IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/tsa/wpaper/0187acc.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Troubled Asset Relief Program’s Impact on Earnings informativeness: A Study of Compensation Contracts

Author

Listed:
  • Carlos Jimenez
  • Jay Vega
  • Jennifer Yin

    (UTSA)

Abstract

In late 2008, Congress signed the Emergency Economic Stabilization ACT (EESA) into law in order to help bring financial stability into the U.S. economy. The Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP), which was a part of EESA, was developed specifically to deal with the uncertainty in the U.S. financial institutions. TARP required firms to adhere to specific compensation requirements or face direct costs. We examine if the compensation restrictions that TARP placed on compensation affected the weight investors attach to firms’ earnings. We find that firms that pay their CEOs above the TARP threshold show higher earnings informativeness. We also find that firms that decrease total compensation during their participation in TARP produce more informative earnings, relative to firms that do not decrease total compensation. Separating total compensation into its cash and performance-based components, we find that firms have higher earnings informativeness when they increase (decrease) cash (performance) compensation during TARP. However, earnings informativeness decreases as a whole during and after TARP relative to pre-TARP earnings informativeness. Lastly, we find that firms that pay their CEOs above the threshold set by the U.S. Treasury show higher performance based on accounting measures during their participation in TARP. Length: 40 pages

Suggested Citation

  • Carlos Jimenez & Jay Vega & Jennifer Yin, 2015. "Troubled Asset Relief Program’s Impact on Earnings informativeness: A Study of Compensation Contracts," Working Papers 0187acc, College of Business, University of Texas at San Antonio.
    • Handle: RePEc:tsa:wpaper:0187acc
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://interim.business.utsa.edu/wps/acc/0009ACC-428-2015.pdf
    File Function: Full text
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Wu, Xueping & Yao, Jun, 2012. "Understanding the rise and decline of the Japanese main bank system: The changing effects of bank rent extraction," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 36(1), pages 36-50.
    2. Yermack, David, 1995. "Do corporations award CEO stock options effectively?," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 39(2-3), pages 237-269.
    3. Collins, Daniel W. & Kothari, S. P., 1989. "An analysis of intertemporal and cross-sectional determinants of earnings response coefficients," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 11(2-3), pages 143-181, July.
    4. Bergstresser, Daniel & Philippon, Thomas, 2006. "CEO incentives and earnings management," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 80(3), pages 511-529, June.
    5. Bebchuk, Lucian Arye & Fried, Jesse & Walker, David I, 2001. "Executive Compensation in America: Optimal Contracting or Extraction of Rents," CEPR Discussion Papers 3112, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    6. Kothari, S. P., 2001. "Capital markets research in accounting," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 31(1-3), pages 105-231, September.
    7. Sloan, Richard G., 1993. "Accounting earnings and top executive compensation," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 16(1-3), pages 55-100, April.
    8. Core, John E. & Holthausen, Robert W. & Larcker, David F., 1999. "Corporate governance, chief executive officer compensation, and firm performance," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 51(3), pages 371-406, March.
    9. Baiman, Stanley & Verrecchia, Robert E., 1995. "Earnings and price-based compensation contracts in the presence of discretionary trading and incomplete contracting," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 20(1), pages 93-121, July.
    10. Jensen, Michael C. & Meckling, William H., 1976. "Theory of the firm: Managerial behavior, agency costs and ownership structure," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 3(4), pages 305-360, October.
    11. Ball, R & Brown, P, 1968. "Empirical Evaluation Of Accounting Income Numbers," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 6(2), pages 159-178.
    12. Leone, Andrew J. & Wu, Joanna Shuang & Zimmerman, Jerold L., 2006. "Asymmetric sensitivity of CEO cash compensation to stock returns," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 42(1-2), pages 167-192, October.
    13. Lewellen, Wilbur & Loderer, Claudio & Martin, Kenneth, 1987. "Executive compensation and executive incentive problems : An empirical analysis," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 9(3), pages 287-310, December.
    14. Chalmers, Keryn & Koh, Ping-Sheng & Stapledon, Geof, 2006. "The determinants of CEO compensation: Rent extraction or labour demand?," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 38(3), pages 259-275.
    15. Balsam, Steven & Haw, In-Mu & Lilien, Steven B., 1995. "Mandated accounting changes and managerial discretion," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 20(1), pages 3-29, July.
    16. Abarbanell, Jeffery S. & Lanen, William N. & Verrecchia, Robert E., 1995. "Analysts' forecasts as proxies for investor beliefs in empirical research," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 20(1), pages 31-60, July.
    17. Bebchuk, Lucian Arye & Fried, Jesse M. & Walker, David I., 2001. "Executive Compensation in America: Optimal Contracting or Extraction of Rents?," Berkeley Olin Program in Law & Economics, Working Paper Series qt1x24r7st, Berkeley Olin Program in Law & Economics.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Kothari, S.P. & Ramanna, Karthik & Skinner, Douglas J., 2010. "Implications for GAAP from an analysis of positive research in accounting," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 50(2-3), pages 246-286, December.
    2. Dechow, Patricia & Ge, Weili & Schrand, Catherine, 2010. "Understanding earnings quality: A review of the proxies, their determinants and their consequences," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 50(2-3), pages 344-401, December.
    3. Wei Zhang & Steven F. Cahan, 2010. "Nonrecurring Accounting Transactions and Stock Option Grants," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 37(1-2), pages 93-129.
    4. Farzan Yahya & Zahiruddin B. Ghazali, 2017. "Effectiveness of board governance and dividend policy as alignment mechanisms to firm performance and CEO compensation," Cogent Business & Management, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 4(1), pages 1398124-139, January.
    5. repec:eee:labchp:v:3:y:1999:i:pb:p:2485-2563 is not listed on IDEAS
    6. Wang, Qiong & Qiu, Muqing, 2023. "Strength in numbers: Minority shareholders' participation and executives' pay-performance sensitivity," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 79(C).
    7. Renneboog, L.D.R. & Trojanowski, G., 2002. "The Managerial Labor Market and the Governance Role of Shareholder Control Structures in the UK," Discussion Paper 2002-68, Tilburg University, Center for Economic Research.
    8. Muurling, Rutger & Lehnert, Thorsten, 2004. "Option-based compensation: a survey," The International Journal of Accounting, Elsevier, vol. 39(4), pages 365-401.
    9. Bushman, Robert M. & Smith, Abbie J., 2001. "Financial accounting information and corporate governance," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 32(1-3), pages 237-333, December.
    10. Crawley, Michael & Wahlen, James, 2014. "Analytics in empirical/archival financial accounting research," Business Horizons, Elsevier, vol. 57(5), pages 583-593.
    11. Baber, William R. & Kang, Sok-Hyon & Kumar, Krishna R., 1998. "Accounting earnings and executive compensation:: The role of earnings persistence," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 25(2), pages 169-193, May.
    12. Yu-Lin Chen & Chao-Jung Chen, 2015. "Family firms and the incentive contracting role of accounting earnings," Asia-Pacific Journal of Accounting & Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 22(4), pages 384-405, December.
    13. Yaowen Shan & Terry Walter, 2016. "Towards a Set of Design Principles for Executive Compensation Contracts," Abacus, Accounting Foundation, University of Sydney, vol. 52(4), pages 619-684, December.
    14. Matolcsy, Zoltan & Shan, Yaowen & Seethamraju, Vinay, 2012. "The timing of changes in CEO compensation from cash bonus to equity-based compensation: Determinants and performance consequences," Journal of Contemporary Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 8(2), pages 78-91.
    15. Kanapathippillai, Sutharson & Gul, Ferdinand & Mihret, Dessalegn & Muttakin, Mohammad Badrul, 2019. "Compensation committees, CEO pay and firm performance," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 57(C).
    16. Hideaki Sakawa & Naoki Watanabel, 2008. "Relationship between Managerial Compensation and Business Performance in Japan: New Evidence Using Micro Data," Asian Economic Journal, East Asian Economic Association, vol. 22(4), pages 431-455, December.
    17. Ruey S. Tsay & Yi-Mien Lin & Hsiao-Wen Wang, 2009. "Residual income, non-earnings information, and information content," Journal of Forecasting, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 28(6), pages 487-511.
    18. Wolfgang Drobetz & Pascal Pensa & Markus M. Schmid, 2007. "Estimating the Cost of Executive Stock Options: evidence from Switzerland," Corporate Governance: An International Review, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 15(5), pages 798-815, September.
    19. Bugeja, Martin & Matolcsy, Zoltan & Spiropoulos, Helen, 2017. "The CEO pay slice: Managerial power or efficient contracting? Some indirect evidence," Journal of Contemporary Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 13(1), pages 69-87.
    20. Michal Matv{e}jka & Kenneth A. Merchant & Wim A. Van der Stede, 2009. "Employment Horizon and the Choice of Performance Measures: Empirical Evidence from Annual Bonus Plans of Loss-Making Entities," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 55(6), pages 890-905, June.
    21. Kuo, Chii-Shyan & Li, Ming-Yuan Leon & Yu, Shang-En, 2013. "Non-uniform effects of CEO equity-based compensation on firm performance – An application of a panel threshold regression model," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 45(3), pages 203-214.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    compensation contracts;

    JEL classification:

    • M52 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Personnel Economics - - - Compensation and Compensation Methods and Their Effects

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:tsa:wpaper:0187acc. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Wendy Frost (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/cbutsus.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.