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Goodwill and Other Intangibles
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2012
Goodwill and Other Intangibles  
Goodwill and Other Intangibles

(7)   Goodwill and Other Intangibles

Goodwill

        The following table presents the changes in the carrying amount of goodwill by reportable segment for the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011, and 2010 (dollars in thousands):

 
  U.S.
Operations
  European
Operations
  Asia Pacific
Operations
  Total  

Balance at December 31, 2010

  $ 439,294   $ 28,484   $ 701   $ 468,479  

2011 Activity:

                         

Impairment losses

    (225,035 )           (225,035 )

Acquisition of RSEG

    30,715             30,715  

Majestic price adjustment

    144             144  

Currency translation adjustment

    (13 )   2         (11 )
                   

Balance at December 31, 2011

  $ 245,105   $ 28,486   $ 701   $ 274,292  
                   

2012 Activity:

                         

Impairment losses

    (245,103 )   (28,481 )   (701 )   (274,285 )

Currency translation adjustment

    (2 )   (5 )       (7 )
                   

Balance at December 31, 2012

  $   $   $   $  
                   

Goodwill Impairment

        Prior to the full goodwill impairment charge taken in the second quarter of 2012, the Company tested the carrying value of goodwill for impairment at least annually and more frequently if an event occurred or circumstances changed that indicated a potential impairment had occurred. The impairment tests were conducted at the reporting unit level, which for the Company is based on geographic segments and not products and services.

        Since 2010, indicators of potential impairment prompted the Company to perform goodwill impairment tests at the end of each quarterly interim period. These indicators included a prolonged decrease in market capitalization, a decline in operating results in comparison to prior years, and the significant near-term uncertainty related to both the global economic recovery and the outlook for the Company's industry. As the indicators of potential impairment did not improve, the Company continued to perform interim goodwill impairment testing at the end of each quarterly period through the second quarter of 2012. All interim impairment tests applied the same valuation techniques and sensitivity analyses used in the Company's annual impairment tests to updated cash flow and profitability forecasts.

        Based upon tests performed for the June 30, 2011 interim test, the Company recorded an impairment charge of $225.0 million in connection with the goodwill allocated to its U.S. Operations reporting unit. This impairment charge reflected continued weakness in institutional trading volumes, which lowered estimated future cash flows of the U.S. Operations reporting unit, as well as a decline in industry market multiples.

        Based upon tests performed during the second quarter of 2012, the Company recorded an impairment charge of $274.3 million in connection with the goodwill allocated to its U.S., European and Asia Pacific reporting units. This impairment charge reflected continued weakness in global institutional trading volumes and an increasingly uncertain outlook on then near-term business fundamentals as well as the length and severity of the decline in global institutional equity market activity. Consequently, the Company downwardly revised its earnings and cash flow forecasts to reflect adjusted expectations for a significantly slower recovery and more prolonged downturn in its global businesses and reduced the multiple used in its market approach to reflect the decline in industry market multiples. Although the revised forecasts continued to result in a fair value for the Canadian reporting unit that was well in excess of its carrying value (which does not include goodwill), the fair values for the U.S., European and Asia Pacific reporting units were determined to be below their carrying values, indicating potential impairment of the goodwill held in these units and requiring step two impairment testing. The step two valuation test yielded aggregate fair values for the tangible and (non-goodwill) intangible assets in each of these reporting units above their aggregate carrying values, which reduced the amount of the implied fair value attributable to goodwill. As a result, goodwill in each of these reporting units was determined to be fully impaired requiring the Company to record a goodwill impairment charge in the second quarter of 2012.

Other Intangible Assets

        Acquired other intangible assets consisted of the following at December 31, 2012 and 2011 (dollars in thousands):

 
  2012   2011    
 
 
  Gross Carrying
Amount
  Accumulated
Amortization
  Gross Carrying
Amount
  Accumulated
Amortization
  Useful
Lives
(Years)
 

Trade names

  $ 10,400   $ 2,000   $ 10,400   $ 1,293     4.0  

Customer-related intangibles

    27,851     6,712     27,851     4,497     13.1  

Proprietary software

    21,501     16,106     20,876     14,036     6.4  

Trading rights

    243         243          

Other

    50         50          
                         

Total

  $ 60,045   $ 24,818   $ 59,420   $ 19,826        
                         

        At December 31, 2011, indefinite-lived intangibles not subject to amortization amounted to $8.7 million, of which $8.4 million related to the POSIT trade name. Amortization expense for definite-lived intangibles was $5.0 million, $4.2 million and $3.0 million for the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010, respectively and was included in other general and administrative expense in the Consolidated Statements of Operations.

        The Company's estimate of future amortization expense for acquired other intangibles that exist at December 31, 2012 is as follows (dollars in thousands):

Year
  Estimated
Amortization
 

2013

  $ 4,302  

2014

    3,811  

2015

    2,654  

2016

    2,654  

2017

    2,654  

Thereafter

    10,460  
       

Total

  $ 26,535  
       

        The Company performed its annual impairment testing as of October 1, 2012 and determined that there was no impairment of the carrying values of other intangible assets in the periods presented.