Related Party Transactions

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2015

Related Party Transactions [Abstract]

Related Party Transactions

Note 14. Related-Party Transactions:

From time to time the Company may provide interest bearing loans to employees, generally in connection with employee recruitment, that are typically short term in nature and repaid from incentive compensation earned by the employee.

In connection with the MLV acquisition, during 2015 the Company made full-recourse employee loans that can be forgiven based on continued employment and performance over the next five years. Such employee loans will be forgiven and amortized to compensation and benefits expense based on a combination of continued employment and achievement of performance goals over the five-year term. As of December 31, 2015 and 2014 there was $3,485 and $143, respectively, of outstanding employee loans included in other receivables on the consolidated balance sheets.

Professional Services Agreement

During the year ended December 31, 2013, under a professional services agreement, as amended, with Crestview Partners, L.P. (“Crestview”), a party that prior to 2014 had designated for election two members of the Company’s Board of Directors, the Company agreed to pay Crestview Advisors, L.L.C. a $1,000 annual strategic advisory fee plus reimbursement of reasonable out-of-pocket expenses as long as Crestview continued to own at least 50% of the shares purchased by certain Crestview affiliates in our 2006 private offering. In June 2010, the Company and Crestview agreed to amend the professional services agreement to allow Crestview the ability to elect to receive a portion of their fee in restricted stock and/or options to purchase shares of the Company’s common stock. If elected, stock options would be issued with a strike price equal to the prevailing market price per share as of the grant date and with an expiration of 4 years. Based on Crestview’s election, in June 2013, the Company issued 32,432, such options to Crestview Advisors, L.L.C. valued at issuance at $270. The remainder of the annual strategic advisory fee was paid in cash. During the year ended December 31, 2013, the Company recognized $905 of expense associated with this agreement.

Other

During the third quarter of 2013, Crestview exercised options to purchase 54,369 shares of the Company’s common stock at an average price of $15.85 per share at an aggregate cost of $862. The Company subsequently repurchased those 54,369 shares and 670,631 other shares from Crestview at $26.25 per share at a total cost of $19,031.

During the fourth quarter of 2013, Crestview exercised options to purchase 87,332 shares of the Company’s common stock at an average price of $12.02 per share at an aggregate cost of $1,050. The Company subsequently repurchased those 87,332 shares and 649,449 other shares from Crestview at $25.75 per share at a total cost of $18,974. Subsequent to these share repurchases, Crestview no longer holds any shares of the Company’s common stock and the Company no longer has any obligations under the Professional Services Agreement with Crestview discussed above.