The AICPA and 22 other business and professional organizations joined the U.S. Chamber of Commerce on Monday to voice concerns over provisions of a bill in the House of Representatives that would create a new regulatory agency charged with consumer protection. The groups asked House Financial Services Committee Chairman Rep.
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AICPA Honors Top CPA Examination Performers With 2008 Elijah Watt Sells Awards
The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants has announced winners of the 2008 Elijah Watt Sells Awards. The awards are presented annually to the 10 candidates earning the highest cumulative scores on the four sections of the computerized Uniform CPA Examination. These candidates must have completed testing during the previous
New Law in New York May Affect Out-of-State CPAs
Editor’s note: This article originally appeared in the July 17 AICPA News Update. On July 26, 2009, a new law goes into effect in New York state that significantly changes the regulation and practice of public accountancy. The law includes many new or expanded provisions that affect CPAs practicing in New
Securities Class Action Filings Decline
Federal securities class action activity declined in the first half of 2009, according to a report released Monday by the Stanford Law School’s Securities Class Action Clearinghouse and Cornerstone Research. Eighty-seven federal securities class actions were filed in the first half of 2009, a 22.3% decline from the 112 filings
Accounting Leaders Discuss Simplifying Financial Reporting
Strategies for ridding the financial reporting system of some of its complexities took center stage at a forum of accounting leaders held in New York on Friday. The Global Accounting Alliance (GAA) and the AICPA held the third of three roundtable discussions about the topic at the AICPA’s office. The
FinCEN Proposes Applying SAR Regs to Nonbank Lenders
The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) issued an advanced notice of proposed rulemaking for public comment regarding the possible application of anti-money laundering (AML) program and suspicious activity report (SAR) regulations to nonbank residential mortgage lenders and originators. FinCEN is considering expanding the regulations to nonbanks to thwart potential criminals.
SEC Proposes New Disclosure Rules for Municipal Securities
The SEC on Wednesday proposed amendments to SEC Rule 15c2-12 that prohibits brokers, dealers, and municipal securities dealers from purchasing or selling municipal securities unless they reasonably believe that the state or local government issuing the securities has agreed to disclose such things as annual financial statements and notices of
FinCEN Reports Rapid Increases in Suspected Fraud
Suspicious activity reports (SARs) climbed at double-digit rates in the seven categories relating specifically to fraud in 2008, according to The SAR Activity Review—By the Numbers, Issue 12. The semiannual report by the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) includes SAR filings through Dec. 31, 2008. Check fraud (17% year-to-year increase),
IRS Issues Proposed Regs on Claiming Reduced Research Credit
The IRS released proposed regulations on Wednesday that would simplify the procedures taxpayers must follow to claim the reduced research credit under IRC § 280C(c)(3). Taxpayers who claim a credit under section 41 for increasing research expenses must reduce their research expense deduction under section 174 by the amount of
OCC Names New Chief Accountant
Kathy K. Murphy was named chief accountant for the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) on Monday. As chief accountant, she will be the OCC’s authoritative source for bank accounting and financial reporting, providing accounting counsel to examiners, the banking industry, and the accounting profession. Murphy joined the
IASB Proposes Changes to Financial Instruments Accounting
The International Accounting Standards Board on Tuesday published proposals that respond to the recommendations and timetable set out by the Group of 20 leaders following summits last fall in Washington and this spring in London. On Wednesday the IASB will discuss and take questions on the exposure draft via two
International Board Releases Revised Ethics Code
The International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants (IESBA) on Friday issued a revised version of its Code of Ethics for Professional Accountants that strengthens auditor independence requirements. The IESBA is an independent standard-setting board of the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC). The revised code, which is effective Jan. 1, 2011:
FASAB Revises Proposed Standard for Oil and Gas Resources
The Federal Accounting Standards Advisory Board (FASAB) is seeking comment on a Revised Exposure Draft, Accounting for Federal Oil and Gas Resources. The proposed standard would result in recognition of the estimated value of royalties from federal oil and gas leases and changes over time in those values as well
IRS Issues Guidelines for Low-Speed Electric Car Manufacturers
On July 10, the IRS issued Notice 2009-58, which provides procedures for car manufacturers to certify that their vehicles qualify for the new plug-in electric vehicle credit under IRC § 30. Taxpayers who buy a qualified electric vehicle between Feb. 17, 2009, and Jan. 1, 2012, can take a credit
FASB Issues Exposure Draft on Credit Quality Disclosures
FASB issued an exposure draft of a proposed Statement of Financial Accounting Standards, Disclosures about the Credit Quality of Financing Receivables and the Allowance for Credit Losses. Respondents were asked to comment on whether they believe the proposed statement would achieve its goal of providing more information regarding the nature
New Option for Private Companies in Streamlined IFRS
U.S. private companies have a new choice for accounting and financial reporting—a slimmed-down version of IFRS tailored more to their needs. IFRS for SMEs (small- and medium-size entities) is a simplification of full IFRS. The International Accounting Standards Board (IASB), which released the standard Thursday after five years of work
ASB Seeks Comments on Exposure Drafts
The AICPA Auditing Standards Board issued two exposure drafts resulting from its clarity project: Proposed Statement on Auditing Standards (SAS), Quality Control for an Audit of Financial Statements. The proposed SAS specifies quality control procedures at the engagement level that assist the auditor in achieving the objectives of the quality
FASB Introduces Disclosure Project
FASB introduced a project Wednesday that is intended to make financial statement disclosures more useful, organized and consistent, and less redundant. The project will focus on developing a framework for improved GAAP disclosures, according to FASB Chairman Robert Herz. The vision for the framework is for it to allow companies
CPA Firms Name Their Top Issues
For the first time in several years, staffing is not the most pressing concern for many CPA firms, according to information released in the PCPS CPA Firm Top Issues Survey. Instead, client retention dominates the list, suggesting that “the weakened economy has shifted CPAs’ concerns from staffing to client retention,”
GASB Pursues Transparency in Proposals on Service Concession Arrangements, Financial Instruments
GASB issued two exposure drafts of proposed statements, Accounting and Financial Reporting for Service Concession Arrangements and Financial Instruments Omnibus, which are intended to increase transparency. The exposure draft on service concession arrangements (SCAs) would set accounting and financial reporting requirements for partnership arrangements between governments and private entities and
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4 ways solo practitioners can stand out
Five years ago, a grieving Angel Zhen started his own CPA firm with no clients and no revenue. Today, he has 300 clients, $600,000 in revenue and 12 weeks of annual vacation. In this JofA article, he shares how he set up his firm and how you could do the same.
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