Fair Values of Assets and Liabilities

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2011

Fair Values of Assets and Liabilities

17.     Fair Values of Assets and Liabilities

Fair value is defined as the price that would be received to sell an asset or the price paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. Fair value measurement accounting guidance describes the fair value hierarchy for disclosing assets and liabilities measured at fair value based on the inputs used to value them. The fair value hierarchy maximizes the use of observable inputs and minimizes the use of unobservable inputs. Observable inputs are based on market pricing data obtained from sources independent of the Company. A quoted price in an active market provides the most reliable evidence of fair value and is generally used to measure fair value whenever available. Unobservable inputs reflect management’s judgment about the assumptions market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability. Where inputs used to measure fair value of an asset or liability are from different levels of the hierarchy, the asset or liability is categorized based on the lowest level input that is significant to the fair value measurement in its entirety. Assessing the significance of a particular input requires judgment. The fair value hierarchy includes three levels based on the objectivity of the inputs as follows:

• Level 1 inputs are quoted prices in active markets as of the measurement date for identical assets or liabilities that the Company has the ability to access. This category includes active exchange-traded money market funds, mutual funds, options, and equity securities. The Company did not transfer any assets or liabilities between Level 1 and Level 2 during 2011 or 2010.

• Level 2 inputs are inputs other than quoted prices included in Level 1 that are observable for the asset or liability, either directly or indirectly. Level 2 inputs include quoted prices for similar assets and liabilities in active markets, and inputs other than quoted prices that are observable for the asset or liability, such as interest rates, benchmark yields, issuer spreads, new issue data, and collateral performance. This category includes residential mortgage-backed securities, corporate debt securities, certificates of deposit, commercial paper, U.S. agency and municipal debt securities, U.S. Treasury securities, and asset-backed and other securities.

• Level 3 inputs are unobservable inputs for the asset or liability, and include situations where there is little, if any, market activity for the asset or liability. The Company did not have any financial assets or liabilities utilizing Level 3 inputs as of December 31, 2011 or 2010.

Assets and Liabilities Recorded at Fair Value

The Company’s assets recorded at fair value include certain cash equivalents, investments segregated and on deposit for regulatory purposes, other securities owned, and securities available for sale. When available, the Company uses quoted prices in active markets to measure the fair value of assets. When quoted prices do not exist, the Company uses prices obtained from independent third-party pricing services to measure the fair value of investment assets. The Company validates prices received from the pricing services using various methods, including comparison to prices received from additional pricing services, comparison to quoted market prices, where available, comparison to internal valuation models, and review of other relevant market data. The Company does not adjust the prices received from independent third-party pricing services unless such prices are inconsistent with the definition of fair value and result in a material difference in the recorded amounts. At December 31, 2011 and 2010, the Company did not adjust prices received from independent third-party pricing services. Liabilities recorded at fair value were not material, and therefore are not included in the following tables.

The following tables present the fair value hierarchy for assets measured at fair value:

December 31, 2011	Quoted Prices in Active Markets for Identical Assets (Level 1)		Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2)		Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3)		Balance at Fair  Value
Cash equivalents:
Money market funds	$	8	$	—	$	—	$	8
Commercial paper		—		814		—		814
Total cash equivalents		8		814		—		822
Investments segregated and on deposit for regulatory purposes:
Certificates of deposit		—		2,374		—		2,374
Corporate debt securities		—		767		—		767
U.S. Government securities		—		650		—		650
Total investments segregated and on deposit for regulatory purposes		—		3,791		—		3,791
Other securities owned:
Schwab Funds® money market funds		332		—		—		332
Equity and bond mutual funds		183		—		—		183
State and municipal debt obligations		—		46		—		46
Equity, U.S. Government and corporate debt, and other securities		12		20		—		32
Total other securities owned		527		66		—		593
Securities available for sale:
U.S. agency residential mortgage-backed securities		—		20,921		—		20,921
Non-agency residential mortgage-backed securities		—		907		—		907
Certificates of deposit		—		3,622		—		3,622
Corporate debt securities		—		3,571		—		3,571
U.S. agency notes		—		1,800		—		1,800
Asset-backed and other securities		—		3,144		—		3,144
Total securities available for sale		—		33,965		—		33,965
Total	$	535	$	38,636	$	—	$	39,171

	Quoted Prices
	in Active Markets		Significant		Significant
	for Identical		Other Observable		Unobservable
	Assets		Inputs		Inputs		Balance at
December 31, 2010	(Level 1)		(Level 2)		(Level 3)		Fair Value
Cash equivalents:
Money market funds	$	988	$	—	$	—	$	988
Commercial paper		—		242		—		242
Total cash equivalents		988		242		—		1,230
Investments segregated and on deposit for regulatory purposes:
Certificates of deposit		—		2,201		—		2,201
Corporate debt securities		—		1,704		—		1,704
U.S. Government securities		—		3,190		—		3,190
Total investments segregated and on deposit for regulatory purposes		—		7,095		—		7,095
Other securities owned:
Schwab Funds® money market funds		172		—		—		172
Equity and bond mutual funds		99		—		—		99
State and municipal debt obligations		—		47		—		47
Equity, U.S. Government and corporate debt, and other securities		1		18		—		19
Total other securities owned		272		65		—		337
Securities available for sale:
U.S. agency residential mortgage-backed securities		—		13,098		—		13,098
Non-agency residential mortgage-backed securities		—		1,470		—		1,470
Certificates of deposit		—		1,875		—		1,875
Corporate debt securities		—		2,268		—		2,268
U.S. agency notes		—		2,780		—		2,780
Asset-backed securities		—		2,502		—		2,502
Total securities available for sale		—		23,993		—		23,993
Total	$	1,260	$	31,395	$	—	$	32,655

Fair Value of Assets and Liabilities Not Recorded at Fair Value

Descriptions of the valuation methodologies and assumptions used to estimate the fair value of assets and liabilities not recorded at fair value are described below. There were no significant changes in these methodologies or assumptions during 2011.

Other cash equivalents, receivables, payables, and accrued expenses and other liabilities include cash and highly liquid investments, receivables and payables from/ to brokers, dealers and clearing organizations, receivables and payables from/ to brokerage clients, and drafts, accounts, taxes, interest, and compensation payable. Assets and liabilities in these categories are short-term in nature and accordingly are recorded at amounts that approximate fair value.

Cash and investments segregated and on deposit for regulatory purposes include securities purchased under resale agreements. Securities purchased under resale agreements are recorded at par value plus accrued interest. Securities purchased under resale agreements are short-term in nature and are backed by collateral that both exceeds the carrying value of the resale agreement and is highly liquid in nature. Accordingly, the carrying value approximates fair value.

Securities held to maturity include U.S. agency residential mortgage-backed and other securities. Securities held to maturity are recorded at amortized cost. The fair value of these securities is obtained using an independent third-party pricing service, as discussed above.

Loans to banking clients primarily include adjustable rate residential first-mortgage and HELOC loans. Loans to banking clients are recorded at carrying value net of an allowance for loan losses. The fair value of the Company’s loans to banking clients is estimated based on market prices for mortgage-backed securities collateralized by similar types of loans.

Loans held for sale include fixed-rate and adjustable-rate residential first-mortgage loans intended for sale. Loans held for sale are recorded at the lower of cost or fair value. The fair value of the Company’s loans held for sale is estimated using quoted market prices for securities backed by similar types of loans.

Other assets include cost method investments whose carrying values approximate their fair values. Other assets also include Federal Home Loan Bank stock recorded at par, which approximates fair value.

Deposits from banking clients: The Company considers the fair value of deposits with no stated maturity, such as deposits from banking clients, to be equal to the amount payable on demand as of the balance sheet date.

Long-term debt includes Senior Notes, Senior Medium-Term Notes, Series A, Junior Subordinated Notes, and a finance lease obligation. The fair value of the Senior Notes, Senior Medium-Term Notes, Series A, and Junior Subordinated Notes are estimated using indicative, non-binding quotes from independent brokers. The finance lease obligation is recorded at carrying value, which approximates fair value.

Firm commitments to extend credit: The Company extends credit to banking clients through HELOC and personal loans secured by securities. The Company considers the fair value of these unused commitments to be not material because the interest rate earned on these balances are based on the market interest rate indices and reset monthly. Future utilization of HELOC and personal loan commitments will earn a then-current market interest rate. The Company does not charge a fee to maintain a HELOC or personal loan.

The table below presents the Company’s fair value estimates for financial instruments, excluding short-term financial assets and liabilities, for which carrying amounts approximate fair value, and excluding financial instruments recorded at fair value.

December 31,	2011				2010
	Carrying Amount		Fair Value		Carrying Amount		Fair Value
Financial Assets:
Securities held to maturity	$	15,108	$	15,539	$	17,762	$	17,848
Loans to banking clients – net	$	9,812	$	9,671	$	8,725	$	8,469
Loans held for sale	$	70	$	73	$	185	$	194
Financial Liabilities:
Long-term debt	$	2,001	$	2,159	$	2,006	$	2,116