Accounting firm Prager Metis violated auditor independence rules through use of indemnification provisions in its engagement letters hundreds of times during a period of nearly three years, the Securities and Exchange Commission charged in a lawsuit.
Accounting & Auditing
Posted inAccounting & Auditing
Exelon, ComEd fined $46M by SEC over bribery scandal
Exelon and its subsidiary Commonwealth Edison agreed to pay $46.2 million as part of a settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission related to their Illinois bribery and lobbying scandal that previously earned ComEd a deferred prosecution agreement.
Posted inAccounting & Auditing
Newell, ex-CEO settle with SEC over sales disclosures
Consumer products company Newell Brands agreed to pay $12.5 million as part of a settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission addressing allegations the company misled investors about its core sales growth.
Posted inAccounting & Auditing
Clear Channel Outdoor to pay $26M in FCPA case over China bribes
Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings agreed to pay more than $26 million as part of a settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission alleging its former China-based subsidiary bribed government officials to obtain outdoor advertising contracts.
Posted inAccounting & Auditing
Ex-Marcum partner suspended by SEC over Ault Alliance work
A former engagement quality review partner at Marcum agreed to pay a $30,000 penalty and be suspended as part of a settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission addressing alleged violations of audit standards in his work at diversified holding company Ault Alliance.
Posted inAccounting & Auditing
Deloitte Colombia fined $900K by PCAOB for quality control violations
A Colombian affiliate of Big Four audit firm Deloitte agreed to pay $900,000 as part of a settlement with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board addressing alleged quality control lapses that occurred during the 2016 audit of a bank.
Posted inAccounting & Auditing
Hyzon Motors fined $25M by SEC for alleged fraud
Hyzon Motors, a global supplier of hydrogen fuel cell-powered heavy vehicles, was assessed a $25 million penalty by the Securities and Exchange Commission in agreeing to settle charges it and its former executives misled investors regarding the sales of its vehicles.
Posted inAccounting & Auditing
BDO fined $2M by PCAOB for estimate evaluation lapses
BDO was assessed a $2 million penalty as part of a settlement with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board addressing alleged failures in the firm’s audit work at defunct healthcare services provider AAC Holdings.
Posted inAccounting & Auditing
GTT Communications spared fine in SEC disclosure failure case
GTT Communications, a provider of telecommunications and internet services, avoided a civil penalty in reaching a settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission addressing alleged disclosure failures over more than a two-year period.
Posted inAccounting & Auditing
Experts: How ESG materiality assessments impact compliance
Transparency in environmental, social, and governance reporting has become an important goal, with materiality assessments impacting compliance outcomes, experts said during CW’s virtual ESG Summit.
