For a variety of reasons, borrowers and lenders may renegotiate the terms of existing loans or exchange an existing loan for a new loan with the same lender. Naturally, there are accounting implications when the borrower and lender agree to modify or restructure an existing loan or exchange one loan for another. The accounting implications differ depending on whether the borrower’s or lender’s accounting is being considered. RSM US GAAP publication, A guide to accounting for debt modifications and restructurings, addresses the borrower’s accounting for the modification, restructuring or exchange of a loan.
The primary decision points considered by the borrower in accounting for the modification, restructuring or exchange of one of its loans include:
- Do the changes result in meeting the liability derecognition threshold?
- Do the changes meet the definition of a troubled debt structuring?
- Do the changes make a new or changed term loan substantially different from the old term loan?
- Do the changes increase the borrowing capacity of a line-of-credit or revolving debt arrangement?
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