What is the CECL standard?

What is the CECL standard?

CECL replaces the current Allowance for Loan and Lease Losses (ALLL) accounting standard. The CECL standard focuses on estimation of expected losses over the life of the loans, while the current standard relies on incurred losses.

What is a CECL allowance?

The allowance for credit losses under CECL is a valuation account, measured as the difference between the financial assets’ amortized cost basis and the amount expected to be collected on the financial assets (i.e., lifetime credit losses).

How CECL is calculated?

CECL Modeling and Accounting The formula can also be expressed as: ECL = PD x LGD x EAD, where LGD is a rate of loss and EAD (Exposure at Default) is the gross dollar amount of the loan.

Is CECL a change in accounting principle?

Considered one of the most significant accounting changes in decades, the new CECL standard affects the way companies evaluate impairment of financial assets such as loans, receivables, and investments in debt securities.

When must CECL be implemented?

Introduced by FASB in 2016, the CECL methodology was effective for most public financial institutions beginning in 2020 and most community banks with assets under $1 billion will implement CECL in 2023.

What are the CECL methodologies?

The three of the most commonly used methodologies are:

  • Snapshot/Open Pool.
  • Remaining Life/Weighted Average Remaining Maturity (WARM)
  • Vintage.

How does the CECL model differ from current GAAP?

Unlike the incurred loss models in legacy US GAAP, the CECL model does not specify a threshold for the recognition of an allowance. An entity will instead recognize its estimate of expected credit losses for financial assets as of the end of the reporting period.

How is IFRS 9 ECL calculated?

ECL formula – The basic ECL formula for any asset is ECL = EAD x PD x LGD. This has to be further refined based on the specific requirements of each company, the approach taken for each asset, factors of sensitivity and discounting factors based on the estimated life of assets as required.

What are the main differences for the loan loss provisioning under IFRS 9 and US GAAP?

The major difference is that under US GAAP, the entire lifetime expected credit loss on financial instruments measured at amortized cost is recognized at inception, whereas under IFRS 9, generally only a portion of the lifetime expected credit loss is initially recognized.