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canada goose deals Although I share Mr. Hoogervorst concerns, they canada goose outlet vip should be much broader than indicated by the scope canada goose kensington parka uk of his letter. The IASB should be just as concerned with Greek bonds reported in its artificial held to maturity (HTM) category; and it should be profoundly disturbed by the auditor role in this debacle. canada goose deals
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The Greek bond accounting situation is not an isolated event, but merely a flash mob version of the incredible case of Socit Gnrale. To refresh your memory, Soc Gen, a French bank, chose to dump rogue trader Jrme Kerviel 2008 trading losses (about $10 billion) into fiscal 2007. The effect of the 2007 makeover was to partially offset his gains of the previous canada goose outlet store quebec year, and to give 2008 a clean slate so, I presume, management could get its earnings based bonuses. There is no disputing that the losses occurred in 2008, yet the bank took the outlandish position that application of straightforward and sensible IFRS rules (marking derivatives to market through net income) would, for reasons canada goose outlet location unstated, result in a failure of the 2008 financial statements to present a “true and fair view.”
canada goose clearance sale You might also be interested to know that Gen statements, as is apparently the norm in France, were opined upon by not just one, but two (yes, two!) auditors. Could Soc Gen have been wrong to invoke the “true and fair” exception if both of its venerable Big Four auditors Ernst Young and Deloitte Touche gave the financial statements a clean opinion? C canada goose outlet in toronto imposible! canada goose clearance sale
Then, as now, the IASB cried foul, and if history is a guide, its sound canada goose outlet florida and fury will again come to naught. (I am compelled to add), the banks play the tune.
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Getting back to the present, Mr. Hoogervorst beef with European banks is that trading markets were discounting Greek bonds by over 50%, yet many banks were only giving the bonds in their “available for sale” portfolio a 21% haircut, the amount that the desperate Greek government averred their own bonds should be worth after all is said and done. Hoogervorst did not identify any offending institutions by either example or name, but the Associated Press has helped out with a few: BNP Paribas and CNP Assurances (a French insurance company) took only a 21% writedown on their AFS Greek bonds, but Commerzbank of Germany wrote the exact same bonds down by 51%. They are using the assessed impact on the present value of future cash flows arising from the proposed restructure of those bonds, rather than using the amount reflected by current market prices as required in IAS 39.
In addition, some companies holding Greek government bonds classified as AFS have stated that they are relying on internal valuation methodologies, rather than on market prices, to measure the fair value of the assets as at 30 June 2011. The reason generally given for using models rather than market prices is that the market for Greek government bonds canada goose premium outlet is currently inactive (and therefore, in their view, does not provide reliable pricing information).
canada goose coats on sale .[However, a ] company cannot ignore observable transaction prices when it is clear that market participants are regularly entering into transactions for the same or similar financial assets, even if they are doing so less frequently than they have in the past.” [emphasis supplied] canada goose coats on sale
canada goose black friday sale Lack of consistent enforcement is just one of the many reasons that the notion of a single set of, high quality global accounting standards is, in this blogger opinion, a practical impossibility. If the Socit Gnrale debacle has faded to a distant memory for some, then this case should be an additional reminder to the SEC that genuine comparability cannot possibly exist absent rigorous enforcement. In Europe, it seems, even token enforcement is absent. listings. It canada goose outlet los angeles will be interesting to see if the SEC tries to put the heat on them. And, canada goose outlet winnipeg if anybody reading canada goose outlet edmonton this post knows of any such companies, I would appreciate knowing about them. canada goose black friday sale
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cheap Canada Goose There are at least three other troubling aspects of IFRS that the Greek bond accounting debacle has exposed. cheap Canada Goose
Canada Goose Parka Accounting for bonds that are classified as held to maturity While Hoogervorst canada goose outlet factory letter only addresses inconsistencies in measurements of AFS portfolios, the Greek bond crisis also makes it clear that HTM accounting exists for the convenience of issuers. This is for two reasons. Canada Goose Parka
First, management has extremely broad discretion in measuring the amount of impairment. This is because the carrying amount of the HTM investments is based on a totally arbitrary calculation: management canada goose outlet usa subjective estimate of the future cash flows it will receive, discounted by the original yield to maturity. Unlike the AFS portfolio, there is no requirement to refer to current market prices, and so long as an auditor does not object, management can pick pretty much any number it wants.
Canada Goose Outlet For example, AP also reported that although Commerzbank took a 51% charge to their AFS Greek bonds, they also have Greek bonds that are classified as HTM; and for these, they only took a 21% charge. There is simply no way that the IASB can justify these internally inconsistent measurements for identical assets, even assuming that both numbers were produced in compliance with the extant accounting rules. Canada Goose Outlet
Second, even if management were to actually make a loan impairment assessment in good faith, the result is a completely arbitrary calculation that defies explanation in economic terms. The resulting number can only be described by the calculation that spit it out. There is nothing more that investors can glean from it, other than an acknowledgement from that it doesn expect to receive all of the canada goose outlet miami payments the bank is contractually entitled to receive. In respect to the Greek bonds, that not much of a revelation.
And, by the way, I wonder how Commerzbank got that arbitrary calculation to come out to exactly that 21% figure the Greeks want everyone to accept and canada goose outlet online store review don As I am about to explain, this case (just like Soc Gen) reveals that at least in Europe, getting one auditor to agree that management assessment is may be the least of management problems when faced with the consequences of an unfortunate investment decision.
The Vast Inconsistency of Audit Judgments It just so happened that PwC was engaged to audit all three of the companies mentioned in the AP article. It seems impossible to canada goose outlet get around the conclusion that PwC found a 51% haircut on Commerzbank AFS Greek bonds was and that a haircut of less than half that amount was also for BNP Paribas holding of the same bonds. It seems as if the credibility of the numbers reported by some of these European financial institutions are not worth the paper they are printed on; and by extension, the same conclusion would apply to the reports of their auditors.
Canada Goose online I wonder if Hoogervorst canada goose outlet store uk had considered writing to the Big Four instead of, or in addition to, ESMA. To me, anyway, it is more important to have the Big Four canada goose outlet toronto location justify its acceptance of vastly different amounts of write downs on the same debt held by two or more different banks. Canada Goose online
buy canada goose jacket cheap If the IASB will not be asking the Big Four, the hand that feeds them, for answers, who will? What canada goose outlet in uk does this say about IASB independence? buy canada goose jacket cheap
canada goose coats Lastly, the the canada goose outlet in chicago HTM problem is bigger than the AFS problem And, don expect it to get fixed any time soon. The IASB financial instruments project is a bust on many levels. But with respect to HTM loans, the Board good book/bad book approach to loan loss allowances is being scrapped, albeit not for any accounting that canada goose outlet price makes more sense. Instead, the IASB is getting ready to propose a three bucket approach whose only apparent purpose is to allow lenders and bond investors even more discretion to manipulate loan loss allowances and earnings……. canada goose coats
canada goose store Hans Hoogervorst letter has also reminded us that a single set of global accounting standards has no traction without consistent application and enforcement of the rules. The SEC didn get the message after Soc Gen, but how about now canada goose store.
