NOTE 10 – Goodwill and Intangible Assets

The carrying amount of goodwill and intangible assets attributable to each of our reporting segments is presented in the following table (in thousands):

 

 

December 31,
2024

 

 

Adjustments

 

 

Write-off

 

 

December 31,
2025

 

Goodwill

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Global Wealth Management

 

$

335,009

 

 

$

16,699

 

 

$

 

 

$

351,708

 

Institutional Group

 

 

1,060,209

 

 

 

51,941

 

 

 

 

 

 

1,112,150

 

 

 

$

1,395,218

 

 

$

68,640

 

 

$

 

 

$

1,463,858

 

 

 

December 31,
2024

 

 

Adjustments

 

 

Amortization

 

 

December 31,
2025

 

Intangible assets

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Global Wealth Management

 

$

24,385

 

 

$

5,807

 

 

$

(3,905

)

 

$

26,287

 

Institutional Group

 

 

89,189

 

 

 

22,731

 

 

 

(30,162

)

 

 

81,758

 

 

 

$

113,574

 

 

$

28,538

 

 

$

(34,067

)

 

$

108,045

 

The adjustments to goodwill and intangible assets, included in our Institutional Group segment, during the year ended December 31, 2025, are primarily attributable to the acquisition of a portion of B. Riley on April 7, 2025, and the acquisition of Bryan Garnier on June 2, 2025.

The allocation of the purchase price of these acquisitions is preliminary and will be finalized upon completion of the analysis of the fair values of the net assets as of the respective acquisition dates and the identified intangible assets. The final goodwill recorded on the consolidated statement of financial condition may differ from that reflected herein as a result of future measurement period adjustments and the recording of identified intangible assets. See Note 3 in the notes to our consolidated financial statements for additional information regarding our acquisitions.

The goodwill represents the value expected from the synergies created through the operational enhancement benefits that will result from the integration of each respective business, its employees, and customer base.

Amortizable intangible assets consist of acquired customer relationships, trade names, acquired technology, non-compete agreements, investment banking backlog, and core deposits that are amortized over their contractual or determined useful lives. Intangible assets as of December 31, 2025 and 2024, were as follows (in thousands):

 

 

December 31, 2025

 

 

December 31, 2024

 

 

 

Gross
Carrying
Value

 

 

Accumulated
Amortization

 

 

Gross
Carrying
Value

 

 

Accumulated
Amortization

 

Customer relationships

 

$

215,249

 

 

$

128,575

 

 

$

208,601

 

 

$

115,919

 

Investment banking backlog

 

 

30,413

 

 

 

21,221

 

 

 

8,913

 

 

 

7,327

 

Trade names

 

 

28,796

 

 

 

23,267

 

 

 

29,109

 

 

 

22,210

 

Acquired technology

 

 

19,903

 

 

 

15,141

 

 

 

19,903

 

 

 

9,158

 

Non-compete agreements

 

 

10,929

 

 

 

9,041

 

 

 

10,152

 

 

 

8,559

 

Core deposits

 

 

8,615

 

 

 

8,615

 

 

 

8,615

 

 

 

8,546

 

 

 

$

313,905

 

 

$

205,860

 

 

$

285,293

 

 

$

171,719

 

Amortization expense related to intangible assets was $34.1 million, $23.6 million, and $20.9 million for the years ended December 31, 2025, 2024, and 2023, respectively, and is included in other operating expenses in the consolidated statements of operations.

The weighted-average remaining lives of the following intangible assets at December 31, 2025, are: customer relationships, 8.6 years; investment banking backlog, 0.3 years; trade names, 5.4 years; acquired technology, 8.1 years; and non-compete agreements, 3.0 years. We have an intangible asset that is not subject to amortization and is, therefore, not included in the table below. As of December 31, 2025, we expect amortization expense in future periods to be as follows (in thousands):

Fiscal year

 

 

 

2026

 

$

27,198

 

2027

 

 

14,479

 

2028

 

 

13,157

 

2029

 

 

12,383

 

2030

 

 

10,199

 

Thereafter

 

 

28,511

 

 

 

$

105,927

 

Historical Timeline

Fiscal YearFiled
2025Feb 24, 2026Showing above
2024Feb 26, 2025
2023Feb 16, 2024
2022Feb 17, 2023
2021Feb 18, 2022
2020Feb 19, 2021
2019Feb 19, 2020
2018Feb 20, 2019
2017Feb 26, 2018
2016Feb 23, 2017
2015Mar 1, 2016

About Goodwill & Intangibles Disclosures

Goodwill and intangible asset disclosures reveal the premium paid in acquisitions and how management assesses whether that premium retains its value. Since goodwill is no longer amortized under US GAAP, the annual impairment test is the only mechanism that adjusts carrying values downward — making the assumptions behind that test critically important for investors.

Key signals: a history of goodwill impairments suggests management consistently overpays for acquisitions. Watch the gap between reporting unit fair value and carrying amount — when fair value exceeds carrying amount by less than 10-20%, a small decline in business performance could trigger a write-down. For finite-lived intangibles, examine useful life assumptions across customer relationships, technology, and trade names; aggressive estimates inflate near-term earnings. Compare total intangibles-to-total-assets ratios against peers to assess acquisition dependency. Rising goodwill as a percentage of equity can signal balance sheet fragility.