Lobo, Gerald J.2018-03-012018-03-01August 2012014-08August 201http://hdl.handle.net/10657/2738I examine whether and how the improvements in fair value disclosures resulting from the adoption of Statement of Financial Accounting Standard No. 157, Fair Value Measurement,s affect banks’ investment decisions. Using a sample of the largest one hundred publicly-traded bank holding companies, I find that, SFAS 157 does not affect the extent to which banks invest in high or low liquidity risk securities. Further cross-sectional analyses reveal that, following the adoption of SFAS 157m banks with high (low) funding liquidity needs reduce (increase) their holdings of high liquidity risk securities. These findings are consistent with the improved fair value disclosures contributing to mitigating the risk shifting incentives of banks with high funding liquidity needs and having no effect on a liquidity risk arbitrage strategy for banks with low funding liquidity needs. Consistent with the risk overhang hypothesis, I also find that banks with high funding liquidity needs use their discretion in fair value measurements to conceal the losses on their investment securities.application/pdfengThe author of this work is the copyright owner. UH Libraries and the Texas Digital Library have their permission to store and provide access to this work. Further transmission, reproduction, or presentation of this work is prohibited except with permission of the author(s).Fair value accountingRisk ShiftingBanking IndustrySFAS 1572018-03-01Thesisborn digital