Grant Thornton has introduced a service designed to speed companies through the bankruptcy and workout process.

International Accounting Standards Board chairman Sir David Tweedie said that other countries are running out of patience waiting for the Securities and Exchange Commission to decide on whether to approve a roadmap for transitioning to International Financial Reporting Standards and that the U.S. would need to commit by 2011.

Eli Mason, whose career in public accounting spanned more than seven decades as a practitioner, and a proponent of the profession, has died after a long illness.

General Electric has agreed to pay $50 million to settle Securities and Exchange Commission charges that the company reported false and misleading results in its financial statements.

IMGCAP(1)]In Fall 2008, I read about AICPA Board Chair Ernie Almonte’s vision for the Leadership Academy with great interest. Fast forward eight months, where I had the opportunity to travel to Chicago and attend the Academy. After three inspiring days of networking and roundtable discussions, it was no surprise to hear Almonte express to the participants of the inaugural Academy that it was the culmination of “a dream come true.”

Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, reassured attendees at the American Accounting Association’s Annual Meeting that he had no intention of legislating accounting standards.

BDO Seidman said the firm’s national director of accounting, Ben Neuhausen, has passed away after a prolonged illness.

More than two out of five business executives said in a recent poll that an accounting standard on business combinations is causing them to reassess their strategy for M&A deals.

The Public Company Accounting Oversight Board has created an Investor Advisory Group to solicit input from investors on how to carry out the board’s responsibilities in overseeing public auditing firms.

Switching to International Financial Reporting Standards could prove to be a costly move for many companies’ IT departments, according to a new report by Ernst & Young.

The push for a “lowest common denominator” set of international accounting standards, along with the failure of Sarbanes-Oxley reforms to curb last year’s financial meltdown, are among the factors contributing to the ongoing global recession, experts in corporate governance told Congress.

IMGCAP(1)]It is widely believed that the U.S. financial system needs asystemic risk regulator to help prevent future financial crises. Thedebate is centered not on whether we should have such a regulator, butwhich agency should be anointed and what powers it should have.

BDO Seidman said its revenue for the fiscal year ended June 30 fell 5.9 percent to $620 million from last year’s revenue of $659 million.

The U.S. Small Business Administration needs to take additional steps to reform its disaster loan program and improve the application process, recommends a new report.

House Committee on Small Business chairwoman Nydia Velázquez, D-N.Y., has written to the chairmen of two other House committees asking for changes in health care reform legislation to reduce the burden on small businesses.

The Financial Crisis Advisory Group has published a report concluding that accounting standards are not to blame for the economic crisis.

IMGCAP(1)] As a new or young accountant there are a number of responsibilities and challenges on your plate.

New York State CPAs are facing a Sunday deadline to register with the State Education Department under a recently passed law.

Slightly more than half of small and midsized businesses prefer to have a separate set of accounting standards for private companies, according to a new survey by Deloitte.

The Public Company Accounting Oversight Board has scheduled an open meeting next week to discuss making changes in engagement quality auditing and sign-off requirements.