9. Contingencies and Commitments:

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2014

Notes to Financial Statements

9. Contingencies and Commitments:

In July 2014, the Company entered into a settlement agreement with respect to a dispute with a former employee, which arose in a prior year. Pursuant to the settlement, the Company paid $4,300,000 to the former employee, and all claims and counterclaims have been dismissed and released. The accompanying financial statements as of and for the six months ended June 30, 2014 reflect a charge and related liability to give effect to the settlement.

Retail customer transactions are cleared through clearing brokers on a fully disclosed basis. If customers do not fulfill their contractual obligations, the clearing broker may charge Siebert for any loss incurred in connection with the purchase or sale of securities at prevailing market prices to satisfy the customer obligations. Siebert regularly monitors the activity in its customer accounts for compliance with its margin requirements. Siebert is exposed to the risk of loss on unsettled customer transactions if customers are unable to fulfill their contractual obligations. There were no material losses for unsettled customer transactions for the six months ended June 30, 2014 and 2013.

Siebert is party to certain claims, suits and complaints arising in the ordinary course of business. In the opinion of management all such claims, suits and complaints are without merit, or involve amounts which would not have a material effect on the financial position or results of operations of the Company.

Siebert is party to a Secured Demand Note Collateral Agreement, as amended on July 29, 2013, with SBS which obligates Siebert to lend SBS, on a subordinated basis, up to $1,200,000. The secured demand note payable held by SBS and a related $1,200,000 receivable due from SBS are included in investments in and advances to equity investees in the accompanying consolidated statements of financial condition. Amounts that Siebert is obligated to lend under this arrangement are collateralized by cash equivalents of $1,532,000. Any amounts loaned will bear interest at 4% per annum and are repayable on August 31, 2015.