Accounting discretion of banks during a financial crisis
Accounting discretion of banks during a financial crisis

Author: Mr.Luc Laeven

Publisher: International Monetary Fund

Published: 2009-09-01

Total Pages: 43

ISBN-13: 1451873549

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This paper shows that banks use accounting discretion to overstate the value of distressed assets. Banks' balance sheets overvalue real estate-related assets compared to the market value of these assets, especially during the U.S. mortgage crisis. Share prices of banks with large exposure to mortgage-backed securities also react favorably to recent changes in accounting rules that relax fair-value accounting, and these banks provision less for bad loans. Furthermore, distressed banks use discretion in the classification of mortgage-backed securities to inflate their books. Our results indicate that banks' balance sheets offer a distorted view of the financial health of the banks.

Monetary and Financial Statistics Manual
Monetary and Financial Statistics Manual

Author: International Monetary Fund. Statistics Dept.

Publisher: International Monetary Fund

Published: 2000-09-14

Total Pages: 176

ISBN-13: 9781557759740

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This Manual offers guidelines for the presentation of monetary and financial statistics. It provides a set of tools for identifying, classifying, and recording stocks and flows of financial assets and liabilities, describes the standard, analytically oriented frame works in which the statistics may be presented, and identifies a set of analytically useful aggregates within those frameworks. The concepts and principles set out in the Manual are harmonized with those of the System of National Accounts 1993.