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The Bankruptcy StrategistLJN NewslettersNewsSections

Hidden Issues in Balance Sheets

By David Gottlieb and Michael D. Schwarzmann
July 26, 2013

Just one report in a financial statement, the balance sheet provides a snapshot of the financial condition of an entity as of a specific date. Users rely on the balance sheet as a means of evaluating a company's stability, investment potential, and creditworthiness, but it should not be accepted at face value. Increasingly, nonfinancial professionals are making recommendations based on the results of their analyses ' often accepting a balance sheet without question. Attorneys for creditors and debtors, and bankruptcy judges, are making recommendations or decisions based on only cursory consideration of potentially misleading balance sheets. Neglecting to delve into the issues more deeply can result in serious pitfalls ' and, ultimately, business decisions being made based on an inaccurate picture of the entity.

Balance sheets alone are of limited use. The amounts stated on a balance sheet represent the book values according to U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) and not necessarily the fair market value (FMV), which is often of greater relevance. For example, the price of a parcel of land plus the cost to build the structure on it (the GAAP value) is not necessarily equal to the market price to purchase the combined finished project (the FMV).

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