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Increased Disclosures about Postretirement Benefit Plan Assets Proposed

March 19, 2008

The Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) has issued proposed FASB Staff Position (FSP) No. 132(R)-a, Employers’ Disclosures about Postretirement Benefit Plan Assets.  The purpose of the proposal would increase disclosures about the types of assets held in postretirement benefit plans.  Impacted organizations should provide comments to the FASB by May 2, 2008.

This proposed FSP would amend FASB Statement No. 132 (revised 2003), Employers’ Disclosures about Pensions and Other Postretirement Benefits, to improve public and nonpublic employers’ disclosures about postretirement benefit plan assets. Additionally, this proposed FSP includes a technical amendment to Statement 132(R) that would require a nonpublic entity to disclose net periodic benefit cost.

The proposed amendments to improve disclosures about plan assets include:

• A principle for disclosing the fair value of categories of plan assets based on the types of assets held in the plan;  
• Categories of plan assets that, if significant, should be disclosed; 
• Disclosures about the nature and amount of concentrations of risk arising within or across categories of plan assets; and
• Disclosures about fair value measurements similar to those required by FASB Statement No. 157, Fair Value Measurements.

The disclosures about plan assets required by this proposed FSP would be applied on a prospective basis for fiscal years ending after December 15, 2008.  Earlier application would not be permitted.

Individuals and organizations are invited to submit comments on the proposed guidance.  Interested parties should submit their comments by email to director@fasb.org, File Reference: Proposed FSP FAS 132 (R)-a.

NACUBO Staff Resource: Sue Menditto, director, accounting policy
Read the FSP here.