Every month, Compliance Week publishes a list of the largest stock option grants and restricted stock awards during the previous period. The data and analysis are provided by compensation research firm Equilar, Inc. THE DATA Latest Data Download Top Equity Awards In October; Prior Months’ Data Data provided by Equilar, Inc., an independent provider of […]
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Posted inAccounting & Auditing
Despite New Standards, Disclosure Still Rests On Judgment
Despite the recent flurry of new accounting standards, companies discovering accounting problems still have significant leeway and equal margin for error in disclosure. That’s according to Mary Ann Jorgenson, an attorney with Squire, Sanders & Dempsey, who recently delivered a presentation on the topic at the Practicing Law Institute’s conference on securities regulation. Jorgenson echoed […]
Posted inEthics & Culture
Q&A With Director Of Ethics & Compliance At $21.5b Alcoa
This profile is the latest in a series of weekly conversations with executives at U.S. public companies who are currently involved in establishing and developing compliance programs. An index of previous conversations is available here. Describe your duties at Alcoa. I’m part of the global compliance organization. Our chief compliance officer is also chief legal […]
Posted inAccounting & Auditing
SEC Postpones Final Phase-In For Accelerated Filing
As expected, last week the Securities and Exchange Commission adopted its August proposal to postpone, for one year, the final phase-in period for acceleration of periodic report deadlines. The postponement, which applies to accelerated filers with market capitalizations of at least $75 million, was the shortest postponement considered by the Commission; the original proposal called […]
Posted inInternal Controls
SEC’s Campos Confirms SOX 404 Delay Being Considered
At a CFO Summit held last week in Boston, SEC Commissioner Roel Campos confirmed that the SEC is considering a delay of the internal control provisions of Sarbanes-Oxley for smaller issuers. “Relief for small business is being looked at,” said Campos. “We’re asking questions like, ‘What exemptions are deserved?’ and, ‘If you give too many […]
Posted inFrom the Archive
Siebel And SEC In Regulation Fair Disclosure Showdown
Siebel Systems has called on the Securities and Exchange Commission to drop charges that it violated Regulation Fair Disclosure for a second time. In a court filing last week, the software company not only denies that it violated the four-year old rule, it questions its legality. “The Commission conveniently ignores the U.S. Supreme Court’s admonition […]
Posted inFrom the Archive
Mythical Pendulum Isn’t Swinging Back The Other Way
I’m frequently asked when the proverbial pendulum will swing back and business-bashing will cease. My unpopular response is: What we’re seeing is real and isn’t going away. A lot of credibility the business community once had has been squandered and eroded. It’s going to take a lot of time and effort to rebuild that credibility. […]
Posted inInternal Controls
Integrated Response To SOX 404, USSC, OCEG, COSO ERM
Without reading minds, it’s safe to say you’re likely at the end of your rope with Sarbanes-Oxley Act Section 404. Whether you’re a board member, CEO, CFO, compliance officer, chief audit executive or have another significant role in the effort to report on your financial reporting controls, you’ve put in more time and effort than […]
Posted inRegulatory Enforcement
Six Steps For Preserving, Producing E-Records In Litigation
Over the past few years, businesses increasingly have moved away from paper record-keeping to electronic information management systems. Despite that, the legal system has been slow to account for this electronic revolution. A committee advising federal courts whether to update their rules recently issued a report after five years of study, and judges around the […]
Posted inFrom the Archive
2004 Proxy Season Roundup, And A Look Ahead
2004 will likely be remembered as the Year of Proxy Access and the Withhold Vote. While a large number of companies agreed to declassify their boards and remove poison pills, it was the SEC’s proposal enabling certain shareholders to nominate directors that had the most profound impact on the 2004 proxy season. And though the […]
