Accounting standards for public companies must provide clear, accurate and useful information to investors to allow them to make informed investment decisions. Furtherance of this goal promotes investor confidence in financial statements and capital markets. We strongly support accounting standards that afford investors transparency, maintain market integrity, facilitate capital formation and are consistent with financial stability.

The job of developing and maintaining high quality standards that provide transparency to investors relies to a critical extent on independent accounting standards setters. In this connection, we support the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) and Financial Accounting Standards Board's (FASB) announced joint action to address issues related to the credit crisis pursuant to an accelerated due process. We welcome their willingness to seek input from all stakeholders and applaud their efforts to work together, with speed and rigor, in identifying high quality global solutions.