News Release 09/08/16

FASB ISSUES PROPOSED CHANGES TO HEDGE ACCOUNTING GUIDANCE

Norwalk, CT, September 8, 2016—The Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) today issued a proposed Accounting Standards Update (ASU) that would make targeted improvements to the accounting guidance for hedging activities. Stakeholders are encouraged to review and provide comment on the proposed ASU by November 22, 2016.

"Stakeholders shared concerns that current hedge accounting requirements do not faithfully portray the economic results of an institution's risk management activities," stated FASB Chairman Russell G. Golden. "The proposed ASU sets forth the Board's recommendations for improving this area of financial reporting, and for simplifying the application of hedge accounting guidance without compromising the quality of financial reporting information provided to investors."

This Exposure Draft contains proposals for improving how the economic results of an institution's risk management activities are portrayed by

Expanding the use of component hedging for both nonfinancial and financial risks
Refining the measurement techniques for hedged items in fair value hedges of benchmark interest rate risk
Eliminating the separate measurement and reporting of hedge ineffectiveness
Requiring for cash flow and net investment hedges that all changes in fair value of the hedging instrument included in the hedging relationship be deferred in other comprehensive income and released to the income statement in the period(s) when the hedged item affects earnings
Requiring that changes in the fair value of hedging instruments be recorded in the same income statement line item as the earnings effect of the hedged item
Requiring enhanced disclosures to highlight the effect of hedge accounting on individual income statement line items.

Additionally, the Exposure Draft contains proposals to simplify the application of hedge accounting by:

Providing more time for the completion of initial quantitative assessments of hedge effectiveness
Allowing subsequent assessments of hedge effectiveness to be performed on a qualitative basis when an initial quantitative test is required
Clarifying the application of the critical terms match method for a group of forecasted transactions
Allowing an institution that elects the shortcut method to continue hedge accounting by using a "long-haul" method to assess hedge effectiveness if use of the shortcut method was not or no longer is appropriate after hedge inception.

To elicit additional feedback on its proposals, the Board tentatively has scheduled two public roundtable meetings at its Norwalk, Connecticut offices on Friday, December 2, 2016. Those interested in participating in one of the roundtables are asked to submit written comments on the proposed ASU by Friday, November 4, 2016.

The Board will determine an effective date for the ASU after redeliberating all comments received during the comment period and from the public round table meetings. Early application of the proposed amendments would be permitted at the beginning of any fiscal year before the effective date.

More information about the proposed ASU—including a FASB in Focus overview—is available at www.fasb.org. A CPE webcast is planned for 1:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time on Monday, October 17, 2016; registration will be announced on the FASB website in the coming weeks.

About the Financial Accounting Standards Board

Established in 1973, the FASB is the independent, private-sector, not-for-profit organization based in Norwalk, Connecticut, that establishes financial accounting and reporting standards for public and private companies and not-for-profit organizations that follow Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP). The FASB is recognized by the Securities and Exchange Commission as the designated accounting standard setter for public companies. FASB standards are recognized as authoritative by many other organizations, including state Boards of Accountancy and the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA). The FASB develops and issues financial accounting standards through a transparent and inclusive process intended to promote financial reporting that provides useful information to investors and others who use financial reports. The Financial Accounting Foundation (FAF) supports and oversees the FASB. For more information, visit www.fasb.org.