Audit, Compliance and Risk Blog

FASB Receives Report Card on Business Combination Accounting Rule

Posted by Ron Pippin on Thu, Jun 27, 2013

On May 22, 2013, the Financial Accounting Foundation (FAF) issued a post-implementation review (PIR) report on the accounting rule that the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) prescribes for business combination accounting—specifically, FASB Statement No. 141 (Revised 2007), Business Combinations, now codified into FASB Codification Topic 805. In general, the report found that Statement 141(R) improved rules for the purchase method of accounting for business combinations but that problems remain, particularly in relation to fair value measurements. The PIR report also acknowledges unexpected compliance costs for companies that have applied the requirements in Statement 141(R).

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Tags: Business & Legal, Accounting & Tax, Accountants, IFRS, Decision on IFRS

New Standard for Revenue Accounting Finally Coming!

Posted by Ron Pippin on Fri, Feb 22, 2013

On February 20, 2013, the U.S. Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) and its international counterpart, the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB), completed their “substantive deliberations” on the joint project to issue a comprehensive new standard on accounting for revenue. The changes in this standard will affect almost all companies in one way or another. While minor “tweaks” might occur over the next few weeks, the major decisions have been reached.

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Tags: Corporate Governance, Business & Legal, SEC, International, Accounting & Tax, Audit Standards, Accountants, GAAP, Decision on IFRS

2012: A Year in Review for Accountants—Part 1, Accounting Standards

Posted by Ron Pippin on Fri, Dec 21, 2012

As 2012 comes to a close, it is time for accountants in the United States to reflect on new financial reporting rules or developments and what may transpire in 2013. This is the first of two blog articles on the topic. In this article, I cover accounting developments in the United States and internationally. The second article will cover Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) developments and auditing developments.

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Tags: SEC, Accounting & Tax, Lease Accounting, Accountants, US GAAP, GAAP, IFRS, Decision on IFRS

Accountants in Demand in the United States

Posted by Ron Pippin on Fri, Nov 16, 2012

Accountants in the United States are in demand once again. There are specific needs at the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Separately, the skills and talents of those CPAs that practice in the “income tax world” will be helpful to address scheduled individual income-related issues as year-end looms.

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Tags: Business & Legal, SEC, Accounting & Tax, Accountants, GAAP, IFRS, Decision on IFRS

International Group Comments on SEC Non-decision on IFRS

Posted by Ron Pippin on Fri, Oct 26, 2012

As discussed in my prior blog item, the staff in the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) did not make a recommendation to the commissioners of the SEC on whether U.S. registrants should be required or permitted to use International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). I termed it a “punt.” On October 22, 2012, the IFRS Foundation staff published an 84-page analysis of this SEC staff report. In the press release announcing issuance of the IFRS Foundation staff report, Trustee Chairman Michel Prada observed that there are “no insurmountable obstacles for adoption of IFRS by the United States.”

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Tags: Business & Legal, SEC, Accounting & Tax, JOBS Act, GAAP, IFRS, Decision on IFRS