1. Introduction
Demerjian (this issue) provides evidence on an important and ostensibly straightforward question: whether a trend in
standard-setting towards the ‘‘balance sheet approach’’ has led to a decline in the usefulness of balance sheet numbers for
debt contracting. This question is important given recent controversy about how changes in standard setting affect the
usefulness of financial statements for contracting and other purposes (e.g., Benston et al., 2007; Kothari et al., 2010; Watts,
2006). Watts (2006, pp. 58–59) points to recent changes in accounting standards—especially an increased emphasis on
firm valuation and a declining emphasis on auditability—to argue that GAAP-based numbers have become less useful for
contracting.
This evidence is also relevant to the controversy over the use of fair values in financial reporting, a critical issue in light
of the financial crisis. Demerjian points to the increasing emphasis on fair values as being a central part of the increased
balance sheet emphasis of standard-setters, and an important reason for the declining usefulness of accounting numbers
in debt contracts.
Demerjian deserves significant credit for addressing an empirical question that is important both in its contribution to
the debt contracting literature and more broadly to accounting regulators, bankers, and other practitioners. While I discuss
some criticisms of the work, Demerjian’s goal is to link large-scale trends in standard-setting to the way accounting is used
in debt contracts, an inherently challenging empirical task.