11. Commitments and Contingencies

Lease Commitments

The Company leases office space under non-cancelable lease agreements expiring at various dates through 2027. Office space leases are subject to escalation based on certain costs incurred by the landlord. Minimum rental commitments as of September 30, 2014 under such operating leases were as follows (in thousands):

Remainder of 2014	$	395
2015		1,780
2016		2,925
2017		2,860
2018		2,942
2019 and thereafter		15,326
	$	26,228

Rental expense was $2.9 million and $3.0 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2014 and 2013, respectively, and is included in occupancy expense in the Consolidated Statements of Operations. Rental expense has been recorded based on the total minimum lease payments after giving effect to rent abatement and concessions, which are being amortized on a straight-line basis over the life of the lease. The Company is contingently obligated for standby letters of credit amounting to $1.3 million that were issued to landlords for office space.

The Company has assigned two lease agreements on leased properties to separate third parties. The Company is contingently liable should the assignees default on future lease obligations through the lease termination dates of November 2015 and November 2020. The aggregate amount of future lease obligations under these arrangements is $2.3 million as of September 30, 2014.

Legal Matters

In the normal course of business, the Company and its subsidiaries included in the consolidated financial statements may be involved in various lawsuits, proceedings and regulatory examinations. The Company assesses its liabilities and contingencies in connection with outstanding legal proceedings, if any, utilizing the latest information available. For matters where it is probable that the Company will incur a material loss and the amount can be reasonably estimated, the Company would establish an accrual for the loss. Once established, the accrual would be adjusted to reflect any relevant developments. When a loss contingency is not both probable and estimable, the Company does not establish an accrual.

In January 2013, a former employee of the Company filed a complaint against the Company with the U.S. Department of Labor alleging retaliatory employment practices in violation of the whistleblower provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. The relief sought includes, among other things, reinstatement, back pay and compensatory and punitive damages. The Company believes the complaint is without merit and intends to vigorously defend itself against the allegations. The Company filed its response to the complaint in February 2013. Given the inherent uncertainty of the potential outcome of such proceedings, the Company cannot estimate the reasonably possible range of loss at this time. Based on the available information, the Company believes that the low end of the reasonably possible range of loss is zero and, accordingly, no loss accrual has been provided in the Company’s accompanying financial statements.

Other

The Company, through two regulated subsidiaries, executes certain bond transactions between and among institutional investor and broker-dealer clients on a matched principal basis by serving as counterparty to both the buyer and the seller in trades which then settle through a third-party clearing broker. Settlement typically occurs within one to three trading days after the trade date. Cash settlement of the transaction occurs upon receipt or delivery of the underlying instrument that was traded. For the nine months ended September 30, 2014 and 2013, revenues from matched principal transactions were $4.7 million and $4.5 million, respectively. Under securities clearing agreements with the third party clearing brokers, the Company maintains a collateral deposit with each clearing broker in the form of cash. As of September 30, 2014, the amount of the collateral deposit included in prepaid expenses and other assets in the Consolidated Statements of Financial Condition was $0.9 million. The Company is exposed to credit risk in the event a counterparty does not fulfill its obligation to complete a transaction. Pursuant to the terms of the securities clearing agreements, the clearing brokers have the right to charge the Company for losses resulting from a counterparty’s failure to fulfill its contractual obligations. The losses are not capped at a maximum amount and apply to all trades executed through the clearing broker. At September 30, 2014, the Company had not recorded any liabilities with regard to this right.

In the normal course of business, the Company enters into contracts that contain a variety of representations, warranties and general indemnifications. The Company’s maximum exposure under these arrangements is unknown, as this would involve future claims that may be made against the Company that have not yet occurred. However, based on experience, the Company expects the risk of loss to be remote.