All Accounting & Auditing articles – Page 88
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Blog
Revenue group gets stuck on two new implementation questions
FASB’s Transition Resource Group met recently to discuss revenue recognition implementation, but new questions were raised about whether there may be some lingering issues requiring more standard-setting attention from the board. Tammy Whitehouse has more.
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Article
FASB simplifies Topic 718 of the Accounting Standards Codification
Preparers have long wanted a simpler, easier, better kind of GAAP, especially when it comes to accounting for stock options and other share-based payments. Now, says CW’s Tammy Whitehouse, it looks like they are getting their wish.
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Blog
Big 4 firm offers tips on assessing use of non-GAAP measures
An upswing in corporate use of non-GAAP measures along with increased regulatory scrutiny of such reporting has inspired the folks at Deloitte to offer some tips on how to assess non-GAAP measures to assure they don’t run afoul of filing rules.
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Blog
PCAOB practice alert finds rash of doctored audit files
The PCAOB this week published a staff audit practice alert emphasizing that improperly altering audit documentation in connection with a PCAOB inspection or investigation violates PCAOB rules requiring cooperation with its oversight activities and can result in disciplinary actions with severe consequences. “Evidence identified in connection with certain recent oversight ...
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Blog
PCAOB previews improvements from 2015 inspection cycle
A staff inspection brief issued this month by the PCAOB showed that preliminary counts from inspections performed in 2015 suggest the number of audit deficiencies for the largest firms has fallen, while deficiencies at smaller firms is, overall, high. The PCAOB brief stated that inspectors observed “indications of improved audit ...
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Blog
Accounting class actions rise again in 2015, analysis shows
Accounting-related class-action settlements jumped to $2.6 billion in 2015, with 86 percent of the cases involving allegations of internal control weaknesses, according to the latest analysis by Cornerstone Research. The largest increase in settled cases in 2015 involved cases where investors raised allegations of internal control weaknesses but the company ...
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Article
To be a great internal auditor, be a great communicator
For internal audit leaders to deliver the most value to their audit committees, they need to develop a suite of skills that are not always stressed as being part of the audit profession. But without great communication and presentation skills to present their findings, auditors can’t be truly great at ...
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Blog
FRC: What investors should expect in company records
Stephen Haddrill, chief executive of the U.K.’s Financial Reporting Council, wrote a letter to investors highlighting recent changes to companies’ annual reports and advising investors on what to expect in the coming crop. The report is “intended to be an important source of forward-looking information about strategy and risk,” he ...
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Blog
FASB finalizes guidance on licensing, performance obligations
FASB has issued guidance related to the revenue recognition standard to clarify licensing and identifying performance obligations. The guidance says entities are not required to assess whether promised goods or services are performance obligations if they are immaterial in the contract with the customer. It also provides some clarification around ...
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Blog
75% of S&P 100 report non-GAAP earnings, study shows
A recent Georgia Tech Financial Analysis study found that 75 S&P 100 companies reported non-GAAP earnings in 2013, with 48 companies making adjustments as a result of gains or losses due to non-recurring events. Income taxes gave rise to 30 adjustments, and 27 adjustments arose from restructuring and productivity-related charges.
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Blog
New EU auditor rotation rules have auditors playing musical chairs
Are companies ready for new EU-wide auditor rules coming in June? A survey commissioned by Big Four firm EY of 100 senior-level executives and non-executives in the FTSE 350 finds that while a majority, 83 percent, understands the rotation rules, only 42 percent have a plan in place. More than ...
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Blog
PwC elects Tim Ryan new U.S. chairman
Image: /*-->*/ PwC has appointed former audit leader Timothy Ryan as its new U.S. chairman for a four-year term. Ryan succeeds Bob Moritz, another former audit leader who was recently appointed global chairman of PwC after two terms as U.S. chairman. Ryan has served since 2013 ...
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Blog
PCAOB proposes new rules for supervising outside audit work
The PCAOB is changing the rules on how audit firms must manage the outside auditors they hire to help with audit work. The board has proposed for public comment a new standard and amendments to existing standards to direct auditors on how they must evaluate and supervise the work of ...
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Article
Regulators explore what’s wrong with audit supervision
Image: Audit supervision in general and auditing firm staffing levels and management structure in particular are under scrutiny as an old question surfaces: How can audit firms improve the quality of their own systems? “There is this inference that we keep finding engagements where we think the auditing standards aren’t ...
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Blog
Markit launches CTI Tax Solutions for Common Reporting Standard
Markit, a global provider of financial information services, has announced the launch of Markit CTI Tax Solutions for the Common Reporting Standard, which identifies tax residency and performs due diligence on customer accounts. The solution enables institutions to conduct due diligence through validating account data across existing books and records, ...
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Blog
PCAOB prepares new rule on outside auditors, reviews EQR standard
The PCAOB has scheduled an open meeting to consider a proposed new requirment around firms relying on others outside the principal firm to assist with audit work. The new proposal would address the lead auditor’s responsibilities with respect to those other auditors from outside the principal audit firm who participate ...
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Blog
Yamana Gold discloses fees for ESG assurance
A gold mining company’s recent disclosure of its cost for obtaining assurance with respect to its use of conflict materials might be the first of its kind, but the lack of standards in this area, coupled with a lack of independent third-party assurance points to a need for higher-quality reports ...
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Blog
What depreciation at Intel says about Moore’s Law
A recent earnings statement by one of the world’s leading semiconductor manufacturers offers what looks like good news at first blush, but in reality might suggest that a bigger, and more negative trend might be underway. At the heart of it: a potential slowdown in Moore’s Law itself, the law ...
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Blog
PCAOB delivers searing inspection report to BDO USA
BDO USA received a scathing 2014 inspection report from the PCAOB. Among the 23 audits the board selected for inspection, 17, or 74%, had issues, a record high rate among major firms. Of the 17 busted audits, 15 contained problems in both the audit of financial statements and the audit ...
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Blog
PCAOB reports compliance with communications standard
Image: The PCAOB said it is “encouraged” that most firms have complied with Auditing Standard No. 16, a standard governing communication with audit committees, as the board found no failures to comply in 93 percent of the audits reviewed in the 2014 inspection cycle. “The communication between an audit firm ...