SEC Schedules Mark to Market Roundtable for Oct. 29

The SEC announced that on Oct. 29, 2008, it will host the first of two roundtables on "mark-to-market" accounting and current market conditions.  The roundtables will provide input to the SEC as part of a Congressionally mandated study pursuant to the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008. The date and time of the second roundtable will be announced at a later date.

The first roundtable will consist of two panels. The first panel will discuss the interaction between mark-to-market accounting for financial institutions and the current economic situation. The second panel will focus on potential improvements to the current accounting model and implications of possible changes.  The panel discussions will focus on:

The effects of mark-to-market accounting on financial reporting by financial institutions.
Potential market behavior effects from mark-to-market accounting.
The usefulness of mark-to-market accounting to investors and regulators.
Aspects of the current accounting standards that can be improved.

A final agenda including a list of participants and moderators will be announced at a future date. The roundtable will be open to the public with seating on a first-come, first-served basis. The roundtable also will be webcast on the SEC Web site.