The Financial Reporting Blog

A weekly update on financial reporting topics curated by Mercer Capital’s Financial Reporting Valuation professionals.


Early Purchase Price Allocation Estimates Help Avoid EPS Surprises

While ASC 805 permits companies up to one year to finalize and true-up the allocation, it is often the case that a preliminary allocation disclosure includes a full list of identified intangible assets, estimated fair values, and useful lives. Why is this preliminary allocation important?

SEC Approves New PCAOB Audit Standards

On June 1, 2017 the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) adopted a new auditing standard to provide additional information to investors.  The new standard received approval from the Securities and Exchange Commission on October 23, 2017.  This post summarizes several of the major changes coming to audit reports in the near future.

PCAOB Inspection Scrutiny of Fair Value Measurement Continues

Fair value measurement has been a hot topic during the last few years, increasingly attributable to PCAOB identified audit deficiencies and heightening scrutiny over the existing fair value framework and related auditing standards.  In this post, we take a look at the causes of attention and recent responses from professionals and professional organizations.

New Market Evidence Confirms Control Premium Best Practices

The Appraisal Foundation’s forthcoming VFR Valuation Advisory #3, The Measurement and Application of Market Participant Acquisition Premiums (“Advisory #3”) suggests that control of a business enterprise has limited value for its own sake. Rather, the value of control is correlated to the expectation for enhanced economic benefits from exercising such control. Recently published research from McKinsey & Company confirms this insight, finding that investors view acquisitions more favorably when specific synergies are identified and quantified at the announcement date.

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