Description of Business and Basis of Presentation |
6 Months Ended |
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Jun. 30, 2015 | |
| Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract] | |
| Description of Business and Basis of Presentation |
Description of Business and Basis of Presentation
Ladenburg Thalmann Financial Services Inc. (the “Company”or "LTS") is a holding company. Its principal operating subsidiaries are Securities America, Inc. (collectively with related companies, ‘‘Securities America’’), Triad Advisors, Inc. (‘‘Triad’’), Investacorp, Inc. (collectively with related companies, ‘‘Investacorp’’), KMS Financial Services, Inc. (“KMS”), which the Company acquired in October 2014, Securities Service Network, Inc. ("SSN"), which the Company acquired in January 2015, Ladenburg Thalmann & Co. Inc. (‘‘Ladenburg’’), Ladenburg Thalmann Asset Management Inc. (‘‘LTAM’’), Premier Trust, Inc. (‘‘Premier Trust’’) and Highland Capital Brokerage, Inc. (“Highland”), which the Company acquired in July 2014.
Securities America, Triad, Investacorp, KMS and SSN are registered broker-dealers and investment advisors that serve the independent financial advisor community. The independent financial advisors of these independent broker-dealers primarily serve retail clients. Such entities derive revenue from advisory fees and commissions, primarily from the sale of mutual funds, variable annuity products and other financial products and services.
Ladenburg is a full service registered broker-dealer that has been a member of the New York Stock Exchange since 1879. Broker-dealer activities include sales and trading and investment banking. Ladenburg provides its services principally to middle-market and emerging growth companies and high net worth individuals through a coordinated effort among corporate finance, capital markets, brokerage and trading professionals.
LTAM is a registered investment advisor. It offers various asset management products utilized by Ladenburg and Premier Trust’s clients, as well as clients of the Company's independent financial advisors.
Premier Trust, a Nevada trust company, provides wealth management services, including administration of personal trusts and retirement accounts, estate and financial planning and custody services.
Highland is an independent insurance broker that delivers life insurance, fixed and equity indexed annuities and long-term care solutions to investment and insurance providers. Highland provides specialized point-of-sale support along with advanced marketing and estate and business planning techniques, delivering customized insurance solutions to both institutional clients and independent producers.
Securities America's, Triad's, Investacorp's, KMS', SSN's and Ladenburg's customer transactions are cleared through clearing brokers on a fully-disclosed basis and such entities are subject to regulation by, among others, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”) and the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board. Each entity is a member of the Securities Investor Protection Corporation. Securities America is also subject to regulation by the Commodities Futures Trading Commission and the National Futures Association. Highland is subject to regulation by various regulatory bodies, including state attorneys general and insurance departments. Premier Trust is subject to regulation by the Nevada Department of Business and Industry Financial Institutions Division.
Basis of Presentation
The condensed consolidated financial statements are unaudited and have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”) for interim financial information and with the instructions to Form 10-Q and Article 10 of Regulation S-X. In the opinion of management, the interim data includes all adjustments, consisting of normal recurring adjustments, necessary for a fair statement of the results for the periods presented. Because of the nature of the Company’s business, interim period results may not be indicative of full year or future results.
The unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements do not include all information and notes required in annual audited financial statements in conformity with GAAP. The statement of financial condition at December 31, 2014 has been derived from the audited financial statements at that date, but does not include all of the information and notes required by GAAP for complete financial statement presentation. Please refer to the notes to the audited consolidated financial statements included in the Company’s annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2014 for additional disclosures and a description of accounting policies.
Certain amounts in the prior period financial statements were reclassified to conform with the current period financial statement presentation.
LADENBURG THALMANN FINANCIAL SERVICES INC.
NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS - (Continued)
(Unaudited; Dollars in thousands, except share and per share amounts)
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
In April 2015, the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") issued Accounting Standards Update ("ASU") No. 2015-03, “Interest - Imputation of Interest (Subtopic 835-30): Simplifying the Presentation of Debt Issuance Costs” which requires that debt issuance costs related to a recognized debt liability be presented in the balance sheet as a direct deduction from the carrying amount of that debt liability, consistent with debt discounts. The ASU requires retrospective adoption and is effective for interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2015. Early adoption is permitted. Adoption of ASU 2015-03 is not expected to have a material effect on the Company's consolidated statement of financial condition.
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