Credit Ratings, Defined Benefit Pension Plans and SFAS 158: An Empirical Examination of Their Relationship

Abstract: This paper empirically investigates the effect that the Statement of Financial Accounting Standard (SFAS) 158 has on credit ratings for firms with defined benefit pension plans. The results show that, relative to other firms, firms that sponsor defined benefit pension plans have higher corporate credit ratings and that those scores decrease after the implementation of SFAS158. In addition, the more funded a defined benefit pension plan, the greater the credit rating. This positive relationship decreases after the implementation of SFAS 158. I rationalize these findings by asserting that defined benefit pension plan firms are subject to greater regulated scrutiny from the U.S. Department of Labor and the Internal Revenue Service through pension plan audits, which results in higher credit quality. This favorable effect on credit quality decreases, however, after the implementation of SFAS 158 due to the increased recognition of the previously disclosed pension liability on the balance sheet.

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