPlansMember
$ 0.00us-gaap_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByShareBasedPaymentAwardEquityInstrumentsOtherThanOptionsForfeituresWeightedAverageGrantDateFairValue
/ us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis
= us-gaap_StockAppreciationRightsSARSMember
/ us-gaap_PlanNameAxis
= cown_EquityPlansMember
Balance outstanding, end of period, in dollars per share $ 2.90us-gaap_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByShareBasedPaymentAwardEquityInstrumentsOtherThanOptionsNonvestedWeightedAverageGrantDateFairValue
/ us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis
= us-gaap_StockAppreciationRightsSARSMember
/ us-gaap_PlanNameAxis
= cown_EquityPlansMember
$ 2.90us-gaap_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByShareBasedPaymentAwardEquityInstrumentsOtherThanOptionsNonvestedWeightedAverageGrantDateFairValue
/ us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis
= us-gaap_StockAppreciationRightsSARSMember
/ us-gaap_PlanNameAxis
= cown_EquityPlansMember
Balance exercisable, in dollars per share $ 0.00cown_SharebasedCompensationArrangementbySharebasedPaymentAwardEquityInstrumentsOtherthanOptionsExercisableWeightedAverageGrantDateFairValue
/ us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis
= us-gaap_StockAppreciationRightsSARSMember
/ us-gaap_PlanNameAxis
= cown_EquityPlansMember
 
Weighted Average Remaining Term Outstanding 3 years 2 months 16 days 4 years 2 months 16 days
Aggregate Intrinsic Value    
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Options, Exercisable, Intrinsic Value 913,000us-gaap_SharebasedCompensationArrangementBySharebasedPaymentAwardOptionsExercisableIntrinsicValue1
/ us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis
= us-gaap_StockAppreciationRightsSARSMember
/ us-gaap_PlanNameAxis
= cown_EquityPlansMember
[1] 608,000us-gaap_SharebasedCompensationArrangementBySharebasedPaymentAwardOptionsExercisableIntrinsicValue1
/ us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis
= us-gaap_StockAppreciationRightsSARSMember
/ us-gaap_PlanNameAxis
= cown_EquityPlansMember
[1]
Unrecognized compensation expense $ 200,000us-gaap_EmployeeServiceShareBasedCompensationNonvestedAwardsTotalCompensationCostNotYetRecognizedShareBasedAwardsOtherThanOptions
/ us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis
= us-gaap_StockAppreciationRightsSARSMember
/ us-gaap_PlanNameAxis
= cown_EquityPlansMember
$ 300,000us-gaap_EmployeeServiceShareBasedCompensationNonvestedAwardsTotalCompensationCostNotYetRecognizedShareBasedAwardsOtherThanOptions
/ us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis
= us-gaap_StockAppreciationRightsSARSMember
/ us-gaap_PlanNameAxis
= cown_EquityPlansMember
[1] Based on the Company's closing stock price of $4.80 on December 31, 2014 and $3.91 on December 31, 2013.