Purchase Accounting

Purchase accounting

Method of accounting for a merger that treats the acquirer as having purchased the assets and assumed the liabilities of the acquiree, which are then written up or down to their respective fair market values. The difference between the purchase price and the net assets acquired is attributed to goodwill.

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Purchase Accounting

In mergers and acquisitions, a method of accounting that treats the acquiring company as if it bought the assets and assumed the liabilities of the target company; all the assets and liabilities are placed on the acquiring company's balance sheet according to their current market value. Because the purchase price of the target company often exceeds this, pooling-of-assets accounting is more common. See also: Goodwill.