In the face of political pressure in 2009, the FASB relaxed fair value rules to give managers more discretion in measurement of fair value. Supporters argued that the accounting regulatory change would help convey managers' private information on the measurement of fair values, while critics of...

Prior research documents that non-financial firms resort to more real activities management when their ability to manage accruals is constrained by specialist auditors (e.g., Chi et al. 2011; Burnett et al. 2012). Within the context of banks' real activities management through repurchase agreements...