VARIABLE INTEREST ENTITIES

9 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2011

VARIABLE INTEREST ENTITIES [Abstract]

NOTE 9 – VARIABLE INTEREST ENTITIES

In general, VIEs are entities in which equity investors lack the characteristics of a controlling financial interest or do not have sufficient equity at risk for the entity to finance its activities without additional subordinated financial support. The Company has variable interests in VIEs through its management contracts and investments in various securitization entities including collateralized loan obligations (“CLOs”) and CDOs. Since the Company serves as the asset manager for the investment entities it sponsored and manages, the Company is generally deemed to have the power to direct the activities of the VIE that most significantly impact the entity's economic performance. In the case of an interest in a VIE managed by the Company, the Company will perform an additional qualitative analysis to determine if its interest (including any investment as well as any management fees that qualify as variable interests) could absorb losses or receive benefits that could potentially be significant to the VIE. This analysis considers the most optimistic and pessimistic scenarios of potential economic results that could reasonably be experienced by the VIE. Then, the Company compares the benefits it would receive (in the optimistic scenario) or the losses it would absorb (in the pessimistic scenario) as compared to all benefits and losses absorbed by the VIE in total. If the benefits or losses absorbed by the Company were significant as compared to total benefits and losses absorbed by all variable interest holders, then the Company would conclude it is the primary beneficiary.

Consolidated VIE

The following table reflects the assets and liabilities of a real estate VIE which was included in the Company's consolidated balance sheets as of June 30, 2011 and September 30, 2010 (in thousands):

	June 30,		September 30,
	2011		2010
Property and equipment, net	$	976	$	1,072
Accrued expenses and other liabilities	$	335	$	416

VIEs Not Consolidated

The Company's investments in RCC, Resource Real Estate Opportunity REIT, Inc. (“RRE Opportunity REIT”), a fund that is currently in the offering stage, and its investments in the structured finance entities that hold investments in bank loans (“Apidos entities”), trust preferred assets (“Trapeza entities”) and asset-backed securities (“Ischus entities”), were all determined to be VIEs that the Company does not consolidate as it does not have the obligation of, or right to, losses or earnings that would be significant to those entities. With respect to RRE Opportunity REIT, the Company has advanced offering costs that are being reimbursed as the REIT raises additional equity. Except for those advances, the Company has not provided financial or other support to these VIEs and has no liabilities, contingent liabilities, or guarantees (implicit or explicit) related to these VIEs at June 30, 2011.

The following table presents the carrying amounts of the assets in the Company's consolidated balance sheet that relate to the Company's variable interests in identified nonconsolidated VIEs and the Company's maximum exposure to loss associated with these VIEs in which it holds variable interests at June 30, 2011 (in thousands):

	Receivables from managed entities and related parties, net (1)		Investments		Maximum exposure to loss in non-consolidated VIEs
RCC	$	2,129	$	15,476	$	17,605
RRE Opportunity REIT		−		524		524
Apidos entities		2,276		2,349		4,625
Ischus entities		291		−		291
Trapeza entities		−		756		756
	$	4,696	$	19,105	$	23,801

(1)	Exclusive of expense reimbursements due to the Company.

- Definition

Tabular disclosure of the significant judgments and assumptions made in determining whether a variable interest (as defined) held by the entity requires the variable interest entity (VIE) (as defined) to be consolidated and (or) disclose information about its involvement with the VIE, individually or in aggregate (as applicable); the nature of restrictions, if any, on the consolidated VIE's assets and on the settlement of its liabilities reported by an entity in its statement of financial position, including the carrying amounts of such assets and liabilities; the nature of, and changes in, the risks associated with involvement in the VIE; how involvement with the VIE affects the entity's financial position, financial performance, and cash flows; the lack of recourse if creditors (or beneficial interest holders) of the consolidated VIE have no recourse to the general credit of the primary beneficiary (if applicable); the terms of arrangements, giving consideration to both explicit arrangements and implicit variable interests, if any, that could require the entity to provide financial support to the VIE, including events or circumstances that could expose the entity to a loss; the methodology used by the entity for determining whether or not it is the primary beneficiary of the variable interest entity; the significant factors considered and judgments made in determining that the power to direct the activities of a VIE that most significantly impact the VIE's economic performance are shared (as defined); the carrying amounts and classification of assets and liabilities of the VIE included in the statement of financial position; the entity's maximum exposure to loss, if any, as a result of its involvement with the VIE, including how the maximum exposure is determined and significant sources of the entity's exposure to the VIE; a comparison of the carrying amounts of the assets and liabilities and the entity's maximum exposure to loss; information about any liquidity arrangements, guarantees, and (or) other commitments by third parties that may affect the fair value or risk of the entity's variable interest in the VIE; whether or not the entity has provided financial support or other support (explicitly or implicitly) to the VIE that it was not previously contractually required to provide or whether the entity intends to provide that support, including the type and amount of the support and the primary reasons for providing the support; and supplemental information the entity determines necessary to provide.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 810
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 9
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6970148&loc=SL6228884-111685

Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Glossary Variable Interest Entity
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6528138

Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Statement of Financial Accounting Standard (FAS)
-Number 167
-Appendix D
-Paragraph 23A

Reference 4: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name FASB Interpretation (FIN)
-Number 46R
-Paragraph 2, 14, 15, 16, 23, 24, 25, 26
-LegacyDoc This reference is SUPERSEDED by the Accounting Standards Codification effective for interim and annual periods ending after September 15, 2009. This reference is included to help users transition from the previous accounting hierarchy and will be removed from future versions of this taxonomy.

Reference 5: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Statement of Financial Accounting Standard (FAS)
-Number 167
-Appendix D
-Paragraph 22E

Reference 6: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 810
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 5A
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6970148&loc=SL6759159-111685

Reference 7: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Statement of Financial Accounting Standard (FAS)
-Number 140
-Paragraph 35
-LegacyDoc This reference is SUPERSEDED by the Accounting Standards Codification effective for interim and annual periods ending after September 15, 2009. This reference is included to help users transition from the previous accounting hierarchy and will be removed from future versions of this taxonomy.

Reference 8: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Statement of Financial Accounting Standard (FAS)
-Number 167
-Appendix D
-Paragraph 22B

Reference 9: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name FASB Interpretation (FIN)
-Number 46R
-Paragraph 4
-Subparagraph g
-LegacyDoc This reference is SUPERSEDED by the Accounting Standards Codification effective for interim and annual periods ending after September 15, 2009. This reference is included to help users transition from the previous accounting hierarchy and will be removed from future versions of this taxonomy.

Reference 10: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name FASB Staff Position (FSP)
-Number FAS140-4/FIN46(R)-8
-Paragraph C4
-Subparagraph d
-LegacyDoc This reference is SUPERSEDED by the Accounting Standards Codification effective for interim and annual periods ending after September 15, 2009. This reference is included to help users transition from the previous accounting hierarchy and will be removed from future versions of this taxonomy.

Reference 11: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Statement of Financial Accounting Standard (FAS)
-Number 167
-Appendix D
-Paragraph 24

Reference 12: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 810
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 3
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6970148&loc=d3e5710-111685

Reference 13: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 810
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 4
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6970148&loc=d3e5728-111685

Reference 14: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 810
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 6
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6970148&loc=d3e5747-111685

+ Details