Audit

Investors and regulators will benefit from a new Public Company Accounting Oversight Board regulation requiring firms to disclose the lead engagement partner on an audit, according to a new academic study.

The Public Company Accounting Oversight Board is disciplining Deloitte Accountants NV, imposing a civil monetary penalty of $300,000 on the Netherlands member of the Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited network.

Document can help audit committees evaluate how far along their companies have come.

The Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission, also known as COSO, has introduced a self-study, on-demand learning program for attaining the COSO Internal Control Certificate.

The Securities and Exchange Commission said Thursday that its enforcement director, Andrew J. Ceresney, plans to leave the SEC by the end of the year.

The Governmental Accounting Standards Board has published guidance for state and local governments on the subject of liabilities known as “asset retirement obligations.”

After months of sluggishness, a recent uptick in M&A activity could mean zero-based budgeting is having its own moment in the spotlight. A form of budgeting that scrutinizes costs across every part of the business, ZBB often comes into its own in the wake of an M&A deal.

Accountants are no different than anyone else at the company during holiday time. We get swept up in heartwarming nostalgia when we hear holiday music, smell and taste delicious baked goods, and are invited to extend our lunch hours or leave the office early to get our shopping done before the crowds.

For professionals in the accounting and finance professions, any changes to accounting standards usually lead to some apprehension as these rules require companies to make key adjustments, expand disclosure practices and implement new procedures for recording various financial metrics.

Leaders of the Financial Accounting Standards Board and the International Accounting Standards Board pledged Tuesday to continue their work together, even after completing their major convergence projects for harmonizing standards.