Mind the GAAP: What Recent Changes in US GAAP Accounting Mean for Borrowers and Lenders

Much of the change in GAAP in recent years is the result of collaboration between the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) and the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) to bring US and international accounting principles closer together. At some point, both groups decided they were as close as they would be likely to get on several key concepts—revenue recognition, lease capitalization, and CECL. In addition, FASB decided to revise financial statement disclosure for the large and growing not-for-profit segment of the American economy.

This session will explain these new concepts how they affect borrowers and how lenders should incorporate these changes into their own analyses and underwriting of borrowers.

• Background of FASB and IASB accounting convergence
• Close, but no cigar
• Differences still exist
• Revenue recognition
• Seller recognizes revenue when buyer gets possession of good or service
• Generally sooner than later
• More emphasis on gross revenues
• Lease capitalization
• Troublesome off-balance-sheet loophole finally plugged
• Whether operating or financing lease, both are capitalized
• Both lease liability and right of use (ROU) asset put on balance sheet
• Higher leverage ratios, lower return on asset ratios
• Cash flow impacts
• CECL
• Incurred loss replaced by loss over life of loan
• Higher probability of default
• CECL means higher provision for credit losses in financials of borrowers, not just bankers
• Not-for-profits
• Balance sheet simplified
• More disclosure of liquidity

We tend to take accounting for granted—debits equal credits, total assets equal total liabilities and stockholder’s equity.  Generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) are generally accepted because they do not change often, and when they do, there are good reasons for the change.

However, business and the economy do change over time, and several new principles warrant review to understand how they will affect both borrowers and lenders-new GAAP for revenue recognition, lease capitalization, current expected credit losses (CECL) as well as changes to not-for-profit financials.

• Credit Analysts
• Credit Managers
• Loan review officers
• Work-out officers
• Commercial lenders
• Credit Risk Managers
• Chief Credit Officers
• Senior Lenders
• Senior Lending Officer
• Bank Director
• Chief Executive Officer
• President
• Board Chairman

A frequent speaker, instructor, advisor and writer on credit risk and commercial banking topics and issues, Martin J. "Dev" Strischek principal of Devon Risk Advisory Group based near Atlanta, Georgia.  Dev advises, trains, and develops for financial organizations risk management solutions and recommendations on a range of issues and topics, e.g., credit risk management, credit culture, credit policy, credit and lending training, etc.  Dev is also a member of the Financial Accounting Standards Board’s (FASB’s) Private Company Council (PCC).  PCC’s purpose is to evaluate and recommend to FASB revisions to current and proposed generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) that are more appropriate for privately held firms.  He also serves as the PCC’s representative to FASB’s Credit Losses Transition Resource Group supporting the new current expected credit loss (CECL) standard to be implemented in fiscal year 2019 for public companies and 2020 for private firms.

The former SVP and senior credit policy officer at SunTrust Bank, Atlanta, he was responsible for developing, implementing, and administering credit policies for SunTrust’s wholesale lines of business--commercial, commercial real estate, corporate investment banking, capital markets, business banking and private wealth management. He also spent three years as managing director and credit approver in SunTrust’s Florida commercial lending and corporate investment banking areas, respectively. Prior to SunTrust, he was chief credit officer for Barnett Bank’s Palm Beach market. Besides stints at other banks in Florida, Kansas City, and Ohio, his experiences outside of banking include CFO of a Honolulu construction company, combat engineer officer in the U.S. Army, and college economics instructor.

A graduate of Ohio State University and the ABA Stonier Graduate School of Banking, Dev earned his M.B.A. from the University of Hawaii. Mr. Strischek serves as an instructor in several banking schools, including the Stonier Graduate School of Banking, and the Southwest Graduate School of Banking. His school, conference, and workshop audiences have included participants drawn from the ABA, RMA, OCC, Federal Reserve, FDIC, FFIEC, SBA, the Institute of Management Accountants (IMA) and the AICPA.

Mr. Strischek has written some 200 articles on credit risk management, financial analysis and related subjects, and he is the author of Analyzing Construction Contractors and instructor of  a contractor analysis workshop. A past national chair of RMA and former RMA Florida Chapter president, Dev has consulted on credit risk issues with banks in Morocco, Egypt, and Angola through the US State Department’s Financial Service Volunteer Corps (FSVC).