Our variable interests in VIEs include debt and equity interests, commitments, certain fees, the establishment of Stifel Financial Capital Trusts, and our issuance of a convertible promissory note.

Our involvement with VIEs arises primarily from the following activities: purchases of securities in connection with our trading and secondary market-making activities; retained interests held as a result of securitization activities; and loans to, investments in, and fees from various investment vehicles.

We have formed several non-consolidated investment funds with third-party investors that are typically organized as limited liability companies (“LLCs”) or limited partnerships. These investment vehicles have assets primarily consisting of private and public equity investments. For those funds where we act as the general partner, our company’s economic interest is generally limited to management fee arrangements as stipulated by the fund operating agreements. We have generally provided the third-party investors with rights to terminate the funds or to remove us as the general partner. We have concluded that we are not the primary beneficiary of these VIEs, and therefore, we do not consolidate these entities.

Our exposure to loss is limited to the total of our carrying value. These investment vehicles have net assets, primarily consisting of aircraft, aircraft engine-related assets, and debt. For these investments, our involvement is primarily limited to management fee arrangements as stipulated by the operating agreements. We have concluded that we are not the primary beneficiary of these VIEs, and therefore, we do not consolidate these entities.

The following tables present the aggregate assets, liabilities, and our exposure to loss from those VIEs in which we hold a variable interest, but as to which we have concluded we are not the primary beneficiary (in thousands):


	December 31, 2023
	Aggregate Assets		Aggregate Liabilities		Our Risk of Loss
Debt and Equity Investments	$	456,286	$	277,924	$	40,088
Partnership Interests		341,980		678		—
	$	798,266	$	278,602	$	40,088


	December 31, 2022
	Aggregate Assets		Aggregate Liabilities		Our Risk of Loss
Debt and Equity Investments	$	388,408	$	296,375	$	14,776
Partnership Interests		402,703		1,180		—
	$	791,111	$	297,555	$	14,776

We have completed private placements of cumulative trust preferred securities through Stifel Financial Capital Trust II, Stifel Financial Capital Trust III, and Stifel Financial Capital Trust IV (collectively, the “Trusts”). The Trusts are non-consolidated wholly owned business trust subsidiaries of our company and were established for the limited purpose of issuing trust securities to third parties and lending the proceeds to our company.

The trust preferred securities represent an indirect interest in junior subordinated debentures purchased from our company by the Trusts, and we effectively provide for the full and unconditional guarantee of the securities issued by the Trusts. We make timely payments of interest to the Trusts as required by contractual obligations, which are sufficient to cover payments due on the securities issued by the Trusts, and believe that it is unlikely that any circumstances would occur that would make it necessary for our company to make payments related to these Trusts other than those required under the terms of the debenture agreements and the trust preferred securities agreements. The Trusts were determined to be VIEs because the holders of the equity investment at risk do not have adequate decision-making ability over the Trust’s activities. Our investment in the Trusts is not a variable interest, because equity interests are variable interests only to the extent that the investment is considered to be at risk. Because our investment was funded by the Trusts, it is not considered to be at risk.