NEWS RELEASE 02/14/13

FASB Proposes Improvements to Recognition and Measurement of Financial Assets and Liabilities

Norwalk, CT, February 14, 2013—The Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) today issued for public comment a proposal to improve financial reporting by providing a comprehensive measurement framework for classifying and measuring financial instruments. The FASB developed Proposed Accounting Standards Update, Financial Instruments—Overall (Subtopic 825-10): Recognition and Measurement of Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities, as part of its broader joint project with the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) to improve and converge the accounting for financial instruments. Stakeholders are asked to provide written comments on the proposal by May 15, 2013.

"The proposed accounting standard would measure financial assets based on how a reporting entity would realize value from them as part of distinct business activities, while the measurement of financial liabilities would be consistent with how the entity expects to settle those liabilities," stated FASB Chairman Leslie F. Seidman. "This revised proposal is responsive to the feedback the FASB received on our 2010 Exposure Draft, it simplifies the multitude of classification methods currently in use, and it offers an opportunity for convergence with the IASB´s proposal issued last November."

The Exposure Draft also would narrow the availability of the existing fair value option for financial assets and financial liabilities. In those limited cases where the fair value option would be allowed for financial liabilities, changes in the fair value attributable to an organization´s own credit risk would be reported in other comprehensive income (OCI), rather than net income.

"We encourage stakeholders to review this proposal as well as our companion Exposure Draft on accounting for credit losses and provide feedback about whether these changes would cost-effectively improve financial reporting," added Ms. Seidman.

Under the proposal, the classification and measurement of a financial asset would be based on the asset´s cash flow characteristics and the entity´s business model for managing the asset, rather than on its legal form, that is, whether the asset is a loan or a security. Based on this assessment, financial assets would be classified into one of three categories:

All equity investments (excluding those accounted for under the equity method of accounting) would be measured at fair value with changes in fair value recognized in net income, because such investments do not have payments of principal and interest. The proposal also provides a practicability exception to measurement at fair value for equity investments without readily determinable fair values.

The proposal also would require financial liabilities to generally be carried at cost, unless the reporting organization´s business strategy is to subsequently transact at fair value or the obligation results from a short sale. The proposal would retain the embedded derivative requirements for hybrid financial liabilities.

For financial assets and financial liabilities measured at amortized cost, public companies also would be required to disclose their fair values parenthetically on the face of the balance sheet (except for receivables and payables due in less than a year and demand deposit liabilities). Nonpublic entities would not be required to disclose such fair value information either parenthetically or in the notes.

In May 2010, the FASB issued its first Exposure Draft on financial instruments, which proposed a much greater use of fair value measurement for financial assets and liabilities than exists in current U.S. GAAP. Through its extensive outreach on that proposal, the FASB learned that a significant majority of investors, reporting entities, and other stakeholders do not believe that fair value information is of primary relevance for some financial instruments, particularly loans, deposits, and financial liabilities. Based on that feedback, in the proposed Update, the Board decided to require amortized cost as a measurement attribute for assets held for collection of cash flows, because the value is realized over the holding period of the asset. Assets that might be sold to manage interest rate risk or liquidity risk would not qualify for cost measurement. In addition, the Board also decided that financial liabilities would generally be measured at amortized costs unless certain conditions are met.

The proposed accounting for expected credit losses on debt instruments carried at amortized cost or fair value through OCI is addressed in the FASB´s proposed Accounting Standards Update on credit losses, which was issued in December 2012. Stakeholders are encouraged to consider both of these proposals concurrently.

In January 2012, the FASB and the IASB decided to jointly redeliberate selected aspects of their classification and measurement models in an attempt to reduce differences in several important areas. In November 2012, the IASB issued its proposed amendments to IFRS 9 Financial Instruments, which, like the FASB´s proposed Update, would require an entity to classify and subsequently measure financial assets based on the results of cash flow characteristics and business model assessments. A brief comparison of the proposals is included in the proposed Update.

The FASB Exposure Draft, including instructions on how to submit written comments, is available at www.fasb.org. A FASB In Focus also is available at the FASB website; a podcast explaining the key features of the proposal will be available on the website within the next week.