May

FASB proposals on financial instruments, comprehensive income

26 May 2010

The US Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) has issued exposure drafts (EDs) of proposed accounting standards on financial instruments and comprehensive income.

Both relate to joint projects with the IASB. The IASB has already:

and is working on projects on hedge accounting, and statement of comprehensive income(exposure drafts expected shortly).
Overview of the FASB proposals

Financial instruments

  • The accounting would be based on the characteristics of the financial instrument and how assets and liabilities are used in the business. Classification determined at acquisition or issuance; reclassification not permitted.
  • Financial assets that have variable cash flows or that are regularly traded would be accounted for at fair value, with value changes reflected in net income (regardless of business strategy). This would include all derivatives.
  • Also, changes in the fair value of equity securities, certain hybrid instruments, and financial instruments that can be contractually prepaid in such a way that the holder would not recover substantially all of its investment also would be recognised in net income each reporting period (regardless of business strategy).
  • For financial assets that are held for collection of cash:
    • Both amortised cost and fair value measures would be presented in the balance sheet
    • FV changes arising from interest accruals, credit impairments and reversals, and realised gains and losses would be recognised in net income
    • Other FV changes recognised in other comprehensive income
    • The asset side of the balance sheet would show loans receivable as follows:
      Loans:  
      Amortised cost XXX
      Allowance for credit losses (XX)
      Residual FV adjustment (XX)
      Fair value XXX
  • Equity could be presented as follows:
    Common stock XXX
    Retained earnings XXX
    Accumulated OCI, excluding fair value changes XXX
    Equity excluding FV changes YYY
    Fair value changes on financial instruments (XX)
    Total comprehensive equity ZZZ
  • The scope of this ED includes investments in equity securities when the investor has significant influence over the investee but the operations of the investee are unrelated to the investor's consolidated operations. This means that such investments would no longer be accounted for by the equity method.
  • Financial liabilities would be accounted for similarly to financial assets, reflecting how financial assets and liabilities are managed together. Bank core deposit liabilities would be remeasured each period using a current value method that reflects the economic benefit that an entity receives from this lower cost, stable funding source; some may qualify for remeasurement through other comprehensive income (OCI). Some financial liabilities that would otherwise be at fair value would be eligible for an 'amortised cost option' to avoid an 'accounting mismatch' between recognised assets and liabilities.
  • Loans and other debt instruments in the held for collection or payment category will be tested for impairment using a single model for estimating credit losses. The proposal would remove the existing 'probable' threshold for recognising impairments on loans, resulting in an 'expected loss' model.
  • Hedge accounting criteria would be simplified:
    • An entity could continue to designate particular risks in financial items as the risks being hedged in a hedging relationship, with only the effects of the hedged risks reflected in net income each reporting period.
    • The 'shortcut method' and the 'critical terms match' method would be eliminated.
    • An entity would no longer be able to discontinue hedge accounting simply by removing a hedging designation. Hedge accounting would be discontinued only if the criteria for hedge accounting are no longer met or the hedging instrument expires, is sold, terminated, or exercised.
  • Effective dates and transition:
    • Currently estimated to be 2013
    • Non-public entities with less than $1 billion in total consolidated assets would be allowed a four year deferral beyond the effective date from certain requirements relating to loans and core deposits.
    • An entity would apply the proposed guidance by means of a cumulative-effect adjustment to the statement of financial position for the reporting period that immediately precedes the effective date. Early adoption would be prohibited.
Comprehensive income
  • FASB proposes to require presentation of total comprehensive income and its components in two parts – net income (referred to as 'profit or loss' in IFRSs) and other comprehensive income (OCI) – in a single, continuous statement of financial performance.
    • Presentation of financial performance in two separate financial statements would be prohibited.
    • Paragraph 220-10-45-10A of the proposal identifies 11 types of gains and losses that are currently reported as items of OCI under US GAAP.
    • An entity that has no items of OCI would not be required to present comprehensive income.
  • The proposal would not change the items that must be reported in other comprehensive income or when an item of other comprehensive income must be reclassified to net income.
  • The proposal would not affect the calculation of earnings per share.
  • If adopted, the proposal would be:
    • Effective at same time as financial instruments changes
    • Applied on a fully retrospective basis to improve comparability between reporting periods. Early adoption would be permitted, because compliance with the proposed amendments is already permitted.

Comment deadline on both EDs is 30 September 2010. FASB plans to hold roundtable meetings on 12 and 21 October 2010 to collect further input.

The EDs may be downloaded without charge from FASB's website. Appendix A of the FASB ED contains a detailed comparison of the FASB proposals and the financial instruments model currently being developed by the IASB.

FASB has also published a briefing document (PDF 1,339k) about the financial instruments proposal, along with a podcast featuring an in-depth audio interview with FASB Chairman Robert Herz about financial instruments. The FASB will also be hosting a live webcast on the financial instruments proposal on 30 June.

Click for FASB news release (PDF 49k).

Exposure Draft on statement of comprehensive income

26 May 2010

The IASB has published for public comment an exposure draft (ED) proposing to require that all entities present profit or loss and other comprehensive income (OCI) in separate sections of a single continuous statement.

This would amend IAS 1 Presentation of Financial Statements, which currently allows entities a choice of presenting results of operations either (a) in a single, continuous statement similar to the proposal in the ED or (b) in two separate statements – an income statement and a statement of comprehensive income. Other proposals in the ED include:
  • Items of OCI should be grouped on the basis of whether they will eventually be 'recycled' (reclassified) into the profit or loss section of the statement of comprehensive income.
  • Income tax on items presented in OCI would be allocated between items that might be subsequently 'recycled' and those that will not be 'recycled', if the items in OCI are presented before tax (which is an option).
  • The title of the statement of comprehensive income would be changed to 'Statement of profit or loss and other comprehensive income' when referred to in IFRSs, though entities could use another title (such as 'statement of comprehensive income').
The proposals were jointly developed with the US Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB), which is also seeking public comment on changes to the presentation of OCI as part of their recent financial instruments proposals (see our earlier story).

The comment deadline on ED/2010/5 Presentation of Items of Other Comprehensive Income is 30 September 2010. Click for IASB Press Release (PDF 100k). Link to IAS Plus Project Page.

 

IASB webcast on leases

26 May 2010

On Thursday 10 June, IASB staff will host a live web presentation to provide an update on the IASB's project on Accounting for Leases.

Participants will have an opportunity to submit questions. There's no charge, but you must register:
  • Webcast Topic: IASB project on accounting for lease contracts
  • Date and Time: Thursday, 10 June 2010, 10:00am and repeated at 15:00pm London time
  • More Information and Registration: Click Here (IASB's website)

 

Agenda for special IASB meeting on 1 June

26 May 2010

The IASB will hold a special Board meeting at its offices in London on Tuesday 1 June 2010. A portion of the meeting will be a joint meeting with the US Financial Accounting Standards Board.

The meeting is open to public observation and will be webcast. Presented below is the agenda for the meeting.

IASB Special Board Meeting Agenda1 June 2010, London

IASB and FASB Joint Meeting 13:00-16:15pm (London time)

IASB Meeting 16:15-17:00pm (London time)

Agenda for special IASB meeting on 10 June

26 May 2010

The IASB will hold a special Board meeting at its offices in London on Thursday 10 June 2010 jointly with the US Financial Accounting Standards Board.

The meeting is open to public observation and will be webcast. Presented below is the agenda for the meeting.

IASB Special Board Meeting Agenda10 June 2010, London

IASB and FASB Joint Meeting 14:15-16:15pm (London time)

IASB Meeting 16:30-17:30pm (London time)

Journal of Accountancy IFRS quiz

25 May 2010

The May 2010 Issue of the AICPA's Journal of Accountancy includes Ten Sample IFRS Questions for the US CPA Examination (with answers).

IFRSs will be added to the CPA exam in 2011, regardless of whether the Securities and Exchange Commission acts to permit or require US registrants to use IFRSs.
Click for article, "Test Your Knowledge of International Standards".

 

New editorial corrections to IFRSs

25 May 2010

The IASB has posted to its website a new batch of Editorial Corrections to IFRSs.

This batch includes editorial corrections and changes to IFRS 9 Financial Instruments (issued November 2009), Bound Volume 2010, and Limited Exemption from Comparative IFRS 7 Disclosures for First-time Adopters (issued January 2010).
Click for IASB Editorial Corrections webpage.

 

Questionnaire on FVO for liabilities

25 May 2010

The IASB has published a questionnaire to seek the views of users of financial statements about the Board's Recent Exposure Draft on the fair value option for financial liabilities.

The ED proposes that all gains and losses resulting from changes in 'own credit' for those financial liabilities that an entity chooses to measure at fair value should be recognised as a component of 'other comprehensive income', not in profit or loss. Such gains or losses would be presented using a 'two-step approach':
  1. As a first step, an entity would present the full change in fair value in profit or loss.
  2. In the second step, the portion relating to changes in an entity's own credit risk would be presented as an offsetting entry in profit or loss and presented in OCI.
Click for:

 

Special joint IASB-FASB meetings 1 and 10 June

25 May 2010

The IASB and FASB will hold two special joint meetings in June at the IASB's offices in London prior to the regular June IASB meeting, as follows:

  • Tuesday, 1 June 2010
  • Thursday, 10 June 2010

Meeting agendas will be announced shortly. The IASB's regular monthly June meeting is scheduled for Monday-Friday 14-18 June 2010 in London. The Board will also meet with the IFRS Advisory Council on Monday and Tuesday 21-22 June 2010 in London.

Agenda project pages updated

25 May 2010

We have updated the following pages on IAS Plus to reflect the discussions and decisions at the IASB's May 2010 Board meeting and joint meeting with FASB:

Correction list for hyphenation

These words serve as exceptions. Once entered, they are only hyphenated at the specified hyphenation points. Each word should be on a separate line.