With investor advisory votes looming, executive compensation strategy and philosophy, pay-for-performance relationships and compensation-related risk are at the top of the list of pay topics companies are reviewing in 2011, according to the latest survey by compensation consulting firm Pearl Meyer & Partners. All of those items have become even more important in light of […]
Melissa Klein Aguilar
Posted inInternal Controls
DoJ Assistant Attorney General Warns on FCPA Breaches
Concerned about Foreign Corrupt Practices Act compliance? You should be. Detailing a “new era” of FCPA enforcement, a top Justice Department official said those worried about more aggressive anti-bribery enforcement “are right to be more concerned.” “Our FCPA enforcement is stronger than it’s ever been – and getting stronger,” Assistant Attorney General Lanny Breuer said […]
Posted inData Privacy
Most Companies Not Erasing Sensitive Data
Most businesses don’t properly erase sensitive data from old computers and hard drives, leaving them highly susceptible to data breaches, according to a survey by Kroll Ontrack. Only 49 percent of more than 1,500 respondents polled worldwide say their businesses are systematically deploying a data eraser method. Among that group, 75 percent don’t delete data […]
Posted inUncategorized
Beyond Dodd-Frank at the SEC’s Corp Fin Division
The Securities and Exchange Commission may be swamped with rulemaking chores thanks to the Dodd-Frank Act, but companies shouldn’t think that means they’ll get a pass during SEC staff reviews of corporate filings this winter. That was the message from Meredith Cross, director of the SEC’s Division of Corporation Finance, during a recent update of […]
Posted inFrom the Archive
An Expensive Lesson on FCPA Compliance
Compliance officers looking for the latest guidance on the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act might want to read a sweeping joint settlement reached earlier this month—which was bad news for the seven companies involved, but drops plenty of strong hints about what the Justice Department wants to see in an FCPA compliance program. The settlement was […]
Posted inFrom the Archive
XBRL Update: SEC Staff Review, Corporate Actions, More
For those wondering what’s new in the world of interactive data, here’s a roundup of the latest news and information. The Securities and Exchange Commission has posted some information that should be of interest to anyone involved in the preparation of their company’s interactive data submissions in compliance with the Commission’s rule. The staff in […]
Posted inRegulatory Enforcement
Like Google, Microsoft Goes Web Only for Earnings Details
Microsoft became the latest company to drop a long-standing practice of distributing its full quarterly financial results via newswire in favor of issuing a shorter release pointing people to its investor relations Website to find them. The move, announced in advance of the software giant’s first-quarter fiscal 2011 results on Oct. 28, puts Microsoft in […]
Posted inFrom the Archive
Survey Sheds Light on Public Company Guidance Practices
The practice of providing guidance is still alive and well, with most companies favoring annual estimates communicated on a quarterly basis, according to a poll of investor relations executives. Ninety percent of IR executives report that their companies provide forward-looking guidance in some form, down slightly from 93 percent in 2009, according to a survey […]
Posted inUncategorized
SEC: Still a Ways to Go on IFRS
Good news for overworked accounting departments out there: The Securities and Exchange Commission is just as overworked as you and won’t be ready to push forward with adopting International Financial Reporting Standards any time soon. The SEC staff has published its first progress report on its plan for evaluating the effect of incorporating IFRS into […]
Posted inUncategorized
The Countdown to a Whistleblower Bounty Begins
Compliance executives, here’s your chance: The Securities and Exchange Commission’s proposed rules to pay whistleblowers who report securities violations are now out for comment. The proposals implement a mandate from the Dodd-Frank Act to create a program to pay rewards of up to 30 percent to eligible whistleblowers who provide original information about potential securities […]