Project Update

Disclosure Framework

Last updated on May 30, 2013. Please refer to the Current Technical Plan for information about the expected release dates of exposure documents and final standards.

(Updated sections are indicated with an asterisk *)

The staff has prepared this summary of Board decisions for information purposes only. Those Board decisions are tentative and do not change current accounting. Official positions of the FASB are determined only after extensive due process and deliberations.

Project Objective(s)
Due Process Documents
Summary of Decisions Reached to Date
*Field Study
Next Steps
Board/Other Public Meeting Dates
Resource Group and Other Outreach
Background Information
Contact Information

Project Objective(s)

The objective and primary focus of this project is to improve the effectiveness of disclosures in notes to financial statements by clearly communicating the information that is most important to users of each entity’s financial statements. (Although reducing the volume of the notes to financial statements is not the primary focus, the Board hopes that a sharper focus on important information will result in reduced volume in most cases.)

Achieving the objective of improving effectiveness will require development of a framework that promotes consistent decisions about disclosure requirements by the Board and the appropriate exercise of discretion by reporting entities. The Board also is considering whether, and if so, how, to provide guidance to improve the organization, formatting, and style of the notes to financial statements.

Due Process Documents

On July 12, 2012, the Board issued Invitation to Comment – Disclosure Framework. The original due date for comment letters was set for November 16, 2012 but due to Hurricane Sandy the comment period was extended two weeks to November 30, 2012.

Summary of Decisions Reached to Date (as of February 13, 2013)

The Board discussed a summary of the comments received on the Invitation to Comment, Disclosure Framework. The Board considered possible next steps in the project but did not make any decisions. The summary will be published on the Disclosure Framework project page of the FASB website.

*Field Study

The FASB is seeking public and private companies and not-for-profit organizations to participate in a field study on disclosures in notes to financial statements. For more information and to register, click here.

Next Steps

Please refer to the current technical plan for information about the project timeline.

Board/Other Public Meeting Dates

The Board meeting minutes are provided for the information and convenience of constituents who want to follow the Board’s deliberations. All of the conclusions reported are tentative and may be changed at future Board meetings. Decisions become final only after a formal written ballot to issue a final standard.

February 13, 2013 Board Meeting—Comment Letter Summary and Analysis of Comments and Possible Next Steps
April 25, 2012 Board Meeting —Interim Disclosures and Cost Consequence
August 24, 2011 Board Meeting—Decision Process for Disclosures about Line Items
August 18, 2010 Board Meeting—Objectives, Principles, and Criteria for Use in Setting Standards for Required Disclosures of Financial Information

July 8, 2009

Board Meeting—Agenda Announcement

Resource Group and Other Outreach

The Board established a resource group to help identify key issues with existing disclosures and evaluate proposed solutions. The membership of that group includes academics, analysts, auditors, preparers, and regulators. The staff consults informally with members of the resource group as needed. The group met with Board members and staff on October 28, 2011. Future meetings will be scheduled if necessary.

The FASB, in conjunction with the Center for Audit Quality (CAQ), held two forums on disclosure effectiveness designed to encourage dialogue among a wide range of financial reporting stakeholders on improving the effectiveness of disclosures in notes to financial statements and other parts of the financial reporting package. The forums were held at Columbia University’s Center for Excellence in Accounting and Security Analysis in New York City on October 4, and at the Stanford University Graduate School of Business in Stanford, California, on October 8, 2012.

Background Information

On July 8, 2009, the FASB chairman announced (press release) the addition of a new agenda project aimed at establishing an overarching framework intended to make financial statement disclosures more effective, coordinated, and less redundant. The project was added in response to requests and recommendations received from several constituents, including the Investors Technical Advisory Committee (ITAC) and the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) Advisory Committee on Improvements to Financial Reporting (Recommendations 1.2 and 1.3).

The staffs of the Board and the European Financial Reporting Advisory Group (EFRAG) have cooperated in the development of the ideas discussed in this Invitation to Comment and a similar discussion paper to be issued by EFRAG. The Board and EFRAG’s Technical Expert Group (TEG) have the same objectives and similar if not identical visions of the desired outcomes.

Contact Information

Ron Lott
Research Director
rwlott@fasb.org

Nick Cappiello
Project Manager
ntcappiello@fasb.org

Kailee Boyce
Postgraduate Technical Assistant
kboyce@fasb.org

Denecia Sea
Postgraduate Technical Assistant
dasea@fasb.org



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