Audit & Accounting

The economic crisis is choking off cash flow at many companies, but invoicing problems are hurting cash flow too, according to a new study.

American International Group, which is receiving between $152 billion and $163 billion so far in taxpayer bailout funds, has sued the federal government to recover over $306 million for 1997 taxes, penalties and interest that the insurance company claims it was illegally charged.

Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Mary Schapiro has been under pressure not to appoint a leading critic of International Financial Reporting Standards as a permanent chief accountant, according to a former official who filled that post.

About 86 percent of CFOs report a desire to maintain their current staff levels in the next three months, but 2 percent predict decreases in accounting and finance personnel in the second quarter, according to a survey by staffing services company Robert Half International.

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner explained the Obama administration’s budget and tax plans, and his handling of the financial industry bailout, to wary lawmakers in a congressional hearing.

Are you able to get what you need from reviewing financial statements? Do you think there are ways to enhance the usefulness of the presentation of the information?

The International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board has completed a project aimed at updating and clearing up ambiguities in auditing standards.

The American Institute of CPAs has appointed four new members of the Auditing Standards Board.

Freddie Mac CEO David Moffett has submitted his resignation after running the troubled housing lender since only last September.

The town of Fairfield, Conn., has filed a lawsuit against KPMG and an investment advisor after its employee retirement programs lost an estimated $40 million in two hedge funds that invested all their assets with Bernard Madoff.