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Commitments and Contingencies
9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2020
Commitments And Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]  
Commitments and Contingencies

13. Commitments and Contingencies

 

Legal

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 will establish an accrual for the loss. Once established, the accrual will be adjusted to reflect any relevant developments. When a loss contingency is not both probable and estimable, the Company does not establish an accrual.

Based on currently available information, the outcome of the Company’s outstanding matters is not expected to have a material adverse impact on the Company’s financial position. It is not presently possible to determine the ultimate exposure to these matters and there is no assurance that the resolution of the outstanding matters will not significantly exceed any reserves accrued by the Company.

 

Other

The Company, through certain of its subsidiaries, executes bond transactions between its institutional investor and broker-dealer clients on a matched principal basis by serving as counterparty to both the buyer and the seller in trades. In August 2020, one of the Company’s U.S. broker-dealer subsidiaries converted to a self-clearing model for the settlement of such transactions. The Company’s other U.S. and U.K  subsidiaries continue to settle their transactions through third-party clearing brokers. Settlement typically occurs within one to two trading days after the trade date. Cash settlement of the transaction occurs upon receipt or delivery of the underlying instrument that was traded. Under both the self-clearing and the third-party clearing broker models, the Company is exposed to credit risk in the event a counterparty does not fulfill its obligation to complete a transaction or if there is a miscommunication or other error in executing a matched principal transaction. Pursuant to the terms of the securities clearing agreements, each third-party clearing broker has the right to charge the Company for any losses they suffer resulting from a counterparty’s failure on any of the Company’s trades. The Company did not record any liabilities or losses with regard to counterparty failures for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019.

In the normal course of business, the Company enters into contracts that contain a variety of representations, warranties and indemnification provisions. 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.