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Commitments and Contingencies | 12 Months Ended
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Dec. 31, 2018
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract] |
Commitments and Contingencies | Commitments and contingencies Commitments The Company and its subsidiaries have operating leases for office space, equipment and furniture and fixtures expiring at various dates through 2034. Future minimum rental commitments under such office and equipment leases as of December 31, 2018 are as follows:
(Expressed in thousands) |
2019 | $ | 39,684 |
2020 | 36,851 |
2021 | 32,858 |
2022 | 29,604 |
2023 | 27,356 |
2024 and thereafter | 114,256 |
| $ | 280,609 |
The above table includes operating leases which have been signed by the Company's subsidiary, Viner Finance Inc., in which the Company is responsible for rent charges associated with its occupancy. Certain of the leases contain provisions for rent increases based on changes in costs incurred by the lessor. The Company's rent expense for the year ended December 31, 2018 was $44.7 million ($45.6 million in 2017 and $44.4 million in 2016). As of December 31, 2018, the Company had capital commitments of $1.4 million with respect to unfunded obligations in private equity funds sponsored by the Company. As of December 31, 2018, the Company had no collateralized or uncollateralized letters of credit outstanding. Contingencies Many aspects of the Company's business involve substantial risks of liability. In the normal course of business, the Company has been named as defendant or co-defendant in various legal actions, including arbitrations, class actions and other litigation, creating substantial exposure and periodic expenses. Certain of the actual or threatened legal matters include claims for substantial compensatory and/or punitive damages or claims for indeterminate amounts of damages. These proceedings arise primarily from securities brokerage, asset management and investment banking activities. The Company is also involved, from time to time, in other reviews, investigations and proceedings (both formal and informal) by governmental and self-regulatory agencies regarding the Company's business, which may result in expenses, adverse judgments, settlements, fines, penalties, injunctions or other relief. The investigations include inquiries from the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"), the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority ("FINRA") and various state regulators. The Company accrues for estimated loss contingencies related to legal and regulatory matters when available information indicates that it is probable a liability had been incurred and the Company can reasonably estimate the amount of that loss. In many proceedings, however, it is inherently difficult to determine whether any loss is probable or even possible or to estimate the amount of any loss. In addition, even where a loss is possible or an exposure to loss exists in excess of the liability already accrued with respect to a previously recognized loss contingency, it is often not possible to reasonably estimate the size of the possible loss or range of loss or possible additional losses or range of additional losses. For certain legal and regulatory proceedings, the Company cannot reasonably estimate such losses, particularly for proceedings that are in their early stages of development or where plaintiffs seek substantial, indeterminate or special damages. Counsel may be required to review, analyze and resolve numerous issues, including through potentially lengthy discovery and determination of important factual matters, and by addressing novel or unsettled legal questions relevant to the proceedings in question, before the Company can reasonably estimate a loss or range of loss or additional loss for the proceeding. Even after lengthy review and analysis, the Company, in many legal and regulatory proceedings, may not be able to reasonably estimate possible losses or range of loss. For certain other legal and regulatory proceedings, the Company can estimate possible losses, or range of loss in excess of amounts accrued, but does not believe, based on current knowledge and after consultation with counsel, that such losses individually, or in the aggregate, will have a material adverse effect on the Company's consolidated financial statements as a whole. For legal and regulatory proceedings where there is at least a reasonable possibility that a loss or an additional loss may be incurred, the Company estimates a range of aggregate loss in excess of amounts accrued of $0 to $30.0 million. This estimated aggregate range is based upon currently available information for those legal proceedings in which the Company is involved, where the Company can make an estimate for such losses. For certain cases, the Company does not believe that it can make an estimate. The foregoing aggregate estimate is based on various factors, including the varying stages of the proceedings (including the fact that many are currently in preliminary stages), the numerous yet-unresolved issues in many of the proceedings and the attendant uncertainty of the various potential outcomes of such proceedings. Accordingly, the Company's estimate will change from time to time, and actual losses may be more than the current estimate. In February 2010, Oppenheimer finalized settlements with the Regulators concluding investigations and administrative proceedings by the Regulators concerning Oppenheimer's marketing and sale of ARS. Pursuant to the settlements with the Regulators, Oppenheimer agreed to extend offers to repurchase ARS from certain of its clients subject to certain terms and conditions more fully described below. As of December 31, 2018, the Company had no outstanding ARS purchase commitments related to the settlements with the Regulators. In addition to the settlements with the Regulators, Oppenheimer has also reached settlements of and received adverse awards in legal proceedings with various clients where the Company is obligated to purchase ARS. Pursuant to completed Purchase Offers (as defined) under the settlements with the Regulators and client related legal settlements and awards to purchase ARS, as of December 31, 2018, the Company purchased and holds (net of redemptions) approximately $40.7 million in ARS from its clients. In addition, the Company is committed to purchase another $7.3 million in ARS from clients through 2020 under legal settlements and awards. The Company's purchases of ARS from its clients holding ARS eligible for repurchase will, subject to the terms and conditions of the settlements with the Regulators, continue on a periodic basis. Pursuant to these terms and conditions, the Company is required to conduct a financial review every six months, until the Company has extended Purchase Offers to all Eligible Investors (as defined), to determine whether it has funds available, after giving effect to the financial and regulatory capital constraints applicable to the Company, to extend additional Purchase Offers. There are no predetermined quantitative thresholds or formulas used for determining the final agreed upon amount for the Purchase Offers. Upon completion of the financial review, the Company first meets with its primary regulator, FINRA, and then with representatives of the NYAG and other regulators to present the results of the review and to finalize the amount of the next Purchase Offer and discuss offer scenarios in terms of which Eligible Investors should receive a Purchase Offer. Once various Purchase Offer scenarios have been discussed, the regulators, not the Company, make the final determination of which Purchase Offer scenario to implement. The terms of the settlements provide that the amount of ARS to be purchased during any period shall not risk placing the Company in violation of regulatory requirements. Eligible Investors for future buybacks continued to hold approximately $7.5 million of ARS principal value as of December 31, 2018. It is reasonably possible that some ARS Purchase Offers will need to be extended to Eligible Investors holding ARS prior to redemptions (or tender offers) by issuers of the full amount that remains outstanding. The potential additional losses that may result from entering into ARS purchase commitments with Eligible Investors for future buybacks represent the estimated difference between the principal value and the fair value. It is possible that the Company could sustain a loss of all or substantially all of the principal value of ARS still held by Eligible Investors but such an outcome is highly unlikely. The amount of potential additional losses resulting from entering into these commitments cannot be reasonably estimated due to the uncertainties surrounding the amounts and timing of future buybacks that result from the six-month financial review and the amounts, scope, and timing of future issuer redemptions and tender offers of ARS held by Eligible Investors. The range of potential additional losses related to valuation adjustments is between $0 and the amount of the estimated differential between the principal value and the fair value of ARS held by Eligible Investors for future buybacks that were not yet purchased or committed to be purchased by the Company at any point in time. The range of potential additional losses described here is not included in the estimated range of aggregate loss in excess of amounts accrued for legal and regulatory proceedings described above. Outside of the settlements with the Regulators, the Company has also reached various legal settlements with clients. As of December 31, 2018, there were no ARS purchase commitments related to legal settlements extending past 2020. Since August 2014, Oppenheimer has been responding to information requests from the SEC regarding the supervision of one of its former financial advisers who was indicted by the United States Attorney's Office for the District of New Jersey in March 2014 on allegations of insider trading. Oppenheimer is continuing to cooperate with the SEC inquiry. Since September 2016, Oppenheimer has been responding to information requests from FINRA (including from FINRA's Enforcement Department) regarding the supervision of Oppenheimer's sale of unit investment trusts from 2011 to 2015. The inquiry is part of a larger targeted examination or "sweep" examination involving many other brokerage firms. Oppenheimer is continuing to cooperate with the FINRA inquiry. On February 12, 2018, the SEC Division of Enforcement ("Enforcement Division") announced the Share Class Selection Disclosure Initiative ("SCSD Initiative") pursuant to which investment advisers were encouraged to self-report possible securities laws violations relating to the failure to make certain disclosures concerning mutual fund share class selection. On June 11, 2018, Oppenheimer and OAM notified the Enforcement Division that it intended to participate in the SCSD Initiative. Oppenheimer and OAM filed the information required by the SCSD Initiative on September 19, 2018. On February 7, 2019, Oppenheimer (and its affiliate Oppenheimer Asset Management, collectively “Oppenheimer”) filed an Offer of Settlement with the SEC (the “Offer”) pursuant to which Oppenheimer offered to disgorge approximately $3.5 million (the “Disgorgement Amount”) (including pre-judgment interest) of 12b-1 fees and agree to certain undertakings including the following: (i) within 30 days of the entry of an SEC Order, review and correct as necessary all relevant disclosure documents concerning mutual fund share class selection and 12b-1 fees; (ii) within 30 days of the entry of an SEC Order, evaluate whether existing clients should be moved to a lower-cost share class and move clients as necessary; (iii) within 30 days of the entry of an SEC Order, evaluate, update (if necessary), and review for the effectiveness of their implementation, Oppenheimer’s policies and procedures so that they are reasonably designed to prevent violations of the Investment Advisers Act in connection with disclosures regarding mutual fund share class selection; (iv) within 30 days of the entry of an SEC Order, notify affected investors (i.e., those former and current clients who, during the relevant period of inadequate disclosure, purchased or held 12b-1 fee paying share class mutual funds when a lower-cost share class of the same fund was available to the client) of the settlement terms of the Order in a clear and conspicuous fashion; and (v) within 40 days of the entry of an SEC Order, certify, in writing, compliance with the undertaking(s) set forth above. Oppenheimer is awaiting the entry of an SEC Order consistent with the above.

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