You are a loan officer for White Sands Bank of Taos. Paul Jason, president of P. Jason Corporation, has just left your office. He is interested in an 8-year loan to expand the company's operations. The borrowed funds would be used to purchase new equipment. As evidence of the company's debt-worthiness, Jason provided you with the following facts:

2017

2016

Current Ratio

3.1

2.1

Asset Turnover

2.8

2.2

Net Income

Up 32%

Down 8%

Earnings per Share

$3.30

$2.50

Jason is a very insistent (some would say pushy) man. When you told him you would need additional information before making your decision, he acted offended and said, "What more could you possibly want to know?" You responded you would, at minimum, need complete, audited financial statements.

Develop an examination of the financial statements and include the following:

• Explain why you would want the financial statements to be audited.
• Discuss the implications of the ratios provided for the lending decision you are to make. That is, does the information paint a favorable picture? Are these ratios relevant to the decision? State why or why not.
• Evaluate trends in the performance of P. Jason Corporation. Identify each performance measure as favorable or unfavorable and explain the significance of each.
• List three other ratios you would want to calculate for P. Jason Corporation, explain in detail why you would use each.
• As the loan officer, what else would you do to gain a better understanding of Paul Jason's, and the Corporation's financial picture and why?
• Based on your analysis of P. Jason Corporation, will you recommend approval for the requested loan? Provide specific details to support your decision.