Company: COHN
Filing Date: 2025-03-12
Form Type: 10-K
Source: 0001437749-25-007158
Chunk: 331

Company: Cohen & Co Inc.
Filing Date: 2025-03-12
Form: 10-K
Item: Item 1
Chunk 331
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 customer trades, and our market making activities are sensitive to market movements.

A portion of our revenue is generated from new issue and advisory engagements. The fees charged and volume of these engagements are sensitive to the overall business environment.  We provide origination services in Europe through our subsidiary CCFESA, and new issue and advisory services in the U.S. through our subsidiary JVB. A division of JVB, CCM is our full-service boutique investment bank that provides innovative strategic and financial advice in M&A, capital markets, and SPAC advisory services. In some cases, CCM will receive financial instruments in lieu of cash for its advisory transactions.  In these cases, we record revenue equal to the fair value of the instruments received.  Subsequent to receipt, the instruments are carried at fair value as a component of other investments, at fair value in our consolidated balance sheets. Any change in the fair value of these instruments subsequent to recording the new issue revenue will be recorded as principal transactions gain or loss in our consolidated statement of operations.  Currently, our primary source of new issue and advisory revenue is from investment banking and advisory services through CCM, as well as originating assets for our U.S. and European insurance asset management business including our U.S. Insurance JV and for our CREO JV.  

A portion of our revenue is generated from management fees. Our ability to charge management fees and the amount of those fees is dependent upon the underlying investment performance and stability of the Investment Vehicles. If these types of investments do not provide attractive returns to investors, the demand for such instruments will likely fall, thereby reducing our opportunity to earn new management fees or maintain existing management fees. As of December 31, 2024, 42% of our existing AUM were in CDOs. The creation of CDOs has depended upon a vibrant securitization market. Since 2008, volumes within the securitization market have dropped significantly and have not fully recovered since that time. We have not completed a new securitization since 2008. The remaining portion of our AUM is from a diversified mix of other Investment Vehicles most of which were more recently formed. 

A significant portion of our asset management revenue is earned from the management of CDOs.  As a result, our asset management revenue has declined from its historical highs as the assets of the CDOs decline due to maturities, repayments, auction call redem