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Jefferies (JEF) Risk Analysis
Risk Overview Q3, 2024
Source: the company's latest filing for the period ended Aug 31, 2024, filed Oct 09, 2024
Risk Change Over Time
- Natural and Human Disruptions - Risk 1The effects of the outbreak of the novel coronavirus ("COVID-19") have negatively affected the global economy, the United States economy and the global financial markets, and may continue to disrupt our operations and our clients' operations, which could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has caused significant disruption in the international and United States economies and financial markets. The spread of COVID-19 has caused illness, quarantines, cancellation of events and travel, business and school shutdowns, reduction in business activity and financial transactions, labor shortages, supply chain interruptions and overall economic and financial market instability. The ongoing effects of COVID-19 remain challenging to predict due to multiple uncertainties, including the transmissibility, severity, duration and resurgences of the outbreak; new virus variants and the potential extent of their spread; the application and effectiveness of health and safety measures that are voluntarily adopted by the public or required by governments or public health authorities, including vaccines and treatments; the speed and strength of an economic recovery; and the impact to our employees and our operations, our clients' operations, suppliers and business partners. Impacts to our business could be widespread and global, and material impacts may be possible, including the following: - Employees contracting COVID-19 - Reductions in our operating effectiveness as our employees work from home or disaster-recovery locations - Unavailability of key personnel necessary to conduct our business activities - Unprecedented volatility in global financial markets - Reductions in revenue across our operating businesses - Closure of our offices or the offices of our clients - De-globalization - Potential regulatory scrutiny of our ability to adequately supervise our activities in accordance with applicable regulatory requirements - Risk of cyber attacks or security vulnerabilities due to remote work environments and other changes in our operations We are taking necessary and recommended precautions to protect the safety and well-being of our employees and clients. However, no assurance can be given that the steps being taken will be deemed to be adequate or appropriate, nor can we predict the level of disruption which will occur to our employees' ability to provide client support and service. We will continue to evaluate the nature and extent of the impact to our business. The impact of the COVID-19 outbreak has in the past, and may in the future, materially negatively impact stock and other securities prices and materially disrupt banking and other financial activity generally and in the areas in which we operate. This could likely result in a decline in demand for our products and services, which would negatively impact our liquidity position and our growth strategy. Any one or more of these developments could have a material adverse effect on our and our consolidated subsidiaries' business, operations, consolidated financial condition, and consolidated results of operations.
Risk Highlights Q3, 2024
Risk Word Cloud
Risk Factors Full Breakdown - Total Risks 27
- Debt & Financing - Risk 1If Berkadia suffered significant losses and was unable to repay its commercial paper borrowings, we would be exposed to loss pursuant to a reimbursement obligation to Berkshire Hathaway.
Berkadia obtains funds generated by commercial paper sales of an affiliate of Berkadia. All of the proceeds from the commercial paper sales are used by Berkadia to fund new mortgage loans, servicer advances, investments and other working capital requirements. Repayment of the commercial paper is supported by a $1.5 billion surety policy issued by a Berkshire Hathaway insurance subsidiary and a Berkshire Hathaway corporate guaranty, and we have agreed to reimburse Berkshire Hathaway for one-half of any losses incurred thereunder. If Berkadia suffers significant losses and is unable to repay its commercial paper borrowings, we would suffer losses to the extent of our reimbursement obligation to Berkshire Hathaway.
- Debt & Financing - Risk 2Our investment in Jefferies Finance may not prove to be successful and may adversely affect our results of operations or financial condition.
Many factors, most of which are outside of our control, can affect Jefferies Finance's business, including adverse investment banking and capital market conditions leading to a decline of syndicate loans, inability of borrowers to repay commitments, adverse changes to a borrower's credit worthiness, and other factors that directly and indirectly effect the results of operations, and consequently may adversely affect our results of operations or financial condition.
- Debt & Financing - Risk 3As a holding company, we are dependent for liquidity from payments from our subsidiaries, many of which are subject to restrictions.
As a holding company, we depend on dividends, distributions and other payments from our subsidiaries to fund payments on our obligations, including debt obligations. Several of our subsidiaries, particularly our broker-dealer subsidiaries, are subject to regulation that restrict dividend payments or reduce the availability of the flow of funds from those subsidiaries to us. In addition, our broker-dealer subsidiaries are subject to restrictions on their ability to lend or transact with affiliates and are required to maintain minimum regulatory capital requirements.
- Debt & Financing - Risk 4We may be adversely affected by changes in or the discontinuance of Interbank Offered Rates ("IBORs"), in particular, London Interbank Offered Rate ("LIBOR").
Central banks and regulators in a number of major jurisdictions (for example, the U.S., U.K., European Union ("EU"), Switzerland and Japan) are transitioning from the use of IBORs to alternative rates. These reforms have caused and may in the future cause such rates to perform differently than in the past or have other consequences that are contrary to market expectations. It is not possible to know what the effect of any such changes in views or alternatives may have on the financial markets for LIBOR-linked and other IBOR-linked financial instruments. We continue to work towards reducing our exposure to IBOR-referencing contracts, including derivatives, securities, and other financial products, to meet the industry milestones and recommendations published by National Working Groups ("NWG"), including the Alternative Reference Rates Committee (the "ARRC") in the U.S. Uncertainty regarding IBORs and the taking of discretionary actions or negotiation of rate fallback provisions could result in pricing volatility, loss of market share in certain products, adverse tax or accounting impacts, compliance, legal and operational costs and risks associated with client disclosures, as well as systems disruption, model disruption and other business continuity issues. In addition, uncertainty relating to IBORs could result in increased capital requirements for us given potential low transaction volumes, a lack of liquidity or limited observability for exposures linked to IBORs or any emerging successor rates and operational incidents associated with changes in and the discontinuance of IBORs. The language in our contracts and financial instruments that define IBORs, in particular LIBOR, have developed over time and have various events that trigger when a successor rate to the designated rate would be selected. If a trigger is satisfied, contracts and financial instruments often give the calculation agent (which may be us) discretion over the successor rate or benchmark to be selected. As a result, there is considerable uncertainty as to how the financial services industry will address the discontinuance of designated rates in contracts and financial instruments or such designated rates ceasing to be acceptable reference rates. This uncertainty could ultimately result in client disputes and litigation surrounding the proper interpretation of our IBOR-based contracts and financial instruments. Although we have adhered to the Protocol, it is applicable only to derivatives when both parties adhere to the Protocol or otherwise agree for it to apply to their derivatives. Further, the discontinuation of an IBOR, changes in an IBOR or changes in market acceptance of any IBOR as a reference rate may also adversely affect the yield on loans or securities held by us, amounts paid on securities we have issued, amounts received and paid on derivative instruments we have entered into, the value of such loans, securities or derivative instruments, the trading market for securities, the terms of new loans being made using different or modified reference rates, our ability to effectively use derivative instruments to manage risk, or the availability or cost of our floating-rate funding and our exposure to fluctuations in interest rates.
- Debt & Financing - Risk 5A credit-rating agency downgrade could significantly impact our business.
The cost and availability of financing generally are impacted by (among other things) our credit ratings. If any of our credit ratings were downgraded, or if rating agencies indicate that a downgrade may occur, our business, financial position and results of operations could be adversely affected and perceptions of our financial strength could be damaged, which could adversely affect our client relationships. Additionally, we intend to access the capital markets and issue debt securities from time to time, and a decrease in our credit ratings or outlook could adversely affect our liquidity and competitive position, increase our borrowing costs, decrease demand for our debt securities and increase the expense and difficulty of financing our operations. In addition, in connection with certain over-the-counter derivative contract arrangements and certain other trading arrangements, we may be required to provide additional collateral to counterparties, exchanges and clearing organizations in the event of a credit rating downgrade. Such a downgrade could also negatively impact the prices of our debt securities. There can be no assurance that our credit ratings will not be downgraded.
- Debt & Financing - Risk 6Our business is subject to significant credit risk.
In the normal course of our businesses, we are involved in the execution, settlement and financing of various customer and principal securities and derivative transactions. These activities are transacted on a cash, margin or delivery-versus-payment basis and are subject to the risk of counterparty or customer nonperformance. Even when transactions are collateralized by the underlying security or other securities, we still face the risks associated with changes in the market value of the collateral through settlement date or during the time when margin is extended and collateral has not been secured or the counterparty defaults before collateral or margin can be adjusted. We may also incur credit risk in our derivative transactions to the extent such transactions result in uncollateralized credit exposure to our counterparties. We seek to control the risk associated with these transactions by establishing and monitoring credit limits and by monitoring collateral and transaction levels daily. We may require counterparties to deposit additional collateral or return collateral pledged. In certain circumstances, we may, under industry regulations, purchase the underlying securities in the market and seek reimbursement for any losses from the counterparty. However, there can be no assurances that our risk controls will be successful.
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