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A Methodology for Calculating the Allowance for Loan Losses in Commercial Banks

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  • Robert P. Gray
  • Frank L. Clarke

Abstract

Severe disturbances in the financial markets in many countries during the 1980s and 1990s caused many stakeholders to examine whether commercial banks had adequate reserves for future loan losses. In the United States, bank regulators considered an adequate Allowance for Loan Losses a ‘safety and soundness’ issue while the SEC became increasingly concerned over the possibility of banks using the Allowance as a method to ‘manage earnings’. Both regulators demanded more rigorous calculations from banks to support their accounting entries. Also the FASB and the IASB have expressed concerns about a lack of harmonization and convergence in standards. An analysis of measurement standards in the United States, Canada, Japan, the United Kingdom and Australia, as well as by the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision and the IASB, reveals the partially conflicting goals for the Allowance: (a) promote harmonization (IASB), (b) increase transparency (SEC), (c) promote safety and soundness (bank regulators) and (d) maintain reasonable flexibility in recognition of the subjective aspects in determining an appropriate Allowance (bankers). The article offers a methodology which an individual bank may utilize to reconcile the conflicting goals of all interested parties.

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  • Robert P. Gray & Frank L. Clarke, 2004. "A Methodology for Calculating the Allowance for Loan Losses in Commercial Banks," Abacus, Accounting Foundation, University of Sydney, vol. 40(3), pages 321-341, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:abacus:v:40:y:2004:i:3:p:321-341
    DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-6281.2004.00161.x
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    1. Mora, Araceli, 2018. "The role of Politics and Economics in the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) Adoption/La influencia de la política y la economía en la adopción de las Normas Internacionales de Informa," Estudios de Economia Aplicada, Estudios de Economia Aplicada, vol. 36, pages 407-428, Mayo.
    2. José Alves Dantas & Otávio Ribeiro de Medeiros & Paulo Roberto Barbosa Lustosa, 2013. "The Role of economic variables and credit portfolio attributes for estimating discretionary loan loss provisions in Brazilian banks," Brazilian Business Review, Fucape Business School, vol. 10(4), pages 65-90, October.
    3. A. M. B. Araujo & P. R. B. Lustosa, 2019. "The cyclicality of loan loss provisions under three different accounting models: the United Kingdom, Spain, and Brazil," Papers 1907.07491, arXiv.org.
    4. García Osma, Beatriz & Mora, Araceli & Porcuna-Enguix, Luis, 2019. "Prudential supervisors’ independence and income smoothing in European banks," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 102(C), pages 156-176.
    5. Di Fabio, Costanza & Ramassa, Paola & Quagli, Alberto, 2021. "Income smoothing in European banks: The contrasting effects of monitoring mechanisms," Journal of International Accounting, Auditing and Taxation, Elsevier, vol. 43(C).

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