Dictionary of Accounting Terms: write-down
write-down
reduction of part of the balance of an asset by charging an expense or loss account. The reason for a write-down is that some economic event has occurred indicating that the asset's value has diminished. An example is the obsolescence of some inventory.
Dictionary of Business Terms: write-down
write-down
the reduction in an asset value on the financial statements, often following a drop in market price.
Dictionary of Real Estate Terms: write-down
write-down
to diminish in amount on the records, generally to reflect a market value loss.
Example: Bank auditors, upon discovering that a certain mortgage was worthless, insisted on a write-down. The bank recorded the decline as a bad debt expense.
