The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced in recent weeks multiple efforts to highlight climate change in corporate disclosures and to increase scrutiny and, potentially, enforcement focus on company disclosure...more
3/16/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Climate Change ,
Corporate Governance ,
Corporate Social Responsibility ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Form 10-K ,
Form 10-Q ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Regulation S-K ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
Yesterday, the SEC announced the formation of a Climate and ESG Task Force in the Division of Enforcement. This announcement follows Acting Chair Allison Herren Lee’s earlier statement directing the Division of Corporation...more
With 2021 now upon us, companies, auditors and audit committees are gearing up for another annual reporting season, coming off of one of the more turbulent years in recent history, which included a significant number of...more
1/12/2021
/ AICPA ,
Audit Committee ,
Auditor Independence ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Corporate Governance ,
Cybersecurity ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Internal Controls ,
PCAOB ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Reporting Requirements ,
S&P ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
The business world has changed a lot in the last three decades, and, as a result of recent amendments to Item 101 of Regulation S-K, the description of a company’s business included in registration statements and periodic...more
The Securities and Exchange Commission has adopted amendments to the disclosure requirements for business acquisitions and dispositions by a 3-to-1 vote (Commissioner Allison Herren Lee dissenting). The amendments modernize...more
As the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to impact the economy, regulators are keeping high-quality financial reporting squarely within their focus. In a public statement last week, Securities and Exchange Commission...more
Earlier this week, the Securities and Exchange Commission issued an Order granting conditional relief from certain obligations under the federal securities laws for companies facing challenges as a result of the current...more
Yesterday, the Securities and Exchange Commission issued an Order granting conditional regulatory relief from certain filing obligations under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 for companies facing challenges in meeting...more
3/5/2020
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Filing Deadlines ,
Form 10-K ,
Form 10-Q ,
Form 20-F ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Relief Measures ,
Risk Management ,
Rule 144 ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Exchange Act
On Friday, the Securities and Exchange Commission’s Division of Corporation Finance announced big changes in the internal structure of its disclosure program. While not a regular occurrence, such reorganizations happen...more
Earlier this month, the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board released additional resources regarding its new Critical Audit Matters (CAMs) disclosure requirement, with the latest resources targeted to audit committees...more
Last week, the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board issued additional staff guidance on implementation of the upcoming Critical Audit Matters (CAMs) disclosure requirement, offering a “Deeper Dive on the Communication of...more
On March 14, 2019, the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board issued its 2019 Staff Inspections Outlook for Audit Committees (the “Committee Outlook”), which offers a concise outline of what audit committees should expect...more
Last week, the Center for Audit Quality and Audit Analytics recently released their fifth annual Audit Committee Transparency Barometer report. As in past years, the groups “continue to observe encouraging year-over-year...more
On Friday, the Securities and Exchange Commission announced that it had settled enforcement actions against five companies for violating the Regulation S-X requirement that interim financial statements included in quarterly...more
Last week, the Securities and Exchange Commission voted to amend disclosure requirements “that have become redundant, duplicative, overlapping, outdated, or superseded, in light of other Commission disclosure requirements,...more
In a speech delivered at last week’s 2018 Baruch College Financial Reporting Conference, SEC Chief Accountant Wes Bricker discussed objectives of financial reporting and its importance to the markets. Mr. Bricker revisited...more
While the frequency of SEC comments on companies’ disclosure of non-GAAP measures has subsided, it remains important for audit committees to ensure their companies’ disclosures comply with applicable non-GAAP disclosure...more
On February 21, 2018, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) approved an interpretive release updating guidance on public company disclosure and other obligations concerning cybersecurity matters. The interpretive...more
Earlier this month, SEC Division of Corporation Finance Director William Hinman delivered the keynote address at the Practising Law Institute’s Seventeenth Annual Institute on Securities Regulation in Europe. Director Hinman...more
2/13/2018
/ Amended Rules ,
Corp Fin ,
Corporate Taxes ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
EU ,
Financial Institutions ,
GAAP ,
MD&A Statements ,
Regulation S-K ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Tax Cuts and Jobs Act
In a November 14 speech at the Financial Executives International 36th Annual Current Financial Reporting Issues Conference, SEC Chief Accountant Wesley Bricker commented on a range of topics, including effective financial...more
The Center for Audit Quality and Audit Analytics recently released their 2017 Audit Committee Transparency Barometer. As in past years, the 2017 report “illustrates the continuing positive trend of audit committees...more
On June 1, the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board unanimously adopted a revised auditing standard governing the contents and form of the audit report delivered by registered public accounting firms as part of their...more
On April 5, the PCAOB issued a report regarding compliance with Auditing Standard No. 16, Communications with Audit Committees (AS No. 16), based on its inspections of issuer audits during its 2014 inspection cycle. AS No. 16...more
In its fourth annual report on enhanced audit committee reporting to shareholders, Ernst & Young reports that “the previously observed trend of Fortune 100 companies going beyond minimum disclosure requirements and providing...more
On July 1, 2015, the Securities and Exchange Commission issued its long-anticipated concept release on Possible Revisions to Audit Committee Disclosures. The concept release notes the important function of the public company...more