Despite the financial crisis that has engulfed both Wall Street and Main Street, the demand for skilled accountants during tax season remains as strong as ever."Firms continue to hire skilled accountants and they continue to be in short supply," explained Jon Zion, president of eastern U.S. operations for Robert Half Finance & Accounting. "The unemployment rate for highly skilled finance and accounting professionals is 2.5 percent, while the overall unemployment rate is over 6 percent."

The Deloitte Foundation has announced the regional winners of the Deloitte Tax Case Study Competition, an interscholastic competition that brought together nearly 60 teams from colleges and universities in 11 cities across the country in October to tackle complex tax case studies.

Bankers and mortgage brokers may be facing slimmer pay packages, but accountants can expect something of a boost next year, according to a recent report on salaries.

Finance and accounting staff will receive an average salary boost of 3.4 percent next year despite the economic downturn, predicts recruiting company Robert Half International.

Payroll processor PayCycle said its 1099 MISC E-File service would be open for accounting professionals serving small business clients starting Jan. 1, 2009.

The confidence of accounting and finance workers has plunged to a new low, according to a new survey.

The American Institute of CPAs is mulling the idea of internationalizing the CPA designation.

Barry Melancon, president and chief executive of the American Institute of CPAs, opened his annual remarks regarding the state of the profession at the Fall Meeting of Council and Members by addressing the current economic crisis and the controversy around fair value accounting.

“As the financial crisis on Wall Street unfolds with intense media coverage, we are losing sight of another crisis: more than a million families across the United States will face foreclosure in the next six months as the last of the subprime mortgages contracted in 2006 and early 2007 reset. Accelerating job losses and low wages aggravate the lives of tens of millions of families. In the rush to focus on Wall Street, these are the families whose lives must not be forgotten.”

What do you do when your team lacks accountability? In a prior article (Accounting Today, Aug. 18-Sept. 7, 2008), we explored how integrity and ownership affect accountability and how managing your personal integrity and identifying clear ownership for all things in your organization will enable you to develop a more productive, highly functioning team.

Security guard company Superior Protection Inc. and four of its executives were indicted for failing to pay employment taxes and other charges.

A New York CPA has been charged with stealing $1.6 million from a plastics recycling company.

Two recent reports suggest that the movement to register tax return preparers will continue.

Sixty accounting firms have been honored as the Best Accounting Firms to Work For by Accounting Today.

An 83 percent majority of CFOs favor separating the roles of CEO and chairman, according to a survey by Grant Thornton.

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., has proposed a $150 billion Emergency Stabilization Fund to help small businesses, universities, students and municipalities cope with the credit crisis, with the money coming from the $700 billion financial bailout package.

Leadership style -- Personal mantra -- Biggest mistake women make when starting out -- Best management tip -- Best advice they've ever receivedLISA CINES

LISA CINES, CPA

Krista McMasters hasn't celebrated her new executive position at regional CPA and business advisory firm Clifton Gunderson just yet.

The Internal Revenue Service said it would send compliance questionnaires to about 400 colleges and universities asking about their unrelated business income, endowments and executive compensation practices.