Statement 159 and the Intersection of Convergence, Reliability, and Comparability

In February 2007, the FASB issued Statement 159 to provide entities the discretion to select financial instruments to be measured at fair value in the balance sheet. Entities quickly identified an opportunity to exploit Statement 159’s transition provisions to transfer unrealized losses directly to stockholders’ equity, bypassing the income statement. This paper describes the events surrounding the issuance of Statement 159 and examines the reasons why the FASB issued a standard that had the potential to reduce financial statement comparability and provide a mechanism for earnings manipulation. The paper contributes to historical research in three areas: convergence of U.S. GAAP with IFRS, changes in accounting standards, and the FASB’s Conceptual Framework.