Since 2010 a number of firms have voluntarily adopted mark-to-market (MTM) accounting for the actuarial gains and losses associated with their defined benefit pension plans. While pension accounting rules have allowed such a choice since 1986, only recently have firms begun to exercise that...

Der Periodenerfolg im Kreditgeschäft hängt nicht nur von den Zinserträgen, sondern auch von der Bewertung der Kreditforderungen unter Berücksichtigung des Ausfallrisikos ab. Hier werden Wertberichtigungen für eingetretene Verluste, für erwartete Verluste, und solche zur Berücksichtigung...

Many observers have argued that the fall in RMBS prices during the crisis was partly caused by fire sales. We provide an explanation for why financial institutions may have engaged in fire sales using a unique dataset of RMBS transactions for insurance companies. We show that risk-sensitive...

This paper investigates whether, and if so, to what extent, Level 3 fair values disclosed by European banks provide useful information to investors and are reflected in firm value changes. Using a unique sample of 416 hand-collected firm-year observations from European banks reporting under...

The principles characterizing the traditional revenue-expense approach to accounting have never been "invented". They are an institution that is the result of social evolution, not of human design. Therefore, the efforts to defend them against the balance sheet approach endorsed by...

Eine der wesentlichen Gründe für das Entstehen und den Verlauf der Finanzkrise dürfte in der Intransparenz moderner Kapitalmärkte liegen. Diese Intransparenz begünstigt einerseits das Entstehen von spekulativen Blasen. Andererseits ist die mangelnde Transparenz wohl wesentlich für die...

This article analyzes the extent to which accounting standards adequately re ects the value of intangible assets as well as its usefulness for financial agents in the process of buying and selling companies. Based on a sample that includes price of private transactions and listed companies from...

We directly test the reliability and relevance of fair values reported by listed private equity firms (LPEs), where the unit of account for the fair value measurement (FVM) is an investment stake in an individual investee company. FVMs are observable for multiple investment stakes, fair values...