Employee benefit plan auditors can use this guidance to avoid relying on improper certifications or overrelying on certifications from trustees or custodians, which can result in inappropriately limiting the scope of the audit.
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TOPICS
Ethics
Independence is in the eye of the beholder
The independence of CPAs is the hallmark of the profession. As such, accountants put forth significant focus and effort to comply with independence requirements related to everything from investments to business and employment relationships to services delivered to clients. But being what accountants call independent in “fact” isn’t enough. CPAs
User-friendly AICPA Code of Ethics on horizon
Ethical decisions often need to be reached quickly, but the AICPA’s Code of Professional Conduct (ethics code) is not structured for quick and easy navigation. A proposed reformatted ethics code is meant to change that. AICPA members are invited to comment on the proposal until Aug. 15. The current ethics
User-friendly AICPA ethics code on horizon
Ethical decisions often need to be reached quickly, but the AICPA’s Code of Professional Conduct (ethics code) is not structured for quick and easy navigation. A proposed reformatted ethics code is meant to change that. AICPA members are invited to comment on the proposal until Aug. 15. The current ethics
Struggling European nations seen as more corrupt, report shows
In most parts of the world, perceived corruption of countries has remained the same during the past year. That’s good news in New Zealand, Denmark, and Finland, viewed in general as the most transparent. It’s more of the same for Somalia, North Korea, and Afghanistan, viewed as having the highest
Obstacles make PCAOB’s Hanson skeptical about mandatory audit firm rotation
PCAOB member Jay Hanson said Tuesday that he struggles to see how the board would ever be able to create a mandatory audit firm rotation requirement for the U.S. public company auditors it regulates. During a question and answer session at the AICPA Conference on SEC and PCAOB Developments in
Ethics / Compilation & review
Two AICPA committees extended comment deadlines to Nov. 30 on recently proposed revisions to professional standards. The proposed change to the ethics rules would require CPAs who prepare financial statements for attest clients to apply the general requirements of Interpretation No. 101-3, Nonattest Services, to maintain their independence. Proposed changes
Ethics IQ quiz
The AICPA Code of Professional Conduct (AICPA Professional Standards) is an ever-evolving document. Periodically, the JofA publishes answers from AICPA Professional Ethics Division staff to questions asked by AICPA members via the Institute’s Ethics Hotline or on topics related to revisions to the code. This set of questions and answers
Comment deadlines extended on proposed professional standard revisions
Two AICPA committees are extending comment deadlines to Nov. 30 on recently proposed revisions to professional standards. The proposed change to the ethics rules would require CPAs who prepare financial statements for attest clients to apply the general requirements of Interpretation No. 101-3, Nonattest Services, to maintain their independence. The
Proposed revisions clarify responsibilities for preparers
In accordance with recently proposed revisions to professional standards, CPAs who prepare financial statements for clients would consider that a nonattest bookkeeping service and would no longer be required to perform a compilation service with respect to those financial statements unless engaged to do so. The changes, proposed in June
Bridging the ethical divide: Survey finds firms lagging
More organizations are voicing a commitment to ethical performance, but their proclamations do not appear to be matched by action—a disconnect that is emerging as financial professionals are facing more pressure to act unethically. That ethical divide was among the key findings of Managing Responsible Business: A Global Survey on
PCAOB invites additional comments on audit firm rotation
The PCAOB is soliciting further public comment on its concept release on auditor independence and mandatory audit firm rotation in anticipation of a public meeting on the issue Thursday in San Francisco. The comment period for the concept release was reopened Monday and will be extended through July 28. The
Audit rotation debated in House subcommittee hearing
Members of Congress asked pointed questions of PCAOB Chairman James Doty on Wednesday as the hot topic of mandatory audit firm rotation was debated during a wide-ranging discussion of accounting and auditing issues in front of a House subcommittee. Rep. Scott Garrett, R-N.J., the chairman of the House Subcommittee on
PCAOB panelists say mandatory firm rotation could be harmful, helpful
Panelists voiced opposing views of mandatory audit firm rotation Wednesday during the first of two days of PCAOB hearings on the concept. Critics of mandatory rotation said it would be costly with questionable benefits, while proponents said rotation would increase auditors’ objectivity. Many panelists proposed strategies other than rotation that
PCAOB reopens comment period on audit firm rotation concept release
The PCAOB has reopened its comment period regarding a debated concept release on auditor independence and audit firm rotation. The original comment period closed Dec. 14. The new deadline is April 22, the PCAOB said Wednesday. The board extended the deadline to incorporate comments following a March 21–22 public meeting
European Commission Proposes Regulatory Changes for Audits
The European Commission today proposed sweeping regulations that would, if approved, trigger major changes in the relationships between European public companies and their auditors. The changes include: Limiting to six years the period that an outside auditing firm can perform audits for a company. A cooling-off period of four years
PCAOB Opens Discussion on Audit Firm Rotation
The PCAOB on Tuesday launched a new phase of its examination of potential limits on audit firm tenure with public companies. The board voted to issue a concept release on the topic. It plans to gather feedback by mid-December and hold a public forum on the issue in March 2012.
Improving the Code of Professional Conduct
The AICPA’s Professional Ethics Executive Committee (PEEC) is undertaking a project to recodify the Institute’s ethics standards. The Ethics Codification Project’s primary focus is to improve the AICPA Code of Professional Conduct so that members and others can apply the rules and reach correct conclusions more easily. To achieve this,
Proposed Changes to GAO’s Yellow Book Promote Harmonization of Auditing Standards
In August, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) issued proposed standards revising Generally Accepted Government Auditing Standards (GAGAS), commonly known as the “Yellow Book.” The update revises the July 2007 Yellow Book and is expected to be effective for audits beginning after Dec. 15, 2011, with the exception of the financial
Test Your Knowledge of Professional Ethics
Many AICPA members have expressed confusion about provisions covered under Interpretation 101-3, Performance of Nonattest Services, of the AICPA Code of Professional Conduct. For example, what nonattest services can a CPA perform for an attest client? What are the requirements involving management responsibilities to oversee the project? This quiz is
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