All articles by Tammy Whitehouse – Page 53
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Blog
IT Experts Offer Updated Guidance on IT Controls
Image: Companies struggling with information technology controls may gain tips from ISACA’s new guidance on scoping and assessment ideas for IT-related aspects of the COSO framework. “This latest guide will help professionals align with these changes in the industry,” said Ken Vander Wal, former ISACA president.
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Blog
CAQ Reminds Auditors of Hot-Button Audit Issues
Image: A new Center for Audit Quality alert highlights issues that auditors will need to pay special attention to in the year-end review, such as revenue recognition, related-party transactions, and more. “This alert summarizes potential areas of risk and can be a useful resource for our auditing firm members as ...
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Blog
BDO USA, Crowe Horwath Get Varied PCAOB Inspection Results
The Public Company Accounting Oversight Board published inspection findings for two major firms, giving them much different marks for their 2013 audit work. At BDO USA, inspectors found deficiencies in 15 of 23 audit files, a 55 percent increase in problems from 2012. At Crowe Horwath inspectors checked only 13 ...
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Blog
Audit Committees Offer Details on Auditor Independence
Image: A Center for Audit Quality study shows a significant majority of all S&P Composite 1,500 companies are talking to investors about auditor independence, but fewer address how the auditor is appointed. “We think it is important to provide a baseline for audit committee disclosures, with the intent of tracking ...
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ArticleAre Auditors Making Unnecessary Demands on Internal Control Documentation?
As many companies finish work on a new framework for internal controls, a small number of them are starting to question their external auditors’ documentation requirements and are considering pushing back. Lillian Barlett, vice president of risk management and internal audit at SunOpta, for example, says the documentation requests are ...
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Article
Hidden Complexity in the New Rules for Revenue Recognition
Financial reporting and auditing experts are warning companies of surprises they may encounter as they continue to work their way through 700 pages of new accounting rules on how to recognize revenue in their financial statements beginning in 2017. The accounting standard update requires several new disclosures, for example. “There ...
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Blog
Ideas for Guidance on Auditing Estimates Draw Mixed Reviews
The Public Company Accounting Oversight Board is getting mixed feedback on its initial ideas for revising guidance on auditing fair-value measurements and accounting estimates. The PCAOB has received nearly 40 letters on the staff's consultation paper on the topic, some suggesting a revision of existing rules, while others suggest a ...
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Article
COSO Framework Has Applications Beyond Financial Reporting
Image: As companies put the finishing touches on the adoption of the updated framework for internal controls, many are realizing that there are hidden benefits to the work. Audit experts say there are several other areas where elements of the updated COSO framework can apply, such as divisional reporting, customer ...
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Blog
Golden Answers Early Political Pressure on Revenue Recognition
To answer early political pressure over the new accounting standard on revenue recognition, the Financial Accounting Standards Board is pledging its readiness to work through implementation issues as they are identified and brought to the board for action.
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Blog
Companies Still Sorting Through Revenue Recognition Rule, Survey Shows
Image: PwC and the Financial Executives Research Foundation are offering fresh evidence that companies are behind on FASB’s new revenue recognition standard. In their joint survey of 174 companies, 54 percent said they are familiar with the standard, but only 29 percent said they would be prepared to adopt it ...
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Blog
FASB, SEC Give New Options on Pushdown Accounting
FASB has issued a new Accounting Standards Update to provide an option for the application of “pushdown accounting,” which occurs when an acquired business adopts the new parent company’s basis of accounting to prepare its financial statements. The update gives acquired companies some choices on the timing and extent of ...
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Article
Companies Fall Behind on Preparing for Revenue Recognition Rules
Image: Title: Mirando-GouldAccounting experts say that most companies will not be prepared to follow new revenue recognition accounting rules at the start of next year, the ideal date for those that want to be ready for a full retrospective adoption. Meanwhile, officials at the Financial Accounting Standards Board say they ...
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Blog
PCAOB Queues Up Fraud Talk; Latest Report Offers Tips to Resist Fraud
Audit regulators are assembling their closest advisors this week to take a closer look at the latest thinking around what motivates auditors and what tools and skills they bring to the effort to detect financial reporting fraud.
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Blog
Hertz Restatement Expands, May Involve Tone at the Top; SEC Investigating
Hertz’s single-year restatement announcement in June has mushroomed into a multi-year restatement and an investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission, the company reported on Friday in a Form 8-K filing. The filing offered the first hints that the problems may stem from poor tone at the top. More ...
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Blog
IRS Pays Attention to Corporate Filings, Study Shows
Internal Revenue Service examiners are accessing publicly available information on risky tax positions, including such financial statement line items as uncertain tax positions. Companies are taking note of IRS interest in their tax information and are getting more forthright as a result. More details inside.
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Blog
ULC Steers States to New Unclaimed Property Approaches
Image: The Uniform Law Commission is making some progress in its efforts to streamline and tame state unclaimed property regulation. The ULC, a body that provides states with legislation meant to clarify and stabilize state law, is mobilizing those in the abandoned and unclaimed property profession to update and revise ...
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Blog
FASB Kicks Consolidation Standard Out to 2015
Image: Title: GoldenCompanies will not have a final new accounting standard on consolidation by the end of 2014, despite earlier indications from the Financial Accounting Standards Board that the standard would be completed by year’s end. According to FASB, numerous issues remain to be analyzed, a handful of which could ...
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Article
With Americans Living Longer, Pension Changes May Be Needed
Image: Faced with compelling new evidence that Americans are living longer, companies may have to reflect potentially big cost increases associated with pension and retiree medical benefits in their financial statements. The Society of Actuaries has released data showing longevity rates increased at least two years on average. “This will ...
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Blog
SEC Preparing End to IFRS Speculation
The Securities and Exchange Commission may be preparing to put an end to the uncertainty about possible adoption of International Financial Reporting Standards in the United States. SEC Chief Accountant James Schnurr said at a recent conference that he plans to make a recommendation to the full Commission in the ...
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Blog
FASB Studies Possible Deferral for Revenue Recognition
Image: Title: KroekerFASB plans to consider in early 2015 whether to give companies more time to adopt the new revenue recognition standard. Although the board has received numerous requests for more time, at a recent meeting FASB Vice Chairman Jim Kroeker indicated little sympathy for delayed action. “To those who ...