In December 2010, the FASB issued ASU 2010-28, which updated rules pertaining to the appropriate measure of reporting unit carrying value. Historically, the carrying value of a reporting unit could be measured on an equity or total capital basis, as long as it was compared to the corresponding measure of value for the Step 1 goodwill impairment test. ASU 2010-28 mandates that reporting unit carrying value can only be measured on an equity basis. Under the Step 1 impairment test which compares reporting unit carrying value to fair value, any reporting unit with a zero or negative equity carrying value automatically passes the test (because the fair value of an equity stake generally cannot be less than zero).
To address this issue, ASU 2010-28 introduces the new requirement that any reporting unit with zero or negative carrying value must automatically perform Step 2 of the goodwill impairment test if it is more likely than not that a goodwill impairment exists. The update provides a list of qualitative factors that should be considered in making this "more likely than not" determination, examples of which include:
For public entities, the update is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2010. For non-public entities, the update is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2011, but early adoption is permitted.