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Note 11 - Off Balance Sheet Risk and Concentration of Credit Risk
9 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2014
Risks and Uncertainties [Abstract]  
Concentration Risk Disclosure [Text Block]

NOTE 11. OFF BALANCE SHEET RISK AND CONCENTRATION OF CREDIT RISK


Entering into Short Positions


A short sale involves the sale of a security that is not owned in the expectation of purchasing the same security (or a security exchangeable into the same security) at a later date at a lower price. A short sale involves the risk of a theoretically unlimited increase in the market price of the security that would result in a theoretically unlimited loss, although this potential loss is mitigated in the case of debt securities by the nature of such securities.


Concentrations of Credit Risk


The Company is engaged in trading and providing a broad range of securities brokerage and investment services to a diverse group of retail and institutional clientele, as well as corporate finance and investment banking services to corporations and businesses. Counterparties to the Company’s business activities include broker-dealers and clearing organizations, banks and other financial institutions. The Company primarily uses clearing brokers to process transactions and maintain customer accounts on a fee basis for the Company. The Company uses three clearing brokers for substantially all of its business. The Company permits the clearing firms to extend credit to its clientele secured by cash and securities in the client’s account. The Company’s exposure to credit risk associated with the non-performance by its customers and counterparties in fulfilling their contractual obligations can be directly impacted by volatile or illiquid trading markets, which may impair the ability of customers and counterparties to satisfy their obligations to the Company. The Company has agreed to indemnify the clearing brokers for losses they incur while extending credit to the Company’s clients. It is the Company’s policy to review, as necessary, the credit standing of its customers and counterparties. Amounts due from customers that are considered uncollectible by the clearing broker are charged back to the Company by the clearing broker when such amounts become determinable. Upon notification of a charge back, such amounts, in total or in part, are then either (i) collected from the customers, (ii) charged to the broker initiating the transaction and included in other receivables in the accompanying consolidated statements of financial condition, and/or (iii) charged as an expense in the accompanying consolidated statements of operations, based on the particular facts and circumstances.


The Company maintains cash with major financial institutions. All accounts are insured up to $250,000 in aggregate, by company and by financial institution. To reduce its risk associated with the failure of such financial institutions, the Company periodically evaluates the credit quality of the counterparties in which it holds deposits. As a result of this evaluation, the Company believes it is not exposed to any significant credit risks for cash.