The U.K. Financial Reporting Council has begun an investigation into Mazars concerning its audit of financially ailing retail company French Connection Group, which has just been sold.
Accounting & Auditing
FRC probing Crowe over Akazoo audit
The U.K. Financial Reporting Council announced the start of an investigation into audit firm Crowe UK concerning the financial statements of Luxembourg-incorporated on-demand music streaming subscription company Akazoo.
PCAOB fines Deloitte Canada $350K for quality control failures
The Public Company Accounting Oversight Board imposed a $350,000 civil penalty on Deloitte Canada for reasonable assurance quality control failures regarding an electronic work paper system update.
Grant Thornton UK fined $3.2M for Patisserie Valerie audit lapses
Grant Thornton UK has been fined £2.34 million (U.S. $3.2 million) by the Financial Reporting Council for failures in its audits of collapsed café chain Patisserie Valerie between 2015 and 2017.
PCAOB penalizes EY partners for Synchronoss audit deficiencies
The PCAOB fined two EY partners for “failing to perform adequate procedures and obtain sufficient evidence” in connection with the Big Four firm’s audit of New Jersey software company Synchronoss Technologies.
Big Four mishaps in U.K. underscore need to challenge auditors
Companies should question their auditors throughout the audit process, particularly in the wake of a spate of recent enforcement actions in the United Kingdom targeting the Big Four and other large firms for audit deficiencies.
FASB proposal seeks to clarify fair value standard
The Financial Accounting Standards Board issued a proposed update to Topic 820 that seeks to establish that a contractual restriction on the sale of an equity security should not be considered in measuring fair value.
KPMG Australia fined $450K over training test cheating
The Public Company Accounting Oversight Board announced a $450,000 fine against KPMG’s Australian subsidiary to resolve allegations of widespread cheating on personnel training tests at the firm.
CAQ report: Climate-related risk considerations in audited financial statements
A recent Center for Audit Quality report aims to provide an understanding of how company management and their auditors apply current U.S. accounting and auditing requirements for financial statements related to climate-related risks.
ESG matters have financial reporting implications now
While the possibility of SEC regulation mandating additional ESG disclosures remains a hot topic, the potential effects of ESG matters on a company’s financial accounting and reporting are not a future consideration.


