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The Richard C. Adkerson Gallery on the SEC Role in Accounting Standards Setting
Finding the Right Structure
Financial Accounting Standards Board (1973 - present): Operation
“Seeing what the FASB is doing, one can rightly conclude that accounting is too important to leave to the accountants.”
- January 28, 1994 Letter from Malcolm S. Forbes, Jr., to Dennis Beresford, Financial Accounting Standards Board
Even with a new structure, the FASB’s process has been tweaked several times during its life. The FAF has changed the Board’s voting requirements three times and the number of members twice. The initial “super majority” requirement of 5-2, which was consistent with the prior two-thirds majority of both the APB and CAP, was considered too high a hurdle and was lowered in 1977 to a simple 4-3 majority. In an attempt to slow down the issuance of controversial statements, super-majority voting was reinstated in 1991, only to be reduced again in 2002 to simple majority, where it rests today. In 2008, the FAF reduced the size of the FASB to five members, only to restore it to seven members two years later.
After decades of inability by the Committee on Accounting Procedure and Accounting Principles Board to fashion a statement defining accounting’s basic concepts, the FASB finally developed a conceptual framework comprising seven Statements of Financial Accounting Concepts issued from 1978 to 2002. The Concepts Statements do not establish GAAP, but are intended primarily to “establish the objectives and concepts that the [Board] will use in developing standards of financial accounting and reporting.”(16)
The Board’s due process may militate against timely guidance for some new or emerging problems. In response, the FASB formed the Emerging Issues Task Force (EITF) in 1984 to resolve narrow implementation, application, or other emerging issues that can be analyzed within the context of existing GAAP. The EITF has 10-15 members (13 in 2012), chaired by a non-voting FASB appointee (in 2012 the FASB’s Technical Director). A consensus is reached if no more than three members object to a proposed position, and is subject to FASB ratification. The SEC has the privilege of the floor, may advise the EITF’s Agenda Committee when it believes that there is only one acceptable answer to an issue, and uses EITF meetings as a forum for making announcements that may or may not relate to a particular EITF Issue.
In 2009, the Board launched its FASB Accounting Standards Codification®, a major five-year effort to place all authoritative accounting standards for nongovernmental entities in one place. All previous US GAAP standards issued by a standard setter were superseded, and all other accounting literature not included in the Codification is considered non-authoritative. The Codification is a structural overhaul from a chronological standards-based model (with thousands of individual standards, including 168 FASB Statements) to a topically-based model (with roughly 90 topics). Relevant portions of authoritative content issued by the SEC and selected SEC staff interpretations are included for reference in the Codification. The FASB periodically amends the Codification through Accounting Standards Updates. In printed form, the Codification comprises four tomes, a far cry from the few pages of authoritative guidance of the mid-1930s.
A major issue challenging the FASB and the SEC is the international convergence of accounting standards. In September 2002, the FASB and the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) began to work together to improve and converge U.S. GAAP and International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). In 2007, the SEC eliminated the requirement for foreign registrants that use IFRS as issued by the IASB to reconcile to U.S. GAAP. The SEC continues to encourage international convergence as it studies whether to allow U.S. registrants to use IFRS.
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Footnotes:
(16) November 1978 Statement of Financial Accounting Concepts No. 1, Objectives of Financial Reporting by Business Enterprises.
Related Museum Resources
Papers
- January 5, 1973
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image
pdf
(JT Ball Collection, University of Mississippi)
- September 24, 1973
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transcript
pdf
(Courtesy of Stephen Zeff)
- October 16, 1973
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document
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(Courtesy of Harvey L. Pitt)
- November 14, 1973
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image
pdf
(Courtesy of the estate of John R. Evans; made possible through a gift from Quinton F. Seamons)
- 1974
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image
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(All rights are owned exclusively by NYSE Euronext (copyright) 2009 NYSE Euronext. All Rights Reserved, courtesy New York Stock Exchange Archives)
- January 3, 1974
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image
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(Courtesy of the Gerald R. Ford Library)
- January 8, 1974
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image
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(Courtesy of the estate of John R. Evans; made possible through a gift from Quinton F. Seamons)
- January 17, 1974
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(Government Records)
- March 20, 1974
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- May 3, 1974
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transcript
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- May 9 and 10, 1974
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- May 30, 1974
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transcript
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(Courtesy of the estate of John R. Evans; made possible through a gift from Quinton F. Seamons)
- May 30, 1974
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document
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(Government Records)
- September 11, 1974
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transcript
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(Courtesy of Harvey L. Pitt)
- September 12, 1974
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transcript
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(Courtesy of the estate of John R. Evans; made possible through a gift from Quinton F. Seamons)
- September 20, 1974
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image
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(Courtesy of the Gerald R. Ford Library)
- September 24, 1974
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transcript
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(Courtesy of the Gerald R. Ford Library)
- October 8, 1974
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transcript
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(Courtesy of the estate of John R. Evans; made possible through a gift from Quinton F. Seamons)
- October 25, 1974
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document
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(Government Records)
- December 11, 1974
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transcript
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(Courtesy of the estate of John R. Evans; made possible through a gift from Quinton F. Seamons)
- December 12, 1974
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transcript
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(Courtesy of Harvey L. Pitt)
- January 31, 1975
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- February 18, 1975
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- February 19, 1975
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- April 26, 1975
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- June 10, 1975
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image
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(Courtesy of the Gerald R. Ford Library)
- June 30, 1975
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image
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(Government Records)
- July 16, 1975
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transcript
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(Courtesy of Harvey L. Pitt)
- August 21, 1975
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transcript
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(Courtesy of the Gerald R. Ford Library)
- August 25, 1975
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image
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(Roderick Hills Papers, Courtesy of the Gerald R. Ford Library)
- October 3, 1975
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- October 14, 1975
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(Government Records)
- October 28, 1975
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image
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- November 3, 1975
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(Government Records)
- November 11, 1975
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(Government Records)
- December 8, 1975
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image
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(Courtesy of the estate of John R. Evans; made possible through a gift from Quinton F. Seamons)
- 1976
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image
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(Courtesy of Robert J. Sack and Darden School, University of Virginia)
- January 7, 1976
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transcript
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(Courtesy of the estate of John R. Evans; made possible through a gift from Quinton F. Seamons)
- January 29, 1976
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document
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(Government Records)
- March 16, 1976
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(Government Records)
- March 17, 1976
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image
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(Courtesy of the estate of John R. Evans; made possible through a gift from Quinton F. Seamons)
- March 25 through 27, 1976
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document
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(Government Records)
- April 2, 1976
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image
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(Arthur F. Burns Papers, Courtesy of the Gerald R. Ford Library)
- April 9, 1976
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(Roderick Hills Papers, Courtesy of the Gerald R. Ford Library)
- April 16, 1976
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(Arthur F. Burns Papers, Courtesy of the Gerald R. Ford Library)
- May 1976
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(Government Records)
- June 15, 1976
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image
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(Courtesy of Robert J. Sack and Darden School, University of Virginia)
- August 10, 1976
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image
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(Harvey L. Pitt SEC Brief Collection, courtesy of Fried Frank Harris Shriver & Jacobson LLP)
- August 27, 1976
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image
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(JT Ball Collection, University of Mississippi)
- October 4, 1976
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image
pdf
(Harvey L. Pitt SEC Brief Collection, courtesy of Fried Frank Harris Shriver & Jacobson LLP)
- January 13, 1977
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image
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(Courtesy of Roderick M. Hills)
- January 13-15 1977
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transcript
pdf
- February 25, 1977
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image
pdf
(Harvey L. Pitt SEC Brief Collection, courtesy of Fried Frank Harris Shriver & Jacobson LLP)
- March 4, 1977
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image
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(Government Records)
- April 22, 1977
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image
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(Arthur F. Burns Papers, Courtesy of the Gerald R. Ford Library)
- May 13, 1977
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transcript
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(Arthur F. Burns Papers, Courtesy of the Gerald R. Ford Library)
- August 1, 1977
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transcript
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(Arthur F. Burns Papers, Courtesy of the Gerald R. Ford Library)
- November 3, 1977
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image
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(Courtesy of the Library of Congress)
- November 9, 1977
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transcript
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(Courtesy of the estate of John R. Evans; made possible through a gift from Quinton F. Seamons)
- November 28, 1977
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image
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(JT Ball Collection, University of Mississippi)
- December 12, 1977
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image
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(Courtesy of the estate of John R. Evans; made possible through a gift from Quinton F. Seamons)
- December 13, 1977
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transcript
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(Courtesy of the estate of John R. Evans; made possible through a gift from Quinton F. Seamons)
- 1978
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image
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(Courtesy of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants)
- January 24, 1978
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image
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(Arthur F. Burns Papers, Courtesy of the Gerald R. Ford Library)
- February 15, 1978
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image
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(JT Ball Collection, University of Mississippi)
- March 2, 1979
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document
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(Courtesy of Theodore A. Levine)
- May 31, 1979
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image
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(Government Records)
- September 18, 1979
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image
pdf
(Government Records)
- January 3, 1980
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image
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(Government Records)
- March 13, 1980
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image
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(Government Records)
- May 28, 1980
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transcript
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(Courtesy of the estate of John R. Evans)
- June 18, 1980
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transcript
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(Courtesy of the estate of John R. Evans)
- September 1980
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image
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(Courtesy of the estate of John R. Evans; made possible through a gift from Quinton F. Seamons)
- September 16, 1980
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image
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(Government Records)
- November 21, 1980
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image
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(Government Records)
- January 13, 1981
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image
pdf
(Courtesy of the estate of John R. Evans; made possible through a gift from Quinton F. Seamons)
- January 23, 1981
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image
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(Courtesy of the estate of John R. Evans; made possible through a gift from Quinton F. Seamons)
- April 24, 1981
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transcript
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(Courtesy of the estate of John R. Evans; made possible through a gift from Quinton F. Seamons)
- June 16, 1981
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image
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(Courtesy of the estate of John R. Evans; made possible through a gift from Quinton F. Seamons)
- March 11, 1983
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image
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(Courtesy of the estate of John R. Evans; made possible through a gift from Quinton F. Seamons)
- April 1983
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image
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- May 6-7, 1983
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- June 3, 1983
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"Financial Frauds and Related Party Transactions - the SEC Response," by Theodore A. Levine, Frederick Wade, James B. Bragg and Thomas A. Ferrigno
(Courtesy of the estate of John R. Evans; made possible through a gift from Quinton F. Seamons)
- June 9, 1983
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image
pdf
(Courtesy of the estate of John R. Evans; made possible through a gift from Quinton F. Seamons)
- June 9-10, 1983
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transcript
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(Courtesy of the estate of John R. Evans; made possible through a gift from Quinton F. Seamons)
- June 27, 1983
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image
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- June 28 to 29 1984
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document
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(Courtesy of Paul Gonson)
- June 3, 1986
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image
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(Courtesy of Stuart Kaswell)
- October 1987
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image
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(AICPA Collection, University of Mississippi)
- August 12, 1992
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image
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(JT Ball Collection, University of Mississippi)
- 1994
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image
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(Courtesy of George P. Fritz)
- February 28, 1994
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- March 7, 1995
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image
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(Courtesy of Margaret Bancroft)
- April 10, 1995
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image
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(Courtesy of Margaret Bancroft)
- March 5, 1996
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document
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(Courtesy of Richard Rowe)
- September 30, 1996
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image
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- November 2001
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Proceedings Book of "Securities Regulation in the Global Internet Economy" Major Issues Conference
- November 15, 2001
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document
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- June 2, 2004
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document
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(prepared for the museum by David S. Ruder)
- June 2, 2004
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document
pdf
(prepared for the museum by Harvey L. Pitt)
- June 2, 2004
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document
pdf
(prepared for the museum by Roderick M. Hills)
- April 5, 2006
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transcript
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(with permission of The George Washington University Law School)
- September 19, 2008
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transcript
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(Courtesy of Walter Schuetze)
- September 19, 2008
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transcript
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(Courtesy of Walter Schuetze)
- May 16, 2011
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image
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(Courtesy of the Financial Accounting Foundation Library)
- June 27, 2014
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image
pdf
(Courtesy of the Financial Accounting Foundation Library)
Oral Histories
18 April 2011
Dennis Beresford
With Dr. James Stocker
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26 March 1976
John C. Burton and Robert T. Sprouse
With Stephen A. Zeff
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Courtesy of the Academy of Accounting Historians, University of Mississippi
13 May 2007
Edmund Coulson
With Andrew Bailey
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11 March 2011
Robert Herz
With Dr. James Stocker
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09 November 2010
Conrad Hewitt
With Dr. Kenneth Durr
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28 October 2004
Howard Hodges
With Mary Beach, William Morley
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16 March 2011
Edmund Jenkins
With Dr. James Stocker
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Programs
- 07 November 2012
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Deloitte Fireside Chat VIII: International Convergence
Moderator: James McKinney
Presenter(s): Robert Herz, Joseph Ucuzoglu
- 07 June 2012
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A Creative Irritant: The Relationship between the SEC and Accounting Standard Setters (Thirteenth Annual Meeting)
Moderator: George Fritz
Presenter(s): Dennis Beresford, Edmund Jenkins, A. Clarence Sampson
- 18 September 2007
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Fireside Chat - Accounting Aspects of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act
Moderator: Theresa Gabaldon
Presenter(s): Philip Ameen, Teresa Iannaconi
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