Audit

The American Institute of CPAs’ Accounting and Review Services Committee has issued three proposed Statements on Standards for Accounting and Review Services, or SSARS, related to prospective and pro forma financial information.

The U.K. accounting regulator should re-examine its decision not to investigate the auditing of now-defunct HBOS Plc by KPMG if it wants to restore public confidence in the audit process, according to U.K. lawmaker and Treasury Committee Chair Andrew Tyrie.

Bloomberg BNA has released two new reports on the Financial Accounting Standards Board’s and the International Accounting Standards Board’s revenue recognition standard.

The Governmental Accounting Standards Board has issued new guidance on its pension accounting standards to help state and local governments that participate in some private or federally sponsored multiple-employer defined benefit pension plans, such as Taft-Hartley plans and plans with similar characteristics.

The Public Company Accounting Oversight Board has scheduled a meeting for next Tuesday to vote on new rules that would require auditing firms to disclose the name of the engagement partner and other accounting firms that participated in an audit.

Half the companies in a recent survey are still using some type of manual system to process their expense reports, according to a new survey.

The Securities and Exchange Commission suspended five accountants and two audit firms Thursday from practicing or appearing before the SEC after they violated rules designed to preserve the integrity of the financial reporting system.

Financial reporting is increasingly complex, and many companies find it challenging to comply with the disclosure requirements of the standards while providing readers with information that is meaningful and understandable.

The Public Company Accounting and Oversight Board is continuing to encounter resistance from Chinese authorities in its efforts to gain access to inspecting audit firms in China.

Securities and Exchange Commission chair Mary Jo White said the SEC is considering a recommendation from SEC chief accountant James Schnurr that would allow for the supplemental use of International Financial Reporting Standards by U.S. companies in addition to their U.S. GAAP financials.

The International Public Sector Accounting Standards Board has established a consultative group that will offer advice to the board on setting financial reporting standards for government entities.

The Financial Accounting Foundation, the parent organization of the Financial Accounting Standards Board, the Governmental Accounting Standards Board and the Private Company Council, has elected Charles H. Noski as its new chairman, succeeding Jeffrey J. Diermeier, whose term ends on December 31.

The Private Company Council is calling for the removal of the effective dates of four accounting standards updates.

Japan’s Securities and Exchange Surveillance Commission recommended fining Toshiba Corp. about 7.37 billion yen ($60 million) for falsifying earnings, the largest financial penalty ever sought by the watchdog.

Litigation against accounting firms appears to have subsided for now, according to one legal expert, but is showing signs of reviving as the Securities and Exchange Commission turns its attention back to accounting and audit enforcement cases.

A new international survey ranks Zurich, Switzerland as the highest-paying city for accountants, with another Swiss city, Geneva, in second place.

North American employees and managers are missing out on more than $10.7 billion of unclaimed expenses every year, according to new estimates.

The Financial Accounting Standards Board has issued a proposed accounting standards update to improve the effectiveness of the disclosure requirements for fair value measurements.

PricewaterhouseCoopers has released a report on the firm’s efforts to improve audit quality.

Grant Thornton has agreed to pay $4.5 million to settle charges that the firm and two of its partners disregarded red flags and fraud risks during audits of two publicly traded companies that ultimately faced SEC enforcement actions for improper accounting and other violations.