Lie #1: The majority of assets on a bank's balance sheet are not reported at fair market value. Banks primarily have loans and debt securities as assets, which constitute 50-95% of their assets. Determining fair market value for loans is difficult due to their unique nature and lack of active trading.
Lie #2: Disclosed "fair market values" can be manipulated and often differ from true market values. Banks must disclose these values in financial statement footnotes, but they can still deviate from actual market values.
Lie #3: Off-balance sheet litigation liabilities are not properly accounted for. Companies don't have to record contingent liabilities (like potential litigation costs) on their balance sheets unless they are "probable" and "reasonably estimable." This can lead to underreporting of the actual expected value of such liabilities, causing investor frustration.
Lie #1: The majority of assets on a bank's balance sheet are not reported at fair market value. Banks primarily have loans and debt securities as assets, which constitute 50-95% of their assets. Determining fair market value for loans is difficult due to their unique nature and lack of active trading.
Lie #2: Disclosed "fair market values" can be manipulated and often differ from true market values. Banks must disclose these values in financial statement footnotes, but they can still deviate from actual market values.
Lie #3: Off-balance sheet litigation liabilities are not properly accounted for. Companies don't have to record contingent liabilities (like potential litigation costs) on their balance sheets unless they are "probable" and "reasonably estimable." This can lead to underreporting of the actual expected value of such liabilities, causing investor frustration.