The Jersey City, N.J.-based financial services firm that lost approximately $440 million due to a technological glitch on the NYSE at the start of the month has received an amicable tender from fellow Wall Street faithful.
Today, Knight Capital Group listed that its Aug. 1 “extraordinary trading loss…significantly depleted Knight’s capital base and in turn precipitated a loss of customer and counterparty confidence and liquidity.”
It noted “the new common stock purchase, which aggregates to about 267 million shares, or roughly $400 million, helps to “restore confidence to customers and the market and enables Knight to continue as an active participant in the capital markets.”
Jefferies Group, which “conceived and structured the investment,” as well as Blackstone, GETCO, Stephens, Stifel Financial Corp. and T.D. Ameritrade Holding Corporation contributed to the plan, the Aug. 6 announcement said.
The firm listed that 2% of its preferred shares can be converted to common stock at a price tag of $1.50 per share. Media reports highlighted the firm's shares were valued at about $10 before the software's error. Further information on the deal will be available in a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filing later today, Knight Capital said.
Previously, at the turn of the month, the firm reported the problem was related to “Knight's installation of trading software and resulted in Knight sending numerous erroneous orders in NYSE-listed securities into the market,” while noting that the software has since been removed.
However, as a result, the pre-tax loss reached about $440 million, severely limiting the firm’s capital base.
In Knight Capital’s 2011 Annual Report, the firm that deals with assisting clients-- broker-dealers, institutions and corporations--across several asset classes in the Americas, Europe and Asia Pacific areas, listed its revenues and earnings climbed up by more than 22%.
In terms of securitization, Knight offers sales and trading services in mortgages and structured products. The firm's European and U.S. analyst team offers insight across asset types. Knight provides sales and trading in ABS, CDOs/CLOs, CMBS, commercial assets aircraft, structured settlements, shipping and HMBS, according to its Web site.
Reported pre-tax earnings for the Market Making division hit $256.1 million, Electronic Execution Services reported a $49.5 million increase, and its Consolidated division hit about $187.1 million.
Losses were seen, however, in the Institutional Sales and Trading and Corporate Divisions, which reported a $44.4 million and $74.1 million loss, respectively, for the year that ended in 2011, the report stated.
Thomas Joyce, firm CEO, said in the March 17 report that its Institutional Sales and Trading business was in line for a repositioning due to unacceptable financial results in the segment. The division was focused on ETFs, hitting “another record year for overall ETF market volumes.” It was also a player in equity and debt markets.
Astor Asset Management, a firm with more than $1.2 billion in assets under management within ETF mutual funds and separate accounts, and mortgage-backed securities firm Urban Financial Group serve as the firm’s subsidiaries in the sector.
On Monday, Joyce explained that the “array of participants in this capital infusion underscores Knight’s critical role in the capital markets.”
“Knight’s financial position and capital base have been restored to a level that more than offsets the loss incurred last week,” Joyce added.