Business and Operations	12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2013
Business and Operations	NOTE 1 — BUSINESS AND OPERATIONS Signature Group Holdings, Inc. (“Signature”) is a diversified business enterprise with current principal holdings in cash and industrial supply through its wholly owned subsidiary, North American Breaker Co., LLC (“NABCO” or “Industrial Supply”). The Board of Directors of the Company (the “Board”) and management expect to grow Signature through acquisitions as well as through organic efforts within existing operations. Reincorporation On January 2, 2014, Signature was reincorporated in Delaware through a merger agreement more fully described in Note 20 — Subsequent Events. Prior to the merger, Signature had 66,500,000 shares of $0.01 par value shares of common stock authorized and 12,219,781 shares outstanding. Following the merger, Signature had 66,500,000 shares of $0.001 par value shares or common stock authorized and 12,219,781 shares outstanding. The current corporate capital structure has been retrospectively reflected in the consolidated financial statements. Operations Industrial Supply, headquartered in Burbank, California, is one of the largest independent suppliers of circuit breakers in the United States. Industrial Supply focuses on the replacement circuit breaker market, particularly for commercial and industrial circuit breakers, where replacement time is extremely important, but also supplies residential circuit breakers. Industrial Supply operates from nine warehouse distribution locations across North America, which enables it to improve customer delivery times, a key attribute of its service-oriented model. Industrial Supply’s assets are primarily comprised of inventory, accounts receivable and intangible assets, and its liabilities are primarily comprised of trade payables, a line of credit and long-term debt. Historically, Signature Special Situations (“Special Situations”), a second operating segment, selectively acquired sub-performing and nonperforming commercial and industrial loans, corporate bonds, and mortgages, typically at a discount to the unpaid principal balance. In the second quarter of 2013, all of Special Situations’ residential real estate loans were sold generating cash proceeds of $27.1 million and a gain of $5.0 million. During the third and fourth quarters, substantially all of the remaining assets were monetized, leaving only $1.4 million of commercial real estate loans in the Special Situations loan portfolio as of December 31, 2013, which continues to be classified as held for investment, and an $0.8 million nonmarketable preferred equity security of a private company. Additionally, Signature’s operations include a discontinued operations segment, where it holds and manages certain assets and liabilities related to the former businesses of Signature, then known as Fremont General Corporation (“Fremont”) and its primary operating subsidiary, Fremont Investment & Loan (“FIL”), as well as Cosmed, Inc. (“Cosmed”), a majority owned cosmetics company, which owns the product formulations of a line of anti-aging skin care products and was designated as a discontinued operation in the fourth quarter of 2012. The assets and liabilities of discontinued operations are being managed to maximize cash recoveries and limit costs and exposures.

NOTE 1 — BUSINESS AND OPERATIONS

Signature Group Holdings, Inc. (“Signature”) is a diversified business enterprise with current principal holdings in cash and industrial supply through its wholly owned subsidiary, North American Breaker Co., LLC (“NABCO” or “Industrial Supply”). The Board of Directors of the Company (the “Board”) and management expect to grow Signature through acquisitions as well as through organic efforts within existing operations.

Reincorporation

On January 2, 2014, Signature was reincorporated in Delaware through a merger agreement more fully described in Note 20 — Subsequent Events. Prior to the merger, Signature had 66,500,000 shares of $0.01 par value shares of common stock authorized and 12,219,781 shares outstanding. Following the merger, Signature had 66,500,000 shares of $0.001 par value shares or common stock authorized and 12,219,781 shares outstanding. The current corporate capital structure has been retrospectively reflected in the consolidated financial statements.

Operations

Industrial Supply, headquartered in Burbank, California, is one of the largest independent suppliers of circuit breakers in the United States. Industrial Supply focuses on the replacement circuit breaker market, particularly for commercial and industrial circuit breakers, where replacement time is extremely important, but also supplies residential circuit breakers. Industrial Supply operates from nine warehouse distribution locations across North America, which enables it to improve customer delivery times, a key attribute of its service-oriented model. Industrial Supply’s assets are primarily comprised of inventory, accounts receivable and intangible assets, and its liabilities are primarily comprised of trade payables, a line of credit and long-term debt.

Historically, Signature Special Situations (“Special Situations”), a second operating segment, selectively acquired sub-performing and nonperforming commercial and industrial loans, corporate bonds, and mortgages, typically at a discount to the unpaid principal balance. In the second quarter of 2013, all of Special Situations’ residential real estate loans were sold generating cash proceeds of $27.1 million and a gain of $5.0 million. During the third and fourth quarters, substantially all of the remaining assets were monetized, leaving only $1.4 million of commercial real estate loans in the Special Situations loan portfolio as of December 31, 2013, which continues to be classified as held for investment, and an $0.8 million nonmarketable preferred equity security of a private company.

Additionally, Signature’s operations include a discontinued operations segment, where it holds and manages certain assets and liabilities related to the former businesses of Signature, then known as Fremont General Corporation (“Fremont”) and its primary operating subsidiary, Fremont Investment & Loan (“FIL”), as well as Cosmed, Inc. (“Cosmed”), a majority owned cosmetics company, which owns the product formulations of a line of anti-aging skin care products and was designated as a discontinued operation in the fourth quarter of 2012. The assets and liabilities of discontinued operations are being managed to maximize cash recoveries and limit costs and exposures.