California-based civil engineering and infrastructure firm Granite Construction agreed to pay $12 million to settle Securities and Exchange Commission charges alleging fraud related to inflation of the company’s financial performance.
Accounting & Auditing
SEC censures Farber Hass Hurley over accounting exam deficiencies
California-based accounting firm Farber Hass Hurley and two of its partners settled charges with the Securities and Exchange Commission alleging “repeated failures” in conducting custody examinations for two SEC-registered investment advisers.
‘A step in the process’: PCAOB, China agree on U.S. audit access
U.S. audit regulators are set to end yearslong inspection barriers to the work of public accounting firms headquartered in mainland China and Hong Kong after the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board reached agreement with Chinese regulators on a new access framework.
PCAOB forecasts stricter oversight in five-year strategy
The Public Company Accounting Oversight Board issued its draft five-year strategic plan for public comment. Areas of focus include enhancing audit inspections, strengthening enforcement, and more.
KPMG Korea fined $350K for audit procedure failures
The Korean affiliate of Big Four audit firm KPMG was fined $350,000 by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board for failures in its quality control policies and procedures to protect against improper alterations of work papers.
EagleBank fined $23M over improper lending, disclosure practices
EagleBank agreed to pay nearly $23 million in penalties for improperly loaning approximately $90 million to family trusts controlled by its former CEO over three years, then misleading investors about the loans.
Sarbanes-Oxley 20th anniversary: Time to revisit SOX programs
Twenty years ago, in the aftermath of the Enron and WorldCom financial reporting scandals, Congress acted and created the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. Such a milestone anniversary marks a good time for organizations to refresh, rethink, and modernize their SOX programs.
PwC fined $2.1M for audit failures regarding BT Group fraud disclosures
PwC will pay a reduced fine of 1.75 million pounds (U.S. $2.1 million) as part of sanctions against the Big Four firm for failures in its fiscal year 2017 audit at BT Group after the U.K. telecommunications company adjusted its financials to reflect a fraud scandal in Italy.
Surgalign to pay $2M to settle accounting fraud charges
Medical implant manufacturer Surgalign will pay a $2 million penalty handed down by the SEC and recoup nearly $600,000 in incentive-based compensation from four senior executives who allegedly manipulated the company’s financial statements.
SEC appoints Anthony Thompson to second term on PCAOB
The Securities and Exchange Commission announced the appointment of Anthony Thompson to a second term on the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board.


