Matt Holmes recently joined ABC Company as a staff accountant in the controller's office. ABC Company provides warehousing services for companies in several mid western cities.
The location in Dubuque, lowa, has not been performing well due to increased competition and the loss of several customers that have recently gone out of business. Matt's department manager suspects that the plant and equipment may be impaired and wonders whether those assets should be written down. Given the company's prior success, this issue has never arisen in the past, and Matt has been asked to conduct some research on this issue.
Access the FASB Codification to conduct research using the Codification Research System to prepare responses to the following items. Provide Codification references for your responses.
QUESTION
(a) What is the authoritative guidance for asset impairments? Briefly discuss the scope of the standard (i.e., explain the types of transactions to which the standard applies).
(b) Give several examples of events that would cause an asset to be tested for impairment.
(c) What is the best evidence of fair value? Describe alternate methods of estimating fair value?
(d) Does it appear that ABC should perform an impairment test? Explain.