Fair Value Measurement and Application
Project Description: The objective of this project is to review and consider alternatives for the further development of (1) the definition of fair value, (2) the methods used to measure fair value, (3) the applicability of fair value guidance to investments and other items currently reported at fair value, and (4) potential disclosures about fair value measurements.
Status: Statement No. 72, Fair Value Measurement and Application, was approved in February 2015.
- Project Plan
- Recent Minutes
- Minutes Archive
- Tentative Board Decisions to Date
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- Project staff:
Fair Value Measurement and Application—Project Plan
Background: Practitioners have been asking for more guidance on fair value measurements. Some governments that are business-type activities are inquiring whether Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) Statement No. 157, Fair Value Measurements, is applicable Other practitioners also are looking to FASB Statement 157 for guidance on fair value measurement methodologies. Fair value measurement issues have the potential to affect multiples areas of governmental financial statements and are not limited to investments. In staff’s conversations with practitioners, the absence of guidance creates uncertainties about how to value investments. This uncertainty, for example, presents the possibility that pension plan assets and net asset values reported by external investment pools may not be reliably reported.
Within the general issue of fair value are questions regarding measurement of specific investment types, such as alternative investments. Project staff’s research of the types of investments as reported in financial statement disclosures suggests that public universities (especially endowments), pension plans, and state governments would be affected by any guidance. Some western states report state land trusts. Project staff’s research indicates that preparers report these assets inconsistently because there is a lack of guidance. In turn, financial statement users may be uncertain of what the values of these alternative investments represent. Providing guidance in this area will lead to increased comparability between governments, greater accountability, and a better measure of the resources available to governments.
Accounting and Financial Reporting Issues:
- What is the objective of fair value measurements in financial reporting?
- What guidance should be provided for appropriate methods and inputs for the development of fair values?
- For the development of fair value estimates, should there be a hierarchy of inputs, such as between market-observed prices and model-based information?
- Should all investments reported by governments be measured at their fair values?
- Should additional guidance be provided that further defines an investment?
- What fair value disclosures are appropriate?
- Pre-agenda research approved: April 2008
- Added to current technical agenda: August 2011
- Task force established? Yes
- Deliberations began: October 2011
- Preliminary Views approved: June 2013
- Comment period: June–September 2013
- Field test conducted: June–September 2013
- Public hearings held: November 2013
- Redeliberations began: December 2013
- Exposure Draft approved: May 2014
- Comment period: May–August 2014
- Redeliberations began: September 2014
- Final Statement issued: February 2015
Fair Value Measurement and Application—Recent Minutes
Minutes of Teleconference, February 17, 2015
The Board reviewed a ballot draft of Statement No. 72, Fair Value Measurement and Application. After discussion of the draft, the Board voted unanimously to approve Statement 72 for issuance.
Minutes of Meetings, January 27-29, 2015
The Board reviewed a preballot draft of a final Statement, Fair Value Measurement and Application, provided clarifying edits, and reassessed some tentative decisions in the draft document. The Board will review and consider for approval a ballot draft at the February teleconference.
The Board also reviewed potential changes to a Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) document—FASB Accounting Standards Codification® Topic 820, Fair Value Measurement, proposed in Accounting Standard Update (ASU), Disclosures for Investments in Certain Entities That Calculate Net Asset Value per Share (or Its Equivalent). The Board tentatively decided that investments in which net asset value (NAV) per share (or its equivalent) is calculated should not be classified within the fair value hierarchy. The Board also tentatively agreed to present investments measured at NAV separately in the fair value disclosure.
The Board reviewed other disclosure changes proposed by the ASU. The FASB is considering an amendment that would require disclosures only for investments that are measured at NAV per share (to which a practical expedient is applied) instead of all investments that calculate NAV per share. The Board tentatively decided to retain the disclosures proposed in the GASB Exposure Draft. The Board also reviewed potential changes to the FASB Codification Topic 820 disclosure requirements stemming from the FASB’s disclosure framework project. No FASB decisions have been made at this time. The Board tentatively decided to make no changes to its disclosure requirements as a result of this consideration.
The Board discussed cost-benefit considerations of the final Statement. The Board tentatively agreed that the expected benefits associated with the requirements in the final Statement outweigh the perceived implementation and ongoing costs.
Finally, the Board discussed the characteristics of the financial information provided by the provisions of a fair value standard. The Board tentatively agreed that the requirements of the standard will produce financial information that meets the needs of users, results from economic or financial events affecting the assessment of the governmental reporting entity, is relevant to reporting objectives, and falls within an appropriate information category in general purpose external financial reports.
Minutes of Meeting, December 15-17, 2014
The Board continued to review the comment letters received from the Fair Value Measurement and Application Exposure Draft.
The Board tentatively agreed to certain edits to the document for purposes of readability and clarification of the final Statement. The Board tentatively agreed to reaffirm that the description of valuation techniques used in the fair value measurements, any significant changes in valuation techniques, and the reason(s) for making the changes should be disclosed. The Board tentatively agreed that for fair value measurements categorized in Level 3, a government should not be required to disclose the effect of those investments on investment income for the reporting period.
The Board tentatively agreed to reaffirm that the disclosures proposed in paragraph 79 of the Exposure Draft for investments in certain entities that calculate net asset value per share (or its equivalent) should be carried forward to the final standard. The Board tentatively agreed to reaffirm the requirement to disclose the total fair value of all investments that are likely to be sold at a price other than net asset value per share.
The Board discussed the effective date of the final standard but deferred a decision to a later meeting. In applying the Statement for the first time, the Board tentatively agreed to reaffirm that the final standard should maintain the retrospective transition guidance, including the “if not practical” exception, for recognition, measurement, and disclosure. The Board tentatively agreed to define market multiples as “a valuation technique that relies on the use of ratios as an expression of market price relative to a key statistic, such as earnings, book value, or cash flows.”
Minutes of Meeting, November 11-13, 2014
The Board continued to review the comment letters received from the Exposure Draft, Fair Value Measurement and Application.
The Board tentatively agreed to make certain clarifying edits to the document in order to increase readability and clarification of the final Statement. The Board tentatively agreed that an asset initially classified as a capital asset should not be reclassified if the service capacity of that asset changes such that it meets the definition of an investment. The Board tentatively agreed to reaffirm the definition of an investment as “a security or other asset (a) that a government holds primarily for the purpose of income or profit and (b) with a present service capacity that is based solely on its ability to generate cash or to be sold to generate cash.”
The Board tentatively agreed that natural resource assets that meet the definition of an investment should be measured at fair value; however, the Board also tentatively agreed that a government should use professional judgment in selecting the unit of account for reporting natural resource assets.
The Board tentatively agreed that interest rate swaps should continue to be measured at fair value. The Board tentatively reaffirmed exceptions to fair value measurement for certain investments that were identified in paragraph 69 of the Exposure Draft that donated capital assets and assets received in service concession arrangements should be measured at acquisition value. The Board also tentatively reaffirmed the requirement not to use net asset value to measure certain investments if it is probable that they will be sold at a different amount.
Minutes of Teleconference, October 20, 2014
The Board continued to review the comment letters received from the Fair Value Measurement and Application Exposure Draft.
The Board tentatively agreed to make certain clarifying edits to the document in order to increase readability of the final Statement. The Board tentatively decided that if an asset or liability is measured using inputs from more than one level of the fair value hierarchy, the measurement should be classified based on the lowest priority level input that is significant to the entire measurement.
Minutes of Meeting, September 30- October 1, 2014
The Board began reviewing the comment letters received in response to the Exposure Draft, Fair Value Measurement and Application.
The Board tentatively agreed to make certain clarifying edits in order to increase readability of the final Statement. The Board tentatively decided to reaffirm the definition of fair value as the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. The Board also tentatively decided to define the term measurement date as the point in time when the fair value of an asset or liability is determined.
Minutes of Teleconference, May 5, 2014
The Board considered how to account for common stock that is received by a government in connection with its economic development activities. If the criteria for the equity method of reporting common stock are not met, the Board tentatively agreed to propose that if such stock does not meet the definition of an investment, it should be reported using the cost method.
The Board reviewed the draft of a proposed Statement on Fair Value Measurement and Application. The Board tentatively agreed to various clarifying changes to the Exposure Draft. Finally, the Board unanimously agreed to move forward with issuance of the Exposure Draft for comment.
Minutes of Meetings, April 8-10, 2014
The Board reviewed the preballot draft of the Exposure Draft of a proposed Statement on Fair Value Measurement and Application. The Board tentatively agreed the Exposure Draft should not pose any specific questions to respondents. (Respondents are encouraged to comment on all aspects of the proposed standards.) Based on the due process efforts associated with the Preliminary Views, the Board tentatively agreed that neither a public hearing nor a user roundtable should be held.
The Board also tentatively agreed that the Exposure Draft should not contain a provision introducing acquisition value in the matter of nonmonetary assets acquired in an exchange. The Board tentatively agreed that securitized mortgage loan receivables held by housing finance agencies should be classified as investments. Finally, the Board tentatively agreed to various clarifying changes to the draft and directed the project staff to prepare a ballot draft for the proposed Statement.
Minutes of Teleconference, March 24, 2014
The Board deliberated issues related to the draft text of the standards section of an Exposure Draft on the Fair Value project. The Board tentatively agreed that material related to highest and best use included in FASB Accounting Standards Codification Topic 820, Fair Value Measurement, should not be included in the text of the Exposure Draft. The Board also tentatively agreed that material related to application issues associated with the valuation premise of nonfinancial assets included in FASB Codification Topic 820 should not be included in the text of the Exposure Draft. The Board tentatively agreed that material related to offsetting positions included in FASB Codification Topic 820 should not be included in the text of the Exposure Draft.
The Board also discussed how the terms readily determinable, if practicable, and if practical have been used in GASB literature. The Board tentatively agreed that, at transition, assets that will no longer be measured at fair value should be restated at historical cost unless restatement is not practical.
The Board then reviewed the draft text of the standards section of the Exposure Draft and tentatively agreed to clarifying changes.
Minutes of Meetings, March 3-5, 2014
The Board continued its redeliberations of issues addressed in the Preliminary Views, Fair Value Measurement and Application, concentrating on due process comments related to fair value disclosures as described in Chapter 4 of the Preliminary Views. The Board also deliberated issues surrounding transition, effective date, and cost-benefit considerations.
The Board tentatively reaffirmed its preliminary view regarding disclosures that address the level of detail for fair value disclosures. The Board tentatively agreed to propose that fair value disclosures be organized by type or class of asset or liability, using the criteria set forth in the Preliminary Views.
The Board tentatively reaffirmed its preliminary view related to recurring and nonrecurring measurements. The Board tentatively agreed to propose that governments disclose the following: the fair value measurement at the end of the reporting period, the level of the fair value hierarchy within which the fair value measurements are categorized (Level 1, 2, or 3 as defined in the Preliminary Views), a description of the valuation techniques, if there has been a change in valuation technique and the reason for making the change, and for nonrecurring measurements only, the reason for the measurement.
The Board discussed the disaggregation of equity investments in an illustration included in the Preliminary Views in response to due process comments regarding disaggregation by industry. The Board tentatively elected to maintain the illustration as shown in the Preliminary Views in the forthcoming Exposure Draft.
The Board tentatively reversed its preliminary view requiring disclosure of quantitative information about the significant unobservable inputs used in the fair value measurements of Level 3 investments. In response to due process comments citing cost-benefit concerns, the Board tentatively agreed with those respondents that the benefits of this proposed disclosure did not exceed its costs. Further, the Board agreed that risk disclosures required by Statement No. 40, Deposit and Investment Risk Disclosures, adequately address the need for certain of this information.
The Board tentatively reversed its preliminary view requiring disclosure of a narrative description of the sensitivity of fair value measurements to changes in unobservable inputs used in the measurements of Level 3 investments. In response to due process comments questioning the decision usefulness of the information, the Board tentatively decided not to propose this disclosure in the forthcoming Exposure Draft.
The Board tentatively reaffirmed its decision to propose additional disclosures for investments that calculate net asset value per share or its equivalent. The Board considered due process comments concerned with the potential length of this disclosure for entities with a large number of these investments. In response, the Board requested that the illustration in the forthcoming Exposure Draft provide an example in which a large number of these investments have been aggregated.
The Board tentatively decided to propose that governments recognize the change in value when measuring an asset or liability at fair value for the first time due to adoption of the proposed Fair Value Statement as a cumulative effect restatement of beginning net position, fund balance, or fund net position, as appropriate, and that the nature of the restatement and its effect be disclosed.
The Board tentatively decided to propose that assets and liabilities that are currently measured at fair value and will be now required to be reported at historical cost based on the provisions of this proposal may use fair value at transition if the actual historical cost is not readily determinable. The Board directed the staff to research alternatives to the term readily determinable.
The Board tentatively decided to propose that governments recognize the change in value when an asset or liability currently measured at fair value is no longer required to be measured at fair value upon adoption of the proposed Fair Value Statement as a cumulative effect restatement of beginning net position, fund balance, or fund net position, as appropriate, and that the nature of the restatement and its effect should be disclosed.
The Board tentatively decided to propose that use of acquisition value in certain transactions be applied prospectively to new transactions, and retroactive adjustment of transactions previously recognized at fair value not be necessary.
The Board tentatively decided to propose that when comparative financial statements are prepared, the provisions be applied retrospectively. However, the Board also tentatively decided to propose that if restatement of all prior periods is not practical, the cumulative effect adjustment may be reported as a restatement of beginning net position, fund balance, or fund net position, for the earliest period restated.
The Board tentatively affirmed that the expected benefits of the Fair Value Statement, as currently proposed, outweigh the perceived implementation and ongoing costs associated with the proposed Statement. The Board considered due process comments regarding cost-benefit concerns on many issues throughout its deliberations of the proposed Fair Value Statement.
The Board tentatively decided to propose an effective date for the proposed standard of periods beginning after June 15, 2015. The Board considered the timing of other proposed standards when making this decision. In addition, the Board tentatively decided to propose that early application of the proposed Fair Value Statement be encouraged.
Minutes Archive
FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENT AND APPLICATION—TENTATIVE BOARD DECISIONS TO DATE
Statement No. 72, Fair Value Measurement and Application, was approved in February 2015.