The Effect of Leasing and Different Methods of Accounting for Leases on Credit Evaluations .

Abstract ABSTRACT: Policymakers have been concerned with whether financial leases should be capitalized and supported by supplementary footnote disclosure or be disclosed solely in notes to financial statements. Arguments in support of capitalization have included assertions regarding the effect of these accounting alternatives on creditors' evaluations and decisions. A field experiment was conducted to investigate the effect on lenders' decisions of alternative lease accounting and financing methods. Results suggest that lenders' credit evaluations and decisions are affected by "real" levels of leverage of loan applicants, but not by their method of accounting for financial leases or by whether the applicants' debt financing is by term loan or financial lease.