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Off-Balance Sheet Risk and Concentration of Credit Risk
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2018
Off-Balance Sheet Risk and Concentration of Credit Risk  
Off-Balance Sheet Risk and Concentration of Credit Risk

(20)       Off-Balance Sheet Risk and Concentration of Credit Risk

The Company is a member of various U.S. and non-U.S. exchanges and clearing houses that trade and clear, respectively, equities and/or derivative contracts. Associated with the Company’s membership, the Company may be required to pay a proportionate share of financial obligations of another member who may default on its obligations to the exchanges or the clearing house. While the rules governing different exchange or clearing house memberships vary, in general, the Company’s obligations would arise only if the exchanges and clearing houses had previously exhausted other remedies. The maximum potential payout under these memberships cannot be estimated. The Company has not recorded any contingent liability in the consolidated financial statements for these agreements and believes that any potential requirement to make payments under these agreements is remote. In the ordinary course of business, the Company guarantees obligations of subsidiaries which may arise from third-party clearing relationships and trading counterparties. The activities of the subsidiaries covered by these guarantees are included in the Company’s consolidated financial statements. The Company is also subject to indemnification provisions within agreements with third-party clearing brokers in certain jurisdictions whereby the Company is obligated to reimburse the clearing broker, without limit, for losses incurred due to a counterparty’s failure to satisfy its contractual obligations.

 

The Company’s customer financing and securities settlement activities may require the Company to pledge customer securities as collateral in support of various secured financing transactions such as bank loans. In the event the financing counterparty is unable to meet its contractual obligation to return customer securities pledged as collateral, the Company may be exposed to the risk of acquiring the securities at prevailing market prices in order to satisfy its customer obligations. The Company controls this risk by monitoring the market value of securities pledged on a daily basis and by requiring adjustments of collateral levels in the event of excess market exposure.

 

Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to concentrations of credit risk are primarily cash and cash equivalents, securities owned at fair value, receivables from brokers, dealers and clearing organizations and receivables from customers. Cash and cash equivalents and securities owned, at fair value are deposited with high credit quality financial institutions.

 

In connection with customer settlement activities, the Company loans securities temporarily to other brokers. The Company receives cash as collateral for the securities loaned. Increases in security prices may cause the market value of the securities loaned to exceed the amount of cash received as collateral. In the event the counterparty to these transactions does not return the loaned securities, the Company may be exposed to the risk of acquiring the securities at prevailing market prices in order to satisfy its client obligations. The Company controls this risk by requiring credit approvals for counterparties, by monitoring the market value of securities loaned on a daily basis, and by requiring additional cash as collateral or returning collateral when necessary.

 

The Company also borrows securities temporarily from other brokers in connection with customer settlement activities. The Company deposits cash as collateral for the securities borrowed. Decreases in security prices may cause the market value of the securities borrowed to fall below the amount of cash deposited as collateral. In the event the counterparty to these transactions does not return collateral, the Company may be exposed to the risk of selling the securities at prevailing market prices. The Company controls this risk by requiring credit approvals for counterparties, by monitoring the collateral values on a daily basis, and by depositing additional collateral with counterparties or receiving cash when deemed necessary.

 

The Company may at times maintain inventories in equity securities on both a long and short basis. Whereas long inventory positions represent the Company’s ownership of securities, short inventory positions represent obligations of the Company to deliver specified securities at a contracted price, which may differ from market prices prevailing at the time of completion of the transaction. Accordingly, both long and short inventory positions may result in losses or gains to the Company as market values of securities fluctuate. To mitigate the risk of losses, long and short positions are marked to market daily and are continuously monitored by the Company.