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Letters to SEC Show Support of Global Standards, According to Official

Comment letters to the SEC revealed support for the idea of global standards but that further progress on convergence is desired before IFRS is incorporated in the United States, according to a key SEC official. In written remarks, SEC Deputy Chief Accountant Paul Beswick said the goal of a single

FASB, IASB Chiefs Agree New Convergence Model Is Needed

The heads of the U.S. and international accounting boards that have been working to resolve standards differences agree that their current convergence process should be replaced by one that is more manageable and effective. FASB Chair Leslie Seidman said Tuesday at the AICPA National Conference on Current SEC and PCAOB

SEC Won’t Decide on IFRS for At Least a Few More Months

The SEC’s decision on whether to incorporate IFRS for U.S. issuers is at least a few months away. SEC Chief Accountant James Kroeker said the SEC staff will need at least a few more months to produce a final report that would position the commission to make a determination on

AICPA to IASB: Completion of Conceptual Framework Is Key

The AICPA’s senior technical committee for financial reporting advised the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) to continue focusing on completion of a conceptual framework, including a presentation and disclosure framework. The IASB requested the feedback when it issued its Agenda Consultation 2011 in July. Richard Paul, chair of the AICPA’s

News Highlights for December 2011

FASB issued Accounting Standards Update no. 2011-09, Compensation—Retirement Benefits—Multiemployer Plans (Subtopic 715-80): Disclosures about an Employer’s Participation in a Multiemployer Plan, which requires employers to provide more information about their financial obligations to multiemployer pension plans. Employers commonly use multiemployer pension plans to provide benefits to union employees who may

Business Wire Partners With EDGAR Online for XBRL Filings

Business Wire signed a deal to use EDGAR Online’s technology to create and produce extensible business reporting language (XBRL) filings to help its customers satisfy SEC reporting requirements, according to an EDGAR Online news release. A provider of news release distribution and regulatory disclosure services, Business Wire handles XBRL tagging,

SEC Staff Reports Assess IFRS

The SEC staff on Wednesday released reports analyzing the current reporting practices of companies using IFRS and comparing U.S. GAAP and IFRS requirements in specific areas. The first report, An Analysis of IFRS in Practice, is a 65-page joint effort by the SEC’s Division of Corporation Finance and Office of

FAF Weighs in on IFRS, Condorsement

The Financial Accounting Foundation (FAF), the parent organization of the U.S. standard setter FASB, has outlined its preferred path for incorporating IFRS into U.S. GAAP. In a letter to the SEC, FAF Chairman John Brennan described a number of recommended changes to the approach dubbed “condorsement.” The SEC floated the

Revised Revenue Recognition Proposal Unveiled

FASB on Monday released a revised exposure draft on the financial reporting requirements for recognizing revenue from contracts with customers. The proposed standard, which was released for public comment jointly with the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB), makes a number of changes to a joint ED issued in June 2010

FASB Agenda Projects to Focus on Issues Unique to Nonprofits

FASB said Wednesday it added two agenda projects—a standard-setting project and a research project—intended to improve financial reporting of nonprofit organizations. The objectives of these projects encompass suggestions from FASB’s Not-for-Profit Advisory Committee (NAC) at that panel’s September 2011 meeting. The NAC recommended action in these areas after its September

Goodwill Impairment Guide Released for Feedback

The AICPA’s Financial Reporting Executive Committee (FinREC) has issued a working draft of the AICPA Accounting and Valuation Guide Testing Goodwill for Impairment. The guide, developed by the AICPA Impairment Task Force, provides nonauthoritative guidance and illustrations for valuation specialists, preparers of financial statements, and independent auditors regarding goodwill impairment

FASB Mulls Changes to Financial Reporting for Consolidations

FASB issued a Proposed Accounting Standards Update (ASU) it said is intended to increase transparency and consistency of financial reporting about consolidations. The proposed amendments would affect all companies required to evaluate whether they should consolidate another entity, according to a FASB press release. But the changes are expected to most

FAF Rejects Independent Standard Setter for Private Companies

The AICPA has expressed profound disappointment with a Financial Accounting Foundation (FAF) proposal on private company accounting standard setting and is urging CPAs and others to weigh in on the debate. The FAF proposal released in October (available at tinyurl.com/3stvppq) would create a Private Company Standards Improvement Council (PCSIC) to

Business Basics in Brazil

Brazil is a nation rapidly on the rise. In 2010, the country’s economy grew 7.5%, making it the seventh-largest in the world, according to the World Bank. In 2011, Brazil’s GDP is expected to grow 4.5%, slower than last year but still a healthy pace. And growth over the next

Moving the Needle

Greg Anton, CPATitle: Founding partner, Anton Collins Mitchell LLPCity: DenverEducation: Bachelor’s degree in accounting, University of Northern ColoradoDate of birth: Nov. 6, 1963Family: Wife, Julie; sons Cameron and JakeHobbies: Mountain biking, skiing, fly fishingDevice he can’t live without: iPadCaff or decaf: NeitherGood read: 212: The Extra Degree, by Sam ParkerEmail:

Financial Reporting

  The AICPA recommended to the SEC that U.S. public companies be allowed the option of adopting use of IFRS as the commission weighs a possible future framework for incorporating IFRS into the U.S. financial reporting system. The SEC requested the comments when it issued its staff paper, Work Plan

FASB Proposes Fair Value for Investment Properties

FASB on Friday issued two Proposed Accounting Standards Updates (ASUs), one that the board said would improve and converge financial reporting by setting forth consistent criteria for determining whether an entity is an investment company and a second that would require an entity that meets certain criteria to measure its

Survey Finds Most CPAs Support IFRS Option

A majority of CPAs support optional adoption of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) for public companies, according to a recent AICPA survey. Optional adoption would let publicly traded U.S. companies use IFRS, while the SEC decides whether to incorporate the standards into U.S. reporting requirements. The choice also would apply

AICPA Turns Up Volume on Call for Independent Board

The AICPA governing Council approved a resolution on Tuesday to voice its significant concerns about a Financial Accounting Foundation (FAF) proposal released Oct. 4 that rejected a blue-ribbon panel’s recommendation for a separate board to set private company GAAP. The Blue-Ribbon Panel on Standard Setting for Private Companies was a

AICPA, CIMA Gearing Up for Jan. 31 CGMA Launch

The AICPA and the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) have set Jan. 31 as the launch date for their new joint credential, the Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA).  “What we’re creating is a very significant global community,” Charles Tilley, CIMA’s chief executive, told members of AICPA’s governing council Monday.

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