Total goodwill impairment in U.S. public companies was $142.5 billion in 2020, more than double the $71 billion recorded in 2019, according to the “2021 U.S. Goodwill Impairment Study” by Kroll. Even so, the level of impairments still fell short of the amount recorded at the onset of the 2008 financial crisis, which was $188.4 billion, the study says.

The study examines general and industry goodwill impairment (GWI) trends of more than 8,900 U.S. publicly traded companies through December 2020. The top three industries with the largest increase in GWI in 2020 were energy, financials and real estate, and industrials. This edition also gives a preview of the 2021 recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic on goodwill impairments taken by U.S.-based public companies. “At the time of writing, the disclosed top 10 GWI events for 2021 reached a combined $5 billion, which pales in comparison to the top 10 in 2020 of $61.9 billion,” the study says.