SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (Policies)

6 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2013

Accounting Policies [Abstract]

Principles of Consolidation

The consolidated financial statements reflect the Company's accounts and the accounts of the Company's majority-owned and/or controlled subsidiaries. The Company also consolidates entities that are variable interest entities (“VIEs”) where it has determined that it is the primary beneficiary of such entities. Once it is determined that the Company holds a variable interest in a VIE, management must perform a qualitative analysis to determine (i) if the Company has the power to direct the matters that most significantly impact the VIE's financial performance; and (ii) if the Company has the obligation to absorb the losses of the VIE that could potentially be significant to the VIE or the right to receive the benefits of the VIE that could potentially be significant to the VIE. If the Company's interest possesses both of these characteristics, the Company is deemed to be the primary beneficiary and would be required to consolidate the VIE. The Company will continually assess its involvement with VIEs and reevaluate the requirement to consolidate them. The portions of these entities that the Company does not own are presented as noncontrolling interests as of the dates and for the periods presented in the consolidated financial statements.

Variable interests in the Company's real estate segment have historically related to subordinated financings in the form of mezzanine loans or unconsolidated real estate interests. As of September 30, 2012, the Company had one such variable interest that it consolidated. The property underlying this loan was subsequently sold in November 2012 and the loan was resolved. See Note 8 for additional disclosures pertaining to VIEs.

All intercompany transactions and balances have been eliminated in the Company's consolidated financial statements.

Financing Receivables

Receivables from managed entities.  The Company performs a review of the collectability of its receivables from managed entities on a quarterly basis.  If upon review there is an indication of impairment, the Company will analyze the future cash flows of the managed entity.  With respect to the receivables from its commercial finance investment partnerships, this takes into consideration several assumptions by management, primarily concerning estimations of future bad debts and recoveries.  For the receivables from the real estate investment entities for which there are indications of impairment, the Company estimates the cash flows through the sale of the underlying properties, which is based on projected net operating income as a multiple of published capitalization rates, which is then reduced by the underlying mortgage balances and priority distributions due to the investors in the entity.

Real estate - rent receivables. The Company evaluates the collectability of the rent receivables for the properties it owns and fully reserves for amounts after they are 90 days past due. Amounts are charged off when they are deemed to be uncollectible.

Recent Accounting Standards

Newly-Adopted Accounting Principle

The Company’s adoption of the following standard during fiscal 2013 did not have a material impact on its consolidated financial position, results of operations or cash flows:

Comprehensive income (loss). In June 2011, the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") issued an amendment to eliminate the option to present components of other comprehensive income (loss) as part of the statement of changes in stockholders' equity. The amendment requires that all non-owner changes in stockholders' equity be presented either in a single continuous statement of comprehensive income (loss) or in two separate but consecutive statements. In the two-statement approach, the first statement should present total net income (loss) and its components followed consecutively by a second statement that should present total other comprehensive income (loss), the components of other comprehensive income (loss), and the total of comprehensive income (loss). In December 2011, the FASB updated the guidance to defer the requirement related to the presentation of reclassification adjustments. This guidance became effective for the Company beginning October 1, 2012 and the Company has presented the required disclosures.

Accounting Standards Issued But Not Yet Effective

The FASB issued the following accounting standards which were not yet effective for the Company as of March 31, 2013:

Comprehensive income (loss). In February 2013, the FASB issued guidance that requires an entity to disclose information showing the effect of items reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive income on the line items of net income. The Company plans to provide the enhanced footnote disclosure as required by this amendment beginning October 1, 2013.

In March 2013, the FASB issued guidance on a parent's accounting for the cumulative translation adjustment upon derecognition of a subsidiary or group of assets within a foreign entity. This new guidance requires that the parent release any related cumulative translation adjustment into net income only if the sale or transfer results in the complete or substantially complete liquidation of the foreign entity in which the subsidiary or group of assets had resided. The new guidance will be effective for the Company beginning October 1, 2013. The Company does not anticipate the adoption of this guidance will have a material impact on its consolidated financial statements.