Reliability of Banks' Fair Value Disclosure for Loans

This study investigates whether banks manage the disclosed fair value of their major asset, the loan portfolio. Using two cross-section samples, I find evidence that suggests banks manage the fair value of loans. The estimated extent of overstatement of loans' fair value is negatively related to regulatory capital, asset growth, liquidity and the gross book value of loans, and positively related to the change in the rate of credit losses. These relations imply that some banks overstate the disclosed fair value of loans in an attempt to favorably affect the market assessment of their risk and performance.     

To Fair Value or Not to Fair Value: A Broader Perspective

Fair value is considered here with respect to the two primary objectives of financial statements proposed in the joint conceptual framework that is under development by the FASB and the IASB, namely (a) informativeness—to assist providers of capital in predicting, evaluating, and comparing the amounts, timing and uncertainty of future cash flows, and (b) stewardship—to assist in evaluating how efficient and effective managers have been in enhancing shareholders' value. More specifically, a comprehensive set of accounting measures and a set of corporate governance reforms intended to align corporate insiders' and auditors' behaviour and decisions with the interests of investors is outlined. Suggested reforms show how to present a mix of effectively historical quantifications, exit values, and the discounted values of future cash flows expected from the particularized use of combinations of assets within the firm. Additionally, the article describes how markets can be reformed in order to align the interests of the officers who prepare such accounts, and the auditors who certify them, with those of investors. These market-based reforms would require auditors to insure misrepresentations, and managers to take equity to induce truthful reporting. Also included is a radical extension to earlier proposals by the author, requiring an officer of the company to make the market in shares in a way that would place limits upon the value of the insider's private information.     

The Relationship between Fair Value,Market Value,and Efficient Markets*

This paper proposes that an assumption of reasonable market efficiency is at the essence of the relevance of fair value for financial reporting purposes. The paper's examination of this proposal begins with a review of recent academic literature on market efficiency, and on evidence of inefficiencies and their implications for the ability of the efficient market hypothesis to explain what market prices represent. It concludes that there is wide acceptance in this literature that a reasonable level of efficiency can generally be presumed to exist in active, well‐regulated capital markets. The paper examines the essential attributes of a reasonably efficient market for fair value measurement purposes, and some basic implications for its reliable estimation. This is done in comparison with the provisions of the fair value measurement standard of the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) (Statement of Financial Accounting Standards [SFAS] No. 157). It is concluded that the concept of reasonable market efficiency could provide a sound conceptual framework for defining fair value that is founded in real, observable market prices. It is demonstrated that, in contrast, SFAS No. 157 does not provide a clear, unequivocal concept of fair value, and that it permits estimates of fair value that have no demonstrable basis in real, observable market prices. Nevertheless, it appears that arguments typically put forward by the International Accounting Standards Board and the FASB for the relevance of fair value for financial reporting purposes do imply a presumption of reasonably efficient markets.     

Fair Value and the IASB/FASB Conceptual Framework Project: An Alternative View

This paper analyses various controversial issues arising from the current project of the IASB and FASB to develop a joint conceptual framework for financial reporting standards. It discusses their possible implications for measurement and, in particular, for the use of fair value as the preferred measurement basis. Two competing world views are identified as underlying the debate: a Fair Value View, implicit in the IASB's public pronouncements, and an Alternative View implicit in publicly expressed criticisms of the IASB's pronouncements. The Fair Value View assumes that markets are relatively perfect and complete and that, in such a setting, financial reports should meet the needs of passive investors and creditors by reporting fair values derived from current market prices. The Alternative View assumes that markets are relatively imperfect and incomplete and that, in such a market setting, financial reports should also meet the monitoring requirements of current shareholders (stewardship) by reporting past transactions and events using entity-specific measurements that reflect the opportunities actually available to the reporting entity. The different implications of the two views are illustrated by reference to specific issues in recent accounting standards. Finally, the theoretical support for the two views is discussed. It is concluded that, in a realistic market setting, the search for a universal measurement method may be fruitless and a more appropriate approach to the measurement problem might be to define a clear measurement objective and to select the measurement method that best meets that objective in the particular circumstances that exist in relation to each item in the accounts. An example of such an approach is deprival value, which is not, at present, under consideration by the IASB.     

The Role of Fair Value Accounting in Promoting Government Accountability

A key factor to improve the financial accountability of governments is the existence of a set of generally accepted financial reporting of standards, such as IPSAS issued by the IFAC, which seek to enhance information transparency. This paper examines the capability of fair value accounting to improve, through financial transparency, government accountability, analysing the possible effect of the implementation of this measurement basis on understandability, comparability and timeliness—three qualitative characteristics linked to the relevance of financial reporting. This paper further considers whether the difficulties involved in achieving FV estimations could affect government financial accountability. The findings indicate that FVA implementation could enhance accountability by improving understandability, comparability and timeliness in governmental financial reporting, although the use of objective measures to estimate the FV of assets is fundamental. In addition, the type of assets and the existence of an active market are crucial to improving the comparability of financial statements under FVA, whereas improving timeliness could be limited by the possibility of estimating FV measures in‐house.     

Fair Value Measurements of Control Premiums

As the overview of the current state of research within this paper shows, the debate around fair value measurements is far from over. This paper analyzes fair value measurement requirements in a controversial scenario, namely when a control premium exists. The analyses of the paper show that, while measurement rules around control premiums could have a material impact on fair value measurements and the financial statements as a whole, significant fair value measurement issues remain unresolved. The conclusion is that fair value measurements should include or exclude control premiums consistently. It is argued that including control premiums for all fair value measurements is the most faithful representation of the underlying economic phenomenon. This paper contributes to the fair value measurement debate by comparing the merits of alternative fair value measurements for control premiums and highlights an area where researchers, investors, and other users should exercise caution when evaluating financial statements.     

新会计准则下公允价值会计理论的研究

与提高会计信息质量的相关性相适应,完善和应用公允价值计量是一种趋势。作为五大计量属性之一,基于理论上的局限性,应用上大量的假设和前提,公允价值计量是可供选择的计量方法之一。因此,要积极、稳妥地推进公允价值的计量,提高会计信息的质量,更好地服务于经济发展。     

会计稳健性对盈余价值相关性的影响研究——基于公允价值计量的视角

以2001～2008年我国A股上市公司为研究样本,基于公允价值计量全面引入的视角,考察了会计稳健性对盈余价值相关性的影响,实证发现:会计稳健性显著降低了会计盈余的价值相关性,而公允价值计量显著弱化了会计稳健性对于盈余价值相关性的负向影响.研究结果表明,对于我国上市公司而言,稳健的会计政策并不意味着高质量的财务报告信息.公允价值与会计稳健性适度藕合,可以弥补会计稳健性的不足,有利于提高会计信息质量.     

Determinants of discretionary fair value measurements: the case of Level 3 assets in the banking sector

The objective of our research was to respond to the call of Barth and Taylor ( 2010 ) for more research to examine the role of discretion in fair value estimates. Specifically, we investigate factors that explain banks’ accounting choices to use Level 3 valuation inputs from the fair value measurement hierarchy. Using hand‐collected data from a sample of international banks during 2009–2013, we find that incentives to use discretionary Level 3 valuation inputs, which can provide an opportunity to manage earnings, are associated with both firm‐level and country‐level determinants. Additional tests provide evidence that Level 3 ‘transfer‐in’ behaviour is related to changes in bank characteristics.     

我国银行业实际税负水平对其盈利能力影响的实证研究

以1998～2008年间全国13家主要商业银行数据为样本,考察银行业实际税负水平及其对商业银行盈利能力的影响。我国商业银行实际税负由2007年以前的50%以上下降到2008年的36%左右,银行业税收环境得到改善。实证研究的结果表明:实际税负水平的变化可以直接影响银行业的盈利能力,两者呈现显著的负相关关系;从量上进行分析,税负水平较少程度的降低就会显著地增强银行业的盈利水平,较之非上市银行,税负的降低会更加显著地改善上市银行的经营业绩。     

Unintended Consequences of Changing Accounting Standards: The Case of Fair Value Accounting and Mandatory Dividends

A growing body of literature investigates the interaction of changes in accounting standards with institutions such as investor protection laws and corporate governance mechanisms. We examine the unintended consequences of fair value accounting in determining mandated preferred dividends. We study the case of Russian energy conglomerate UES, which had a good corporate governance track record and a consistent dividend history. Following its adoption of fair value accounting, UES reported the highest quarterly profit in world corporate history, but it subsequently omitted dividends for all its shareholders. The case analysis suggests that the transitory nature of fair value adjustments and the interaction with the investment policy were important considerations in justifying the dividend omission. The reduction in preferred dividends was not offset by any capital gains, and led to a wealth transfer from preferred to ordinary shareholders. Thus, requiring the use of fair value accounting when determining the dividend distribution base can lead to unintended consequences and increase agency costs for minority shareholders.     

公允价值会计与市场投资异象研究——来自中国上市公司的经验证据

以2007～2010年我国A股公司为样本,研究了上市公司在采用公允价值计量方式后是否会产生新的投资异象以及造成这种投资异象的影响因素。运用均值T检验和Wilcoxon符号等级检验,并采用Fama-French三因素模型对样本公司进行回归。研究发现,在控制了市场风险、规模风险和账面市值比风险之后,投资策略仍然可获得超常回报率,并且公允价值变动损益占净利润比重大(小)的组,超常回报率低(高)。套利风险、交易成本是公允价值变动损益对净利润的波动性风险造成的投资异象的影响因素。交易成本越大,套利风险越高,错误定价越不容易被消除,其超常回报率也越高。     

商业银行公司治理：进展及改革着力点

随着我国金融业的全面对外开放,银行面临更多更大的挑战。如何有效应对?银行公司治理是个关键。巴塞尔原则和我国有关的法规制度,对银行公司治理有积极作用。但是,公司治理是否有效,还需通过银行的商业实践来验证。优化董事会结构、加强内部控制建设并重视利益相关者的作用,是银行公司治理的重要内容;提高创新能力、服务能力和抗风险能力,是银行保持长久竞争力和实现利润最大化的基础和前提。     

The Effect of Fair Value Adjustments on Dividend Policy Under Mandatory International Financial Reporting Standards Adoption: Australian Evidence

Using a sample of firms from the financial sector of the Australian Securities Exchange, we examine the effect of the fair value adjustments of financial instruments on firms’ dividend distributions in the context of mandatory International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) adoption. We find a positive relationship between the fair value adjustments of financial instruments and firms’ dividend payouts, suggesting that the frequent use of fair value adjustments of financial instruments by financial firms following mandatory IFRS adoption has the potential to increase the proportion of transitory earnings in reported earnings and cause changes in dividend policies. Our results add to the ongoing debate on the unintended economic consequences of fair value accounting (FVA) and provide empirical support for regulators’ concerns that unrealized FVA gains from asset revaluation during booms may encourage the distribution of those unrealized gains.     

Value Relevance of Fair Values—Empirical Evidence of the Impact of Market Volatility

This study examines empirically the effects of market volatility on the value relevance of fair values. Using the modified Ohlson model ( 1995 ) and a sample of U.S. financial companies for the period of 2008 to 2013, this study shows that fair values are priced at a significant discount when market volatility is high. Song ( 2013 ) shows analytically that the effectiveness of fair value accounting is negatively affected by market volatility. Findings of the current study suggest that investors understand the effects of market volatility on fair values and price them accordingly. The study extends the research on the determinants of the usefulness of fair values by looking beyond factors associated with the reliability of estimated fair values (Level 2 and Level 3 fair values). This study has practical implications: current accounting standards for fair value measurement acknowledge the limitations of the market as a source of fair values by offering a three‐level fair value hierarchy with provisions for fair values to deviate from market prices. Findings of this study shed light on a previously little studied factor, that is, market volatility, on the usefulness of fair values.     

Fair Value Accounting and Stewardship*

Current standards define fair value as the market price at which an asset could be sold or a liability could be settled in the normal course of business. Setting aside measurement issues, assessing the relevance of exit values has intensified in recent years as fair value becomes a pervasive component of accounting regulation. The current debate about accounting measurement is framed in terms of making a choice between fair value and historical cost. In this article I argue that this is not a correct framing of the issues; knowledge of fair value alone cannot help investors to evaluate stewardship, because they would not know how much resources the management had sacrificed to obtain that fair value. To properly evaluate stewardship, investors need both types of information, historical cost and fair value.Using this information, a rate‐of‐return‐like index of stewardship quality is proposed. This commentary concludes with a statement about three significant drawbacks of relying solely on fair value accounting.     

股权结构与商业银行绩效：国际比较与我国实证

股权结构与商业银行绩效有着密切的关系。本文首先对发达国家商业银行的股权结构模式进行国际比较,总结不同股权结构模式的特点及其影响银行绩效的作用机制。其次,针对我国商业银行股权结构的特殊性,通过建立对数成本函数模型并检验其结构稳定性,实证考察股权结构与我国商业银行绩效的关系。     

现值和公允价值会计:21世纪财务变革的重要前提

脱离或忽略现值和公允价值会计这一当代国际会计发展大趋势和重要的会计学前提(视角)来研究财务问题是不够全面和深刻的.价值是财务与会计的核心概念、本原逻辑和联结纽带;21世纪的财务变革正呼唤着"价值型会计模式"(即基于价值计量的现值和公允价值会计模式),并且这一模式是完全有可能实现的.     

公允价值计量模式应用对商业银行的影响分析

新会计准则引入了公允价值计量模式,建立了完整的确认和计量体系.本文从商业银行角度入手,对公允价值计量模式在新准则中的具体应用进行了分析,提出了商业银行应提高对市场的风险管理能力,通过有效地确认公允价值来进一步提升商业银行会计信息的质量和透明度.     

基于价值链理论的商业银行增值型内部审计研究

内部审计增值目标的提出,为商业银行内部审计向增值型转型指明了方向,增值型内部审计以价值为核心,审计活动更加贴近组织的价值链.本文将价值链理论融入商业银行内部审计增值转型的研究中,尝试建立基于价值链理论的增值型内部审计模式,以期为有效探索商业银行内部审计增值转型抛砖引玉.