R13 Intercorporate Investments
R13 Intercorporate Investments
R13 Intercorporate Investments
divisions. Some of these assets are held long term to meet future liabilities, whereas others are held short
GLI set up a small portfolio of U.S. equities in one of its smaller divisions last year. GLI's chief investment
o cer has recently contacted the accounting department to discuss the correct treatment of the portfolio
Details of the portfolio's transactions and results for the previous period are shown below in Exhibit 1.
The chief investment o cer's also provides the following extract from the portfolio's investment policy
statement:
IPS Extract
2. The number of transactions in the portfolio should be kept to a minimum. Shares should not be
3. The anticipated average holding period for securities in the portfolio is 3.5 − 4 years.
Another reporting issue the accounting department is looking at concerns a xed income portfolio. An
The portfolio consists of $1000 par value, 5 year bonds issued by RTF Inc. They were purchased on the
date of issue 1st January 2012 for $25,893,577. For the year ending 31st December the bonds were classed
as held to maturity.
The chief investment o cer believes a more appropriate classi cation would be fair value through pro t
or loss, as he is not convinced the bonds will be held for the remaining 3 years.
Question #1 - 5 of 92 Question ID: 1208772
What is the income from the equity portfolio if the securities are classi ed as FVPL or FVOCI?
FVPL FVOCI
A) -$6,600 $1,400
B) $19,900 $19,900
C) $19,900 $1,400
What is the balance sheet carrying value of the securities under each of the classi cations at year-end?
FVPL FVOCI
A) $71,500 $71,500
B) $90,000 $71,500
C) $90,000 $90,000
What is the rate of return (income/year-end carrying value) under each of the three methods?
FVPL FVOCI
A) 23.22% 23.22%
B) 2.67% 2.67%
C) 22.11% 1.56%
If the xed income portfolio outlined in Exhibit 2 is remains classi ed as amortized cost, which of the
following is closest to the interest income reported in the income statement for the year ending 31st
December 2013?
A) $1,086,000
B) $1,088,000
C) $1,079,000
If the bonds are reclassi ed as suggested by the chief investment o cer, which of the following
statements is most likely correct?
A) The di erence between the amortized cost and fair value will be shown in other comprehensive
income.
B) The di erence between the purchase price and fair value will be shown in other comprehensive
income.
C) The di erence between the amortized cost and fair value will be shown in net income.
Company X owns 15% of company S and exerts signi cant in uence over the operations of the company.
The book value of the investment on December 31, 2001, is $48,000. In 2002, company S earned $100,000
and paid dividends of $20,000. The value of the investment account on December 31, 2002, is:
A) $60,000.
B) $63,000.
C) $48,000.
Assume that on the balance sheet date shown below TME Corporation acquires 70% of Abcor, Inc.
common stock for $25,000 in cash.
What will be the post-acquisition current ratio, using both the acquistion method and the equity method,
respectively, for TME? The choices below represent Acquisition and Equity, respectively.
A) 1.01, 0.92.
B) 1.04, 1.11.
C) 1.21, 1.02.
Using the acquistion method to account for the acquisition, what will be the post-acquisition current
assets of TME?
A) $118,000.
B) $105,000.
C) $93,000.
Using the acquistion method to account for the acquisition, which of the following is closest to the post-
acquisition amount that will be recorded as the minority interest under US GAAP?
A) $10,700.
B) $6,300.
C) $21,000.
A) required under IFRS and under U.S. GAAP for jointly controlled entities.
B) recommended under U.S GAAP for jointly controlled entities, but is not normally permitted under
IFRS.
C) recommended under IFRS and U.S. GAAP for jointly controlled entities.
Question #11 of 92 Question ID: 1208860
Maverick Incorporated formed a special purpose entity (SPE) to purchase and lease a 50,000 acre ranch.
The SPE nanced 95% of the purchase price with debt. The remaining 5% was nanced with equity capital
received from two separate independent investors. The lender would not make the loan without
Maverick's guarantee. How should Maverick treat the SPE in its nancial statements if Maverick is the
lessee?
Rocky Mountain Air Cargo is a privately held commercial aviation company serving the western United
States. It publishes nancial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP and uses a scal year that matches
the calendar year.
Rocky Mountain was in good nancial shape heading into 2003, with assets of $50 million at the beginning
of the scal year. That year, it earned $3 million in net income and was easily able to maintain its
traditional 50% dividend payout ratio. However, Rocky Mountain had a very di cult year in 2004, reporting
a loss of $800,000. It managed to pay $1 million in dividends, but the decision to pay dividends in such a
weak nancial year further undermined the company's scal stability.
Flitenight Air Lines, a publicly-traded aviation rm serving the central and Midwestern United States,
wanted to expand its range of service by coordinating its ight schedule with airlines serving di erent
geographic regions of North America. One of these airlines was Rocky Mountain Air Cargo.
To cement the relationship, Flitenight's CEO, John "Bulldog" Basten, decided to make a signi cant
investment in Rocky Mountain Air Cargo. He was easily able to convince both boards of the wisdom of the
deal, and, in his usual brash style, personally negotiated the terms with his counterpart at Rocky Mountain,
Buck Matthews. Flitenight Air Lines acquired a 20% stake in Rocky Mountain Air Cargo (with an option to
purchase 40% more) for $10 million cash. The deal closed on January 1, 2003 and Flitenight accounted for
the investment using the equity method.
Basten was not happy to nd that he had invested right at the peak of Rocky Mountain's pro tability and
wound up with a money-losing airline. He had a di cult conversation with Matthews in early 2005,
complaining about the impact of the Rocky Mountain investment on Flitenight's nancials. Basten pointed
out that he had a loss on his books: the original $10 million investment in Rocky Mountain was carried at
only $9,940,000 on Flitenight's December 31, 2004 balance sheet. Matthews countered that this was just
an accounting entry: on a cash basis, Flitenight had a gain of 5% on its investment over the two years.
Matthews' insistence that the investment had earned money for Flitenight did not sit well with Basten.
Basten decided that Rocky Mountain was clearly being mismanaged and concluded it was time to gain
control of the company.
Basten assured Neil Glenn, the Chairman of Flitenight's board, that he could turn Rocky Mountain around.
He promised Glenn that, in 2005, Rocky Mountain would once again achieve $3 million in earnings and a
50% payout ratio. "With those results," Basten promised Glenn, "our asset accounts will value the Rocky
Mountain investment at $10,240,000 on our December 31, 2005 balance sheet – so we'll show a gain on
our original investment." Glenn was skeptical of anyone's ability to turn the airline around so quickly. Even
so, Glenn assured Basten, "If it takes you longer to turn it around, at least we'll have the dividend income
on our 2005 cash ow statements."
Basten noti ed Matthews and Rocky Mountain's board that Flitenight intended to exercise its option. At
the direction of Basten and Glenn, Flitenight purchased the additional shares for cash and gained control
of Rocky Mountain on December 31, 2004.
In 2003, Flitenight would re ect its investment in Rocky Mountain on its income statement by recording:
A) $600,000.00
B) $300,000.00
C) −$200,000.
If Flitenight were to account for its Rocky Mountain investment as an investment in nancial assets instead
of the equity method, Flitenight's 2004 income statement would re ect its investment in Rocky Mountain
by including which of the following?
C) Nothing, since the cost of the acquisition is not adjusted until the asset is sold.
Regarding Basten's and Glenn's statements about the impact of Rocky Mountain on Flitenight's 2005
balance sheet and cash ow statement, which is most accurate?
Milburne Company purchased 1,000 shares of Marino Co. for $20 per share on January 1. By December 31,
shares of Marino were trading at $15 per share in the open market. Marino Co. has 100,000 shares
outstanding with a dividend yield of 2% at year end. Milburne choose FVOCI classi cation for these shares.
The impact of the Marino holding on the Milburne income statement is:
A) -$4,700.
B) $300.
C) -$5,000.
Which of the following statements regarding special purpose entities (SPEs) is least accurate?
A) Under IFRS, a special purpose entity must be consolidated by the entity which exercises control
over that entity.
B) According to U.S. GAAP, a special purpose entity is classi ed as a variable interest entity (VIE) if it
has at-risk equity that is su cient to nance its own activities without additional nancial support.
C) According to U.S. GAAP, if a SPE is considered a VIE, it must be only consolidated by the primary
bene ciary.
Question #19 of 92 Question ID: 1208795
Assume that Fiduciary reclassi ed securities ($10 million carrying value, $8 million market value) from
Portfolio B into Portfolio A. If no previous write downs were made, Fiduciary must:
Firm A recently leased equipment used in its manufacturing plant. If the leased asset is worth less than
$100,000 at the end of the lease, Firm A will pay the lessor the di erence.
Firm B provided debt nancing to an unrelated entity. The debt has a provision whereby Firm B cannot be
Evergreen Brothers is a large producer of bedding plants and shrubs that are sold to various retail
nurseries and home improvement stores located across the western coast of the United States with
approximately $85 million in annual sales. Evergreen grows its products at two facilities, one in Northern
California and the other in the Southern part of the state. Each production facility currently distributes its
products within an approximate 150 mile radius of its location. All aspects of the shipping and delivery of
products have historically been provided by an independent, third-party distribution company.
Because of impressive growth in the company's sales over the past several years, management has
decided to pursue plans to bring "in-house" the distribution of the company's products. They believe that
the projected decreased freight costs as well as the increased e ciencies in more actively managing the
distribution of their production should immediately yield increased pro t margins. As an initial step,
Evergreen has negotiated the price for ten delivery trucks, which could provide all distribution capacity
needed for the company's Northern production facility for the upcoming season. Current plans are to
continue the use of the independent distribution company for the needs of the rm's Southern facility for
at least the next several years.
Under advice from the company's CFO, Evergreen has created a new special purpose entity (SPE),
QuickTime, Inc., which will serve as the entity that will purchase the trucks from the dealer. The purchase
will be nanced through a combination of debt and equity, with the dealer lending 75% of the total cost.
The loan is collateralized by both the trucks and Evergreen's guarantee of the debt, as required by the
dealer.
Evergreen has arranged for an outside investor to provide the remaining 25% of the upfront costs of the
equipment in exchange for 100% of QuickTime's nonvoting stock. In addition, the outside investor is
guaranteed an 8% annual return for the life of the nancing term. At the end of seven years, QuickTime
will be liquidated and Evergreen will have the option of purchasing the equipment for its fair value at that
time. The proceeds of the liquidation will be used to repurchase the outside investor's stock at par value.
In the event that the liquidation value is insu cient to buy back the outside investor's stock, Evergreen has
committed to fund the shortfall.
Management has given its tentative approval of the project and the proposed structure. Questions remain,
however, as to the e ect of the creation of QuickTime on Evergreen's nancial statements. With the
relatively recent issuance of FASB Interpretation No. 46(R), "Consolidation of Variable Interest Entities" (FIN
46(R)), the management of Evergreen has not had prior experience with the new consolidation
requirements for SPEs.
Which of the following statements regarding special purpose entities (SPEs) is least accurate?
A) An SPE can be established as one of several legal forms, such as corporations, partnerships, or
trusts, but must establish separate management from that of the sponsor.
B) In general, the equity investors in an SPE can expect to receive a limited rate of return on their
investment in exchange for limited risk exposure.
C) An SPE can be formed to isolate speci c assets from the sponsor, thus lowering the cost of capital
by protecting the assets of the SPE in the event the sponsor experiences nancial distress.
In exchange for providing lower-cost nancing to an SPE, lenders typically require additional nancial
support from a sponsor, which may be in the form of additional collateral or guarantees. In return, the
sponsor will typically receive which of the following risk and return pro les?
B) Pro-rata share of the actual returns on the project and a pre-determined xed level of risk on the
project.
C) Pro-rata share of the actual risk and a pre-determined xed rate of return on the project.
Question #23 - 26 of 92 Question ID: 1208870
According to FIN 46(R), if an SPE is to be considered a variable interest entity (VIE), it must meet which of
the following conditions?
A) The total at-risk equity of the SPE is not su cient to nance the entity's activities without
additional subordinated nancial support.
B) The SPE must be consolidated by the primary bene ciary, whose status as primary bene ciary is
de ned by the level of the rm's percentage of voting control.
C) The equity investors in the VIE must bear all of the SPE's risk up to a pre-determined level as
outlined in the governing documents.
In order to be considered a VIE under FIN 46(R), an entity must meet certain conditions. Which of the
following statements about QuickTime is most accurate? Under FIN 46(R), QuickTime is:
A) considered a VIE because the outside investor's capital contribution is not su cient to nance
QuickTime's operations.
B) not considered a VIE because the outside investor does not have any decision making rights.
C) considered a VIE because outside investors share the residual gains and losses at liquidation with
Evergreen.
As outlined in FIN 46(R), the primary bene ciary of a VIE is that entity which meets which of the following
conditions?
A) Holds the majority voting control of the VIE and shares management with the VIE.
B) Holds the majority voting control of the VIE and has separate management from the VIE.
C) Has exposure to the majority of the loss risks or receives the majority of the residual bene ts of
the VIE.
Assuming that QuickTime is considered a VIE in accordance with FIN 46(R), which of the following
statements regarding the consolidation of QuickTime on Evergreen's nancial statements is most
accurate?
A) The truck dealer is supplying the nancing for the majority (75%) of QuickTime's debt, so
Evergreen may not consolidate QuickTime on its nancial statements.
B) Because the outside investor holds only nonvoting stock, Evergreen holds the majority controlling
nancial interest in QuickTime and must consolidate QuickTime on its nancial statements.
C) Evergreen is exposed to the majority of QuickTime's risks and rewards, so Evergreen must
consolidate QuickTime on its nancial statements.
Under which of the following is a minority interest account most likely to appear on the consolidated
balance sheet?
A) II only.
C) I only.
Which of the following methods of accounting for investments will re ect the highest net income on a
company's income statement?
A) Acquisition method.
C) Equity method.
Sawbuck Corporation recently acquired a 60% stake in Rawboard Inc. for $70 million in newly issued
common stock. Given this information, which of the following methods should be used to account for the
acquisition of Rawboard?
B) Proportionate consolidation.
C) Acquisition.
Question #30 of 92 Question ID: 1208779
Cosmo Inc. (Cosmo) invests in two portfolios – Portfolio 1 and Portfolio 2. Portfolio 1 contains securities
classi ed as fair value through P&L. Portfolio 2 contains equity securities classi ed as fair value through
OCI. Which of the following treatments of Cosmo's reporting of the investments in Portfolios 1 and 2,
respectively, is most accurate?
Portfolio 1 Portfolio 2
A) Unrealized
amounts Assets
reported on reported at
B) Unrealized
amounts Assets
reported on reported at
C) Unrealized
amounts Assets
reported on reported at
Luna Life Insurance is a publicly traded corporation with total assets in excess of $500 million. Joy
Manning, CFA, has served as Luna's chief investment o cer for the past decade. Recent poor performance
of Luna investment portfolio has led to the formation of a special task force to review Luna's investment
holdings as well as its operating policies. The task force is composed of two current Luna board members
(who are not employees of Luna) and three independent investment professionals. Their assignment is to
thoroughly review Luna's nancial statements for evidence of impropriety or mishandling of corporate
assets. The task force is expected to complete their review within one month and report back to Luna's
Luna's most recent nancial statements re ect approximately $200 million in various equity holdings and
$100 million in debt instruments. A broad classi cation of the portfolio (in millions of $) as of December
31, 2006 is as follows:
In the footnotes, there is a reference to $10 million of available-for-sale securities that were transferred to
the held-to-maturity portfolio last year. The securities were transferred at fair market value, and an
unrealized loss of $1 million was included in that period's income. Several members of the task force
believe the transaction deserves further analysis to determine if the securities' transfer between portfolios
was executed in accordance with SFAS 115, "Accounting for Certain Investments in Debt and Equity
Securities" as Manning has represented.
Also, in 2006, Luna transferred $5 million of shares in ABC Corp from the available-for-sale portfolio to the
trading portfolio. In association with this transaction, $1 million in unrealized gains were included in the
year's income. The task force observes that after the transfer, there are $2.5 million of ABC Corp
remaining in the available-for-sale portfolio. Manning has stated that the rm's desire to reduce exposure
to the equity market was the reason for selling only a portion of the position in ABC Corp.
In addition, the group is performing its own analysis on the impact of last year's acquisition of a 20% stake
in Instate, a regional provider of commercial insurance. Instate reported $15 million in earnings for the
year ending December 31, 2006, and paid approximately $1 million in dividends. Manning directed Luna's
accountants to record the purchase using the equity method, and thus has included a proportional share
of Instate's net income for the year. The acquisition was e ective as of January 1st of 2006, and operating
results for the investment stake in Instate are incorporated into Luna's 2006 nancial statements. The
group will perform basic analysis both with and without the operating results of Instate in order to better
evaluate what nancial impact the inclusion of Luna's results had on Instate's overall performance.
Which of the following investments would most likely be reported under the equity method?
A) An investment in 40% of the equity of an entity that gives the owner control over that entity.
B) An investment in 80% of the equity of an entity that gives the owner control over that entity.
C) An investment in 5% of the equity of an entity that gives the owner signi cant in uence over that
entity.
Luna has recorded its investment in Instate utilizing the equity method of accounting for intercorporate
investments. According to FASB, which of the following statements most accurately re ects the impact on
an investor's nancial statements by using the equity method?
A) The investing rm will not make any adjustments to its nancial statements to re ect its
proportionate share of the investee’s net assets, but will reference the investment in the
f
B) Market values can be compared with the carrying amount for analysis purposes, but only market
values may be used in the nancial statements.
C) The investing rm can include a proportionate share of the investee’s income in its earnings,
regardless of whether or not there are actual cash ows (i.e. dividends).
Statement The sponsor usually maintains the decision-making power and voting
#1: control over the SPE.
Statement The equity owners of an SPE usually receive a rate of return that is tied
#2: to the performance of the SPE.
On January 9, 2006, Company X paid $2,000,000 for 100,000 shares of stock in Company S. Originally the
company classi ed the shares as fair value through OCI. As of December 31, the stocks were valued at
$2,200,000. In 2006, Company S had earnings per share of $0.90 and paid dividends per share of $0.20. In
late December 2006 the company wonders what would be the change if the company had classi ed the
shares as fair value through P&L.
What is the impact if the company had originally classi ed the shares as fair value through P&L on the
value of the assets of Company X?
A) $0.00
B) $200,000.00
C) $70,000.00
If the shares were classi ed as fair value through P&L, what would have been the impact on the income
and the stockholders' equity of Company X?
A) Income will rise by $200,000, but stockholders' equity will not change.
B) Stockholders' equity will rise by $200,000, but income will not change.
Under U.S. GAAP rules, where an investor owns 41% of the voting shares of an investee and is able to
control the investee, which of the following methods of accounting is most appropriate to use?
A) Equity method.
B) Acquistion method.
Acme Corporation purchases a 3% interest in Bandy Company to become the single largest shareholder of
Bandy. Acme will hold a seat on the Board of Directors of Bandy. Acme will account for its investment in
B) equity method.
C) acquisition method.
Company X owns 15% of company S and exerts signi cant in uence over the operations of the company.
The book value of the investment on December 31, 2008, is $48,000. In 2009, company S earned $100,000
and paid dividends of $20,000. The impact of the investment on the income statement of company X is:
A) $3,000.
B) $15,000.
C) $12,000.
GTH Corporation has just purchased 18% of the common stock of Pittor Corporation, one of their major
suppliers, making GTH the largest single shareholder in Pittor. The primary motivation for the purchase is
that managerial problems at Pittor have resulted in quality control di culties, thereby a ecting the
reliability of several critical component parts for GTH products. At the time of the purchase, GTH
management announced they plan to be an active investor and exercise signi cant in uence on Pittor so
the quality problems can be resolved. Given these circumstances, the accounting method used to record
the intercorporate investment will most likely be the:
B) acquisition method.
C) equity method.
Question #40 of 92 Question ID: 1208863
Barrett Inc. is advised by its banker to create a special purpose entity (SPE) to convert its existing $15
million loan o -balance sheet. Under the terms of the deal, SPE would obtain a loan for $15 million from
the bank with Barrett providing loan guarantee. Barrett would then sell $15 million of accounts receivable
to the SPE and use the proceeds to pay o the current loan. Barrett prepares its nancial statements
under U.S. GAAP. Which of the following statements is most accurate regarding the impact of such an
C) Barrett’s leverage would remain the same while receivable turnover would increase.
Harter Company recently acquired a 40% stake in Compton Corp. for $40 million in cash by borrowing at
10%. Harter will account for this acquisition using which of the following methods:
B) Equity method.
C) Acquisition Method.
Birch Corporation is a large conglomerate based in the U.S. that has grown primarily through acquisition.
On the rst day of this reporting year, January 1, 2012, Birch acquired 1,500,000 shares of the common
stock of TRQ Inc. TRQ Inc. produces high quality fabrics for use in the fashion industry. Exhibit 1 shows key
TRQ Inc
correct treatment of the TRQ investment in Birch's group accounts. Fitzroy is of the opinion that the equity
method of accounting should be used for the following reasons:
1. The proportion of TRQ's common shares owned by Birch suggests that Birch has signi cant
TRQ's operations
3. The proportion of TRQ's total shares owned by Birch suggests that Birch has signi cant in uence
Fitzroy has to present to the board on the implications of the decision once he has spoken to the auditors.
Impact One
If the auditors rule that the TRQ investment should be accounted for as a subsidiary rather than an
Impact Two
If the auditors rule that the TRQ investment should be accounted for as a subsidiary rather than an
associate, the group's net pro t margin will be lower
Fitzroy also intends to ask the auditors about another potential acquisition that Birch may potentially
make this year. The company under consideration is Tyrobin Inc., a small U.S. based company in the
pharmaceutical industry.
Fitzroy has observed the note shown in exhibit two in the company's footnotes for last year. He is unsure
how it would be accounted for in the event of a 100% acquisition of Tyrobin's share capital by Birch.
Tyrobin is involved in various legal proceedings considered typical to its business, including actual or
threatened litigation and/or actual or potential government investigations relating to product liability,
infringement of IP rights, the validity of certain patents and competition laws. All of the claims involve
Often these issues are subject to substantial uncertainties and, therefore, the probability of a loss, if any,
being sustained and an estimate of the amount of any loss is di cult to ascertain. Consequently, for a
majority of these claims, it is not possible to make a reasonable estimate of the expected nancial e ect, if
Assuming the equity method of accounting is used, what will be the reported investment income for Birch?
A) $115,000.00
B) $175,000.00
C) $60,000.00
Assuming the equity method of accounting is used, what will be the cash ow received by Birch, due to
their investment in TRQ?
A) $65,400.
B) $52,500.
C) $227,500.
If the consolidation method is used, how much of TRQ's net income will Birch recognize in the group
income statement?
A) $175,000
B) $122,500
C) $700,000
Which of Fitzroy's reasons would most likely support the equity accounting method being appropriate for
TRQ?
A) Reason 3
B) Reason 2
C) Reason 1
Which of the impacts Fitzroy intends to present to the board is most likely correct?
If Birch were to acquire 100% of the share capital of Tyrobin, how would the issues detailed in Exhibit 2 be
A) The contingent liabilities would be measured at their fair value and shown as a liability in the
group accounts.
B) The contingent liabilities would not be recognized in the balance sheet or income statement on
acquisition.
C) The contingent liabilities would be charged immediately as an expense to the group income
statement.
Which of the following statements about variable interest entities (VIE) are correct or incorrect?
One potential bene t of a VIE is a lower cost of capital since the assets
Statement
and liabilities of the VIE are isolated in the event the sponsor
#1:
experiences nancial di culties.
A company reports an intercorporate investment using the acquisition method. Which of the following
A) The use of the equity method by a company will generally report the same results.
B) The use of the acquisition method by a company will generally report the more favorable results.
C) The use of the acquisition method by a company will generally report the less favorable results.
On January 9, 20X6, Company X, reporting under IFRS, purchased $1,000,000 of government bonds at par
and 100,000 shares of stock in Company S for $2,000,000. The stock investment was held at fair value
through OCI while the bonds were held at amortized cost. As of December 31, the bonds were valued at
$900,000, and the stocks were valued at $2,200,000. The bonds paid $50,000 of interest and the stocks
paid $20,000 of dividends. In 2006, Company S had earnings per share of $0.90.
The marketable securities balance amount shown on the balance sheet is:
A) $3,200,000.00
B) $3,000,000.00
C) $3,100,000.00
A) $70,000.
B) $270,000.
C) $140,000.
In late 2006, Company X decided to reclassify the investments in stock. What classi cation can the
company classify the investment in stocks to?
The appropriate classi cation for the investment in government bonds would be:
C) Amortized cost, fair value through OCI, or fair value through pro t or loss.
Question #54 - 54 of 92 Question ID: 1208785
Assuming that the investments were initially classi ed as fair value through pro t or loss. The company
can reclassify:
A) Both debt and equity securities into fair value through OCI.
Accounting standards for intercorporate investments establish di erent categories of securities with
distinct ways of treating them on the nancial statements of the company. One category requires the
securities to be carried at fair value on the balance sheet with unrealized gains and losses excluded from
the income statement. This category of security classi cation is called debt:
Which of the following statements regarding asset securitizations and special purpose entities (SPEs) is
most accurate?
A) When receivables are securitized, the sponsor reports the cash in ow as an investing activity in
the cash ow statement.
B) The SPE usually issues debt to purchase receivables from the sponsor.
C) If the sponsor has no recourse, then the transaction is nothing more than a collateralized
borrowing.
When comparing companies that hold equity investments in other corporations, which of the following
statements is most accurate? All else being equal, leverage measures for a rm using consolidation will
appear:
A) less favorable than those for a comparable rm using the equity method.
B) more favorable than those for a comparable rm using the equity method.
Joseph Haggs, CFA, is an analyst working for Garvess Jones, a large publicly traded investment-baking rm.
Haggs covers the Internet sector. Recently, one of the more successful companies Haggs covers, Simpson
Corporation, made an aggressive move to acquire another Internet company, Bailey Corporation (BC). BC
is a company specializing in graphics and animation on the World Wide Web and has 1,000,000 shares
outstanding. Simpson also holds minimal investments in other technology companies both public and
private. In 1999 Simpson saw an opportunity to substantially increase its share in BC. Simpson feels that
their sophisticated animation can greatly improve Simpson's market share and sees an acquisition as an
opportunity to expand their business. The relevant nancial data are in the following tables.
Bailey Corporation
(in Thousands)
Number of
10,000 290,000 700,000
Shares
Because this is the largest acquisition in Simpson's history, Mr. Haggs' supervisor has asked him to
prepare a report for Garvess Jones' clients detailing the a ects of the acquisition on Simpson's nancial
statements.
for the year ending December 31, 1999. Which is the correct method?
B) Acquisition method.
C) Equity method.
Haggs wonders which accounting method Simpson uses to calculate the book value of the BC investment
for the year ending December 31, 1998. Which is the correct method?
A) Acquisition method.
C) Equity method.
Haggs wonders which accounting method Simpson uses to calculate the book value of the BC investment
for the year ending December 31, 2000. Which is the correct method?
A) Acquisition method.
B) Equity method.
Haggs wants to make sure that he assumes the proper accounting method when he does his analysis. The
acquisition of BC stock will lead to Simpson's total net cash ow equaling which of the following for the
A) $−2,830,000.
B) $−3,190,000.
C) $360,000.
Prior to 2007, Company X (reporting under U.S. GAAP) had never made any acquisitions of other
companies. However, on January 2, 2007, it went on a buying spree, purchasing 10% of Company A for
$10,000; 30% of Company B for $20,000; 40% of Company C for $80,000; and 70% of Company D for
$168,000.
Below are the balance sheets for the ve companies (in thousands) just prior to the purchase.
Company X A B C D
Cash 400 10 20 30 40
During 2007, the companies generated the following sales, income, and dividends:
Company X A B C D
Dividends 4 8 12 16
The company accounts for the acquisitions based on typical ownership proportion guidelines. Investment
After the acquisitions, the other assets reported by Company X will be:
A) $1,962,000.00
B) $1,878,000.00
C) $2,070,000.00
A) $300,000.
B) $480,000.
C) $460,000.
Question #64 - 67 of 92 Question ID: 1208845
A) $0.
B) $168,000.
C) $72,000.
A) $2,400,000.
B) $2,000,000.
C) $2,280,000.
A) $246,400.
B) $247,000.
C) $258,400.
The change in the investment in the associates account (the account that re ects all non-consolidated
investments in other companies) between January 3 and December 31 is:
A) $10,800.
B) $11,400.
C) $27,600.
development. An unrelated rm absorbs the expected losses of the SPE and the independent
shareholders of the SPE receive the expected residual returns. Is the SPE considered a variable interest
entity (VIE) according to FASB Interpretation No. 46(R) and is consolidation required by Mustang,
respectively?
A) Yes ; No.
B) No ; No.
C) Yes ; Yes.
Milburne Company purchased 1,000 shares of Marino Co. for $20 per share on January 1 classi ed as
FVPL. By December 31, shares of Marino were trading at $15 per share in the open market. Marino Co. has
100,000 shares outstanding with a dividend yield of 2% at year end. The impact of the Marino holding on
A) −$4,700.
B) −$5,000.
C) −$5,300.
Carter Schmitz, Inc. (Schmitz) purchased 200 shares of Intelismart at $21 a share in June 2006 and
classi es 80 shares as fair value through pro t or loss securities and holds the remaining 120 shares as
classi ed as fair value through OCI. Intelismart's closing price was $26 on December 31, 2006, and Schmitz
What amount should Schmitz report on this investment under the income statement?
A) $1,000.
B) $600.
C) $400.
Under IFRS, where an investor owns a signi cant number (39%) of the voting shares of an investee but has
no involvement in policy making and no Board of Directors' representation, which of the following
Under IFRS rules, which of the following accounting treatments is most preferred for joint ventures where
A) Acquisition method.
B) Equity method.
On December 31, 2008 Company P invests $5,000 in Company S in exchange for 25% of the company.
During 2009, Company S earns $2,000 and pays a dividend of $500. If Company P uses the equity method
of accounting, what values will be reported on the balance sheet and income statement? How much cash
Balance Income
Cash
Sheet Statement
C) $5,500 $0 $0
Omricon Capital Associates specializes in making investments in the small cap market sector. In some
cases the rm operates as a supplier of private equity for restructurings. In this instance, the rm views
itself as having a value investment focus. In others, it acts as a venture capital rm. Here, the investment
focus is usually growth. Finally, in some cases it simply takes passive investment positions in publicly-
traded rms. The positions in marketable securities are sometimes considered trading positions, and
other times the view is to hold for a longer period until valuation parameters are met or exceeded.
Omricon's chief compliance o cer, Raymond "Buzz" Richards has recently become concerned that the
rm may not be correctly following the relevant accounting standards for these investments. To ensure
that the rules are being e ectively adhered to, he is seeking advice from the accounting rm of Merz-
Brokaw and Associates on the matter. Sally Lee is the Merz-Brokaw partner heading up the consulting
team assigned to review the situation.
The size of the investments ranges from a few percent of the rm's outstanding equity, to positions of
greater than 50%. Richards says that it has always been his understanding that the percentage of the
equity held is the major determinant with respect to which accounting method applies. Lee reminds him
that the rm's intent for its investments also plays a role in determining how they are accounted for.
Some of the rm's investments have not worked out as planned. Richards has conferred with the rm's
portfolio managers regarding securities being held by the rm that are worth less than when they were
acquired, and has presented a list of these investments to Lee. His concern is what this implies for the
accounting for these investments. Lee tells him that the issue here is whether or not the security can be
considered impaired, and that designating a security as impaired implies that the decline in value is
permanent.
Top managers at Omricon have asked Lee to help them evaluate the impact of the choice of accounting
method on the rm's pro tability. Some members of the management team are of the belief that the
accounting method does not a ect nancial measures because these are driven by underlying economic
factors. Others believe that these measures can be a ected by the accounting method chosen.
Assuming no signi cant in uence exists, which of the following statements concerning percentage
ownership and accounting method is most accurate?
A) When the ownership is less than 20%, both US GAAP and IFRS require the investment in nancial
assets method.
B) When the ownership is less than 20%, both US GAAP and IFRS require the equity method.
C) When the ownership is less than 20%, US GAAP requires the investment in nancial assets
method, IFRS the equity method.
For instances in which Omricon holds exactly 50% of the outstanding equity of the investee rm's equity
(i.e., the investee rm is a joint venture), which of the following statements is most accurate?
A) IFRS and US GAAP both permit a choice between the equity method and proportional
consolidation.
B) IFRS requires that the equity method be used; US GAAP permits a choice between the equity
method and proportional consolidation.
C) Both US GAAP and IFRS require that the equity method be used.
A) ROA being higher and leverage being higher than under consolidation.
B) ROA being lower and leverage being higher than under consolidation.
A) same net income as the equity method but di erent shareholders' equity.
Company A acquired a 50% stake in Company T on January 1, 2003 by paying T's shareholders $100,000 in
cash. Pre-acquisition balance sheets for the two rms are presented below:
Balance Sheet
Company A Company T
The fair values of company T assets and liabilities was same as the book value. Company A reports under
U.S. GAAP. What are the post-acquisition balance sheet values for total assets for Company A under the
equity and acquisition methods of accounting respectively?
per share. The market price of a share of Birschbach stock on December 31, 2012, was $35 per share.
During 2012, Birschbach paid dividends of $1.50 per share and had earnings of $2.50 per share.
The Anderson Company did not buy or sell any additional shares in 2013. The market price of Birschbach
stock on December 31, 2013 was $42.50 per share. During 2013 Birschbach paid dividends of $1.75 per
If the Anderson Company accounts for the Birschbach shares as fair value through pro t or loss securities,
the carrying amount of these shares on Anderson's balance sheet at the end of 2012 is:
A) $2.6 million.
B) $2.5 million.
C) $3.5 million.
If Anderson Company accounts for the Birschbach Company shares as classi ed as fair value through OCI,
the carrying amount of these shares on Anderson's balance sheet at the end of 2012 is:
A) $2.6 million.
B) $2.5 million.
C) $3.5 million.
If Anderson Company accounts for the Birschbach Company shares using the equity method, the carrying
amount of these shares on Anderson's balance sheet at the end of 2012 is closest to:
A) $2.8 million.
B) $3.5 million.
C) $2.6 million.
Company shares, if Anderson classi es the shares as fair value through OCI, is:
A) $150,000.
B) $250,000.
C) $100,000.
If the investment in Birschbach Company is classi ed as fair value through pro t or loss, transactions that
If Anderson Company accounts for the Birschbach Company shares using the equity method, the change
in carrying value from 2012 to 2013 is closest to:
A) +$50,000.
B) +$2,650,000.
C) +$225,000.
When comparing companies that hold equity investments in other corporations, which of the following
statements is most accurate? All else being equal, return on asset measures for a rm using the
A) less favorable than those for a comparable rm using the equity method.
C) more favorable than those for a comparable rm using the equity method.
On December 15, 2009, the Zeisler Company faces a nancial crisis. Zeisler's industry has gone into
recession and net income has declined to nearly zero. Jeremiah Welch, the company's CFO, is extremely
concerned that, when the nal gures for 2009 come in, the poor operating results will throw the rm into
violation of its debt covenants, which specify that it must meet a certain return on assets (ROA) and not
exceed a certain debt-to-asset ratio. A violation of either covenant would trigger a provision in the lending
agreement allowing lenders to put Zeisler's debt back to the rm and likely force Zeisler into bankruptcy.
With only two weeks before the close of the rm's scal year on December 31, there is no way to avoid
bankruptcy through improved operations. Welch calls an emergency meeting with Olivia Dupree, the
rm's controller, to come up with a plan of action to keep Zeisler out of bankruptcy. He explains to Dupree
that they need to increase Zeigler's reported ROA and reduce its reported debt-to-assets ratio relative to
Dupree suggests that Zeisler's equity investments might be useful in staving o bankruptcy. Zeisler
acquired 100,000 shares of the Market Square Corporation on January 1, 2009, at $25 per share. Market
Square paid dividends during 2009 of $1.50 per share and was expected to have earnings for 2009 of
$2.50 per share. Zeisler also holds 250,000 shares of General Nuclear, purchased for $72 per share.
General Nuclear has no dividends and is expected to report a loss for 2009. Both securities are classi ed
Dupree added that Zeisler also holds several million dollars of Market Square's debt securities, classi ed
at amortized cost. The holding in Market Square represents a small fraction of Zeisler's total xed-income
investments, all of which are also classi ed at amortized cost. The investment in Market Square's debt
di ers signi cantly from Zeisler's other investments in xed-income securities in that Market Square's
debt is trading slightly above Zeisler's cost while Zeisler's other xed-income investments are all trading
signi cantly below Zeisler's cost because of a general increase in market interest rates. Welch points out,
however, that even if the rm were to sell all its marketable securities, the proceeds would not be
Dupree left the meeting with Welch for a moment to check the stock market. She found that Market
Square was trading at $35 per share and General Nuclear was at $43. This new information gave Dupree
an idea.
Dupree suggested to Welch, "We could classify our equity investment in Market Square as FVPL before
year-end. That will help raise our ROA for this year." Welch pointed out that a classi cation of the equity
investment as FVPL instead of FVOCI would reduce Zeisler's reported net income because the rm would
be required to stop including the dividends it receives from Market Square in net income.
What is the investment income that Zeisler Company will report for the year 2009 on its investment in
Market Square Corporation shares if it continues to account for the shares as an FVOCI investment?
A) $150,000.
B) $250,000.
C) $200,000.00
Question #87 - 90 of 92 Question ID: 1208788
If Zeisler were to account for the Market Square Corporation shares as FVPL, assuming that the securities
do not change in value between the December 15th meeting and the end of the year, the carrying amount
of these shares on Zeisler's December 31, 2009 balance sheet would be:
A) $2.50 million.
B) $3.50 million.
C) $2.75 million.
If Zeisler reclassi ed the common stock of General Nuclear as FVPL, what e ect would it have on Zeisler's
C) Reclassifying the security would have no e ect on the income statement because gains and losses
would be recognized in equity.
Regarding the statements made by Dupree and Welch about reclassifying Zeisler's equity investment in
If Zeisler were to account for the Market Square Corporation shares using the equity method, assuming
that the securities do not change in value between the December 15th meeting and the end of the year,
the carrying amount of these shares on Zeisler's December 31, 2009 balance sheet would be:
A) $2.60 million.
B) $3.50 million.
C) $2.75 million.
Question #91 of 92 Question ID: 1208833
Which of the following methods of accounting for investments will re ect the highest assets and liabilities
A) Acquisition method.
B) Equity method.
C) Both methods result in reporting the same balances for assets and liabilities.
Mashburn Company acquired 25% of the 100,000 outstanding shares of Humm Co. on January 1 for
$250,000 in cash. Humm Co. earned $1 per share and had a dividend payout ratio of 40%. As of December
31, Humm Co. shares were trading in the open market at $12 per share. Calculate the income statement
A) $25,000.
B) $10,000.
C) $75,000.