Financial
instruments—credit losses implementation. The Board discussed feedback
received at the November 1, 2018 Credit Losses Transition Resource Group (TRG)
meeting and proposed making amendments to the guidance in Topic 326, Financial
Instruments—Credit Losses.
The Board decided to amend the guidance in Topic 326 for each of the
following topics:
- Recoveries. The Board decided to reaffirm its prior decision from
the August 29, 2018 meeting that an entity should be required to include
recoveries in determining the allowance for credit losses. The Board also
decided to reverse its decision from the August 29, 2018 meeting that limited
recoveries to amounts from the borrower in the allowance for credit
losses.
- Negative Allowances. The Board decided that an entity should be
permitted to record a negative allowance on financial assets so long as the
negative allowance does not exceed the aggregate amount of previous or
expected writeoffs of the financial asset(s). For financial assets within the
scope of the collateral-dependent guidance (see paragraphs 326-20-35-4 through
35-5), the Board decided that an entity should be permitted to record a
negative allowance for the increase in fair value so long as the net amount
expected to be collected does not exceed amounts previously written
off.
- Vintage Disclosures: Gross Writeoffs and Gross Recoveries. The
Board decided to clarify that gross recoveries and gross writeoffs should be
presented by vintage year and class of financing receivable within the credit
quality information vintage disclosure described in paragraph
326-20-50-6.
- Vintage Disclosures: Line-of-Credit Arrangements That Convert to Term
Loans. The Board decided that an entity should be required to disclose
amounts of line-of-credit arrangements that are converted to term loans by
origination year when an additional credit decision after the original credit
decision was made by the entity. The Board also decided that an entity should
not be required to disclose amounts of line-of-credit arrangements that are
converted to term loans by origination year if no additional credit decision
after the original credit decision was made by the lender or that are
converted to term loans because of a troubled debt restructuring. Instead, an
entity should disclose these line-of-credit arrangements in a separate column
within the vintage disclosure.
- Contractual Extensions. The Board decided that an entity should
be required to evaluate extension or renewal options (excluding those that are
accounted for as derivatives in Topic 815, Derivatives and Hedging) that are
included in the original or modified contract and are not unconditionally
cancellable by the entity in determining the contractual term of a financial
asset or assets.
The Board decided to retain the existing guidance in Topic 326 for the
following topic:
- Discounting Cash Flows When Using a Method Other Than a Discounted
Cash Flow Method. The Board decided that no further clarifications in the
guidance were needed with respect to the role of discounting when using a
method other than a discounted cash flow method.
Analysis of Costs and Benefits
The Board concluded that it has received sufficient information and
analysis to make an informed decision on the topics presented and that the
expected benefits of the proposed amendments justify the expected
costs.
Next Steps
The Board directed the staff to:
- Incorporate the proposed amendments on recoveries, negative allowances,
vintage disclosures of line-of-credit arrangements that convert to term loans,
and contractual extensions in a proposed Accounting Standards Update on
Codification Improvements—Financial Instruments, for vote by written ballot
with a 30-day comment period. That proposed Update also will include other
proposed amendments discussed and approved by the Board at its August 29,
2018, and September 5, 2018 meetings.
- Incorporate the proposed amendments to vintage disclosures of gross
writeoffs and gross recoveries in a separate proposed Accounting Standards
Update on Codification Improvements—Financial Instruments—Credit Losses
(Vintage Disclosures: Gross Writeoffs and Gross Recoveries), for vote by
written ballot with a 60-day comment period.