Amortized Cost for Operating Lease Assets

2012 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 51-74 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ross Jennings ◽  
Ana Marques
Keyword(s):  
Accounting Standards ◽  
Cash Flows ◽  
Data Availability ◽  
Financial Accounting ◽  
International Accounting Standards ◽  
Financial Accounting Standards Board ◽  
Present Value ◽  
Financial Ratio ◽  
Straight Line ◽  
Operating Leases

SYNOPSIS: A proposed accounting standard issued jointly by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) and the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) would require firms to recognize many more lease assets than are currently required and to amortize those assets on a straight-line basis. A number of respondents to the exposure draft argue that the “front-loading” of lease expense resulting from straight-line amortization would not reflect the economics of the lease assets. This study compares straight-line amortization with the most-often cited alternative, present value amortization. First, we illustrate by example that under stylized conditions, present value amortization provides information that more faithfully represents the future cash flows of lease assets than straight-line amortization. Second, for a large subset of firms that are more likely to conform to the stylized conditions in our example, we find that investors value those firms as though the lease assets are capitalized and amortized on a present value basis. Finally, we find that financial ratio comparability is substantially increased when operating leases are constructively capitalized and amortized using straight-line amortization, and further increased when using present value amortization. Taken together, these results provide no evidence for favoring straight-line amortization over present value amortization as the default method for amortizing capitalized operating leases. Data Availability: Data used in this paper are publicly available.

A Perspective on the Joint IASB/FASB Exposure Draft on Accounting for Leases

2011 ◽  
Vol 25 (4) ◽  
pp. 861-871 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuri Biondi ◽  
Robert J. Bloomfield ◽  
Jonathan C. Glover ◽  
Karim Jamal ◽  
James A. Ohlson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Balance Sheet ◽  
Accounting Standards ◽  
Financial Accounting ◽  
International Accounting Standards ◽  
Financial Accounting Standards Board ◽  
Operating Leases ◽  
Key Issues ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Lease Accounting

SYNOPSIS The International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) and the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) recently issued a joint exposure draft on accounting for leases. This exposure draft seeks to shift lease accounting from an “ownership” model to a “right-of-use” model. Under the current ownership model, leases can be reported on balance sheet (finance leases) if certain tests are met, or off balance sheet (operating leases) if those tests are not met. The new model seeks to report all leases on the balance sheet based on the present value of lease obligations without any bright line tests, and no sharp on or off the balance sheet classifications. We are sympathetic to the standard setters' concern that the current lease standard is being manipulated improperly by managers, resulting in large amounts of debt being reported off balance sheet. We provide a discussion of current lease accounting and the proposed exposure draft. We also comment on five key issues covered by the exposure draft: the definition of a lease, the initial measurement and eventual reassessment at fair values, the accounting for lessors, the impact of lease accounting on recognition and income measurement, and classification of lease accounting elements and their impact on accounting ratios. JEL Classifications: M40.

scholarly journals The FASBs Concepts Statement On Cash Flows And Present Value

2011 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Stanley Martens ◽  
Thomas Berry
Keyword(s):  
Cash Flow ◽  
Accounting Standards ◽  
Fair Value ◽  
Cash Flows ◽  
Financial Accounting ◽  
Financial Accounting Standards Board ◽  
Present Value ◽  
Numerical Examples ◽  
Flow Information

In February 2000, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued Statement of Financial Accounting Concepts No. 7, Using Cash Flow Information and Present Value in Accounting Measurements.  In this document the FASB asserts without proof that a present value computation along its lines will provide a good estimate of the fair value of an asset or liability.  Using numerical examples provided by the FASB, we attempt to construct arguments in support of the FASB’s claim.  We find that such arguments require strong and not at all obvious assumptions about players in hypothetical markets.

scholarly journals The Joint FASB/IASB Lease Project: Discussion And Industry Implications

2011 ◽  
Vol 9 (9) ◽  
pp. 29 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Kostolansky ◽  
Brian Stanko
Keyword(s):  
Balance Sheet ◽  
Accounting Standards ◽  
Financial Accounting ◽  
International Accounting Standards ◽  
Financial Accounting Standards Board ◽  
Font Size ◽  
Operating Leases ◽  
Accounting Rules ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Lease Accounting

<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"> </span><p style="margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt; text-align: justify; mso-pagination: none;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">Over several decades, the Financial Accounting Standards Board and International Accounting Standards Board have enacted numerous changes to the controversial lease accounting rules. As currently prescribed, operating leases are treated as rental arrangements whereby the lessee does not record a liability - a situation generally referred to as off-balance sheet financing. In an attempt to increase transparency and comparability, the FASB and IASB will soon require all leases to be capitalized. This paper quantifies the impact of the new leasing standard on the financial statements and ratios of the firms and industries represented in the S&amp;P 100 under a variety of discount rates. </span></span></p><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"> </span>

scholarly journals Financial Reporting Impact Of The Operating Lease Classification

2012 ◽  
Vol 28 (6) ◽  
pp. 1509 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Kostolansky ◽  
Dora Altschuler ◽  
Brian B. Stanko
Keyword(s):  
North America ◽  
Financial Reporting ◽  
Balance Sheet ◽  
Accounting Standards ◽  
Financial Statements ◽  
Financial Accounting ◽  
International Accounting Standards ◽  
Financial Accounting Standards Board ◽  
Operating Leases ◽  
The Impact

The Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) and the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) are preparing to make changes to accounting standards for leasing that will have a significant impact on the financial statements of a large number of companies. The proposed standard will eliminate the operating lease classification, and if passed, companies using this classification will be required to report additional assets and liabilities on the balance sheet. This study estimates the impact of this change in accounting standards on the financial statements and several key financial ratios for an extensive sample of companies and industries from the Compustat North America database. It is important that users of financial statements understand and are prepared for these changes prior to implementation, particularly for industries in which operating leases are heavily utilized.

scholarly journals Distortions in the measurement of the efficiency of financial leverage strategies in the airline industry when operating leases are ignored

2014 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-36
Author(s):  
Carl A Sheraga ◽  
Paul Caster
Keyword(s):  
Airline Industry ◽  
Balance Sheet ◽  
Accounting Standards ◽  
Financial Accounting ◽  
International Accounting Standards ◽  
Financial Accounting Standards Board ◽  
Financial Leverage ◽  
Balance Sheets ◽  
Operating Leases ◽  
Management Perspective

The Financial Accounting Standards Board and the International Accounting Standards Board have set forth a proposal requiring companies to capitalize operating leases and include them as assets and liabilities on their balance sheets. The proposal is motivated by the fact that current methods accounting for operating leases hide a great deal of off-book leverage and thus are misleading to investors. Such a change would have a significant impact on the U.S. airline industry where aircraft and property operating leases are quite prevalent. This study utilizes an in-depth strategic management perspective in examining how well U.S. airlines pursue optimization strategies with regard to the management of financial leverage in order to achieve desired targets of growth and profitability. Such benchmarking is accomplished by utilizing the DEA model suggested by Capobianco and Fernandes (2004). This study demonstrates the distortion inherent in inter-airline benchmarking when operating leases are not capitalized on the balance sheet.

THE EVOLUTION OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE US FINANCIAL ACCOUNTING STANDARDS BOARD AND THE INTERNATIONAL ACCOUNTING STANDARD SETTERS: 1973–2008

2012 ◽  
Vol 39 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-51 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert J. Kirsch
Keyword(s):  
Accounting Standards ◽  
Financial Accounting ◽  
Working Relationships ◽  
International Accounting ◽  
International Accounting Standards ◽  
Financial Accounting Standards Board ◽  
Accounting Standard ◽  
Staff Members ◽  
The Us ◽  
The Relationship

ABSTRACT Utilizing archival materials as well as personal interviews and correspondence with personnel of the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) and International Accounting Standards Committee/Board (IASC/B), including former Board chairmen and staff members, this paper examines the development of the working relationships between the FASB and the IASC/B from their earliest interactions in 1973 through the transformation of the IASC into the IASB and the Convergence Program rooted in the 2002 Norwalk Agreement up to 2008.

scholarly journals Constructive Capitalization of Operating Leases in the Hong Kong Fast-Food Industry

2013 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 128 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin Y. Tai
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
Fast Food ◽  
Balance Sheet ◽  
Accounting Standards ◽  
Financial Accounting ◽  
Financial Accounting Standards Board ◽  
Return On Assets ◽  
Fast Food Industry ◽  
Operating Leases ◽  
Lease Contracts

The current study is undertaken to investigate the potential problems resulting from the proposed adoption of a new accounting standard concerning mandatory capitalization of all lease contracts.  In 2010, the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) and the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued a joint exposure draft (ED2010/9) on accounting for leases.  Under the new standard, lessees are required to capitalize all lease contracts as assets and liabilities.  The distinction between operating leases and capital (finance) leases will no longer exist.  The long-standing off-balance sheet treatment of operating leases will be prohibited.  After the adoption of the proposed standard, companies with significant operating leases are likely to experience an increase in assets, increase in liabilities, and decrease in equity, resulting in the deterioration of their return-on- assets and debt-to-equity ratios.  This research examines two large fast-food restaurant chains based in Hong Kong; and through constructive capitalization, demonstrates how the companies’ key financial ratios are negatively impacted if the new standard is implemented.  The results indicate that both the return-on-assets and debt-to-equity ratios of the two companies, under various discount rates assumptions, suffer serious deterioration when their operating leases are capitalized.

Accounting for leases – lessons from COVID-19

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alan Teixeira
Keyword(s):  
Financial Reporting ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Accounting Standards ◽  
Financial Accounting ◽  
International Accounting Standards ◽  
Reporting Standards ◽  
Financial Accounting Standards Board ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Financial Reporting Standards ◽  
Setting Process

Purpose The International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) and Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) have given relief to lessees in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. However, it is not clear why any relief from the requirements in International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) or the Accounting Standards Codification (ASC) should be necessary. The purpose of this paper is to highlight weaknesses in how the IASB and FASB developed their leases Standards, and why those Standards are not robust enough to cope with a shock to the economic system. Design/methodology/approach The COVID-19 relief suspends some features of the leasing requirements rather than changing them. What if other economic or regulatory events cause the same circumstances to arise? Findings Have COVID-19 exposed weaknesses in the leasing standards that should have been avoided when they were developed or is COVID-19 the problem? Originality/value Analysis of actual board discussions and staff papers is unusual and provides insights into the standard-setting process.

What Are the Essential Features of a Liability?

2010 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 623-633 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dennis Murray
Keyword(s):  
Financial Reporting ◽  
Accounting Standards ◽  
Cash Flows ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Primary Objective ◽  
Financial Accounting ◽  
Financial Accounting Standards Board ◽  
Time Dimension ◽  
The Past ◽  
Definition Of

SYNOPSIS: The Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) and the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) are in the process of jointly re-examining their conceptual frameworks. The re-examination includes assessing the definition of a liability. The Boards’ existing liability definitions include three criteria: (1) a present obligation; (2) a past transaction or event; and (3) a probable future sacrifice of economic benefits. The Boards have recently proposed that a liability be defined as “a present obligation for which the entity is the obligor” (FASB 2008c, 2). The proposed definition mentions only one time dimension (the present). References to the past and future are omitted. This paper argues that these omissions are undesirable. Omitting a reference to the past removes the link between the definition and the tradition of historically based financial statements. More importantly, however, the failure to reference future sacrifices of economic benefits divorces the definition from the primary objective of financial reporting: to provide information about the “amount, timing and uncertainty of an entity’s future cash flows” (FASB 2008a, para. OB6). This paper offers an alternative definition that emphasizes the past and future rather than the present.

scholarly journals Ontwikkelingen in het conceptual framework

2013 ◽  
Vol 87 (9) ◽  
pp. 355-364
Author(s):  
Dick Van Offeren ◽  
Joop Witjes ◽  
Tim Verdoes
Keyword(s):  
Conceptual Framework ◽  
Financial Reporting ◽  
Accounting Standards ◽  
Financial Statements ◽  
Financial Accounting ◽  
International Accounting ◽  
International Accounting Standards ◽  
Financial Accounting Standards Board ◽  
Reporting Framework ◽  
International Accounting Standards Board

De International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) heeft recent het conceptual framework-project als kernproject aangemerkt. Het oorspronkelijke Framework for the preparation and presentation of financial statements (framework 1989) was aan een fundamentele herziening toe. Samen met de Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) heeft de IASB de eerste fase van het Conceptual framework for financial reporting (framework 2010) voltooid. In deze eerste fase worden twee onderwerpen besproken. Dit zijn het doel van financiële verslaggeving en de kwalitatieve kenmerken van financiële verslaggeving. Wij bespreken deze twee onderwerpen en gaan in op de verschillen tussen het framework 2010 en het framework 1989. Wij benadrukken het verschil in toepassingsgebied van de twee frameworks. Het framework 2010 is gericht op het ruimere begrip financial reporting, financiële verslaggeving en het framework 1989 was beperkt tot financial statements, jaarrekeningen.

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