We measure certain financial assets and liabilities at fair value on a recurring basis, including cash equivalents, trading securities owned, available-for-sale securities, investments, trading securities sold, but not yet purchased, securities sold, but not yet purchased, and derivatives.

The degree of judgment used in measuring the fair value of financial instruments generally correlates to the level of pricing observability. Pricing observability is impacted by a number of factors, including the type of financial instrument, whether the financial instrument is new to the market and not yet established, and the characteristics specific to the transaction. Financial instruments with readily available active quoted prices for which fair value can be measured from actively quoted prices generally will have a higher degree of pricing observability and a lesser degree of judgment used in measuring fair value. Conversely, financial instruments rarely traded or not quoted will generally have less, or no, pricing observability and a higher degree of judgment used in measuring fair value.

We generally utilize third-party pricing services to value Level 1 and Level 2 available-for-sale investment securities, as well as certain derivatives designated as fair value hedges. We review the methodologies and assumptions used by the third-party pricing services and evaluate the values provided, principally by comparison with other available market quotes for similar instruments and/or analysis based on internal models using available third-party market data. We may occasionally adjust certain values provided by the third-party pricing service when we believe, as the result of our review, that the adjusted price most appropriately reflects the fair value of the particular security.

Following are descriptions of the valuation methodologies and key inputs used to measure financial assets and liabilities recorded at fair value. The descriptions include an indication of the level of the fair value hierarchy in which the assets or liabilities are classified.

Cash and Cash Equivalents

Cash equivalents include highly liquid investments with original maturities of three months or less. Due to their short-term nature, the carrying amount of these instruments approximates the estimated fair value. Actively traded money market funds are measured at their net asset value, which approximates fair value. As such, we classify the estimated fair value of these instruments as Level 1.

Financial Instruments (Trading securities and available-for-sale securities)

When available, the fair value of financial instruments are based on quoted prices in active markets and reported in Level 1. Level 1 financial instruments include highly liquid instruments with quoted prices, such as equities listed in active markets, certain corporate obligations, and U.S. treasury securities.

If quoted prices are not available, fair values are obtained from pricing services, broker quotes, or other model-based valuation techniques with observable inputs, such as the present value of estimated cash flows and reported as Level 2. The nature of these financial instruments include instruments for which quoted prices are available but traded less frequently, instruments whose fair value have been derived using a model where inputs to the model are directly observable in the market, or can be derived principally from or corroborated by observable market data, and instruments that are fair valued using other financial instruments, the parameters of which can be directly observed. Level 2 financial instruments generally include U.S. government securities, mortgage-backed securities, corporate obligations infrequently traded, certain government and municipal obligations, asset-backed securities, and certain equity securities not actively traded.

Securities classified as Level 3, of which the substantial majority is auction rate securities (“ARS”), represent securities in less liquid markets requiring significant management assumptions when determining fair value. Due to the lack of a robust secondary auction-rate securities market with active fair value indicators, fair value for all periods presented was determined using an income approach based on an internally developed discounted cash flow model. The discounted cash flow model utilizes two significant unobservable inputs: discount rate and workout period. The discount rate was calculated using credit spreads of the underlying collateral or similar securities. The workout period was based on an assessment of publicly available information on efforts to re-establish functioning markets for these securities and our company’s own redemption experience. Significant increases in any of these inputs in isolation would result in a significantly lower fair value. On an on-going basis, management verifies the fair value by reviewing the appropriateness of the discounted cash flow model and its significant inputs.

In addition to ARS, we have classified certain corporate obligations with unobservable pricing inputs and airplane trust certificates as Level 3. The methods used to value trading securities are the same as the methods used to value ARS, discussed above.

Investments

Investments valued at fair value include ARS, investments in mutual funds, U.S. treasury securities, investments in public companies, private equity securities, partnerships, and warrants of public or private companies.

Investments in certain public companies, mutual funds and U.S. treasury securities are valued based on quoted prices in active markets and reported in Level 1. Investments in certain private equity securities and partnerships with unobservable inputs and ARS for which the market has been dislocated and largely ceased to function are reported as Level 3 assets. The methods used to value ARS are discussed above.

Investments in partnerships and other investments include our general and limited partnership interests in investment partnerships and direct investments in non-public companies. The net assets of investment partnerships consist primarily of investments in non-marketable securities. The value of these investments is at risk to changes in equity markets, general economic conditions and a variety of other factors. We estimate fair value for private equity investments based on our percentage ownership in the net asset value of the entire fund, as reported by the fund or on behalf of the fund, after indication that the fund adheres to applicable fair value measurement guidance. For those funds where the net asset value is not reported by the fund, we derive the fair value of the fund by estimating the fair value of each underlying investment in the fund. In addition to using qualitative information about each underlying investment, as provided by the fund, we give consideration to information pertinent to the specific nature of the debt or equity investment, such as relevant market conditions, offering prices, operating results, financial conditions, exit strategy and other qualitative information, as available. The lack of an independent source to validate fair value estimates, including the impact of future capital calls and transfer restrictions, is an inherent limitation in the valuation process. Commitments to fund additional investments in nonmarketable equity securities recorded at fair value were $3.7 million and $4.0 million at March 31, 2012 and December 31, 2011, respectively.

Warrants are valued based upon the Black-Scholes option-pricing model that uses discount rates and stock volatility factors of comparable companies as inputs. These inputs are subject to management judgment to account for differences between the measured investment and comparable companies and are reported as Level 3 assets.

Securities Sold, But Not Yet Purchased

Equity securities that are valued based on quoted prices in active markets and reported in Level 1.

Derivatives

Derivatives are valued using quoted market prices when available or pricing models based on the net present value of estimated future cash flows. The valuation models used require market observable inputs, including contractual terms, market prices, yield curves, credit curves, and measures of volatility. We manage credit risk for our derivative positions on a counterparty-by-counterparty basis and calculate credit valuation adjustments, included in the fair value of these instruments, on the basis of our relationships at the counterparty portfolio/master netting agreement level. These credit valuation adjustments are determined by applying a credit spread for the counterparty to the total expected exposure of the derivative after considering collateral and other master netting arrangements. We have classified our interest rate swaps as Level 2.

Assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis as of March 31, 2012 and December 31, 2011 are presented below:


	March 31, 2012
	Total		Level 1		Level 2		Level 3
Assets:
Cash equivalents	$	48,751	$	48,751	$	—	$	—
Trading securities owned:
U.S. government agency securities		91,271		—		91,271		—
U.S. government securities		15,030		15,030		—		—
Corporate securities:
Fixed income securities		240,244		67,774		165,773		6,697
Equity securities		31,810		28,584		3,226		—
State and municipal securities		197,369		—		197,369		—
Total trading securities owned		575,724		111,388		457,639		6,697
Available-for-sale securities:
U.S. government agency securities		1,116		—		1,116		—
State and municipal securities		83,486		—		18,607		64,859
Mortgage-backed securities:
Agency		465,882		—		465,882		—
Commercial		286,868		—		286,868		—
Non-agency		16,689		—		16,689		—
Corporate fixed income securities		468,097		310,850		145,247		12,000
Asset-backed securities		25,417		—		25,417		—
Total available-for-sale securities		1,347,535		310,850		959,826		76,859
Investments:
Corporate equity securities		27,504		27,311		193		—
Mutual funds		36,855		36,855		—		—
U.S. government securities		7,000		7,000		—		—
Auction rate securities:
Equity securities		92,077		—		—		92,077
Municipal securities		13,404		—		—		13,404
Other		39,266		942		342		37,982
Total investments		216,106		72,108		535		143,463
	$	2,188,116	$	543,097	$	1,418,000	$	227,019

Liabilities:
Trading securities sold, but not yet purchased:
U.S. government securities	$	98,283	$	98,283	$	—	$	—
U.S. government agency securities		6,161		—		6,161		—
Corporate securities:
Fixed income securities		145,002		46,729		98,273		—
Equity securities		17,972		17,972		—		—
State and municipal securities		389		—		389		—
Total trading securities sold, but not yet purchased		267,807		162,984		104,823		—
Securities sold, but not yet purchased		21,823		21,823		—		—
Derivative contracts ⁽¹⁾		21,040		—		21,040		—
	$	310,670	$	184,807	$	125,863	$	—

⁽¹⁾ Included in accounts payable and accrued expenses in the consolidated statements of financial condition.

	December 31, 2011
	Total		Level 1		Level 2		Level 3
Assets:
Cash equivalents	$	14,156	$	14,156	$	—	$	—
Trading securities owned:
U.S. government agency securities		66,424		—		66,424		—
U.S. government securities		32,845		32,845		—		—
Corporate securities:
Fixed income securities		244,535		31,398		209,395		3,742
Equity securities		19,859		19,506		353		—
State and municipal securities		111,288		—		111,288		—
Total trading securities owned		474,951		83,749		387,460		3,742
Available-for-sale securities:
U.S. government agency securities		1,103		—		1,103		—
State and municipal securities		86,932		—		20,036		66,896
Mortgage-backed securities:
Agency		404,662		—		404,662		—
Commercial		271,510		—		271,510		—
Non-agency		17,460		—		17,460		—
Corporate fixed income securities		405,985		153,855		240,130		12,000
Asset-backed securities		26,489		—		26,489		—
Total available-for-sale securities		1,214,141		153,855		981,390		78,896
Investments:
Corporate equity securities		23,921		23,921		—		—
Mutual funds		33,958		33,958		—		—
Auction rate securities:
Equity securities		103,176		—		—		103,176
Municipal securities		11,729		—		—		11,729
Other		38,424		1,055		336		37,033
Total investments		211,208		58,934		336		151,938
	$	1,914,456	$	310,694	$	1,369,186	$	234,576

Liabilities:
Trading securities sold, but not yet purchased:
U.S. government securities	$	109,776	$	109,776	$	—	$	—
U.S. government agency securities		954		—		954		—
Corporate securities:
Fixed income securities		149,460		74,719		74,741		—
Equity securities		6,060		6,019		41		—
State and municipal securities		583		—		583		—
Total trading securities sold, but not yet purchased		266,833		190,514		76,319		—
Securities sold, but not yet purchased		19,223		19,223		—		—
Derivative contracts ⁽¹⁾		24,877		—		24,877		—
	$	310,933	$	209,737	$	101,196	$	—

⁽¹⁾ Included in accounts payable and accrued expenses in the consolidated statements of financial condition.

Our investment in a senior preferred interest in Miller Buckfire & Co. LLC, which is included in investments in the consolidated statements of financial condition, is carried at cost and therefore not included in the above analysis of fair value at March 31, 2012 and December 31, 2011.

The following table summarizes the changes in fair value carrying values associated with Level 3 financial instruments during the three months ended March 31, 2012 (in thousands):



				Available-for-sale securities					Investments
	Corporate Fixed Income Securities ⁽¹⁾			State and Municipal Securities ⁽²⁾			Corporate Fixed Income Securities		Auction Rate Securities – Equity			Auction Rate Securities – Municipal			Other

Balance at December 31, 2011	$	3,742		$	66,896		$	12,000	$	103,176		$	11,729		$	37,033
Unrealized gains/(losses):
Included in changes in net assets⁽³⁾		47			—			—		451			(65	)		704
Included in OCI ⁽⁴⁾		—			(155	)		—		—			—			—
Realized gains ⁽³⁾		18			118			—		—			—			590
Purchases		5,246			—			—		2,800			2,040			390
Sales		(2,557	)		—			—		—			—			(735	)
Redemptions		—			(2,000	)		—		(14,350	)		(300	)		—
Transfers:
Into Level 3		227			—			—		—			—			—
Out of Level 3		(26	)		—			—		—			—			—
Net change		2,955			(2,037	)		—		(11,099	)		1,675			949
Balance at March 31, 2012	$	6,697		$	64,859		$	12,000	$	92,077		$	13,404		$	37,982

⁽¹⁾ Included in trading securities owned in the consolidated statements of financial condition.
⁽²⁾ Consists of auction rate securities.
⁽³⁾ Realized and unrealized gains/(losses) related to trading securities and investments are reported in other income in the consolidated statements of operations.
⁽⁴⁾ Unrealized gains related to available-for-sale securities are reported in accumulated other comprehensive loss in the consolidated statements of financial condition.

The results included in the table above are only a component of the overall investment strategies of our company. The table above does not present Level 1 or Level 2 valued assets or liabilities. The changes to our company’s Level 3 classified instruments were principally a result of: unrealized gains and losses and redemptions of ARS at par during the three months ended March 31, 2012. The changes in unrealized gains/(losses) recorded in earnings for the three months ended March 31, 2012 relating to Level 3 assets still held at March 31, 2012 were immaterial.

The following table presents quantitative information related to the significant unobservable inputs utilized in our company’s Level 3 recurring fair value measurements as of March 31, 2012 (in thousands, except rates and years).

Discounted cash flow model -
unobservable inputs

Discount rate

Workout period

Estimated
fair value

Range

Weighted
average

Range

Weighted
average

Available-for-sale securities:

State and municipal securities

64,859

2.4% - 9.2%

5.0%

3 – 4 years

3.5 years

Investments:

Auction rate securities:

Equity securities

92,077

0.0% - 7.5%

4.7%

1 – 4 years

2.6 years

Municipal securities

13,404

1.5% - 8.7%

4.2%

1 – 3 years

1.9 years

Transfers Within the Fair Value Hierarchy

We assess our financial instruments on a quarterly basis to determine the appropriate classification within the fair value hierarchy. Transfers between fair value classifications occur when there are changes in pricing observability levels. Transfers of financial instruments among the levels are deemed to occur at the beginning of the reporting period. There were $1.8 million of transfers of financial assets from Level 2 to Level 1 during the three months ended March 31, 2012 primarily related to tax-exempt securities for which market trades were observed that provided transparency into the valuation of these assets. There were $0.4 million of transfers of financial assets from Level 1 to Level 2 during the three months ended March 31, 2012 primarily related to tax-exempt securities for which there were low volumes of recent trade activity observed. There were $0.2 million of transfers of financial assets into Level 3 during the three months ended March 31, 2012 related to corporate fixed income securities for which there were low volumes of recent trade activity observed.

Fair Value of Financial Instruments

The following reflects the fair value of financial instruments, as of March 31, 2012 and December 31, 2011, whether or not recognized in the consolidated statements of financial condition at fair value (in thousands).


	March 31, 2012				December 31, 2011
	Carrying value		Estimated fair value		Carrying value		Estimated fair value
Financial assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	$	226,458	$	226,458	$	167,671	$	167,671
Restricted cash		6,584		6,584		6,883		6,883
Cash segregated for regulatory purposes		26		26		26		26
Securities purchased under agreements to resell		103,958		103,958		75,455		75,455
Trading securities owned		575,724		575,724		474,951		474,951
Available-for-sale securities		1,347,535		1,347,535		1,214,141		1,214,141
Held-to-maturity securities		327,447		329,833		190,484		189,071
Loans held for sale		141,136		141,136		131,754		131,754
Bank loans		657,193		665,773		632,140		639,341
Investments		244,106		244,106		239,208		239,208
Financial liabilities:
Securities sold under agreements to repurchase	$	142,119	$	142,119	$	80,176	$	80,176
Bank deposits		2,357,912		2,326,411		2,071,738		2,067,324
Trading securities sold, but not yet purchased		267,807		267,807		266,833		266,833
Securities sold, but not yet purchased		21,823		21,823		19,223		19,223
Derivative contracts ⁽¹⁾		21,040		21,040		24,877		24,877
Senior notes		175,000		189,108		—		—
Debentures to Stifel Financial Capital Trusts		82,500		69,206		82,500		67,594
Liabilities subordinated to the claims of general creditors		5,318		5,079		6,957		6,671

⁽¹⁾ Included in accounts payable and accrued expenses in the consolidated statements of financial condition.

The following table presents the estimated fair values of financial instruments not measured at fair value on a recurring basis (in thousands):


	March 31, 2012 ⁽¹⁾
	Total		Level 1		Level 2		Level 3
Financial assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	$	177,707	$	177,707	$	—	$	—
Restricted cash		6,584		6,584		—		—
Cash segregated for regulatory purposes		26		26		—		—
Securities purchased under agreements to resell		103,958		103,958		—		—
Held-to-maturity securities		329,833		14,707		39,537		275,589
Loans held for sale		141,136		—		141,136		—
Bank loans		665,773		—		665,773		—
Investments		28,000		—		—		28,000
Financial liabilities:
Securities sold under agreements to repurchase	$	142,119		35,809		106,310		—
Bank deposits		2,326,411		—		2,326,411		—
Senior notes		189,108		189,108		—		—
Debentures to Stifel Financial Capital Trusts		69,206		—		—		69,206
Liabilities subordinated to claims of general creditors		5,079		—		—		5,079

⁽¹⁾ We adopted the provisions of Update No. 2011-04 in the first quarter of 2012 on a prospective basis. Accordingly, disclosures for prior periods are not presented.

The following, as supplemented by the discussion above, describes the valuation techniques used in estimating the fair value of our financial instruments as of March 31, 2012 and December 31, 2011.

Financial Assets

Securities Purchased Under Agreements to Resell

Securities purchased under agreements to resell are collateralized financing transactions that are recorded at their contractual amounts plus accrued interest. The carrying values at March 31, 2012 and December 31, 2011 approximate fair value due to the short-term nature.

Held-to-Maturity Securities

Securities held to maturity are recorded at amortized cost based on our company’s positive intent and ability to hold these securities to maturity. Securities held to maturity include asset-backed securities, consisting of corporate obligations, collateralized debt obligation securities and ARS. The estimated fair value, included in the above table, is determined using several factors; however, primary weight is given to discounted cash flow modeling techniques that incorporated an estimated discount rate based upon recent observable debt security issuances with similar characteristics.

Loans Held for Sale

Loans held for sale consist of fixed-rate and adjustable-rate residential real estate mortgage loans intended for sale. Loans held for sale are stated at lower of cost or fair value. Fair value is determined based on prevailing market prices for loans with similar characteristics or on sale contract prices.

Bank Loans

The fair values of mortgage loans and commercial loans were estimated using a discounted cash flow method, a form of the income approach. Discount rates were determined considering rates at which similar portfolios of loans would be made under current conditions and considering liquidity spreads applicable to each loan portfolio based on the secondary market.

Financial Liabilities

Securities Sold Under Agreements to Repurchase

Securities sold under agreements to repurchase are collateralized financing transactions that are recorded at their contractual amounts plus accrued interest. The carrying values at March 31, 2012 and December 31, 2011 approximate fair value due to the short-term nature.

Bank Deposits

The fair value for demand deposits is equal to the amount payable on demand at the reporting date (that is, their carrying amounts). The carrying amounts of variable-rate money-market and savings accounts approximate their fair values at the reporting date as these are short-term in nature. The fair value of other interest-bearing deposits, including certificates of deposit, was calculated by discounting the future cash flows using discount rates based on the expected current market rates for similar products with similar remaining terms.

Senior Notes

The fair value of our 6.70% senior notes is estimated based upon quoted market prices.

Debentures to Stifel Financial Capital Trusts

The fair value of our trust preferred securities is based on the discounted value of contractual cash flows. We have assumed a discount rate based on the coupon achieved in our recently issued 6.7% senior notes due 2022.

Liabilities Subordinated to Claims of General Creditors

The fair value of subordinated debt was measured using the interest rates commensurate with borrowings of similar terms.

These fair value disclosures represent our best estimates based on relevant market information and information about the financial instruments. Fair value estimates are based on judgments regarding future expected losses, current economic conditions, risk characteristics of the various instruments, and other factors. These estimates are subjective in nature and involve uncertainties and matters of significant judgment and, therefore, cannot be determined with precision. Changes in the above methodologies and assumptions could significantly affect the estimates.