Description of Business and Significant Accounting Policies Description of Business and Significant Accounting Policies (Notes)	12 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2012
Organization, Consolidation, Presentation of Financial Statements and Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Business Description and Accounting Policies [Text Block]	Note 1 – Description of Business and Significant Accounting Policies INTL FCStone Inc., a Delaware corporation, and its consolidated subsidiaries (collectively “INTL” or “the Company”), form a financial services group focused on domestic and select international markets. The Company’s services include comprehensive risk management advisory services for commercial customers; execution of listed futures and options-on-futures contracts on all major commodity exchanges; structured over-the-counter (“OTC”) products in a wide range of commodities; physical trading and hedging of precious and base metals and select other commodities; trading of more than 130 foreign currencies; market-making in international equities; debt origination and asset management. The Company provides these services to a diverse group of more than 20,000 customers located throughout the world, including producers, processors and end-users of nearly all widely-traded physical commodities to manage their risks and enhance margins; to commercial counterparties who are end-users of the firm’s products and services; to governmental and non-governmental organizations; and to commercial banks, brokers, institutional investors and major investment banks. Basis of Presentation The accompanying consolidated financial statements include the accounts of INTL FCStone Inc. and all other entities in which the Company has a controlling financial interest. All material intercompany transactions and balances have been eliminated in consolidation. Unless otherwise stated herein, all references to 2012, 2011, and 2010 refer to the Company’s fiscal years ended September 30. Use of Estimates The preparation of consolidated financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”) requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, disclosure of contingent liabilities as of the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the reporting period. The most significant of these estimates and assumptions relate to fair value measurements for financial instruments and investments, revenue recognition, the provision for potential losses from bad debts, valuation of inventories, valuation of goodwill and intangible assets, incomes taxes and contingencies. These estimates are based on management's best knowledge of current events and actions the Company may undertake in the future. The Company reviews all significant estimates affecting the financial statements on a recurring basis and records the effect of any necessary adjustments prior to their issuance. Although these and other estimates and assumptions are based on the best available information, actual results could be materially different from these estimates. Foreign Currency Translation Assets and liabilities recorded in foreign currencies are translated at the exchange rates prevailing on the balance sheet date. Revenue and expenses are translated at average rates of exchange prevailing during the period. Gains or losses on translation of the financial statements of a non-United States (“U.S.”) operation, when the functional currency is other than the U.S. dollar, are recorded in other comprehensive income (“OCI”), net of tax, a component of stockholders' equity. Foreign currency remeasurement gains or losses on transactions in nonfunctional currencies are included within 'trading gains, net' in the consolidated income statements. Cash and Cash Equivalents The Company considers cash held at banks and all highly liquid investments, including certificates of deposit, which may be withdrawn at any time at the discretion of the Company without penalty, to be cash and cash equivalents. Cash and cash equivalents consist of cash, foreign currency, money market funds and certificates of deposit not deposited with or pledged to an exchange-clearing organization. The money market funds are valued at period-end at the net asset value provided by the fund’s administrator, which approximates fair value. Certificates of deposit are stated at cost plus accrued interest, which approximates fair value. All cash and cash equivalents that are deposited with brokers, dealers and clearing organizations support the Company’s trading activities, and are subject to contractual restrictions. The Company has an investment policy, which limits the maximum amount placed in any one fund and with any one institution in order to reduce credit risk. The Company does not believe that it is exposed to significant risk on cash and cash equivalents. Cash, Securities and Other Assets Segregated under Federal and other Regulations Pursuant to requirements of the Commodity Exchange Act in the U.S. and similarly in the United Kingdom ("UK"), pursuant to the Markets in Financial Instruments Implementing Directive 2006/73/EC underpinning the Client Asset or 'CASS' rules in the Financial Services Authority ("FSA") handbook, funds deposited by customers relating to futures and options-on-futures contracts in regulated commodities must be carried in separate accounts which are designated as segregated customer accounts. The deposits in segregated customer accounts are not commingled with the funds of the Company. Under the FSA's rules, certain categories of clients may choose to opt-out of segregation. As of September 30, 2012 and 2011, cash, securities and other assets segregated under federal and other regulations consisted of cash held at banks and money market funds of approximately $284.7 million and $96.7 million, respectively, U.S. government securities and federal agency obligations of approximately $50.5 million and $3.7 million, respectively, and commodities warehouse receipts of approximately $22.3 million and $19.0 million, respectively (see fair value measurements discussion in Note 3). Securities purchased under agreements to resell The Company has an overnight sweep reverse repurchase agreement program to allow the Company to enter into secured overnight investments (reverse repurchase agreements or reverse repos), which generally provides a higher investment yield than a regular operating account. The reverse repurchase agreements are recorded at amounts at which the securities were initially acquired. It is the policy of the Company to take possession of the securities purchased under agreements to resell. The Company receives U.S. Treasury securities as collateral for the overnight agreements. The securities received are recorded at no more than the lesser of the current fair value of the securities or the net amount to be realized by the Company upon resale of the securities. The maturity of the reverse repurchase agreements is typically one day, at which point the securities are sold and the proceeds are returned to the Company, plus any accrued interest. There were no agreements to resell securities as of September 30, 2012 and 2011. Deposits and Receivables from Exchange-Clearing Organizations, Broker-dealers, Clearing Organizations and Counterparties, and Payables to Broker-dealers, Clearing Organizations and Counterparties As required by the regulations of the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) and the Markets in Financial Instruments Implementing Directive 2006/73/EC underpinning the CASS rules in the FSA handbook, customer funds received to margin, guarantee, and/or secure commodity futures transactions are segregated and accounted for separately from the general assets of the Company. Under the FSA's rules, certain categories of clients may choose to opt-out of segregation. Deposits with exchange-clearing organizations, broker-dealers and counterparties pertain primarily to deposits made to satisfy margin requirements on customer and proprietary open futures and options-on-futures positions and to satisfy the requirements set by clearing exchanges for clearing membership. The Company also pledges margin deposit with various counterparties for OTC derivative contracts, and these deposits are also included in deposits and receivables from broker-dealers and counterparties. Deposits with and receivables from exchange-clearing organizations and broker-dealers and counterparties are reported gross, except where a right of offset exists. As of September 30, 2012 and 2011, the Company had cash and cash equivalents on deposit with or pledged to exchange-clearing organizations, broker-dealers and counterparties of $0.4 billion and $1.2 billion, respectively. These balances also include securities pledged by the Company on behalf of customers and customer-owned securities that are pledged. It is the Company’s practice to include customer owned securities on its consolidated balance sheets, as the rights to those securities have been transferred to the Company under the terms of the futures trading agreement. Securities pledged include U.S. Treasury bills and instruments backed by U.S. government sponsored entities and government-sponsored enterprise backed mortgage-backed securities ("mortgage-backed securities"). The securities that are not customer-owned are adjusted to fair value with associated changes in unrealized gains or losses recorded in OCI, net of tax, until realized, a component of stockholders' equity. For customer owned securities, the change in fair value is offset against the payable to customers with no impact recognized on the consolidated income statements. The securities, primarily U.S. Government obligations and mortgage-backed securities, held by FCStone LLC ("FCStone"), a subsidiary of INTL, as collateral or as margin have been deposited with exchange-clearing organizations, broker-dealers or other counterparties. The fair value of these securities was approximately $1.3 billion and $0.5 billion as of September 30, 2012 and 2011, respectively. Management has considered guidance required by the Transfers and Servicing Topic of the ASC as it relates to securities pledged by customers to margin their accounts. Based on a review of the agreements with the customer, management believes a legal basis exists to support that the transferor surrenders control over those assets if all of the following three conditions are met: (a) the transferred assets have been isolated from the transferor—put presumptively beyond the reach of the transferor and its creditors, even in bankruptcy or other receivership, (b) each transferee has the right to pledge or exchange the assets (or beneficial interests) it received, and no condition both constrains the transferee (or holder) from taking advantage of its right to pledge or exchange and provides more than a trivial benefit to the transferor and (c) the transferor does not maintain effective control over the transferred assets through either (1) an agreement that both entitles and obligates the transferor to repurchase or redeem them before their maturity or (2) the ability to unilaterally cause the holder to return specific assets, other than through a cleanup call. Under this guidance, the Company reflects the customer collateral assets and corresponding liabilities in the Company’s consolidated balance sheets as of September 30, 2012 and 2011. In addition to margin, deposits with exchange-clearing organizations include guaranty deposits. The guaranty deposits are held by the clearing organization for use in potential default situations by one or more members of the clearing organization. The guaranty deposits may be applied to the Company’s obligations to the clearing organization, or to the clearing organization’s obligations to other clearing members or third parties. The Company maintains customer omnibus and proprietary accounts with other counterparties, and the equity balances in those accounts along with any margin cash or securities deposited with the carrying broker are included in deposits and receivables from broker-dealers and counterparties. Receivables from and payables to exchange-clearing organizations are also comprised of amounts due from or due to exchange-clearing organizations for daily variation settlements on open futures and options-on-futures positions. The variation settlements due from or due to exchange-clearing organizations are paid in cash on the following business day. Deposits and receivables with exchange-clearing organizations also includes the unrealized gains and losses associated with the customers' options-on-futures contracts. See discussion in the Financial Instruments and Derivatives section below for additional information on the treatment of derivative contracts. For customer owned derivative contracts, the fair value is offset against the payable to customers with no impact recognized on the consolidated income statements. Receivables from and Payables to Customers Receivables from customers, net of the allowance for doubtful accounts, include the total of net deficits in individual exchange-traded and OTC trading accounts carried by the Company. Customer deficits arise from realized and unrealized trading losses on futures, options-on-futures, swaps and forwards and amounts due on cash and margin transactions. Customer deficit accounts are reported gross of customer accounts that contain net credit or positive balances, except where a right of offset exists. Net deficits in individual exchange-traded and OTC trading accounts include both secured and unsecured deficit balances due from customers as of the balance sheet date. Secured deficit amounts are backed by U.S. Treasury bills and notes with a fair value of $0.8 million and $0.4 million as of September 30, 2012 and 2011, respectively, and commodity warehouse receipts with a fair value of $7.5 million and $16.2 million as of September 30, 2012 and 2011, respectively. These U.S Treasury bills and notes and commodity warehouse receipts are not netted against the secured deficit amounts, as the conditions for right of setoff have not been met. Payables to customers represent the total of customer accounts with credit or positive balances. Customer accounts are used primarily in connection with commodity transactions and include gains and losses on open commodity trades as well as securities and other deposits made as required by the Company or the exchange-clearing organizations or counterparties. Customer accounts with credit or positive balances are reported gross of customer deficit accounts, except where a right of offset exists. For regulatory purposes, certain customers, which would include persons who are affiliated with the Company or are principals, such as an officer or director, and any person who is materially involved in the management of the Company, are identified as noncustomers. A noncustomer account may not be carried as a customer account due to an affiliation with the Company. In a liquidation event, amounts owed to noncustomers are paid in the same priority as amounts owed to general creditors of the Company. These accounts are also referred to as proprietary accounts. The amounts related to noncustomer accounts are included in 'payables to customers' on the consolidated balance sheets. The future collectability of the receivables from customers can be impacted by the Company’s collection efforts, the financial stability of its customers, and the general economic climate in which it operates. The Company evaluates accounts that it believes may become uncollectible on a specific identification basis, through reviewing daily margin deficit reports, the historical daily aging of the receivables, and by monitoring the financial strength of its customers. The Company may unilaterally close customer trading positions in certain circumstances. In addition, to evaluate customer margining and collateral requirements, customer positions are stress tested regularly and monitored for excessive concentration levels relative to the overall market size. The Company generally charges off an outstanding receivable balance when all economically sensible means of recovery have been exhausted. That determination considers information such as the occurrence of significant changes in the customer's financial position such that the customer can no longer pay the obligation, or that the proceeds from collateral will not be sufficient to pay the balance. Notes Receivable The Company originates short-term notes receivable from customers with the outstanding balances being insured 90% to 98% by a third party, including accrued interest. The Company may sell the insured portion of the notes through non-recourse participation agreements with other third parties. See discussion of notes receivable related to commodity repurchase agreements below. Accrual of commodity financing income on any note is discontinued when, in the opinion of management, there is reasonable doubt as to the timely collectability of interest or principal. Nonaccrual notes are returned to an accrual status when, in the opinion of management, the financial position of the borrower indicates there is no longer any reasonable doubt as to the timely payment of principal and interest. The Company records a charge against earnings for notes receivable losses when management believes that collectability of the principal is unlikely. Physical Commodities Inventory Physical commodities inventories are stated at the lower of cost or market ("LCM"), using the weighted-average price and first-in first-out costing method. Cost includes finished commodity or raw material and processing costs related to the purchase and processing of inventories. Property and Equipment Property and equipment is stated at cost, net of accumulated depreciation and amortization and depreciated using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the assets. Leasehold improvements are amortized on a straight-line basis over the estimated useful life of the improvement or the term of the lease, whichever is shorter. Certain costs of software developed or obtained for internal use are capitalized and amortized over the estimated useful life of the software. Expenditures for maintenance, repairs, and minor replacements are charged against earnings, as incurred. Expenditures that increase the value or productive capacity of assets are capitalized. When property and equipment are retired, sold, or otherwise disposed of, the asset's carrying amount and related accumulated depreciation are removed from the accounts and any gain or loss is included in earnings. Goodwill and Identifiable Intangible Assets Goodwill is the cost of acquired companies in excess of the fair value of identifiable net assets at acquisition date. In accordance with the Intangibles – Goodwill and Other Topic of the ASC, goodwill is tested for impairment on an annual basis at the fiscal year-end, and between annual tests if indicators of potential impairment exist, using a fair-value-based approach. No impairment of goodwill has been identified during any of the periods presented. Identifiable intangible assets subject to amortization are amortized using the straight-line method over their estimated period of benefit, ranging from two to twenty years. Identifiable intangible assets are tested for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances suggest that an asset’s or asset group’s carrying value may not be fully recoverable in accordance with the Intangibles – Goodwill and Other Topic of the ASC. Residual value is presumed to be zero. Identifiable intangible assets not subject to amortization are reviewed at each reporting period to reevaluate if the intangible asset’s useful life remains indefinite. Additionally, intangible assets not subject to amortization are tested annually for impairment at the fiscal year-end, and between annual tests if indicators of potential impairment exist, using a fair-value-based approach. See Note 9 for discussion of impairments of intangible assets that have been identified during the fiscal year ended September 30, 2012. Financial Instruments and Derivatives Financial instruments owned and sold, not yet purchased, at fair value consist of financial instruments carried at fair value or amounts that approximate fair value, with related unrealized changes in gains or losses recognized in earnings, except for securities classified as available-for-sale. The fair value of a financial instrument is the amount at which the instrument could be exchanged in a current transaction between willing parties, other than in a forced or liquidation sale. The Company accounts for its securities pledged on behalf of customers and proprietary securities in accordance with the Investments - Debt and Equity Securities Topic in the ASC. In accordance with this guidance, the Company determines the appropriate classification of its investments as trading, available-for-sale, or held-to-maturity at the time of purchase and reevaluates the designation as of each reporting period. The Company has classified certain U.S. government obligations, corporate debt securities and exchange firm common stock not pledged for clearing purposes as available-for-sale, which are carried at fair value based on observable or quoted market prices and associated unrealized gains or losses are recorded as a component of OCI, net of tax, until realized, unless an unrealized loss is determined to be other than temporary, in which case such loss is charged to earnings. The Company classifies those securities as available-for-sale because it would consider selling them prior to maturity to meet liquidity needs or as part of the Company’s risk management program. The Company computes the cost of its securities on a specific identification basis. Such cost includes the direct costs to acquire securities, adjusted for the amortization of any discount or premium. The amortized cost of securities is computed under the effective-interest method and is included in interest income. Realized gains and losses, declines in value judged to be other than temporary and interest on available-for-sale securities are included in earnings. Investment in managed funds, at fair value represents investments in funds managed by the Company’s fund managers. The investments are valued at period-end at the net asset value provided by the fund’s administrator. Commodities warehouse receipts are valued at the cash price for the commodity based on published market quotes. For commodities warehouse receipts, the change in fair value is offset against the payable to customers with no impact on the consolidated income statements. The Company utilizes derivative instruments to manage exposures to foreign currency, commodity price and interest rate risks for the Company and its customers. The Company’s objectives for holding derivatives include reducing, eliminating, and efficiently managing the economic impact of these exposures as effectively as possible. Derivative instruments are recognized as either assets or liabilities and are measured at fair value. The accounting for changes in the fair value of a derivative depends on the intended use of the derivative and the resulting designation. For a derivative instrument designated as a cash flow hedge, the effective portion of the derivative’s gain or loss is initially recorded in OCI, net of tax, and is subsequently recognized in earnings when the hedged exposure affects earnings. The ineffective portion of the gain or loss is recognized in earnings. Gains and losses from changes in fair values of derivatives that are not designated as cash flow hedges for accounting purposes are recognized in earnings. The Company’s derivative contracts consist of exchange-traded and OTC derivatives. Fair values of exchange-traded derivatives are generally determined from quoted market prices. OTC derivatives are valued using valuation models. The valuation models used to derive the fair values of OTC derivatives require inputs including contractual terms, market prices, yield curves and measurements of volatility. The Company uses similar models to value similar instruments. Where possible, the Company verifies the values produced by pricing models by comparing them to market transactions. Inputs may involve judgment where market prices are not readily available. The Company does not elect hedge accounting under the Derivatives and Hedging Topic of the ASC in accounting for derivatives used as economic hedges on its commodities. The Company provides clearing and execution of exchange-traded futures and options-on-futures for middle-market intermediaries, end-users, producers of commodities and the institutional and professional trader market segments. The Company has a subsidiary that is a registered futures commission merchant ("FCM"), clearing on various exchanges. The primary sources of revenues for the Company's FCM are commissions and clearing fees derived from executing and clearing orders for commodity futures contracts and options-on-futures on behalf of its customers. The Company also brokers foreign exchange forwards, options and cash, or spot, transactions between customers and external counterparties. A portion of the contracts are arranged on an offsetting basis, limiting the Company's risk to performance of the two offsetting parties. The offsetting nature of the contracts eliminates the effects of market fluctuations on the Company's operating results. Due to the Company's role as a principal participating in both sides of these contracts, the amounts are presented gross on the consolidated balance sheets at their respective fair values, net of offsetting assets and liabilities. In addition, the Company engages in speculative trading and holds proprietary positions in futures, options, swaps and forward derivatives, including corn, wheat, soybeans, sugar and foreign currency contracts. Since some of the derivatives held or sold by the Company are for speculative trading purposes, these derivative instruments are not designated as hedging instruments and accordingly, the changes in fair value during the period are recorded in the consolidated income statements as a component of 'trading gains, net' (see Note 4). The Company also holds proprietary positions in its foreign exchange line of business. On a limited basis, the Company's foreign exchange trade desk will accept a customer transaction and will offset that transaction with a similar but not identical position with a counterparty. These unmatched transactions are intended to be short-term in nature and are often conducted to facilitate the most effective transaction for the Company's customer. These spot and forward contracts are accounted for as free-standing derivatives and reported in the consolidated balance sheets at their fair values. The Company does not seek hedge accounting treatment for these derivatives, and accordingly, the changes in fair value during the period are recorded in the consolidated income statements within 'trading gains, net' (see Note 4). In applying the guidance in the Balance Sheet-Offsetting Topic of the ASC, the Company's accounting policy is such that open contracts with the same customer are netted at the account level, in accordance with netting arrangements in place with each party, as applicable and rights to reclaim cash collateral or obligations to return cash collateral are netted against fair value amounts recognized for derivative instruments with the same customer in accordance with the master netting arrangements in place with each customer. The Company may lease commodities to or from customers or counterparties, or advance commodities to customers on an unpriced basis, receiving payment when they become priced. These are valued at fair value utilizing the fair value option based on guidance within the Financial Instruments Topic of the ASC. The Company uses the fair value option to value these financial instruments since they are hybrid contracts with embedded derivative features that cannot be reliably measured and separated from the host contract. As permitted by the fair value option election, the entire instrument is recorded at fair value within the consolidated balance sheets as a component of 'financial instruments owned and sold, not yet purchased'. Due to the short term nature of the instruments, the balance of the agreements is not materially different than the recorded fair value. The corresponding change in fair value of the instrument is recognized within the consolidated income statements as a component of 'trading gains, net' for the fiscal years ended 2012, 2011 and 2010. The Company does elect to value all of their commodities lease agreements at fair value using the fair value option. See fair value measurements in Note 3. Exchange Memberships and Stock The Company is required to hold certain exchange membership seats and exchange firm common stock and pledge them for clearing purposes, in order to provide the Company the right to process trades directly with the various exchanges. Exchange memberships include seats on the Chicago Board of Trade ("CBOT"), the Board of Trade of Kansas City, Missouri, Inc. ("KCBT"), the Minnesota Grain Exchange, the New York Mercantile Exchange ("NYMEX"), the COMEX Division of the New York Mercantile Exchange, Mercado de Valores de Buenos Aires S.A. ("MERVAL"), the Chicago Mercantile Exchange ("CME") Growth and Emerging Markets, InterContinental Exchange, Inc. ("ICE") Futures US, ICE Europe Ltd and London Metal Exchange ("LME"). Exchange firm common stock include shares of CME Group, Inc., ICE and LME. In December 2012, the CME completed its acquisition of the KCBT. The Company expects to receive proceeds of $1.5 million and recognize a gain of $0.9 million before taxes, in connection with its class A shares of the KCBT held as of September 30, 2012, during the first quarter of fiscal year 2013. Exchange memberships and firm common stocks pledged for clearing purposes are recorded at cost, in accordance with U.S. GAAP and CFTC regulations and are included within 'other assets' on the consolidated balance sheets. Equity investments in exchange firm common stock not pledged for clearing purposes are classified as available-for-sale and recorded at fair value, with unrealized gains and losses recorded as a component of OCI, net of tax, until realized. Equity investments in exchange firm common stock not pledged for clearing purposes are included within 'financial instruments owned' on the consolidated balance sheets. The Company acquired shares of the LME during the year ended September 30, 2011 at a cost of $3.4 million. In January 2011, excess shares of exchange firm common stock, with a cost basis of $1.2 million, were sold, resulting in a nominal gain. In July 2011, the CME Group removed the requirement of its member firms to hold a specified quantity of its exchange firm common stock in order to process trades directly with the exchange. Since the shares of CME Group common stock are no longer pledged for clearing purposes, during the fiscal year ended September 30, 2011, the Company designated the shares as available-for-sale and recorded them at fair value within 'financial instruments owned' in the consolidated balance sheets. See Note 3 for additional discussion of equity investments in exchange firm common stock not pledged for clearing purposes. The cost basis for exchange memberships and firm common stock pledged for clearing purposes was $10.5 million and $10.3 million as of September 30, 2012 and 2011, respectively. The fair value of exchange memberships and firm common stock pledged for clearing purposes was $8.9 million and $10.5 million as of September 30, 2012 and 2011, respectively. The fair value of exchange firm common stock is determined by quoted market prices, and the fair value of exchange memberships is determined by recent sale transactions. The Company monitors the fair value of exchange membership seats and firm common stock on a quarterly basis, and does not consider any current unrealized losses on individual exchange memberships to be anything other than a temporary impairment. Commodity and Other Repurchase Agreements In the normal course of operations the Company accepts notes receivable under sale/repurchase agreements with customers whereby the customers sell certain commodity inventory or other investments and agree to repurchase the commodity inventory or investment at a future date at either a fixed or floating rate. These transactions are short-term in nature, and in accordance with the guidance contained in the Transfers and Servicing Topic of the ASC, are treated as secured borrowings rather than commodity inventory and purchases and sales in the Company’s consolidated financial statements. Additionally, the Company participates in transactions involving commodities or other investments sold under repurchase agreements (“repos”). In accordance with the guidance contained in the Transfers and Servicing Topic of the ASC, these transactions are treated as secured borrowings that are recorded as a liability in the consolidated balance sheets. Commodities or investments sold under repurchase agreements are reflected at the amount of cash received in connection with the transactions. The Company may be required to provide additional collateral based on the fair value of the underlying asset. Business Combinations Acquisitions during fiscal 2012 and 2011 are accounted for as business combinations in accordance with the provisions of the Business Combinations Topic of the ASC. Under this accounting guidance most of the assets and liabilities acquired and assumed are measured at fair value as of the acquisition date. Certain contingent liabilities acquired require remeasurement at fair value in each subsequent reporting period. Noncontrolling interests are initially measured at fair value and classified as a separate component of equity. Acquisition related costs, such as fees for attorneys, accountants, and investment bankers, are expensed as incurred and are not capitalized as part of the purchase price. For all acquisitions, regardless of the consummation date, deferred tax assets, valuation allowances, and uncertain tax position adjustments occurring after the measurement period are recorded as a component of income, rather than adjusted through goodwill. Determining the fair value of certain assets and liabilities acquired is subjective in nature and often involves the use of significant estimates and assumptions. Estimating the fair value of the assets and liabilities acquired requires significant judgment. Revenue Recognition Sales of physical commodities revenue are recognized when persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists, delivery has occurred, the fee is fixed or determinable, and collectability is reasonably assured. The Company reports its physical commodities revenues on a gross basis, with the corresponding cost of sales shown separately, in accordance with the guidelines provided in the Revenue Recognition Topic of the ASC. Trading gains, net include brokerage fees and margins generated from OTC derivative trades executed with customers and other counterparties and are recognized when trades are executed. Trading gains, net also include activities where the Company acts as principal in the purchase and sale of individual securities, currencies, commodities or derivative instruments with customers. These transactions may be offset simultaneously with another customer or counterparty, offset with similar but not identical positions on an exchange, made from inventory, or may be aggregated with other purchases to provide liquidity intraday, for a number of days, or in some cases, particularly the base metals business, even longer periods (during which fair value may fluctuate). In addition, trading gains, net includes activities from the Company's operations of a proprietary foreign exchange desk which arbitrages the futures and cash markets (see additional discussion in the Financial Instruments and Derivatives policy note for revenue recognition on proprietary trading activities). Net dealer inventory and investment gains are recognized on a trade-date basis and include realized gains or losses and changes in unrealized gains or losses on investments at fair value. Dividend income and dividend expense, on short equity positions, are recognized net, within 'trading gain, net' on the ex-dividend date. Commissions on futures contracts are recognized on a half-turn basis in two equal parts. The first half is recognized when the contract is opened and the second half is recognized when the transaction is closed. Commissions on options-on-futures contracts are generally recognized on a half-turn basis, except that full commissions are recognized on options expected to expire without being exercised or offset. Commissions and fees are charged at various rates based on the type of account, the products traded, and the method of trade. Clearing and transaction fees are charged to customers on a per exchange contract basis based on the trade date. Such fees are for clearing customers’ exchange trades and include fees charged to the Company by the various futures exchanges. See discussion of clearing and related expenses below. Consulting and management fees include risk management consulting fees which are billed and recognized as revenue on a monthly basis when risk management services are provided. Such agreements are generally for one year periods, but are cancelable by either party upon providing thirty days written notice to the other party and the amounts are not variable based on customer trading activities. Asset management fees are recognized as they are earned based on fees due at each period-end date. These include performance fees based on the amount that is due under the formula for exceeding performance targets as of the period-end date. Fee income for structuring and arrangement of debt transactions and management and investment advisory income is recorded when the services related to the underlying transactions are provided and success fees are recorded when complete, as determined under the terms of the assignment or engagement. Interest income, generated primarily from investments and customer inventory financing, is recognized on an accrual basis. Interest from investments is generated from securities purchased using customer funds deposited with the Company to satisfy margin requirements, net of interest returned to customers, and from securities acquired through internally-generated company funds. Interest also includes unrealized gains and losses on securities owned and those deposited with other parties. Revenue generally is recognized net of any taxes collected from customers and subsequently remitted to governmental authorities. Cost of Revenue Cost of sales of physical commodities include finished commodity or raw material and processing costs along with operating costs relating to the receipt, storage and delivery of the physical commodities. Compensation and Benefits Compensation and benefits consists primarily of salaries, incentive compensation, commissions, related payroll taxes and employee benefits. The Company classifies employees as either traders / risk management consultants, operational or administrative personnel, which includes the executive officers. The most significant component of the Company’s compensation expense is the employment of the traders / risk management consultants, who are paid commissions based on the revenues that their customer portfolios generate. The Company accrues commission expense on a trade date basis. Share-Based Compensation The Company accounts for share-based compensation in accordance with the guidance of the Compensation-Stock Compensation Topic of the ASC. The cost of employee services received in exchange for a share-based award is generally measured based on the grant-date fair value of the award. Share-based employee awards that require future service are amortized over the relevant service period. Expected forfeitures are included in determining share-based employee compensation expense. In the first quarter of 2006, the Company adopted the guidance under the Compensation-Stock Compensation Topic of the ASC using the modified prospective method. For option awards granted subsequent to the adoption, compensation cost is recognized on a straight-line basis over the vesting period for the entire award. The expense of unvested option awards granted prior to the adoption are recognized on a straight-line basis, over the balance of the vesting period. Clearing and Related Expenses Clearing fees and related expenses include expenses for exchange-traded futures and options-on-futures clearing and settlement services, including fees the Company pays to the exchanges and the floor pit brokers. These fees are based on transaction volume, and recorded as expense on the trade date. Clearing fees are passed on to customers and are presented gross in the consolidated statements of income under the Revenue Recognition Topic of the ASC, as the Company acts as a principal for these transactions. Introducing Broker Commissions Introducing broker commissions include commissions paid to non-employee third parties that have introduced customers to the Company. Introducing brokers are individuals or organizations that maintain relationships with customers and accept futures and options orders from those customers. The Company directly provides all account, transaction and margining services to introducing brokers, including accepting money, securities and property from the customers. The commissions are determined and settled monthly. Income Taxes Income tax expense includes U.S. federal, state and local and foreign income taxes. Certain items of income and expense are not reported in tax returns and financial statements in the same year. The tax effect of such temporary differences is reported as deferred income taxes. Tax provisions are computed in accordance with the Income Taxes Topic of the ASC. Comprehensive Income Comprehensive income consists of net income and other gains and losses affecting stockholders’ equity that, under U.S. GAAP, are excluded from net income. Other comprehensive income (loss) includes net actuarial losses from defined benefit pension plans, unrealized gains and losses on available-for-sale securities, gains and losses on foreign currency translations, and changes in the fair value of interest rate swap agreements, to the extent they are, or previously were, effective as cash flow hedges. Noncontrolling Interest and Variable Interest Entities In accordance with the Consolidation Topic of the Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) the Company consolidates any variable interest entities for which it is the primary beneficiary, as defined. The Company applies the equity method of accounting when the Company does not have a controlling interest in an entity, but exerts significant influence over the entity. The Company had a majority interest in and was the general partner of the Blackthorn Multi-Advisor Fund, LP (the “Blackthorn Fund”), whose assets, liabilities, income and expenses were included within the Company's consolidated financial statements as of and for the years ended September 30, 2011 and 2010. The Blackthorn Fund is a commodity investment pool, which allocates most of its assets to third-party commodity trading advisors and other investment managers. The Blackthorn Fund engages in speculative trading of a wide variety of commodity futures and options-on-futures contracts, securities and other financial instruments. During 2012, the Company redeemed its remaining investment in Blackthorn Fund effective December 31, 2011. As a result of the final redemption, the Company no longer retains any ownership interests in the Blackthorn Fund, has transferred its rights as general partner and deconsolidated its interest in the Blackthorn Fund as of December 31, 2011. The aggregate of the redemption and remaining noncontrolling interest less the carrying amount of the net assets of the Blackthorn Fund resulted in a nominal gain and was recorded as a component of 'trading gains, net' in the consolidated income statement for the year ended September 30, 2012, as a result of the deconsolidation. The Blackthorn Fund had net assets of $3.2 million as of September 30, 2011. The net assets of the Blackthorn fund consisted of cash and cash equivalents of $17 thousand, deposits and receivables from broker-dealers, clearing organizations and counterparties of $2.6 million, investments in managed funds of $1.3 million, and accounts payable and other accrued liabilities of $0.7 million as of September 30, 2011. The noncontrolling interest shown in the consolidated balance sheet includes the noncontrolling interest of the Blackthorn Fund of $1.3 million as of September 30, 2011. See Note 3 for discussion of fair value of the financial assets and liabilities. Convertible Subordinated Notes The Company had $16.7 million in aggregate principal amount of the Company’s senior subordinated convertible notes due September 2011 (the "Notes") outstanding as of September 30, 2010. The Notes were general unsecured obligations of the Company and bore interest at the rate of 7.625% per annum, payable quarterly in arrears. During the fiscal year ended September 30, 2011, the Notes were converted along with accrued interest of $0.2 million into 778,703 shares of common stock of the Company. Preferred Stock The Company is authorized to issue one million shares of preferred stock, par value of $0.01 per share, in one or more classes or series to be established by the Company's board of directors. As of September 30, 2012 and 2011, no preferred shares were outstanding and the Company's board of directors had not yet established any class or series of shares. Recent Accounting Pronouncements In January 2010, new guidance was issued to require new disclosures and clarify existing disclosure requirements about fair value measurements as set forth in the Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures Topic in the ASC. The guidance requires that a reporting entity should disclose separately the amounts of transfers in and out of Level 1 and Level 2 fair value measurements and describe the reasons for the transfers; and in the reconciliation for fair value measurements using significant unobservable inputs, a reporting entity should present separately information about purchases, sales, issuances, and settlements. In addition, the guidance clarifies that for purposes of reporting fair value measurement for each class of assets and liabilities, a reporting entity needs to use judgment in determining the appropriate classes of assets and liabilities; and a reporting entity should provide disclosures about the valuation techniques and inputs used to measure fair value for both recurring and nonrecurring fair value measurements. This guidance was effective for the Company as of the first interim period beginning after December 15, 2009, except for the detailed level 3 roll forward disclosure, which is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2010. The Company adopted the requirements of the disclosures during the quarter ended March 31, 2010, except for the detailed level 3 roll forward disclosures. The Company adopted the detailed level 3 roll forward disclosures beginning with the first quarter ended December 31, 2011. The adoption of this guidance did not have a material impact on the Company's disclosures in its consolidated financial statements. In May 2011, the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") issued an update to the fair value measurement guidance to achieve common fair value measurement and disclosure requirements in U.S. GAAP and International Financial Reporting Standards ("IFRS"). The amendments in the update change the wording used to describe many of the requirements in U.S. GAAP for measuring fair value and for disclosing information about fair value measurements. The amendment is not intended to result in a change in the application of the requirements in the Fair Value Measurements Topic in the ASC. This guidance is effective for interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2011. The Company adopted this guidance in the second quarter of fiscal year 2012. The adoption of this guidance did not have a material impact on the Company's consolidated financial statements. In June 2011, the FASB issued new guidance on the presentation of comprehensive income. This guidance eliminates the current option to report comprehensive income and its components in the statement of changes in equity. Under this guidance, an entity can elect to present items of net income and comprehensive income in one continuous statement or in two separate, but consecutive, statements. In addition, the guidance requires entities to show the effects of items reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive loss to net income on the face of the financial statements. This guidance is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2011 and interim and annual periods thereafter. Early adoption is permitted, but full retrospective application is required. This guidance is effective for the Company's fiscal year beginning October 1, 2012 and all interim periods within that fiscal year. In December 2011, the FASB issued guidance that deferred the portion of the original guidance that required a company to separately present within net income reclassification adjustments of items out of accumulated other comprehensive loss. The deferral is intended to be temporary until the FASB has time to reconsider these changes. The other provisions of the guidance will become effective as originally planned by the FASB. The Company is expecting to adopt this guidance in the first quarter of fiscal year 2013. As the Company reports comprehensive income within its consolidated statements of stockholders' equity, the adoption of this guidance will result in a change in the presentation of comprehensive income in the Company's consolidated financial statements. In September 2011, the FASB issued amended guidance on goodwill impairment testing. Under the revised guidance, entities testing goodwill for impairment have the option of performing a qualitative assessment, whether it is more likely than not (a likelihood of more than 50%) that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount, before calculating the fair value of the reporting unit. Because the qualitative assessment is optional, entities may bypass it for any reporting unit in any period and begin their impairment analysis with the quantitative calculation in step 1. The guidance does not change how goodwill is calculated or assigned to reporting units, nor does it revise the requirement to test goodwill annually for impairment. In addition, the guidance does not amend the requirement to test goodwill for impairment between annual tests if events or circumstances warrant, however, it does revise the examples of events and circumstances that an entity should consider. The amended guidance is effective for annual and interim goodwill impairment tests performed for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2011. Early adoption is permitted. The Company adopted this guidance at the beginning of fiscal year 2012.The adoption of this guidance did not have a material impact on the Company's consolidated financial statements. On December 16, 2011, the FASB issued new guidance on the disclosures about offsetting assets and liabilities. While the FASB retained the existing offsetting models under U.S. GAAP, the new standard requires disclosures to allow investors to better compare and understand significant quantitative differences in financial statements prepared under U.S. GAAP. The new standard is effective for annual periods beginning after January 1, 2013, and interim periods within those annual periods. Retrospective application is required. This guidance is effective for the Company's fiscal year beginning October 1, 2013. The Company is expecting to adopt this guidance starting with the first quarter of fiscal year 2014. The adoption of this guidance is expected to change some of the Company's disclosures within the notes to the consolidated financial statements. In July 2012, the FASB issued final guidance on indefinite-lived intangible assets impairment testing. Under the guidance, entities testing indefinite-lived intangibles for impairment have the option of first performing a qualitative assessment to determine whether it is more likely than not that an indefinite-lived intangible asset is impaired. If a company determines that it is more likely than not that the fair value of such an asset exceeds its carrying amount, it would not need to calculate the fair value of the asset in that year. However, if a company concludes otherwise, it must calculate the fair value of the asset, compare that value with its carrying amount and record an impairment charge, if any. The guidance does not revise the requirement to test indefinite-lived intangible assets annually for impairment. In addition, the guidance does not amend the requirement to test indefinite-lived intangible assets for impairment between annual tests if events or circumstances warrant, however, it does revise the examples of events and circumstances that an entity should consider. The guidance is effective for annual and interim impairment tests performed for fiscal years beginning after September 15, 2012. Early adoption is permitted. The Company is expecting to adopt this guidance for the impairment testing to be performed during the fiscal year ended September 30, 2013. It is expected that the adoption of this guidance will not have a material impact on the Company's consolidated financial statements.

Note 1 – Description of Business and Significant Accounting Policies

INTL FCStone Inc., a Delaware corporation, and its consolidated subsidiaries (collectively “INTL” or “the Company”), form a financial services group focused on domestic and select international markets. The Company’s services include comprehensive risk management advisory services for commercial customers; execution of listed futures and options-on-futures contracts on all major commodity exchanges; structured over-the-counter (“OTC”) products in a wide range of commodities; physical trading and hedging of precious and base metals and select other commodities; trading of more than 130 foreign currencies; market-making in international equities; debt origination and asset management.

The Company provides these services to a diverse group of more than 20,000 customers located throughout the world, including producers, processors and end-users of nearly all widely-traded physical commodities to manage their risks and enhance margins; to commercial counterparties who are end-users of the firm’s products and services; to governmental and non-governmental organizations; and to commercial banks, brokers, institutional investors and major investment banks.

Basis of Presentation

The accompanying consolidated financial statements include the accounts of INTL FCStone Inc. and all other entities in which the Company has a controlling financial interest. All material intercompany transactions and balances have been eliminated in consolidation.

Unless otherwise stated herein, all references to 2012, 2011, and 2010 refer to the Company’s fiscal years ended September 30.

Use of Estimates

The preparation of consolidated financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”) requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, disclosure of contingent liabilities as of the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the reporting period. The most significant of these estimates and assumptions relate to fair value measurements for financial instruments and investments, revenue recognition, the provision for potential losses from bad debts, valuation of inventories, valuation of goodwill and intangible assets, incomes taxes and contingencies. These estimates are based on management's best knowledge of current events and actions the Company may undertake in the future. The Company reviews all significant estimates affecting the financial statements on a recurring basis and records the effect of any necessary adjustments prior to their issuance. Although these and other estimates and assumptions are based on the best available information, actual results could be materially different from these estimates.

Foreign Currency Translation

Assets and liabilities recorded in foreign currencies are translated at the exchange rates prevailing on the balance sheet date. Revenue and expenses are translated at average rates of exchange prevailing during the period. Gains or losses on translation of the financial statements of a non-United States (“U.S.”) operation, when the functional currency is other than the U.S. dollar, are recorded in other comprehensive income (“OCI”), net of tax, a component of stockholders' equity. Foreign currency remeasurement gains or losses on transactions in nonfunctional currencies are included within 'trading gains, net' in the consolidated income statements.

Cash and Cash Equivalents

The Company considers cash held at banks and all highly liquid investments, including certificates of deposit, which may be withdrawn at any time at the discretion of the Company without penalty, to be cash and cash equivalents. Cash and cash equivalents consist of cash, foreign currency, money market funds and certificates of deposit not deposited with or pledged to an exchange-clearing organization. The money market funds are valued at period-end at the net asset value provided by the fund’s administrator, which approximates fair value. Certificates of deposit are stated at cost plus accrued interest, which approximates fair value. All cash and cash equivalents that are deposited with brokers, dealers and clearing organizations support the Company’s trading activities, and are subject to contractual restrictions. The Company has an investment policy, which limits the maximum amount placed in any one fund and with any one institution in order to reduce credit risk. The Company does not believe that it is exposed to significant risk on cash and cash equivalents.

Cash, Securities and Other Assets Segregated under Federal and other Regulations

Pursuant to requirements of the Commodity Exchange Act in the U.S. and similarly in the United Kingdom ("UK"), pursuant to the Markets in Financial Instruments Implementing Directive 2006/73/EC underpinning the Client Asset or 'CASS' rules in the Financial Services Authority ("FSA") handbook, funds deposited by customers relating to futures and options-on-futures contracts in regulated commodities must be carried in separate accounts which are designated as segregated customer accounts. The deposits in segregated customer accounts are not commingled with the funds of the Company. Under the FSA's rules, certain categories of clients may choose to opt-out of segregation. As of September 30, 2012 and 2011, cash, securities and other assets segregated under federal and other regulations consisted of cash held at banks and money market funds of approximately $284.7 million and $96.7 million, respectively, U.S. government securities and federal agency obligations of approximately $50.5 million and $3.7 million, respectively, and commodities warehouse receipts of approximately $22.3 million and $19.0 million, respectively (see fair value measurements discussion in Note 3).

Securities purchased under agreements to resell

The Company has an overnight sweep reverse repurchase agreement program to allow the Company to enter into secured overnight investments (reverse repurchase agreements or reverse repos), which generally provides a higher investment yield than a regular operating account. The reverse repurchase agreements are recorded at amounts at which the securities were initially acquired. It is the policy of the Company to take possession of the securities purchased under agreements to resell. The Company receives U.S. Treasury securities as collateral for the overnight agreements. The securities received are recorded at no more than the lesser of the current fair value of the securities or the net amount to be realized by the Company upon resale of the securities. The maturity of the reverse repurchase agreements is typically one day, at which point the securities are sold and the proceeds are returned to the Company, plus any accrued interest. There were no agreements to resell securities as of September 30, 2012 and 2011.

Deposits and Receivables from Exchange-Clearing Organizations, Broker-dealers, Clearing Organizations and Counterparties, and Payables to Broker-dealers, Clearing Organizations and Counterparties

As required by the regulations of the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) and the Markets in Financial Instruments Implementing Directive 2006/73/EC underpinning the CASS rules in the FSA handbook, customer funds received to margin, guarantee, and/or secure commodity futures transactions are segregated and accounted for separately from the general assets of the Company. Under the FSA's rules, certain categories of clients may choose to opt-out of segregation. Deposits with exchange-clearing organizations, broker-dealers and counterparties pertain primarily to deposits made to satisfy margin requirements on customer and proprietary open futures and options-on-futures positions and to satisfy the requirements set by clearing exchanges for clearing membership. The Company also pledges margin deposit with various counterparties for OTC derivative contracts, and these deposits are also included in deposits and receivables from broker-dealers and counterparties. Deposits with and receivables from exchange-clearing organizations and broker-dealers and counterparties are reported gross, except where a right of offset exists. As of September 30, 2012 and 2011, the Company had cash and cash equivalents on deposit with or pledged to exchange-clearing organizations, broker-dealers and counterparties of $0.4 billion and $1.2 billion, respectively.

These balances also include securities pledged by the Company on behalf of customers and customer-owned securities that are pledged. It is the Company’s practice to include customer owned securities on its consolidated balance sheets, as the rights to those securities have been transferred to the Company under the terms of the futures trading agreement. Securities pledged include U.S. Treasury bills and instruments backed by U.S. government sponsored entities and government-sponsored enterprise backed mortgage-backed securities ("mortgage-backed securities"). The securities that are not customer-owned are adjusted to fair value with associated changes in unrealized gains or losses recorded in OCI, net of tax, until realized, a component of stockholders' equity. For customer owned securities, the change in fair value is offset against the payable to customers with no impact recognized on the consolidated income statements.

The securities, primarily U.S. Government obligations and mortgage-backed securities, held by FCStone LLC ("FCStone"), a subsidiary of INTL, as collateral or as margin have been deposited with exchange-clearing organizations, broker-dealers or other counterparties. The fair value of these securities was approximately $1.3 billion and $0.5 billion as of September 30, 2012 and 2011, respectively.

Management has considered guidance required by the Transfers and Servicing Topic of the ASC as it relates to securities pledged by customers to margin their accounts. Based on a review of the agreements with the customer, management believes a legal basis exists to support that the transferor surrenders control over those assets if all of the following three conditions are met: (a) the transferred assets have been isolated from the transferor—put presumptively beyond the reach of the transferor and its creditors, even in bankruptcy or other receivership, (b) each transferee has the right to pledge or exchange the assets (or beneficial interests) it received, and no condition both constrains the transferee (or holder) from taking advantage of its right to pledge or exchange and provides more than a trivial benefit to the transferor and (c) the transferor does not maintain effective control over the transferred assets through either (1) an agreement that both entitles and obligates the transferor to repurchase or redeem them before their maturity or (2) the ability to unilaterally cause the holder to return specific assets, other than through a cleanup call. Under this guidance, the Company reflects the customer collateral assets and corresponding liabilities in the Company’s consolidated balance sheets as of September 30, 2012 and 2011.

In addition to margin, deposits with exchange-clearing organizations include guaranty deposits. The guaranty deposits are held by the clearing organization for use in potential default situations by one or more members of the clearing organization. The guaranty deposits may be applied to the Company’s obligations to the clearing organization, or to the clearing organization’s obligations to other clearing members or third parties.

The Company maintains customer omnibus and proprietary accounts with other counterparties, and the equity balances in those accounts along with any margin cash or securities deposited with the carrying broker are included in deposits and receivables from broker-dealers and counterparties.

Receivables from and payables to exchange-clearing organizations are also comprised of amounts due from or due to exchange-clearing organizations for daily variation settlements on open futures and options-on-futures positions. The variation settlements due from or due to exchange-clearing organizations are paid in cash on the following business day.

Deposits and receivables with exchange-clearing organizations also includes the unrealized gains and losses associated with the customers' options-on-futures contracts. See discussion in the Financial Instruments and Derivatives section below for additional information on the treatment of derivative contracts. For customer owned derivative contracts, the fair value is offset against the payable to customers with no impact recognized on the consolidated income statements.

Receivables from and Payables to Customers

Receivables from customers, net of the allowance for doubtful accounts, include the total of net deficits in individual exchange-traded and OTC trading accounts carried by the Company. Customer deficits arise from realized and unrealized trading losses on futures, options-on-futures, swaps and forwards and amounts due on cash and margin transactions. Customer deficit accounts are reported gross of customer accounts that contain net credit or positive balances, except where a right of offset exists. Net deficits in individual exchange-traded and OTC trading accounts include both secured and unsecured deficit balances due from customers as of the balance sheet date. Secured deficit amounts are backed by U.S. Treasury bills and notes with a fair value of $0.8 million and $0.4 million as of September 30, 2012 and 2011, respectively, and commodity warehouse receipts with a fair value of $7.5 million and $16.2 million as of September 30, 2012 and 2011, respectively. These U.S Treasury bills and notes and commodity warehouse receipts are not netted against the secured deficit amounts, as the conditions for right of setoff have not been met.

Payables to customers represent the total of customer accounts with credit or positive balances. Customer accounts are used primarily in connection with commodity transactions and include gains and losses on open commodity trades as well as securities and other deposits made as required by the Company or the exchange-clearing organizations or counterparties. Customer accounts with credit or positive balances are reported gross of customer deficit accounts, except where a right of offset exists.

For regulatory purposes, certain customers, which would include persons who are affiliated with the Company or are principals, such as an officer or director, and any person who is materially involved in the management of the Company, are identified as noncustomers. A noncustomer account may not be carried as a customer account due to an affiliation with the Company. In a liquidation event, amounts owed to noncustomers are paid in the same priority as amounts owed to general creditors of the Company. These accounts are also referred to as proprietary accounts. The amounts related to noncustomer accounts are included in 'payables to customers' on the consolidated balance sheets.

The future collectability of the receivables from customers can be impacted by the Company’s collection efforts, the financial stability of its customers, and the general economic climate in which it operates. The Company evaluates accounts that it believes may become uncollectible on a specific identification basis, through reviewing daily margin deficit reports, the historical daily aging of the receivables, and by monitoring the financial strength of its customers. The Company may unilaterally close customer trading positions in certain circumstances. In addition, to evaluate customer margining and collateral requirements, customer positions are stress tested regularly and monitored for excessive concentration levels relative to the overall market size.

The Company generally charges off an outstanding receivable balance when all economically sensible means of recovery have been exhausted. That determination considers information such as the occurrence of significant changes in the customer's financial position such that the customer can no longer pay the obligation, or that the proceeds from collateral will not be sufficient to pay the balance.

Notes Receivable

The Company originates short-term notes receivable from customers with the outstanding balances being insured 90% to 98% by a third party, including accrued interest. The Company may sell the insured portion of the notes through non-recourse participation agreements with other third parties. See discussion of notes receivable related to commodity repurchase agreements below.

Accrual of commodity financing income on any note is discontinued when, in the opinion of management, there is reasonable doubt as to the timely collectability of interest or principal. Nonaccrual notes are returned to an accrual status when, in the opinion of management, the financial position of the borrower indicates there is no longer any reasonable doubt as to the timely payment of principal and interest. The Company records a charge against earnings for notes receivable losses when management believes that collectability of the principal is unlikely.

Physical Commodities Inventory

Physical commodities inventories are stated at the lower of cost or market ("LCM"), using the weighted-average price and first-in first-out costing method. Cost includes finished commodity or raw material and processing costs related to the purchase and processing of inventories.

Property and Equipment

Property and equipment is stated at cost, net of accumulated depreciation and amortization and depreciated using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the assets. Leasehold improvements are amortized on a straight-line basis over the estimated useful life of the improvement or the term of the lease, whichever is shorter. Certain costs of software developed or obtained for internal use are capitalized and amortized over the estimated useful life of the software. Expenditures for maintenance, repairs, and minor replacements are charged against earnings, as incurred. Expenditures that increase the value or productive capacity of assets are capitalized. When property and equipment are retired, sold, or otherwise disposed of, the asset's carrying amount and related accumulated depreciation are removed from the accounts and any gain or loss is included in earnings.

Goodwill and Identifiable Intangible Assets

Goodwill is the cost of acquired companies in excess of the fair value of identifiable net assets at acquisition date. In accordance with the Intangibles – Goodwill and Other Topic of the ASC, goodwill is tested for impairment on an annual basis at the fiscal year-end, and between annual tests if indicators of potential impairment exist, using a fair-value-based approach. No impairment of goodwill has been identified during any of the periods presented.

Identifiable intangible assets subject to amortization are amortized using the straight-line method over their estimated period of benefit, ranging from two to twenty years. Identifiable intangible assets are tested for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances suggest that an asset’s or asset group’s carrying value may not be fully recoverable in accordance with the Intangibles – Goodwill and Other Topic of the ASC. Residual value is presumed to be zero. Identifiable intangible assets not subject to amortization are reviewed at each reporting period to reevaluate if the intangible asset’s useful life remains indefinite. Additionally, intangible assets not subject to amortization are tested annually for impairment at the fiscal year-end, and between annual tests if indicators of potential impairment exist, using a fair-value-based approach. See Note 9 for discussion of impairments of intangible assets that have been identified during the fiscal year ended September 30, 2012.

Financial Instruments and Derivatives

Financial instruments owned and sold, not yet purchased, at fair value consist of financial instruments carried at fair value or amounts that approximate fair value, with related unrealized changes in gains or losses recognized in earnings, except for securities classified as available-for-sale. The fair value of a financial instrument is the amount at which the instrument could be exchanged in a current transaction between willing parties, other than in a forced or liquidation sale.

The Company accounts for its securities pledged on behalf of customers and proprietary securities in accordance with the Investments - Debt and Equity Securities Topic in the ASC. In accordance with this guidance, the Company determines the appropriate classification of its investments as trading, available-for-sale, or held-to-maturity at the time of purchase and reevaluates the designation as of each reporting period.

The Company has classified certain U.S. government obligations, corporate debt securities and exchange firm common stock not pledged for clearing purposes as available-for-sale, which are carried at fair value based on observable or quoted market prices and associated unrealized gains or losses are recorded as a component of OCI, net of tax, until realized, unless an unrealized loss is determined to be other than temporary, in which case such loss is charged to earnings. The Company classifies those securities as available-for-sale because it would consider selling them prior to maturity to meet liquidity needs or as part of the Company’s risk management program.

The Company computes the cost of its securities on a specific identification basis. Such cost includes the direct costs to acquire securities, adjusted for the amortization of any discount or premium. The amortized cost of securities is computed under the effective-interest method and is included in interest income. Realized gains and losses, declines in value judged to be other than temporary and interest on available-for-sale securities are included in earnings.

Investment in managed funds, at fair value represents investments in funds managed by the Company’s fund managers. The investments are valued at period-end at the net asset value provided by the fund’s administrator.

Commodities warehouse receipts are valued at the cash price for the commodity based on published market quotes. For commodities warehouse receipts, the change in fair value is offset against the payable to customers with no impact on the consolidated income statements.

The Company utilizes derivative instruments to manage exposures to foreign currency, commodity price and interest rate risks for the Company and its customers. The Company’s objectives for holding derivatives include reducing, eliminating, and efficiently managing the economic impact of these exposures as effectively as possible. Derivative instruments are recognized as either assets or liabilities and are measured at fair value. The accounting for changes in the fair value of a derivative depends on the intended use of the derivative and the resulting designation. For a derivative instrument designated as a cash flow hedge, the effective portion of the derivative’s gain or loss is initially recorded in OCI, net of tax, and is subsequently recognized in earnings when the hedged exposure affects earnings. The ineffective portion of the gain or loss is recognized in earnings. Gains and losses from changes in fair values of derivatives that are not designated as cash flow hedges for accounting purposes are recognized in earnings.

The Company’s derivative contracts consist of exchange-traded and OTC derivatives. Fair values of exchange-traded derivatives are generally determined from quoted market prices. OTC derivatives are valued using valuation models. The valuation models used to derive the fair values of OTC derivatives require inputs including contractual terms, market prices, yield curves and measurements of volatility. The Company uses similar models to value similar instruments. Where possible, the Company verifies the values produced by pricing models by comparing them to market transactions. Inputs may involve judgment where market prices are not readily available. The Company does not elect hedge accounting under the Derivatives and Hedging Topic of the ASC in accounting for derivatives used as economic hedges on its commodities.

The Company provides clearing and execution of exchange-traded futures and options-on-futures for middle-market intermediaries, end-users, producers of commodities and the institutional and professional trader market segments. The Company has a subsidiary that is a registered futures commission merchant ("FCM"), clearing on various exchanges. The primary sources of revenues for the Company's FCM are commissions and clearing fees derived from executing and clearing orders for commodity futures contracts and options-on-futures on behalf of its customers.

The Company also brokers foreign exchange forwards, options and cash, or spot, transactions between customers and external counterparties. A portion of the contracts are arranged on an offsetting basis, limiting the Company's risk to performance of the two offsetting parties. The offsetting nature of the contracts eliminates the effects of market fluctuations on the Company's operating results. Due to the Company's role as a principal participating in both sides of these contracts, the amounts are presented gross on the consolidated balance sheets at their respective fair values, net of offsetting assets and liabilities.

In addition, the Company engages in speculative trading and holds proprietary positions in futures, options, swaps and forward derivatives, including corn, wheat, soybeans, sugar and foreign currency contracts. Since some of the derivatives held or sold by the Company are for speculative trading purposes, these derivative instruments are not designated as hedging instruments and accordingly, the changes in fair value during the period are recorded in the consolidated income statements as a component of 'trading gains, net' (see Note 4).

The Company also holds proprietary positions in its foreign exchange line of business. On a limited basis, the Company's foreign exchange trade desk will accept a customer transaction and will offset that transaction with a similar but not identical position with a counterparty. These unmatched transactions are intended to be short-term in nature and are often conducted to facilitate the most effective transaction for the Company's customer. These spot and forward contracts are accounted for as free-standing derivatives and reported in the consolidated balance sheets at their fair values. The Company does not seek hedge accounting treatment for these derivatives, and accordingly, the changes in fair value during the period are recorded in the consolidated income statements within 'trading gains, net' (see Note 4). In applying the guidance in the Balance Sheet-Offsetting Topic of the ASC, the Company's accounting policy is such that open contracts with the same customer are netted at the account level, in accordance with netting arrangements in place with each party, as applicable and rights to reclaim cash collateral or obligations to return cash collateral are netted against fair value amounts recognized for derivative instruments with the same customer in accordance with the master netting arrangements in place with each customer.

The Company may lease commodities to or from customers or counterparties, or advance commodities to customers on an unpriced basis, receiving payment when they become priced. These are valued at fair value utilizing the fair value option based on guidance within the Financial Instruments Topic of the ASC. The Company uses the fair value option to value these financial instruments since they are hybrid contracts with embedded derivative features that cannot be reliably measured and separated from the host contract. As permitted by the fair value option election, the entire instrument is recorded at fair value within the consolidated balance sheets as a component of 'financial instruments owned and sold, not yet purchased'. Due to the short term nature of the instruments, the balance of the agreements is not materially different than the recorded fair value. The corresponding change in fair value of the instrument is recognized within the consolidated income statements as a component of 'trading gains, net' for the fiscal years ended 2012, 2011 and 2010. The Company does elect to value all of their commodities lease agreements at fair value using the fair value option. See fair value measurements in Note 3.

Exchange Memberships and Stock

The Company is required to hold certain exchange membership seats and exchange firm common stock and pledge them for clearing purposes, in order to provide the Company the right to process trades directly with the various exchanges. Exchange memberships include seats on the Chicago Board of Trade ("CBOT"), the Board of Trade of Kansas City, Missouri, Inc. ("KCBT"), the Minnesota Grain Exchange, the New York Mercantile Exchange ("NYMEX"), the COMEX Division of the New York Mercantile Exchange, Mercado de Valores de Buenos Aires S.A. ("MERVAL"), the Chicago Mercantile Exchange ("CME") Growth and Emerging Markets, InterContinental Exchange, Inc. ("ICE") Futures US, ICE Europe Ltd and London Metal Exchange ("LME"). Exchange firm common stock include shares of CME Group, Inc., ICE and LME. In December 2012, the CME completed its acquisition of the KCBT. The Company expects to receive proceeds of $1.5 million and recognize a gain of $0.9 million before taxes, in connection with its class A shares of the KCBT held as of September 30, 2012, during the first quarter of fiscal year 2013.

Exchange memberships and firm common stocks pledged for clearing purposes are recorded at cost, in accordance with U.S. GAAP and CFTC regulations and are included within 'other assets' on the consolidated balance sheets. Equity investments in exchange firm common stock not pledged for clearing purposes are classified as available-for-sale and recorded at fair value, with unrealized gains and losses recorded as a component of OCI, net of tax, until realized. Equity investments in exchange firm common stock not pledged for clearing purposes are included within 'financial instruments owned' on the consolidated balance sheets.

The Company acquired shares of the LME during the year ended September 30, 2011 at a cost of $3.4 million. In January 2011, excess shares of exchange firm common stock, with a cost basis of $1.2 million, were sold, resulting in a nominal gain. In July 2011, the CME Group removed the requirement of its member firms to hold a specified quantity of its exchange firm common stock in order to process trades directly with the exchange. Since the shares of CME Group common stock are no longer pledged for clearing purposes, during the fiscal year ended September 30, 2011, the Company designated the shares as available-for-sale and recorded them at fair value within 'financial instruments owned' in the consolidated balance sheets. See Note 3 for additional discussion of equity investments in exchange firm common stock not pledged for clearing purposes.

The cost basis for exchange memberships and firm common stock pledged for clearing purposes was $10.5 million and $10.3 million as of September 30, 2012 and 2011, respectively. The fair value of exchange memberships and firm common stock pledged for clearing purposes was $8.9 million and $10.5 million as of September 30, 2012 and 2011, respectively. The fair value of exchange firm common stock is determined by quoted market prices, and the fair value of exchange memberships is determined by recent sale transactions. The Company monitors the fair value of exchange membership seats and firm common stock on a quarterly basis, and does not consider any current unrealized losses on individual exchange memberships to be anything other than a temporary impairment.

Commodity and Other Repurchase Agreements

In the normal course of operations the Company accepts notes receivable under sale/repurchase agreements with customers whereby the customers sell certain commodity inventory or other investments and agree to repurchase the commodity inventory or investment at a future date at either a fixed or floating rate. These transactions are short-term in nature, and in accordance with the guidance contained in the Transfers and Servicing Topic of the ASC, are treated as secured borrowings rather than commodity inventory and purchases and sales in the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

Additionally, the Company participates in transactions involving commodities or other investments sold under repurchase agreements (“repos”). In accordance with the guidance contained in the Transfers and Servicing Topic of the ASC, these transactions are treated as secured borrowings that are recorded as a liability in the consolidated balance sheets. Commodities or investments sold under repurchase agreements are reflected at the amount of cash received in connection with the transactions. The Company may be required to provide additional collateral based on the fair value of the underlying asset.

Business Combinations

Acquisitions during fiscal 2012 and 2011 are accounted for as business combinations in accordance with the provisions of the Business Combinations Topic of the ASC. Under this accounting guidance most of the assets and liabilities acquired and assumed are measured at fair value as of the acquisition date. Certain contingent liabilities acquired require remeasurement at fair value in each subsequent reporting period. Noncontrolling interests are initially measured at fair value and classified as a separate component of equity. Acquisition related costs, such as fees for attorneys, accountants, and investment bankers, are expensed as incurred and are not capitalized as part of the purchase price. For all acquisitions, regardless of the consummation date, deferred tax assets, valuation allowances, and uncertain tax position adjustments occurring after the measurement period are recorded as a component of income, rather than adjusted through goodwill.

Determining the fair value of certain assets and liabilities acquired is subjective in nature and often involves the use of significant estimates and assumptions. Estimating the fair value of the assets and liabilities acquired requires significant judgment.

Revenue Recognition

Sales of physical commodities revenue are recognized when persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists, delivery has occurred, the fee is fixed or determinable, and collectability is reasonably assured. The Company reports its physical commodities revenues on a gross basis, with the corresponding cost of sales shown separately, in accordance with the guidelines provided in the Revenue Recognition Topic of the ASC.

Trading gains, net include brokerage fees and margins generated from OTC derivative trades executed with customers and other counterparties and are recognized when trades are executed. Trading gains, net also include activities where the Company acts as principal in the purchase and sale of individual securities, currencies, commodities or derivative instruments with customers. These transactions may be offset simultaneously with another customer or counterparty, offset with similar but not identical positions on an exchange, made from inventory, or may be aggregated with other purchases to provide liquidity intraday, for a number of days, or in some cases, particularly the base metals business, even longer periods (during which fair value may fluctuate). In addition, trading gains, net includes activities from the Company's operations of a proprietary foreign exchange desk which arbitrages the futures and cash markets (see additional discussion in the Financial Instruments and Derivatives policy note for revenue recognition on proprietary trading activities). Net dealer inventory and investment gains are recognized on a trade-date basis and include realized gains or losses and changes in unrealized gains or losses on investments at fair value. Dividend income and dividend expense, on short equity positions, are recognized net, within 'trading gain, net' on the ex-dividend date.

Commissions on futures contracts are recognized on a half-turn basis in two equal parts. The first half is recognized when the contract is opened and the second half is recognized when the transaction is closed. Commissions on options-on-futures contracts are generally recognized on a half-turn basis, except that full commissions are recognized on options expected to expire without being exercised or offset. Commissions and fees are charged at various rates based on the type of account, the products traded, and the method of trade. Clearing and transaction fees are charged to customers on a per exchange contract basis based on the trade date. Such fees are for clearing customers’ exchange trades and include fees charged to the Company by the various futures exchanges. See discussion of clearing and related expenses below.

Consulting and management fees include risk management consulting fees which are billed and recognized as revenue on a monthly basis when risk management services are provided. Such agreements are generally for one year periods, but are cancelable by either party upon providing thirty days written notice to the other party and the amounts are not variable based on customer trading activities. Asset management fees are recognized as they are earned based on fees due at each period-end date. These include performance fees based on the amount that is due under the formula for exceeding performance targets as of the period-end date. Fee income for structuring and arrangement of debt transactions and management and investment advisory income is recorded when the services related to the underlying transactions are provided and success fees are recorded when complete, as determined under the terms of the assignment or engagement.

Interest income, generated primarily from investments and customer inventory financing, is recognized on an accrual basis. Interest from investments is generated from securities purchased using customer funds deposited with the Company to satisfy margin requirements, net of interest returned to customers, and from securities acquired through internally-generated company funds. Interest also includes unrealized gains and losses on securities owned and those deposited with other parties.

Revenue generally is recognized net of any taxes collected from customers and subsequently remitted to governmental authorities.

Cost of Revenue

Cost of sales of physical commodities include finished commodity or raw material and processing costs along with operating costs relating to the receipt, storage and delivery of the physical commodities.

Compensation and Benefits

Compensation and benefits consists primarily of salaries, incentive compensation, commissions, related payroll taxes and employee benefits. The Company classifies employees as either traders / risk management consultants, operational or administrative personnel, which includes the executive officers. The most significant component of the Company’s compensation expense is the employment of the traders / risk management consultants, who are paid commissions based on the revenues that their customer portfolios generate. The Company accrues commission expense on a trade date basis.

Share-Based Compensation

The Company accounts for share-based compensation in accordance with the guidance of the Compensation-Stock Compensation Topic of the ASC. The cost of employee services received in exchange for a share-based award is generally measured based on the grant-date fair value of the award. Share-based employee awards that require future service are amortized over the relevant service period. Expected forfeitures are included in determining share-based employee compensation expense. In the first quarter of 2006, the Company adopted the guidance under the Compensation-Stock Compensation Topic of the ASC using the modified prospective method. For option awards granted subsequent to the adoption, compensation cost is recognized on a straight-line basis over the vesting period for the entire award. The expense of unvested option awards granted prior to the adoption are recognized on a straight-line basis, over the balance of the vesting period.

Clearing and Related Expenses

Clearing fees and related expenses include expenses for exchange-traded futures and options-on-futures clearing and settlement services, including fees the Company pays to the exchanges and the floor pit brokers. These fees are based on transaction volume, and recorded as expense on the trade date. Clearing fees are passed on to customers and are presented gross in the consolidated statements of income under the Revenue Recognition Topic of the ASC, as the Company acts as a principal for these transactions.

Introducing Broker Commissions

Introducing broker commissions include commissions paid to non-employee third parties that have introduced customers to the Company. Introducing brokers are individuals or organizations that maintain relationships with customers and accept futures and options orders from those customers. The Company directly provides all account, transaction and margining services to introducing brokers, including accepting money, securities and property from the customers. The commissions are determined and settled monthly.

Income Taxes

Income tax expense includes U.S. federal, state and local and foreign income taxes. Certain items of income and expense are not reported in tax returns and financial statements in the same year. The tax effect of such temporary differences is reported as deferred income taxes. Tax provisions are computed in accordance with the Income Taxes Topic of the ASC.

Comprehensive Income

Comprehensive income consists of net income and other gains and losses affecting stockholders’ equity that, under U.S. GAAP, are excluded from net income. Other comprehensive income (loss) includes net actuarial losses from defined benefit pension plans, unrealized gains and losses on available-for-sale securities, gains and losses on foreign currency translations, and changes in the fair value of interest rate swap agreements, to the extent they are, or previously were, effective as cash flow hedges.

Noncontrolling Interest and Variable Interest Entities

In accordance with the Consolidation Topic of the Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) the Company consolidates any variable interest entities for which it is the primary beneficiary, as defined. The Company applies the equity method of accounting when the Company does not have a controlling interest in an entity, but exerts significant influence over the entity.

The Company had a majority interest in and was the general partner of the Blackthorn Multi-Advisor Fund, LP (the “Blackthorn Fund”), whose assets, liabilities, income and expenses were included within the Company's consolidated financial statements as of and for the years ended September 30, 2011 and 2010. The Blackthorn Fund is a commodity investment pool, which allocates most of its assets to third-party commodity trading advisors and other investment managers. The Blackthorn Fund engages in speculative trading of a wide variety of commodity futures and options-on-futures contracts, securities and other financial instruments.

During 2012, the Company redeemed its remaining investment in Blackthorn Fund effective December 31, 2011. As a result of the final redemption, the Company no longer retains any ownership interests in the Blackthorn Fund, has transferred its rights as general partner and deconsolidated its interest in the Blackthorn Fund as of December 31, 2011. The aggregate of the redemption and remaining noncontrolling interest less the carrying amount of the net assets of the Blackthorn Fund resulted in a nominal gain and was recorded as a component of 'trading gains, net' in the consolidated income statement for the year ended September 30, 2012, as a result of the deconsolidation.

The Blackthorn Fund had net assets of $3.2 million as of September 30, 2011. The net assets of the Blackthorn fund consisted of cash and cash equivalents of $17 thousand, deposits and receivables from broker-dealers, clearing organizations and counterparties of $2.6 million, investments in managed funds of $1.3 million, and accounts payable and other accrued liabilities of $0.7 million as of September 30, 2011. The noncontrolling interest shown in the consolidated balance sheet includes the noncontrolling interest of the Blackthorn Fund of $1.3 million as of September 30, 2011. See Note 3 for discussion of fair value of the financial assets and liabilities.

Convertible Subordinated Notes

The Company had $16.7 million in aggregate principal amount of the Company’s senior subordinated convertible notes due September 2011 (the "Notes") outstanding as of September 30, 2010. The Notes were general unsecured obligations of the Company and bore interest at the rate of 7.625% per annum, payable quarterly in arrears.

During the fiscal year ended September 30, 2011, the Notes were converted along with accrued interest of $0.2 million into 778,703 shares of common stock of the Company.

Preferred Stock

The Company is authorized to issue one million shares of preferred stock, par value of $0.01 per share, in one or more classes or series to be established by the Company's board of directors. As of September 30, 2012 and 2011, no preferred shares were outstanding and the Company's board of directors had not yet established any class or series of shares.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

In January 2010, new guidance was issued to require new disclosures and clarify existing disclosure requirements about fair value measurements as set forth in the Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures Topic in the ASC. The guidance requires that a reporting entity should disclose separately the amounts of transfers in and out of Level 1 and Level 2 fair value measurements and describe the reasons for the transfers; and in the reconciliation for fair value measurements using significant unobservable inputs, a reporting entity should present separately information about purchases, sales, issuances, and settlements. In addition, the guidance clarifies that for purposes of reporting fair value measurement for each class of assets and liabilities, a reporting entity needs to use judgment in determining the appropriate classes of assets and liabilities; and a reporting entity should provide disclosures about the valuation techniques and inputs used to measure fair value for both recurring and nonrecurring fair value measurements. This guidance was effective for the Company as of the first interim period beginning after December 15, 2009, except for the detailed level 3 roll forward disclosure, which is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2010. The Company adopted the requirements of the disclosures during the quarter ended March 31, 2010, except for the detailed level 3 roll forward disclosures. The Company adopted the detailed level 3 roll forward disclosures beginning with the first quarter ended December 31, 2011. The adoption of this guidance did not have a material impact on the Company's disclosures in its consolidated financial statements.

In May 2011, the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") issued an update to the fair value measurement guidance to achieve common fair value measurement and disclosure requirements in U.S. GAAP and International Financial Reporting Standards ("IFRS"). The amendments in the update change the wording used to describe many of the requirements in U.S. GAAP for measuring fair value and for disclosing information about fair value measurements. The amendment is not intended to result in a change in the application of the requirements in the Fair Value Measurements Topic in the ASC. This guidance is effective for interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2011. The Company adopted this guidance in the second quarter of fiscal year 2012. The adoption of this guidance did not have a material impact on the Company's consolidated financial statements.

In June 2011, the FASB issued new guidance on the presentation of comprehensive income. This guidance eliminates the current option to report comprehensive income and its components in the statement of changes in equity. Under this guidance, an entity can elect to present items of net income and comprehensive income in one continuous statement or in two separate, but consecutive, statements. In addition, the guidance requires entities to show the effects of items reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive loss to net income on the face of the financial statements. This guidance is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2011 and interim and annual periods thereafter. Early adoption is permitted, but full retrospective application is required. This guidance is effective for the Company's fiscal year beginning October 1, 2012 and all interim periods within that fiscal year. In December 2011, the FASB issued guidance that deferred the portion of the original guidance that required a company to separately present within net income reclassification adjustments of items out of accumulated other comprehensive loss. The deferral is intended to be temporary until the FASB has time to reconsider these changes. The other provisions of the guidance will become effective as originally planned by the FASB. The Company is expecting to adopt this guidance in the first quarter of fiscal year 2013. As the Company reports comprehensive income within its consolidated statements of stockholders' equity, the adoption of this guidance will result in a change in the presentation of comprehensive income in the Company's consolidated financial statements.

In September 2011, the FASB issued amended guidance on goodwill impairment testing. Under the revised guidance, entities testing goodwill for impairment have the option of performing a qualitative assessment, whether it is more likely than not (a likelihood of more than 50%) that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount, before calculating the fair value of the reporting unit. Because the qualitative assessment is optional, entities may bypass it for any reporting unit in any period and begin their impairment analysis with the quantitative calculation in step 1. The guidance does not change how goodwill is calculated or assigned to reporting units, nor does it revise the requirement to test goodwill annually for impairment. In addition, the guidance does not amend the requirement to test goodwill for impairment between annual tests if events or circumstances warrant, however, it does revise the examples of events and circumstances that an entity should consider. The amended guidance is effective for annual and interim goodwill impairment tests performed for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2011. Early adoption is permitted. The Company adopted this guidance at the beginning of fiscal year 2012.The adoption of this guidance did not have a material impact on the Company's consolidated financial statements.

On December 16, 2011, the FASB issued new guidance on the disclosures about offsetting assets and liabilities. While the FASB retained the existing offsetting models under U.S. GAAP, the new standard requires disclosures to allow investors to better compare and understand significant quantitative differences in financial statements prepared under U.S. GAAP. The new standard is effective for annual periods beginning after January 1, 2013, and interim periods within those annual periods. Retrospective application is required. This guidance is effective for the Company's fiscal year beginning October 1, 2013. The Company is expecting to adopt this guidance starting with the first quarter of fiscal year 2014. The adoption of this guidance is expected to change some of the Company's disclosures within the notes to the consolidated financial statements.

In July 2012, the FASB issued final guidance on indefinite-lived intangible assets impairment testing. Under the guidance, entities testing indefinite-lived intangibles for impairment have the option of first performing a qualitative assessment to determine whether it is more likely than not that an indefinite-lived intangible asset is impaired. If a company determines that it is more likely than not that the fair value of such an asset exceeds its carrying amount, it would not need to calculate the fair value of the asset in that year. However, if a company concludes otherwise, it must calculate the fair value of the asset, compare that value with its carrying amount and record an impairment charge, if any. The guidance does not revise the requirement to test indefinite-lived intangible assets annually for impairment. In addition, the guidance does not amend the requirement to test indefinite-lived intangible assets for impairment between annual tests if events or circumstances warrant, however, it does revise the examples of events and circumstances that an entity should consider. The guidance is effective for annual and interim impairment tests performed for fiscal years beginning after September 15, 2012. Early adoption is permitted. The Company is expecting to adopt this guidance for the impairment testing to be performed during the fiscal year ended September 30, 2013. It is expected that the adoption of this guidance will not have a material impact on the Company's consolidated financial statements.