Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., has written letters to the Big Four accounting firms asking what they are doing to let their financial institution clients know about waivers on mortgage accounting standards that could let borrowers refinance their loans.

The American Institute of CPAs is asking the Internal Revenue Service to reconsider some of its proposed monetary penalties for misbehaving practitioners and firms.

If you didn’t see the WebCPA news item last week or the write-up in the 08/17/07 AICPA News Update e-mail newsletter, I’m telling you about the subject of those two pieces now. It is the AICPA’s Professional Ethics Executive Committee’s exposure draft that proposes a new Interpretation 101-17, Networks and Network Firms, under Rule 101, Independence, of the AICPA Code of Professional Conduct. I suggest you read the exposure draft.

The Institute of Internal Auditors Research Foundation has introduced an internal auditing textbook that promises to unite theory with practical knowledge to give students a more realistic look at the profession.

A U.S. bankruptcy judge has approved a $167.5 million settlement that Deloitte & Touche has agreed to pay to a trust set up by litigants for defunct cable television company Adelphia Communications.

It will probably come as no great surprise that there are plenty of retired people living in Florida and that many professional services firms cater to the elderly. Clearly, a trusted CPA firm is certainly a good place to turn to for a financial professional to handle eldercare needs. Add to this the fact that the U.S. Census Bureau says that within three years, approximately 40 million people in this country will be 65 years or older. What’s rather alarming is that 30 percent of all known cases of fraud are committed against the elderly; that’s considered twice the normal rate. So, what can be done? Who to trust? No one, of course, has the patent on catering to the elderly, and there are plenty of top notch CPA/Financial Planning firms doing it. However, one came to mind recently when this firm purposely took the concept to the next level and developed what it called FamilyFirst Elder Planning Services. The idea was to provide seniors and their families with a safety net. The range was a wide one from providing financial expertise and professional assistance, to safety and well being, to even hurricane preparation. Friedman, Cohen, Taubman & Company in Plantation, Florida, has a special division assists its elderly clients in continuing to live an independent lifestyle by catering to their individual needs and keeping their families informed. The firm says that FamilyFirst can benefit everyone who has time constraints but who want to help a loved one in need to maximize and maintain their independence. In short, they look to relieve the pressures of managing one’s own financial affairs, or help that loved one make the most of their resources and financial choices. “We understand the pressures that families encounter when having to make financial choices for an aging loved one,” says Tracey Kinker-Gebert, CPA Manager of the firm’s Elder Planning Services. “We have devised this program that not only helps relieve the burdens of managing financial affairs, but keeps a close eye on the client’s routine activities and overall well-being. This is extremely comforting for relatives who may not live close to their elderly family members.” Kinker-Gebert, who was recently elected as the Chair for 2007-2008 Elder Care Committee for the Florida Institute of Certified Public Accountants, developed the FamilyFirst program. “As our client base aged, our experience and love for working with the aged along with the opportunities for elder financial exploitation, the need for such services became apparent.” The firm’s FamilyFirst Elder Planning Services assists its elderly clients in making the best financial decisions in their retirement years. From guardianship reporting to routine financial, accounting and tax transactions, the program acts as a safety net for seniors and their families. This program allows clients to integrate FamilyFirst’s custom services into every aspect of their life, meeting their initial needs and modifying the plan as their needs change. The firm says that FamilyFirst provides periodic reports to family members regarding their loved one’s financial activities, offers to coordinate home inspections and home maintenance and also creates in-depth weather protection plans. Its advisors also help coordinate with geriatric care managers, home healthcare providers, investment advisors, attorneys and other professionals to ensure the clients are receiving the proper protection and care.

The Office of the Chief Accountant at the Securities and Exchange Commission has chosen three professional accounting fellows who will be working with the office for two-year terms starting this fall.

Charles “Chuck” Allen has worked for the accounting firm Crowe Chizek for his entire career. Fresh out of college as a campus recruit, he joined the firm in 1975. In April of this year, the 53-year-old became CEO of Crowe Group, the Oak Brook, Ill.-based firm’s parent company, succeeding two-term CEO Mark Hildebrand. Before becoming CEO, Allen served as managing executive of Crowe’s commercial services group. During his career, he has concentrated on assisting private investors with acquiring and financing companies and establishing a private equity group client base. He talked with WebCPA about his plans for broadening the Midwestern firm’s national footprint, the recent challenges facing the accounting and private equity industries, and his firm’s efforts at recruitment and retention.

British firm Bentley Jennison has joined the RSM International network of audit, tax and consulting firms, expanding RSM’s reach abroad.

The Securities and Exchange Commission has begun asking for comments on a document that outlines a variety of proposed changes in the way companies do their financial reporting.

The American Institute of CPAs’ professional ethics division has issued a proposal that would outline the independence requirements of CPA firm networks and associations.

The International Federation of Accountants has released a paper describing the experiences of 10 senior-level accountants with establishing effective internal control systems inside businesses.

The American Institute of CPAs presented awards to 10 budding CPAs who achieved the highest cumulative scores last year on the four sections of the Uniform CPA Examination.

If forensic accounting is sexy, litigation support is hot - and CPAs who offer these specialty services are finding their firms' business boiling over into new areas.Being retained by legal counsel to give an expert opinion is at the core of litigation support, a subset of forensic accounting. The two fast-growing niches are very much related, but experts say that forensic accounting is more of an umbrella term that encompasses litigation support.

According to those more experienced in such matters, I'm told the proper gift for a fifth anniversary is wood. To mark my five years of wedded bliss, I asked for a new wood driver. My wife, astutely predicting that such a gift would provide an entrée to spending weekends on the golf course in lieu of sharing domestic duties, instead bought me a hand-carved in/out box.The financial community recently marked a five-year anniversary, although not everyone was rushing out to locate the gift register. It's been five years since the Sarbanes-Oxley Act was signed into law, and exactly what type of wood gift one would purchase to celebrate that milestone depends largely, I would assume, on the giver.

NEOPHARM RETAINS BDO SEIDMANPharmaceutical concern NeoPharm Inc., a marketer of cancer treatment drugs, has engaged BDO Seidman as its new independent accountant, succeeding Big Four firm KPMG.

Two years ago, we criticized the Financial Accounting Standards Board for publishing an exposure draft that proposed doing away with the Rule 203 exceptions that permit, and even encourage, departures from generally accepted accounting principles when compliance would produce misleading financial statements. Underlying this proposed action was a presumption that compliance with published GAAP always leads to relevant and reliable information. Back then we prepared a series of columns describing the intolerable flaws in this premise.The first two focused on how essential it is to allow Rule 203 exceptions to foster innovations when the old ways can no longer be considered adequate.

The government is frustrated over seniors' difficulties with the expanded Medicare menu. Evidently, having so many choices has led to confusion, rather than informed decisions.Maybe they should seek advice from corporate executives, who face a similar dilemma deciphering their compensation alternatives. While highly paid employees may appear to suffer from nothing worse than an abundance of riches, many are wasting money through inaction or ill-advised choices. The effects of these decisions on their retirement plans can be significant. It's an opportunity for wealth advisors to serve a unique market niche.

SEC ADOPTS FRAUD MEASUREThe Securities and Exchange Commission voted to adopt a sweeping anti-fraud rule that targets money managers who deliberately mislead investors.

Computer maker Dell said its audit committee has finished its investigation into the company's accounting and financial reporting issues and has identified significant errors and irregularities.