In this study, we examine whether banks' use of the loan loss provision (LLP) to manage earnings is associated with 1) the extent to which banks hold assets subject to fair value reporting and 2) the use of an industry specialist auditor. We find that banks with a greater proportion of assets...

Loans are typically the largest asset class on banks' balance sheets. So understanding the value of loans is vital to any assessment of the resilience of the banking system. This is not straightforward. The market value of loans is seldom observable. And the nature and diversity of banks' loans...