All articles by Neil Hodge – Page 16
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ArticleReport shows Big Four stranglehold in U.K. near unavoidable
A review by the U.K. Financial Reporting Council found large companies will instinctively hire a Big Four firm as auditor, despite efforts by the regulator to break their dominance and open up the country’s audit market to smaller competitors.
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ArticleU.K. corporate watchdog rips company reporting as ‘box-ticking exercise’
Not for the first time, the U.K.’s corporate governance regulator has said it is disappointed to see company reporting “does not demonstrate the high quality of governance” it expects.
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ArticleTrio of U.K. fines expose third-party risks under GDPR
Recent GDPR fines against British Airways, Marriott, and Ticketmaster by the U.K. Information Commissioner’s Office each saw the regulator dismiss claims by the companies that third parties were primarily responsible for the data breaches in question.
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ArticleWhatsApp Ireland reserves $91.8M for potential GDPR fine
The Irish arm of WhatsApp has set aside $91.8 million for possible administrative fines arising from long-standing investigations by Ireland’s data regulator into the way the messaging platform shares data with Facebook.
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ArticleGuidance for safe data transfers post-Privacy Shield
The European Data Protection Board has issued guidance to help companies transfer data to the United States and other third countries safely after Europe’s top court in July ruled key methods used up until then were either invalid or unsafe.
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ArticleU.K. watchdog seeks disclosures on COVID-19, climate change
COVID-19 and its impact on operations and the bottom line tops the Financial Reporting Council’s list of what it wants to see in company reports for 2021.
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ArticleBA, Marriott fine reductions latest wrench in GDPR enforcement harmony
Lack of clarity on fines has dogged the GDPR since it took effect in May 2018, and the recent dramatic penalty reductions handed down by the U.K. in the cases of British Airways and Marriott certainly won’t help.
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ArticleCCO Philippe Vollot has a plan for Danske’s compliance reboot
Danske Bank CCO Philippe Vollot knows his journey to build a robust compliance program and culture at the troubled lender is far from over.
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In second drastic reduction, ICO fines Marriott $23.8M
The Marriott GDPR fine handed down by the U.K. Information Commissioner’s Office is less than 20 percent of the original number the regulator proposed, the second time this month such a drastic reduction has taken place.
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ArticleStudy questions effectiveness of U.K. management oversight regime
The U.K.’s financial services regulator is still failing to hold individuals accountable four years after introducing a program to improve oversight and enforcement, according to a new study.
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ArticleU.K.’s SFO lays out expectations in new DPA guidance
The U.K. Serious Fraud Office has published its latest internal guidance on the threshold companies must meet before they are offered a deferred prosecution agreement.
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ArticleFRC pushes for clarity on audit’s role in finding fraud
The proposed changes reflect regulatory fears that U.K. companies will be tempted to hide the scale of their financial losses as the effects of the coronavirus pandemic continue to dent balance sheets.
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Anatomy of a 90% fine reduction: How BA saved $200M on GDPR penalty
The U.K. Information Commissioner’s Office agreed to slash its intended GDPR fine for British Airways from £183.39 million (U.S. $230 million) to just £20 million (U.S. $26 million). What was behind the massive reduction?
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ArticleCorrective action could trump fines as GDPR evolves
Experts discuss whether EU data protection authorities would be better served using corrective actions other than eye-watering fines to encourage companies to commit to best (and legal) GDPR practices.
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ArticleHow Danske is cleaning up after a €200B money laundering scandal
It is not clear what action Danske Bank will take on the back of its investigation into Europe’s biggest-ever money laundering scandal, but it is a safe bet to think further improving compliance will be on the list.
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Article‘FinCEN Files’ show Europe’s AML efforts maybe aren’t so world class
The damning revelations from the “FinCEN Files” leaks have once again put Europe and its supposed world-leading anti-money laundering rules under the spotlight.
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ArticleCompanies face greater risk as GDPR class actions emerge
In the past month three of the world’s largest tech firms have been hit with legal actions that could lead to billion-dollar damages suits for alleged violations of the GDPR. Neil Hodge explores the trend and what to expect moving forward.
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Ireland’s order to Facebook to halt data transfers could have ‘profound’ impact
The Irish DPC’s order to Facebook to halt the transfer of European citizens’ personal data to the United States could pose operational and legal challenges that set a precedent for not only other tech giants, but companies generally.
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ArticleBenefits of bribery: New study separates fact from fiction
While bribery can provide companies with major short-term gains, there is little evidence to support many other beliefs surrounding the “return on investment,” according to a new study.
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ArticleFirms could face enforcement as U.K. cracks down on furlough fraud
Companies are at risk of being investigated by the U.K.’s tax authority over fears that up to two out of every three employees worked during lockdown while their employers illegally claimed salaries from the government’s furlough program.