Nature of Operations and Basis Of Presentation (Policy)

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2013

Nature Of Operations And Basis Of Presentation [Abstract]

Nature Of Operations

Nature of Operations

Stifel Financial Corp.  (the “Parent”), through its wholly owned subsidiaries, principally Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated (“Stifel”), Stifel Bank & Trust (“Stifel Bank”), Stifel Nicolaus Europe Limited (“SNEL”), Century Securities Associates, Inc. (“CSA”), Keefe, Bruyette & Woods, Inc. (“KBW”), Keefe, Bruyette & Woods Limited (“KBW Limited”), and Miller Buckfire & Co. LLC (“Miller Buckfire”), is principally engaged in retail brokerage; securities trading; investment banking; investment advisory; retail, consumer, and commercial banking; and related financial services. We have offices throughout the United States and three European cities. Our major geographic area of concentration is the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic regions, with a growing presence in the Northeast, Southeast and Western United States. Our company’s principal customers are individual investors, corporations, municipalities, and institutions.

Basis Of Presentation

Our Canadian subsidiary, Stifel Nicolaus Canada, Inc. (“SN Canada”) ceased business operations as of September 30, 2013. The results of SN Canada, previously reported in the Institutional Group segment, are classified as discontinued operations for all periods presented. See Note 4 to our consolidated financial statements for further discussion of our discontinued operations.

Basis of Presentation

The consolidated financial statements include Stifel Financial Corp. and its wholly owned subsidiaries, principally Stifel Nicolaus and Stifel Bank. All material intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated. Unless otherwise indicated, the terms “we,” “us,” “our,” or “our company” in this report refer to Stifel Financial Corp. and its wholly owned subsidiaries.

The accompanying consolidated financial statements have been prepared in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles, which require management to make certain estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts. We consider significant estimates, which are most susceptible to change and impacted significantly by judgments, assumptions, and estimates, to be: valuation of financial instruments and investments in partnerships; accrual for contingencies; allowance for loan losses; derivative instruments and hedging activities; fair value of goodwill and intangible assets; provision for income taxes and related tax reserves; and forfeitures associated with stock-based compensation. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

On March 7, 2011, our Board approved a 50% stock dividend, in the form of a three-for-two stock split, of our common stock payable on April 5, 2011, to shareholders of record as of March 22, 2011. All share and per share information has been retroactively adjusted to reflect the stock split.

Certain amounts from prior periods have been reclassified to conform to the current period’s presentation. The effect of these reclassifications on our company’s previously reported consolidated financial statements was not material.

Consolidation Policies

Consolidation Policies

The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Stifel Financial Corp. and its subsidiaries. We also have investments or interests in other entities for which we must evaluate whether to consolidate by determining whether we have a controlling financial interest or are considered to be the primary beneficiary. In determining whether to consolidate these entities, we evaluate whether the entity is a voting interest entity or a variable interest entity (“VIE”).

Voting Interest Entity

Voting Interest Entity. Voting interest entities are entities that have (i) total equity investment at risk sufficient to fund expected future operations independently, and (ii) equity holders who have the obligation to absorb losses or receive residual returns and the right to make decisions about the entity’s activities. We consolidate voting interest entities when we determine that there is a controlling financial interest, usually ownership of all, or a majority of, the voting interest.

Variable Interest Entity

Variable Interest Entity. VIEs are entities that lack one or more of the characteristics of a voting interest entity. We are required to consolidate certain VIEs in which we have the power to direct the activities of the entity and the obligation to absorb significant losses or receive significant benefits. In other cases, we consolidate VIEs when we are deemed to be the primary beneficiary. The primary beneficiary is defined as the entity that has a variable interest, or a combination of variable interests, that maintains control and receives benefits or will absorb losses that are not pro rata with its ownership interests. See Note 28 for additional information on VIEs.