Former CFA Institute President and CEO Jeffrey Diermeier has been elected chairman of the board of trustees of the Financial Accounting Foundation (FAF), succeeding John Brennan. Brennan, who is chairman emeritus of the investment management company The Vanguard Group, had led FAF’s board since February 2009. While stepping down from
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New tool aids in evaluation of external auditors
With interactions between audit committees and external auditors a focus of a steady stream of news recently, a new tool has been developed to assist audit committees in annual evaluations of external auditors. The Center for Audit Quality (CAQ), which is affiliated with the AICPA, is one of seven organizations
TIGTA: IRS pays millions in unnecessary interest on NOL carrybacks
The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) issued a report Monday in which it found that IRS delays in processing net operating loss (NOL) carrybacks result in the IRS’s paying millions of dollars in interest unnecessarily (TIGTA Rep’t No. 2012-40-111). According to TIGTA, the IRS pays these millions in
New Yorkers should act now to file protective refund claims for MTA tax
Time is running out for taxpayers who paid New York’s metropolitan commuter transportation mobility tax (MCTMT or MTA tax) when it was first imposed in 2009 to file protective refund claims in the wake of the tax’s being declared unconstitutional. On Aug. 22, 2012, the New York Supreme Court held
FASB moves forward with new model for financial instrument impairment
FASB’s new model for impairment of financial instruments is clearing hurdles as the board pursues a different path than its international counterpart on expected credit loss. The revised credit impairment model FASB is developing will be re-exposed separately from tentative proposals on the classification and measurement of financial instruments, according
Dozens indicted on stolen identity tax refund fraud charges
On Wednesday, federal officials in Miami announced indictments of 40 people in 20 cases for stolen identity tax refund fraud. This type of fraud generally involves situations in which personal identification information is stolen from an innocent person and used to submit a fraudulent refund claim. The indictments included one
CAQ releases practice aid on audit communication
How should audit firms and audit committees be talking to each other? The Center for Audit Quality (CAQ) examines the question in a brief guide released Wednesday on ways to enhance the flow of information on audit inspections and quality-control matters. The CAQ practice aid says that “transparent, candid communication
Whistleblower’s claim is not entitled to Tax Court review
In a case of first impression, the Tax Court held that it could not order the IRS to reopen an individual’s whistleblower claim under Sec. 7623(b), and the court dismissed his petition (Cohen, 139 T.C. No. 12 (2012)). Sec. 7623(b) authorizes an award to a whistleblower if the IRS proceeds
Cohn-Reznick deal closes as market pressures portend more mergers
J.H. Cohn LLP and the Reznick Group have closed on their previously disclosed merger, a transaction that creates the 11th-largest U.S. accounting firm and represents the second marriage of top 20 firms consummated this year. The Cohn-Reznick combination, first announced in May, creates a firm with 2,000 employees, 25 offices,
Investors aware of issues before goodwill impairment announcements, study shows
By the time a company announces that goodwill is impaired, investors have been aware for months that the company is facing problems, a new study indicates. One objective of the fourth annual Financial Executives International (FEI) Goodwill Impairment Study was to compare the stock price performance of companies that recorded goodwill
ASB recommends scoping nonissuers out of “auditor commentary” requirements
An AICPA committee is weighing in on a recent International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board (IAASB) proposal that would require expanded commentary in auditors’ reports. Nonissuers, such as private companies and nonprofits, should be scoped out of requirements for “auditor commentary” when the IAASB’s proposed standard is developed, according to a
Former comptroller general urges fiscally responsible reforms
The giant red digits on the “U.S. Burden Barometer” outside the auditorium where David Walker spoke Friday provided the numbers behind this prominent CPA’s message: The United States urgently needs significant government financial reform. Counting upward at a feverish pace, the barometer represented an estimate of what Walker, a former
Succession planning on the rise, but about half of CPA firms haven’t implemented a plan
With Baby Boomers nearing retirement, the number of succession plans in place for CPA firms is on the rise. But fewer than half of multiowner practices have succession plans ready, mentoring is largely informal, and the development of future partners is in decline, new research shows. Forty-four percent of multiowner
IRS issues interim ITIN procedures for 2011 tax returns on extension
The IRS has posted special instructions for certifying acceptance agents (CAAs) to use in certifying identification documents for 2011 tax year filers who are filing on extension—returns that are due by Oct. 15, 2012. The identification number issued under these special instructions will be valid until Oct. 15, 2013. A
FASB, IASB keep time value of money in revenue recognition standard
Adjustments for the time value of money, which have generated some opposition from stakeholders, are likely to remain a part of the converged revenue recognition standard that is being jointly developed by FASB and the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB). The boards last week tentatively affirmed a proposal in the
GASB Chairman Attmore retiring in June
Robert Attmore, who has been chairman of GASB since July 2004, will retire from the post in June. Attmore, a former auditor and deputy comptroller for the state of New York, also has served as president of the National State Auditors Association. His retirement was announced Tuesday by the Financial
Google Play making serious run at Apple’s App Store
The battle for control of the mobile device market is heating up in an area long dominated by Apple—mobile application downloads. Google, developer of the Android operating system for smartphones and tablets, announced in a blog post Sept. 26 that users have downloaded mobile apps from the Google Play store
CPA mobility law takes effect in Washington
A new District of Columbia law makes it easier for CPAs from other jurisdictions to practice in the nation’s capital. The Accountant Mobility Act of 2011, which took effect on Monday, grants CPAs with valid licenses in U.S. states the ability to practice in the city without obtaining a reciprocal
IASB to issue “targeted re-exposure” of insurance proposals
The International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) decided this week to re-expose its proposals for insurance contracts accounting. Although the project, which has been undertaken jointly with FASB, has been in progress since 2007, the IASB decided that re-exposure for public comment is appropriate because substantial changes—whose effects need to be
Survey takes pulse of board members, shows opposition to audit firm rotation
Corporate board members charged with oversight of U.S. public companies are opposed to mandatory rotation of external auditors by more than 2 to 1, a new survey shows. Mandatory audit firm rotation is a continuing subject of debate in Europe and the United States, where regulators are exploring such a
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