CPE Webcast: Real-life reactions to current corporate reporting landscape
In this session we will discuss the current state of financial and nonfinancial reporting and recent survey findings from Workiva about how attitudes on integrated reporting are evolving.
SEC orders Meta Materials to pay $1M over market manipulation, fraud
A Nevada energy and manufacturing company headquartered in Nova Scotia agreed to pay $1 million to settle charges levied by the Securities and Exchange Commission for alleged market manipulation and fraud, while the agency further investigates its former chief executives.
CPE Webcast: Digital Operational Resilience Act: Key provisions and best practices
This presentation will provide an overview of the key provisions of DORA and their implications for Third-Party Risk Management (TPRM) teams, list best practices for DORA preparation and review key considerations for teams looking to implement the DORA framework.
Broadway Financial discloses ICFR weaknesses due to training shortfalls
Los Angeles-based bank holding company Broadway Financial Corp. disclosed in a public filing weaknesses discovered in its internal control over financial reporting because of training shortfalls.
PCAOB dings MaloneBailey $400K over ‘pervasive’ quality control violations
Audit firm MaloneBailey agreed to pay a $400,000 fine to settle allegations levied by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board over “pervasive” quality control violations.
Citi unit fined $78.6M by U.K. regs for trading control failures
The Financial Conduct Authority and Prudential Regulation Authority combined to fine a London-based Citigroup subsidiary approximately £61.7 million (U.S. $78.6 million) for control failures related to its trading system.
DOJ orders Evoqua to pay $8.5M over admitted securities fraud
Evoqua Water Technologies agreed to pay $8.5 million as part of a nonprosecution agreement with the Department of Justice to settle admitted criminal charges related to fraudulent revenue recognition.
Binance CEO got 4 months in prison. FTX’s got 25 years. Was compliance the difference?
Why the wild disparity in the sentences of Binance’s Changpeng Zhao and FTX’s Sam Bankman-Fried? Aaron Nicodemus argues the performance of the compliance teams at the two cryptocurrency exchanges was as big a contrast as the penalties earned by their respective founders.
ADM CFO to depart amid accounting probes
Food processing company ADM announced Chief Financial Officer Vikram Luthar, who was placed on administrative leave in January amid a probe into the company’s accounting practices, will resign.
Ex-Albemarle CCO shares drivers behind data analytics success at CW2024
Former Albemarle CCO Andrew McBride explained at Compliance Week’s 2024 National Conference how he led the company’s compliance department to remediate the issues that led to apparent FCPA violations and how the team used data analytics to assess risks and implement compliance solutions.
PwC fined $2.75M by PCAOB for independence process breakdowns
Big Four audit firm PwC was assessed a $2.75 million penalty by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board for failures in its auditor independence processes related to a 2018 engagement.
Chemours: DOJ, SEC probing exec accounting misconduct
Chemours disclosed it received requests for information from the Department of Justice and Securities and Exchange Commission regarding findings from an internal review into alleged accounting misconduct by several of its top executives.
Experts: Legal noise around SEC climate disclosure rule no excuse for standing still
Legal experts are advising their public company clients to move forward with plans to comply with the SEC’s climate-related disclosure rule, despite lawsuits and other challenges being brought against the controversial policy in the aftermath of its approval.
DOJ joins SEC in probing ADM accounting practices
ADM disclosed the Department of Justice joined the Securities and Exchange Commission in probing the food processing company’s accounting practices.
Chemours says probe found accounting misconduct by execs
Chemours said an internal review into the actions of senior managers alleged to have engaged in accounting misconduct uncovered violations of the chemicals company’s code of ethics regarding the promotion of full, fair, accurate, timely, and understandable disclosure.
Chemours places senior execs on leave over accounting review
Chemours announced it placed its chief executive officer, chief financial officer, and principal accounting officer on leave pending completion of an internal review into potential material weaknesses in its internal control over financial reporting.
ADM delays annual report filing amid ICFR assessment
ADM disclosed it will be late in filing its annual report for 2023 as it continues to investigate potential accounting improprieties regarding its nutrition reporting segment.
U.K. governance code revisions: Boards lead on culture, audit supports
Corporate culture, internal controls, and assurance moved up the boardroom agenda with the publication of the U.K.’s revised corporate governance code and its supporting guidance.
China-based Cloopen Group avoids fine in SEC accounting fraud case
China-based technology company Cloopen Group Holding won’t pay a fine in settling with the Securities and Exchange Commission over an alleged accounting fraud scheme perpetrated by two of its former senior managers.
City National Bank ordered to pay $65M over deficient risk, internal controls
The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency levied a $65 million civil penalty against Los Angeles-based City National Bank over alleged risk management and internal control failures.
FCPA violations in China: Lessons learned from 2023 cases
Enforcement actions regarding alleged violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act at 3M, Albemarle, Clear Channel Outdoor, and Royal Philips each had China touchpoints. Experts assess third-party risk management lessons learned from each case.
FRC ups board responsibilities in corporate governance code revisions
The Financial Reporting Council held back on the latest round of updates to the U.K.’s corporate governance code, as the country remains wary of pushing away businesses and investors.
U.K. push for more listings to lower bar on governance?
Moves by the U.K.’s financial regulatory body to encourage companies to list in London might fail to deliver or send mixed messages about the value placed on corporate governance, according to experts.
Lessons from Albemarle, ABB: How data-driven compliance can help your firm
Andrew McBride, chief risk officer of Albemarle Corp., and Tapan Debnath, head of integrity, regulatory affairs and data privacy at ABB, discussed how and why their respective organizations use data analytics to conduct business as part of a recent webcast.
Webcast: Application security and controls: Avoiding the resurgence of material weaknesses
We’ll discuss real-life examples of companies who have implemented technologies and techniques to monitor internal controls, increase control testing accuracy, boost security role precision, reduce the cost of compliance, improve ERP operational effectiveness, or recover from a material weakness.
White paper: Maturity Matters: Is It Time to Advance Your Compliance Training Program?
Maturity models abound throughout the discipline of business management. In this instance, we define “maturity” as the degree and sophistication in which compliance training is formalized, implemented, integrated with risk management, and measured.
Rio Tinto to pay $28M in SEC fraud case
Rio Tinto consented to pay a $28 million fine to resolve charges levied by the Securities and Exchange Commission alleging the mining company and its executives committed fraud by inflating the value of coal assets.
Using AI? The SEC wants to know about it
The Securities and Exchange Commission has not yet implemented rules governing use of artificial intelligence but still expects regulated entities to adhere to commonly accepted practices, including disclosure, said an agency enforcement official.
Charter Communications fined $25M over stock buyback violations
The Securities and Exchange Commission fined Charter Communications $25 million for violating internal accounting control requirements related to stock buybacks.
SEC, Canadian regs fine RBC $6M for accounting failures
Royal Bank of Canada will pay $6 million in total penalties to settle charges from the Securities and Exchange Commission and two Canadian regulators that it failed to properly record software development costs for more than a decade.
Lessons from Danske Bank CCO: Four pillars to successful remediation
Outgoing Danske Bank CCO Satnam Lehal shares with Compliance Week lessons learned from addressing deficiencies in the bank’s compliance program while managing the expectations of regulators, the board, employees, customers, analysts, investors, and the public.
CPE Webcast: Focusing on control and compliance
Amid globalization, new business models, and a constantly evolving regulatory environment, finance and accounting professionals face increasing complexities and higher transaction volumes. These issues pose challenges in delivering accurate and timely compliance and controls.
Exelon, ComEd fined $46M by SEC over bribery scandal
Exelon and its subsidiary Commonwealth Edison agreed to pay $46.2 million as part of a settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission related to their Illinois bribery and lobbying scandal that previously earned ComEd a deferred prosecution agreement.
Albemarle to pay $218M in FCPA settlements with DOJ, SEC
Chemical company Albemarle was assessed penalties totaling more than $218 million as part of settlements with the Department of Justice and Securities and Exchange Commission addressing alleged violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act across a handful of foreign countries.
Clear Channel Outdoor to pay $26M in FCPA case over China bribes
Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings agreed to pay more than $26 million as part of a settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission alleging its former China-based subsidiary bribed government officials to obtain outdoor advertising contracts.
Assessing the value of COSO sustainability reporting guidance
Companies that haven’t yet set up verifiable reporting in their sustainability programs have a ready reference available in the framework put out by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission, experts discussed at CW’s virtual ESG Summit.
GTT Communications spared fine in SEC disclosure failure case
GTT Communications, a provider of telecommunications and internet services, avoided a civil penalty in reaching a settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission addressing alleged disclosure failures over more than a two-year period.
SEC fines former Marcum partner for causing control failures
An ex-partner at Marcum agreed to pay $75,000 to settle charges by the Securities and Exchange Commission he failed to remediate numerous quality control deficiencies magnified by the audit firm’s special purpose acquisition company client boom.
SEC fines Fluor $14.5M over accounting lapses
Engineering and construction company Fluor Corp. agreed to pay $14.5 million to settle allegations by the Securities and Exchange Commission that accounting deficiencies led to restatements on nearly three years of financial statements.
Plug Power settles with SEC over accounting woes; warned of added $5M fine
Plug Power was fined $1.25 million as part of a settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission over alleged accounting failures that the company agreed to fully remediate within one year or face an additional penalty.
SEC chief accountant urges auditors, management widen scope on risk
Concerned auditors are missing the big picture when assessing a company’s internal control over financial reporting, the chief accountant at the Securities and Exchange Commission called on the profession—and company managers—to take a holistic approach to assessing risks.
Lovesac facing shareholder pressure over accounting errors
The Lovesac Company disclosed it expects to restate certain of its 2023 financial statements after an internal investigation uncovered accounting errors related to its recording of last mile freight expenses.
SEC fines Malvern Bank, ex-CFO for material misstatements
Malvern Bancorp and its former chief financial officer agreed to pay a combined $390,000 to settle allegations levied by the Securities and Exchange Commission regarding antifraud, reporting, books and records, and internal accounting control violations.
Ault Alliance fined $700K over disclosure lapses
Diversified holding company Ault Alliance agreed to pay $700,000 as part of a settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission addressing allegations of misleading disclosures and reporting violations.
Dubai financial regulator fines Mirabaud unit $3M for weak AML controls
A Middle Eastern unit of international banking group Mirabaud was ordered to pay a $3 million fine for inadequate anti-money laundering controls by the Dubai Financial Services Authority.
Common sanctions compliance trip points from 2023 enforcement cases
Penalties against companies including British American Tobacco, Wells Fargo, and Microsoft demonstrate the multiple ways in which businesses can run afoul of U.S. sanctions—an area receiving increased scrutiny by regulators.
Fed fines Deutsche Bank $186M over historic sanctions, AML lapses
The Federal Reserve Board fined Deutsche Bank $186 million regarding violations of previous consent orders addressing alleged sanctions and anti-money laundering weaknesses and control failures relating to the bank’s relationship with Danske Estonia.
ADT discloses ICFR weaknesses related to impairment calculations
Home security company ADT said it will restate several of its recent financial statements after discovering errors in its calculation of goodwill impairment losses at its solar reporting unit.
Smart window-maker View avoids penalty in liability disclosure case
View, a California-based manufacturer of smart windows, avoided civil penalties after self-reporting apparent disclosure violations to the Securities and Exchange Commission.
TPRM Summit takeaways: Tech risks, board and audit relationships
The impact of new technologies like generative artificial intelligence on the third-party risk management landscape was among the points of discussion addressed at Compliance Week’s TPRM Summit in Atlanta.