Audit & Accounting

It didn't take long for critics to start throwing eggs at Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson's plan for overhauling the structure of the government's financial regulatory agencies.

Accounting firm Clifton Gunderson said it has achieved the highest marks possible in its first inspection by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board.

BDO Consulting said it is forming a corporate advisory practice to provide strategic and financial consulting services to companies in distress.

CCH has introduced an online resource, FAS 157 Manager, designed to help accountants deal with the complexities of Financial Accounting Standard Statement No. 157 on fair value measurements.

Tax Partner Named Woman of the Year

On January 24, 2002, I gave a presentation, at the Large- and Medium-Sized Firms Practice Management Committee of the New York State Society of CPAs, entitled "Like the Energizer Bunny, the Enron Mess Keeps Going and Going." It seems I was right as Citigroup just settled a lawsuit in which it agreed to pay $1.66 billion to the Enron Bankruptcy Estate, which had filed bankruptcy and fraud claims against Citigroup in the United States Bankruptcy Court in New York.

Baruch College's Zicklin School of Business plans to introduce an executive master's degree program with a specialization in financial statement analysis and securities assessment, aimed at working professionals.

The Center for Audit Quality marked its first anniversary with a report on its progress in improving public confidence in the audit process.The CAQ, which is affiliated with the American Institute of CPAs, originated in January 2007. Last year, it began a Public Dialogue Tour to gather ideas from investors about how to accomplish its goal. The CAQ plans two more stops on the tour this year, in Boston and its home base of Washington, D.C.

A large number of organizations are expanding their businesses internationally, either growing organically or via mergers and acquisitions. With growth comes change and additional reporting processes, often followed by confusion and delays in the reporting of financial statements.One area that frequently seems to be an issue is the inter-company accounting process.

RESTATEMENTS DECLINED IN 2007Sutton, Mass. — The number of financial restatements fell last year for the first time since 2001, according to a new report.