Dechow, Myers, and Shakespeare (DMS, 2009) find a negative relation between income
from securitization activities and income from non-securitization activities. DMS
interprets this finding as indicating that managers use the flexibility available in fair
value accounting rules to smooth earnings. We clarify the role of fair value in
accounting for asset securitizations, discuss alternative explanations for the evidence
presented in DMS, and offer suggestions for future research. We caution against
inferring the desirability of any particular accounting method from earnings management
research.& 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved