It is unclear whether the firm's top executives were aware of a potential shortfall. The details are the first significant indications that MF Global received early warning signs that customer money was in jeopardy at the commodities brokerage firm. MF Global officials have maintained they did not know the shortfall was real until hours before the firm filed for bankruptcy, arguing in part that earlier indications were attributed to accounting errors. Despite the internal alarms, MF Global employees continued to transfer customer money out of the firm.