After 12 years: PwC likely to be replaced by EY as Aviva auditor November 18, 2021 Aviva has proposed EY as its new auditor from 2024, replacing PwC after 12 years.
Prospect of watered down UK audit reforms draws criticism November 17, 2021 Audit groups and investors have warned the government that scaling back long-awaited corporate governance and audit reforms could lead to more corporate scandals, according to reports. In a letter to business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng, the chief executive of the Chartered Institute of Internal Auditors, John Wood, said stronger regulation of internal controls were fundamental to [...]
LV= rejects new Royal London offer and stands by £530m Bain takeover November 16, 2021 Mutual insurer Liverpool Victoria has turned down the latest offer from its competitor Royal London which had proposed dismantling the business, amid increasing criticism over a £530m proposed takeover which would end the firm’s member-owned status. LV= has been pushing its members to vote to allow the controversial takeover deal by US private equity firm [...]
Big Four accountants warned by regulator to improve audits November 16, 2021 The head of the UK accounting watchdog has told the Big Four audit firms they need to run their own businesses better, before advising other companies, according to reports. Sir Jon Thompson, chief executive of the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) made his remarks ahead of the regulator’s launch today of its first guide for accountants [...]
Who should advise on Research and Development (R&D) tax claims? November 12, 2021 | City Talk In the Budget on 27 October, the Chancellor outlined his desire for greater investment in innovation and research. To do this, further government funding will be made available by way of the existing R&D tax reliefs. As stated in the ‘red book’, ‘The UK tax system provides very generous support to encourage companies to conduct [...]
Top accountancy firms more likely to hire white applicants November 12, 2021 White applicants are more likely to be successful when applying for jobs in the top UK accountancy firms, over those from ethnic minority or lower socio-economic backgrounds, according to a new report. The report, published today, by charity Access Accountancy looked at the socio-economic backgrounds of people who applied for jobs at ten accounting companies, [...]
Credit management veteran reflects on the pandemic: ‘Have you had a good crisis?’ November 11, 2021 Colin Storrar, the CEO of Lowell, one of the UK’s largest credit management companies, returns my question with a question, or rather a series of questions, when asked about his priorities since the first national lockdown was announced. “How have you treated your people this crisis? Have you thought about their work environment? Have you [...]
BDO launches anonymous whistleblowing app November 11, 2021 Accounting firm BDO has launched BDO Tipoffs, a mobile app, to allow whistleblowers at client companies to report misconduct anonymously, according to reports. The firm’s new app, launched yesterday, is free to download and use on android and apple smartphones, according to South African publication Engineering News, which first reported the news. Currently organisations must [...]
‘Appalling’: New law may force judges to impose ‘unjust’ sentences, warns former lord chief justice November 11, 2021 A former lord chief justice has warned judges could be made to impose sentences they believe to be unjust under Government changes, a situation he said would be “appalling”. It comes as peers continued their line-by-line scrutiny of the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill. The Government is seeking to ensure that judges depart from [...]
KPMG faces £15m fine over Quindell audit November 10, 2021 Accounting giant KPMG could be confronted with a £15m legal claim from insurance outsourcer Quindell, according to reports. Quindell, now known as Watchstone, is preparing to file claims against the Big Four firm, alleging that it suffered losses of up to £15m from KPMG’s audit in 2013, according to Financial News, which first reported the [...]