KPMG in danger of being banned from bidding for government contracts December 1, 2021 KPMG have been threatened by the government with a ban on bidding for public contracts if there are any more scandals at the Big Four consulting firm, according to reports. The Cabinet Office issued its warning in a letter to KPMG, according to the Financial Times, which first reported the news. The ominous letter, which [...]
Organisational culture: values must be lived for trust to exist November 30, 2021 It is the values and behaviours of individuals that determines the culture within an organisation. If individuals live up to their organisation’s published values this will engender trust among stakeholders. In recent times there has been a decline in public trust and an increase in public scepticism, not just in business but in many of [...]
Regulator calls out ‘poor’ board succession planning at FTSE 350 companies November 25, 2021 The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) have called out listed companies for “poor reporting” on succession planning, board appointments and diversity, in a review of corporate governance reporting. The FRC said companies provided “minimal information” to show how diversity and inclusion policies and objectives link to their business strategy. The regulator said that while lots of companies [...]
HSBC’s $94m-a-year audits may not be enough to woo Big Four accountants November 22, 2021 Fears that the UK’s biggest lender will struggle to attract the Big Four accounting firms have been stoked as HSBC prepares to tender the audits of its accounts next year, according to reports. The heads of HSBC reached out to the Big Four auditors but found they were reluctant to bid for the bank’s audits [...]
Accounting watchdog: Third of all audits ‘unsatisfactory’ amid fears sector reforms will be watered down November 18, 2021 An “unacceptably high” number of audits still need improving, according to the UK accounting watchdog’s latest report, amid increasing concerns that the government may scale back long-awaited corporate governance and audit reforms. The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) today published its latest annual report on UK audits, finding that 33 per cent of all audits still [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
Climate change and the humble auditor – CityAM : CityAM November 8, 2021 The relevance of climate change to world leaders, Royals, activists, Leonardo DiCaprio, chief execs and both former, and current central bank heads, is largely understood, by their presence at Cop26, to be of paramount importance. But what on earth auditors have to do with climate change, is rather more perplexing. One explanation is that audit [...]
Grant Thornton and partner fined over £750,000 over Interserve audit failings November 1, 2021 Grant Thornton has been fined over £700,00 by UK regulator Financial Reporting Council (FRC) for audit failings at Interserve, a British multinational construction business which collapsed in 2019. The fine comes just over a month after the FRC issued another sanction, of £2.3m, on the accounting giant for a “serious lack of competence” in the [...]
BDO faces FRC investigation over audit of collapsed construction firm October 21, 2021 Accountancy firm BDO is being investigated by the UK accounting regulator over its audit of collapsed construction company NMCN. The Financial Reporting Council confirmed on Thursday it was examining the BDO’s audit of NCMN’s financial statements and its final set of accounts before it filed for administration on October 4. BDO resigned as the group’s [...]