IAS 39 available for sale option for loans and receivables
IAS 39 permits entities to designate, at the time of acquisition, any loan or receivable as available for sale, in which case it is measured at fair value with changes in fair value recognised in equity.
Impairment
A financial asset or group of assets is impaired, and impairment losses are recognised, only if there is objective evidence as a result of one or more events that occurred after the initial recognition of the asset. An entity is required to assess at each balance sheet date whether there is any objective evidence of impairment. If any such evidence exists, the entity is required to do a detailed impairment calculation to determine whether an impairment loss should be recognised. [IAS 39.58] The amount of the loss is measured as the difference between the asset's carrying amount and the present value of estimated cash flows discounted at the financial asset's original effective interest rate. [IAS 39.63]
Assets that are individually assessed and for which no impairment exists are grouped with financial assets with similar credit risk statistics and collectively assessed for impairment. [IAS 39.64]
If, in a subsequent period, the amount of the impairment loss relating to a financial asset carried at amortised cost or a debt instrument carried as available-for-sale decreases due to an event occurring after the impairment was originally recognised, the previously recognised impairment loss is reversed through profit or loss. Impairments relating to investments in available-for-sale equity instruments are not reversed through profit or loss. [IAS 39.65]
Financial guarantees
A financial guarantee contract is a contract that requires the issuer to make specified payments to reimburse the holder for a loss it incurs because a specified debtor fails to make payment when due. [IAS 39.9]
Under IAS 39 as amended, financial guarantee contracts are recognised:
initially at fair value. If the financial guarantee contract was issued in a stand-alone arm's length transaction to an unrelated party, its fair value at inception is likely to equal the consideration received, unless there is evidence to the contrary. subsequently at the higher of (i) the amount determined in accordance with IAS 37 Provisions, Contingent Liabilities and Contingent Assets and (ii) the amount initially recognised less, when appropriate, cumulative amortisation recognised in accordance with IAS 18 Revenue. (If specified criteria are met, the issuer may use the fair value option in IAS 39. Furthermore, different requirements continue to apply in the specialised context of a 'failed' derecognition transaction.)
Some credit-related guarantees do not, as a precondition for payment, require that the holder is exposed to, and has incurred a loss on, the failure of the debtor to make payments on the guaranteed asset when due. An example of such a guarantee is a credit derivative that requires payments in response to changes in a specified credit rating or credit index. These are derivatives and they must be measured at fair value under IAS 39.
Derecognition of a financial asset
The basic premise for the derecognition model in IAS 39 is to determine whether the asset under consideration for derecognition is: [IAS 39.16]
an asset in its entirety or specifically identified cash flows from an asset or a fully proportionate share of the cash flows from an asset or a fully proportionate share of specifically identified cash flows from a financial asset
Once the asset under consideration for derecognition has been determined, an assessment is made as to whether the asset has been transferred, and if so, whether the transfer of that asset is subsequently eligible for derecognition.
An asset is transferred if either the entity has transferred the contractual rights to receive the cash flows, or the entity has retained the contractual rights to receive the cash flows from the asset, but has assumed a contractual obligation to pass those cash flows on under an arrangement that meets the following three conditions: [IAS 39.17-19]
the entity has no obligation to pay amounts to the eventual recipient unless it collects equivalent amounts on the original asset the entity is prohibited from selling or pledging the original asset (other than as security to the eventual recipient), the entity has an obligation to remit those cash flows without material delay
Once an entity has determined that the asset has been transferred, it then determines whether or not it has transferred substantially all of the risks and rewards of ownership of the asset. If substantially all the risks and rewards have been transferred, the asset is derecognised. If substantially all the risks and rewards have been retained, derecognition of the asset is precluded. [IAS 39.20]
If the entity has neither retained nor transferred substantially all of the risks and rewards of the asset, then the entity must assess whether it has relinquished control of the asset or not. If the entity does not control the asset then derecognition is appropriate; however if the entity has retained control of the asset, then the entity continues to recognise the asset to the extent to which it has a continuing involvement in the asset. [IAS 39.30]
These various derecognition steps are summarised in the decision tree in AG36.
Derecognition of a financial liability
A financial liability should be removed from the balance sheet when, and only when, it is extinguished, that is, when the obligation specified in the contract is either discharged or cancelled or expires. [IAS 39.39] Where there has been an exchange between an existing borrower and lender of debt instruments with substantially different terms, or there has been a substantial modification of the terms of an existing financial liability, this transaction is accounted for as an extinguishment of the original financial liability and the recognition of a new financial liability. A gain or loss from extinguishment of the original financial liability is recognised in profit or loss. [IAS 39.40-41]
Hedge accounting
IAS 39 permits hedge accounting under certain circumstances provided that the hedging relationship is: [IAS 39.88]
formally designated and documented, including the entity's risk management objective and strategy for undertaking the hedge, identification of the hedging instrument, the hedged item, the nature of the risk being hedged, and how the entity will assess the hedging instrument's effectiveness and expected to be highly effective in achieving offsetting changes in fair value or cash flows attributable to the hedged risk as designated and documented, and effectiveness can be reliably measured and assessed on an ongoing basis and determined to have been highly effective
Hedging instruments
Hedging instrument is an instrument whose fair value or cash flows are expected to offset changes in the fair value or cash flows of a designated hedged item. [IAS 39.9]
All derivative contracts with an external counterparty may be designated as hedging instruments except for some written options. A non-derivative financial asset or liability may not be designated as a hedging instrument except as a hedge of foreign currency risk. [IAS 39.72]
For hedge accounting purposes, only instruments that involve a party external to the reporting entity can be designated as a hedging instrument. This applies to intragroup transactions as well (with the exception of certain foreign currency hedges of forecast intragroup transactions – see below). However, they may qualify for hedge accounting in individual financial statements. [IAS 39.73]
Hedged items
Hedged item is an item that exposes the entity to risk of changes in fair value or future cash flows and is designated as being hedged. [IAS 39.9]
A hedged item can be: [IAS 39.78-82]
a single recognised asset or liability, firm commitment, highly probable transaction or a net investment in a foreign operation a group of assets, liabilities, firm commitments, highly probable forecast transactions or net investments in foreign operations with similar risk characteristics a held-to-maturity investment for foreign currency or credit risk (but not for interest risk or prepayment risk) a portion of the cash flows or fair value of a financial asset or financial liability or a non-financial item for foreign currency risk only for all risks of the entire item in a portfolio hedge of interest rate risk (Macro Hedge) only, a portion of the portfolio of financial assets or financial liabilities that share the risk being hedged
In April 2005, the IASB amended IAS 39 to permit the foreign currency risk of a highly probable intragroup forecast transaction to qualify as the hedged item in a cash flow hedge in consolidated financial statements – provided that the transaction is denominated in a currency other than the functional currency of the entity entering into that transaction and the foreign currency risk will affect consolidated financial statements. [IAS 39.80]
In 30 July 2008, the IASB amended IAS 39 to clarify two hedge accounting issues:
inflation in a financial hedged item a one-sided risk in a hedged item.
Effectiveness
IAS 39 requires hedge effectiveness to be assessed both prospectively and retrospectively. To qualify for hedge accounting at the inception of a hedge and, at a minimum, at each reporting date, the changes in the fair value or cash flows of the hedged item attributable to the hedged risk must be expected to be highly effective in offsetting the changes in the fair value or cash flows of the hedging instrument on a prospective basis, and on a retrospective basis where actual results are within a range of 80% to 125%.
All hedge ineffectiveness is recognised immediately in profit or loss (including ineffectiveness within the 80% to 125% window).