FAIR VALUE (Details) (USD $)	Jun. 30, 2011		Sep. 30, 2010		Jun. 30, 2010
Trading instruments:
Municipal and provincial obligations (asset)	$ 184,097,000		$ 168,353,000
Corporate obligations (asset)	37,151,000		38,471,000
Government and agency obligations	41,366,000		36,894,000
Agency mortgage-backed securities (MBS) and collateralized mortgage obligations (CMOs)	232,217,000		278,578,000
Non-agency CMOs and asset-backed securities (ABS)	12,806,000		8,297,000
Total debt securities	507,637,000		530,593,000
Derivative contracts	21,870,000		26,367,000
Equity securities	34,131,000		31,644,000
Other securities	11,439,000		2,843,000
Total trading instruments	575,077,000		591,447,000
Available for sale securities:
Agency MBS and CMOs asset	160,512,000		217,879,000
Non-agency CMOs	163,606,000		201,570,000
Other securities (asset)	11,000		5,012,000
Total available for sale securities	324,129,000		424,461,000
Private equity and other investments:
Private equity investments	167,774,000		161,230,000
Other investments	154,026,000		159,849,000
Total private equity and other investments	321,800,000		321,079,000
Other assets	25,000		25,000
Total assets	1,221,031,000		1,337,012,000
Trading instruments sold but not yet purchased:
Municipal and provincial obligations (liability)	720,000		296,000
Corporate obligations (liability)	1,610,000		693,000
Government obligations	173,371,000		99,631,000
Agency MBS and CMOs liability	5,000		105,000
Total debt securities	175,706,000		100,725,000
Derivative contracts	262,000		1,649,000
Equity securities	19,675,000		28,664,000
Other securities (liability)	150,000
Total trading instruments sold but not yet purchased	195,793,000		131,038,000
Other liabilities	54,000		151,000
Total Liabilities	195,847,000		131,189,000
Instruments measured at fair value, percentage of assets (in hundredths)	7.60%				8.90%
Instruments measured at fair value, percentage of liabilities (in hundredths)	1.50%				0.70%
Instruments measured at fair value, Level 3, percentage of assets (in hundredths)	14.50%				13.40%
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] | Quoted Prices in Active Markets for Identical Assets (Level 1) [Member]
Trading instruments:
Municipal and provincial obligations (asset)	6,000	[1]	7,000	[2]
Corporate obligations (asset)	8,666,000	[1]	21,485,000	[2]
Government and agency obligations	15,052,000	[1]	27,374,000	[2]
Agency mortgage-backed securities (MBS) and collateralized mortgage obligations (CMOs)	234,000	[1]	303,000	[2]
Non-agency CMOs and asset-backed securities (ABS)	0	[1]	0	[2]
Total debt securities	23,958,000	[1]	49,169,000	[2]
Derivative contracts	0	[1]	0	[2]
Equity securities	29,831,000	[1]	28,506,000	[2]
Other securities	2,534,000	[1]	1,250,000	[2]
Total trading instruments	56,323,000	[1]	78,925,000	[2]
Available for sale securities:
Agency MBS and CMOs asset	0	[1]	0	[2]
Non-agency CMOs	0	[1]	0	[2]
Other securities (asset)	11,000	[1]	9,000	[2]
Total available for sale securities	11,000	[1]	9,000	[2]
Private equity and other investments:
Private equity investments	0	[1]	0	[2]
Other investments	153,888,000	[1]	158,653,000	[2]
Total private equity and other investments	153,888,000	[1]	158,653,000	[2]
Other assets	0	[1]	0	[2]
Total assets	210,222,000	[1]	237,587,000	[2]
Trading instruments sold but not yet purchased:
Municipal and provincial obligations (liability)	0	[1]	0	[2]
Corporate obligations (liability)	0	[1]	17,000	[2]
Government obligations	173,371,000	[1]	99,631,000	[2]
Agency MBS and CMOs liability	5,000	[1]	105,000	[2]
Total debt securities	173,376,000	[1]	99,753,000	[2]
Derivative contracts	0	[1]	0	[2]
Equity securities	19,360,000	[1]	15,890,000	[2]
Other securities (liability)	0	[1]
Total trading instruments sold but not yet purchased	192,736,000	[1]	115,643,000	[2]
Other liabilities	0	[1]	0	[2]
Total Liabilities	192,736,000	[1]	115,643,000	[2]
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] | Quoted Prices in Active Markets for Identical Assets (Level 2) [Member]
Trading instruments:
Municipal and provincial obligations (asset)	177,781,000	[1]	162,071,000	[2]
Corporate obligations (asset)	28,485,000	[1]	16,986,000	[2]
Government and agency obligations	26,314,000	[1]	9,520,000	[2]
Agency mortgage-backed securities (MBS) and collateralized mortgage obligations (CMOs)	231,983,000	[1]	278,275,000	[2]
Non-agency CMOs and asset-backed securities (ABS)	12,748,000	[1]	4,367,000	[2]
Total debt securities	477,311,000	[1]	471,219,000	[2]
Derivative contracts	84,171,000	[1]	102,490,000	[2]
Equity securities	2,953,000	[1]	113,000	[2]
Other securities	8,905,000	[1]	1,593,000	[2]
Total trading instruments	573,340,000	[1]	575,415,000	[2]
Available for sale securities:
Agency MBS and CMOs asset	160,512,000	[1]	217,879,000	[2]
Non-agency CMOs	162,691,000	[1]	200,559,000	[2]
Other securities (asset)	0	[1]	5,003,000	[2]
Total available for sale securities	323,203,000	[1]	423,441,000	[2]
Private equity and other investments:
Private equity investments	0	[1]	0	[2]
Other investments	93,000	[1]	1,151,000	[2]
Total private equity and other investments	93,000	[1]	1,151,000	[2]
Other assets	0	[1]	25,000	[2]
Total assets	896,636,000	[1]	1,000,032,000	[2]
Trading instruments sold but not yet purchased:
Municipal and provincial obligations (liability)	720,000	[1]	296,000	[2]
Corporate obligations (liability)	1,610,000	[1]	676,000	[2]
Government obligations	0	[1]	0	[2]
Agency MBS and CMOs liability	0	[1]	0	[2]
Total debt securities	2,330,000	[1]	972,000	[2]
Derivative contracts	65,292,000	[1]	86,039,000	[2]
Equity securities	315,000	[1]	12,774,000	[2]
Other securities (liability)	150,000	[1]
Total trading instruments sold but not yet purchased	68,087,000	[1]	99,785,000	[2]
Other liabilities	14,000	[1]	105,000	[2]
Total Liabilities	68,101,000	[1]	99,890,000	[2]
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] | Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3) [Member]
Trading instruments:
Municipal and provincial obligations (asset)	6,310,000		6,275,000
Corporate obligations (asset)	0		0
Government and agency obligations	0		0
Agency mortgage-backed securities (MBS) and collateralized mortgage obligations (CMOs)	0		0
Non-agency CMOs and asset-backed securities (ABS)	58,000		3,930,000
Total debt securities	6,368,000		10,205,000
Derivative contracts	0		0
Equity securities	1,347,000		3,025,000
Other securities	0		0
Total trading instruments	7,715,000		13,230,000
Available for sale securities:
Agency MBS and CMOs asset	0		0
Non-agency CMOs	915,000		1,011,000
Other securities (asset)	0		0
Total available for sale securities	915,000		1,011,000
Private equity and other investments:
Private equity investments	167,774,000	[3]	161,230,000	[4]
Other investments	45,000		45,000
Total private equity and other investments	167,819,000		161,275,000
Other assets	25,000		0
Total assets	176,474,000		175,516,000
Trading instruments sold but not yet purchased:
Municipal and provincial obligations (liability)	0		0
Corporate obligations (liability)	0		0
Government obligations	0		0
Agency MBS and CMOs liability	0		0
Total debt securities	0		0
Derivative contracts	0		0
Equity securities	0		0
Other securities (liability)	0		0
Total trading instruments sold but not yet purchased	0
Other liabilities	40,000		46,000
Total Liabilities	40,000		46,000
Private equity investments	87,900,000		86,300,000
Weighted-average ownership percentage (in hundredths)	20.00%		20.00%
Portion of significant private equity investments included in Noncontrolling Interests	70,000,000		69,100,000
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] | Netting Adjustments [Member]
Trading instruments:
Municipal and provincial obligations (asset)	0	[5]	0	[5]
Corporate obligations (asset)	0	[5]	0	[5]
Government and agency obligations	0	[5]	0	[5]
Agency mortgage-backed securities (MBS) and collateralized mortgage obligations (CMOs)	0	[5]	0	[5]
Non-agency CMOs and asset-backed securities (ABS)	0	[5]	0	[5]
Total debt securities	0	[5]	0	[5]
Derivative contracts	(62,301,000)	[5]	(76,123,000)	[5]
Equity securities	0	[5]	0	[5]
Other securities	0	[5]	0	[5]
Total trading instruments	(62,301,000)	[5]	(76,123,000)	[5]
Available for sale securities:
Agency MBS and CMOs asset	0	[5]	0	[5]
Non-agency CMOs	0	[5]	0	[5]
Other securities (asset)	0	[5]	0	[5]
Total available for sale securities	0	[5]	0	[5]
Private equity and other investments:
Private equity investments	0	[5]	0	[5]
Other investments	0	[5]	0	[5]
Total private equity and other investments	0	[5]	0	[5]
Other assets	0	[5]	0	[5]
Total assets	(62,301,000)	[5]	(76,123,000)	[5]
Trading instruments sold but not yet purchased:
Municipal and provincial obligations (liability)	0	[5]	0	[5]
Corporate obligations (liability)	0	[5]	0	[5]
Government obligations	0	[5]	0	[5]
Agency MBS and CMOs liability	0	[5]	0	[5]
Total debt securities	0	[5]	0	[5]
Derivative contracts	(65,030,000)	[5]	(84,390,000)	[5]
Equity securities	0	[5]	0	[5]
Other securities (liability)	0	[5]
Total trading instruments sold but not yet purchased	(65,030,000)	[5]	(84,390,000)	[5]
Other liabilities	0	[5]	0	[5]
Total Liabilities	$ (65,030,000)	[5]	$ (84,390,000)	[5]

[1] We had no significant transfers of financial instruments between Level 1 and Level 2 during the period ended June 30, 2011. Our policy is to use the end of each respective quarterly reporting period to determine when transfers of financial instruments between levels are recognized

[2] We had no significant transfers of financial instruments between Level 1 and Level 2 during the year ended September 30, 2010. Our policy is to use the end of each respective quarterly reporting period to determine when transfers of financial instruments between levels are recognized.

[3] Includes $87.9 million in private equity investments of which the weighted-average portion we own is approximately 20%. The portion of this investment we do not own becomes a component of noncontrolling interests on our Condensed Consolidated Statements of Financial Condition, and amounted to $70 million of that total as of June 30, 2011.

[4] Includes $86.3 million in private equity investments of which the weighted-average portion we own is approximately 20%. The portion of this investment we do not own becomes a component of noncontrolling interests on our Condensed Consolidated Statements of Financial Condition, and amounted to $69.1 million of that total as of September 30, 2010.

[5] We have elected to net derivative receivables and derivative payables and the related cash collateral received and paid when a legally enforceable master netting agreement exists.