Audit standards

The Auditing Standards Board is thinking about relaxing some of the requirements for attest engagements.

The U.K. accounting watchdog is ramping up misconduct fines after being called useless and toothless by lawmakers irate at the failure of the accounting industry to prevent several high-profile corporate collapses.

Wesley Bricker, chief accountant at the Securities and Exchange Commission’s Office of the Chief Accountant, told attendees at the Institute of Management Accountants’ annual conference in Indianapolis on Tuesday about the vital role he sees them playing in financial reporting.

The Public Company Accounting Oversight Board censured Deloitte & Touche LLP and imposed a $500,000 penalty against the Big Four firm for overlooking material accounting errors during three consecutive audits of Jack Henry & Associates, Inc., a Missouri-based IT provider for banks and credit unions.

The American Institute of CPAs has issued a new standard to provide guidance for CPAs performing compilations and reviews to address international reporting issues.

Martin Baumann's leaving follows last week's resignation of inspections director Helen Munter.

The AICPA chief challenged the profession to embrace changes in auditing, technology and more.

A new study by the International Federation of Accountants has found high rates of adoption of international accounting standards in areas such as auditing and ethics.

The Public Company Accounting Oversight Board began requiring firms last year to disclose the names of engagement partners who participated in audits, but a new academic study questions whether the new requirement will actually benefit investors.

The survey asks for input on the future direction of the auditing overseer.

The prizes, which recognize excellence in governance, regulation and compliance, were presented by the research company GRC 20/20.

Two generations share thoughts on the future of remote audits.

The American Institute of CPAs’ Auditing Standards Board has issued an auditing interpretation to help accountants comply with standards from both the AICPA and the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board.

Recent changes to international standards for audit reports have improved the quality of information that’s available to investors, and had a positive impact on wider elements of financial reporting, including governance and corporate reporting, according to a new report from the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants.

Foreign affiliates of KPMG, Deloitte & Touche and BDO have agreed to settle charges with the Securities and Exchange Commission for getting involved in audit work that circumvented the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board’s full oversight.

Efforts in the U.S. and Europe to encourage public companies to change audit firms have largely failed, according to new academic research.

International Federation of Accountants CEO Fayezul Choudhury, and IFAC CFO and executive director for external relations Russell Guthrie, talk about how international financial regulators are mulling changes in how global auditing standards are set.

Internal controls, the new lease accounting standard and cybersecurity are just some of the issues keeping financial executives up at night, according to a new survey by KPMG.

Audit committees at public companies will have plenty on their agendas this year, according to a pair of new reports from KPMG, including new accounting standards, the new tax law, cyber security and more.

Auditing firms cannot be expected to root out evil, or to conduct full forensic investigations.