Regulatory Requirements

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2021

As registered broker-dealers, Cowen and Company, ATM Execution, Cowen Prime and Westminster are subject to the SEC's Uniform Net Capital Rule 15c3-1 ("SEC Rule 15c3-1"), which requires the maintenance of minimum net capital. Each registered broker-dealer has elected to compute net capital under the alternative method permitted by that rule. Under the alternative method, Cowen and Company's minimum net capital requirement, as defined in (a)(4) of SEC Rule 15c3-1, is equal to the greater of $1.0 million or 2% of aggregate debits arising from customer transactions. ATM Execution, Cowen Prime and Westminster are required to maintain minimum net capital, as defined in (a)(1)(ii) of SEC Rule 15c3-1, equal to the greater of $250,000 or 2% of aggregate debits arising from customer transactions. Advances to affiliates, repayment of borrowings, distributions, dividend payments, and other equity withdrawals are subject to certain notification and other provisions of SEC Rule 15c3-1 and other regulatory bodies. Cowen Prime is registered with the SEC as an investment advisor under Advisers Act.

Cowen Prime is also subject to Commodity Futures Trading Commission ("CFTC") Regulation 1.17 ("Regulation 1.17"). Regulation 1.17 requires net capital equal to or in excess of $45,000 or the amount of net capital required by SEC Rule 15c3-1, whichever is greater. Cowen and Company is also subject to Options Clearing Corporation ("OCC") Rule 302. OCC Rule 302 requires maintenance of net capital equal to the greater of $2.0 million or 2% of aggregate debit items. At March 31, 2021, Cowen and Company had $325.9 million of net capital in excess of this minimum requirement.

Cowen International Ltd and Cowen Execution Ltd are subject to the capital requirements of the U.K. Financial Conduct Authority ("FCA"), as defined, and must exceed the minimum capital requirement set forth by the FCA.

Cowen Asia, a previously established entity, was re-registered with regulatory approval on May 17, 2019. Cowen Asia is subject to the financial resources requirements of the Securities and Futures Commission ("SFC") of Hong Kong. Financial Resources must exceed the Total Financial Resources requirement of the SFC.

As of March 31, 2021, these regulated broker-dealers had regulatory net capital or financial resources, regulatory net capital requirements or minimum FCA or SFC requirement and excess as follows:


Subsidiary	Net Capital		Minimum Net Capital Requirement		Excess Net Capital
	(dollars in thousands)
Cowen and Company	$	332,197	$	6,289	$	325,908
ATM Execution	$	4,951	$	250	$	4,701
Cowen Prime	$	22,722	$	250	$	22,472
Westminster	$	31,116	$	250	$	30,866
Cowen International Ltd	$	39,812	$	25,444	$	14,368
Cowen Execution Ltd	$	13,205	$	3,418	$	9,787
Cowen Asia	$	2,272	$	386	$	1,886

The Company's U.S. broker-dealers must also comply with SEC Rule 15c3-3 or claim an exemption pursuant to subparagraphs (k)(2)(i) or (k)(2)(ii) of that rule. Firms can rely on more than one exemption. Cowen Prime and ATM Execution claim the (k)(2)(ii) exemption with regard to all of their customer accounts and transactions that are introduced on a fully-disclosed basis to their clearing agents for clearing, settlement and custody. Cowen Prime and Westminster claim the (k)(2)(i) exemption with regards to customer transactions and balances that are cleared, settled and custodied in bank accounts designated as Special Accounts for the Exclusive Benefit of Customers ("Special Bank Accounts"). Westminster also claims exemption for other business activities that are not covered under (k)(2)(i) contemplated by Footnote 74 of the SEC Release No. 34-70073 adopting amendments to 17 C.F.R. § 240.17a-5 for receiving transaction-based compensation in return for providing commission management services.

In accordance with the requirements of SEC Rule 15c3-3, Cowen and Company may be required to deposit in a Special Reserve Account cash or acceptable qualified securities for the exclusive benefit of customers. As of March 31, 2021, Cowen and Company had segregated approximately $13.7 million of cash, while it had no required deposit.

As a clearing broker-dealer, Cowen and Company is required to compute a reserve requirement for proprietary accounts of broker-dealers ("PAB"), as defined in SEC Rule 15c3-3. Cowen and Company conducts PAB reserve computations in order to determine the amount it is required to deposit in its PAB Reserve Bank Accounts pursuant to SEC Rule 15c3-3. This allows each correspondent firm that uses Cowen and Company as its clearing broker-dealer to classify its PAB account assets held at Cowen and Company as allowable assets in the correspondent's net capital calculation. At March 31, 2021, Cowen and Company had $30.3 million of cash on deposit in PAB Reserve Bank Accounts, which was more than its required deposit of $19.1 million. Cowen and Company, ATM Execution, and Cowen Prime also maintain certain assets in PAB accounts held at their respective clearing brokers. Each treats its assets held in those PAB accounts at the respective clearing brokers as allowable assets for net capital purposes.

Cowen Insurance Co and Hollenfels are individually required to maintain a solvency capital ratio as calculated by relevant European Commission directives and local regulatory rules in Malta and Luxembourg, respectively. Each company's individual solvency capital ratio calculated as of December 31 of each year must exceed a minimum requirement. As of, December 31, 2020 (the last testing date), the solvency capital ratios of both Cowen Insurance Co and Hollenfels were in excess of the minimum requirement.

Based on minimum capital and surplus requirements pursuant to the laws of the state of New York that apply to captive insurance companies, RCG Insurance Company, Cowen's captive insurance company incorporated and licensed in the state of New York, was required to maintain capital and surplus of approximately $0.3 million as of March 31, 2021. RCG Insurance Company’s capital and surplus as of March 31, 2021 totaled approximately $6.4 million.