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Note 16 - Off Balance Sheet Risk and Concentrations of Credit Risk
12 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2020
Notes to Financial Statements  
Concentration Risk Disclosure [Text Block]
NOTE
16.
OFF BALANCE SHEET RISK AND 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 uses clearing brokers to process transactions and maintain customer accounts for the Company on a fee basis. 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/or (iii) charged to operations, based on the particular facts and circumstances.
 
The Company maintains cash in bank deposits, which, at times,
may
exceed federally insured limits. The Company has
not
experienced and does
not
expect to experience losses on such accounts.
 
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) 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.
 
To the extent the Company invests in marketable securities, the Company is subject to various market risks related to the portfolio.
 
As a result of the spread of COVID-
19,
economic uncertainties have arisen which have negatively impacted and are likely to continue to negatively impact our businesses, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows, strategies and prospects. The extent of the impact of COVID-
19
on our operational and financial performance will depend on certain developments, including the duration and spread of the outbreak and impact on our clients, employees, vendors and the markets in which we operate our businesses, all of which are uncertain at this time and cannot be predicted. The extent to which COVID-
19
may
impact our financial condition or results of operations cannot be reasonably estimated at this time.