Panel C: Lease Renewal Options Capitalized versus Not Capitalized
Two firms, A and B, are identical in all respects with the exception of how they accounted for their renewal options. Both Firm A and B signed a one-year lease with an option to renew the lease at the end of every year at a pre-determined rate for a total period not to exceed five years. Both firms anticipate that they will use their leased assets for five years. Firm A operates in a regime that does not require renewal options to be capitalized unless they are reasonably certain that the options will be exercised. Consequently, Firm A does not capitalize their renewal options. Firm B, however, operates in a regime that requires renewal options to be capitalized if the options are more likely than
not to be exercised. Therefore, Firm B capitalizes the renewal periods in their lease. Consequently, Firm B’s solvency ratios (e.g. debt-to-equity ratio) appear worse compared to Firm A. Although the two firms are economically equivalent, the differential accounting treatment makes Firm B’s solvency ratios appear worse when compared to Firm A.