UK directors to face fines in major overhaul of audit rules February 5, 2021 UK directors will reportedly face fines for accounting failures at their companies as part of a major overhaul of the audit sector. Long-awaited reforms, set to be published as early as next week, will place a tough new burden on bosses in an effort to improve audit standards. Directors, rather than boards, will be held [...]
FTSE firms ‘woefully inadequate’ at climate risk disclosure, sparking greenwashing fears February 4, 2021 The overwhelming majority of top listed companies in the UK are “woefully inadequate” at disclosing in corporate reporting how climate change will affect their business – with many potentially breaching the law. More than 90 per cent of companies’ financial accounts and associated audit reports made no reference to climate-change related factors, despite UK law [...]
Challenger audit firms prep for forced audit separation January 29, 2021 Challenger audit firms are readying themselves for audit separation, a requirement not yet expected of them, but one they see as inevitable in the future. Last summer audit regulator the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) ordered the Big Four firms – Deloitte, KPMG, PwC and EY – to separate their audit units from the rest of their [...]
BEIS audit reform proposals coming ‘in next couple of weeks’ January 28, 2021 The BEIS consultation on reforms to the audit sector is understood to be coming out “in the next couple of weeks”, and is expected to be extensive. The consultation will contain detail on the minimum standards for audit committees, among other things that “UK PLC will gasp at”, Scott Knight, head of audit and assurance [...]
Regulators remind auditors to pay attention to Covid measures on corporate reporting January 27, 2021 The FCA and the FRC have issued a joint statement to remind auditors of the coronavirus-led rule changes around corporate reporting for listed companies. Now is the busiest time for auditors, when, under normal circumstances, many listed companies would publish their end of year results. But 2021 is proving especially challenging for auditors, with England’s [...]
Singapore audit reform stresses need for UK action, IIA warns January 13, 2021 Recent changes to rules surrounding audit in Singapore have highlighted why action on audit reform in the UK is crucial, the CEO of the Chartered Institute of Internal Auditors has warned. CEO John Wood said reform of the UK’s audit sector was necessary to protect the UK’s leading reputation in corporate governance. The Singapore stock [...]
Grant Thornton sued whopping £200m for Patisserie Valerie accounting failures January 8, 2021 Grant Thornton is being sued for £200m by the liquidators of Patisserie Valerie after the cake shop chain collapsed following suspected fraud. Liquidators FRP Advisory said Grant Thornton was negligent in the preparation and conduct of 2014 to 2017 financial statements. As a result the liquidator is suing the mid-tier audit firm for damages of [...]
Private equity bidders eye KPMG’s restructuring arm January 6, 2021 Private equity firms are eyeing up KPMG’s restructuring arm, as the Big Four firm prepares to offload its restructuring operations in the UK. Intermediate Capital Group and Towerbrook Capital Partners are preparing to submit initial bids for the business ahead of a deadline later this month, Sky News reported. The division is rumoured to be [...]
FRC: Deloitte allowed Autonomy to ‘present misleading financial position’ January 6, 2021 Deloitte’s audit of scandal-hit UK software firm Autonomy allowed the company to “present a misleading picture of its financial position”, the City watchdog said this morning. The Financial Reporting Council investigated the actions of Deloitte and former partners Richard Knights and Nigel Mercer in relation to their audits of the disgraced tech company’s accounts. Autonomy [...]
High profile retailer failures will ‘once again shine spotlight on auditors’ December 3, 2020 A possible avalanche of corporate failures could once again shine the spotlight on auditors, according to Menzies partner James Hadfield. The partner said he could foresee more failures coming, and believed it likely auditors would become a talking point in the process. The high street is having a particularly tough time at the moment, with [...]