Will FASB delay effectiveness of the new revenue recognition standard?
by Cydney Posner According to this article in Compliance Week, the FASB is considering deferring the effective date of the new revenue recognition standard. A decision will be made “no later than early second quarter” on whether to propose a delay. The article reports that, as FASB staff conducted site […]
Four questions audit committees should ask their audit firms
by Cydney Posner Audit Committee members may be interested in this release issued by the PCAOB in August 2012 designed “to assist audit committees in (1) understanding the PCAOB’s inspections of their audit firms and (2) gathering useful information from their audit firms about those inspections.” The PCAOB regularly performs inspections of […]
A little inside scoop in the ATP fee-shifting bylaws case
by Cydney Posner Today, at the PLI Securities Regulation Institute, the Honorable Jack Jacobs, formerly a Justice of the Delaware Supreme Court, was asked to comment on ATP Tour, Inc. v. Deutscher Tennis Bund, the Delaware Supreme Court case holding that a “fee-shifting” bylaw adopted by a board was “facially […]
More “broken windows” enforcement from the SEC?
by Cydney Posner Yesterday, the SEC announced that it had sanctioned ten companies (generally, smaller reporting companies traded on OTC Link) for failing to make required Form 8-K disclosures related to financings and unregistered stock sales. Individual penalties were either $25,000 or $50,000, being paid to the SEC in installments.
SCOTUS hears Omnicare: when can a statement of opinion be actionable as a “false statement of material fact”?
by Cydney Posner Yesterday, SCOTUS heard oral argument in Omnicare, Inc. v. Laborers District Council Construction Industry Pension Fund. The case seeks to answer this question: when can a statement of opinion be actionable as a “false statement of material fact”? That is, for purposes of Section 11, a “strict […]
Study shows whistleblower complaints lead to increased penalties and likelihood of enforcement
by Cydney Posner An academic study, first reported by the WSJ, concludes that, in regulatory enforcement actions brought by the SEC and DOJ alleging financial misrepresentation, employee whistleblowers have a consequential impact on regulatory outcomes, increasing the size of penalties, length of prison sentences and duration of the actions. In addition, […]
SEC to issue concept release regarding audit committees
by Cydney Posner Compliance Week reports that SEC Chair Mary Jo White, speaking before the Investor Advisory Group of the PCAOB, said that the SEC plans to Issue a concept release in early 2015 “exploring possible avenues for elevating the work of public company audit committees.” The release is expected to address many […]
Director of SEC whistleblower office encourages staff to find whistleblower retaliation cases
by Cydney Posner According to Law360, the director of the SEC’s whistleblower office, Sean McKessy, is exhorting the staff of that office to set a high priority on cases involving employer retaliation for whistleblower complaints. During an interview, McKessy “said his office was actively looking for cases to bring against […]
Will the SEC intercede in the battle over fee-shifting bylaws?
“The first trickle through a leak in the dam” that eventually causes the dam to collapse is how Professor John Coffee characterized the adoption of fee-shifting bylaw or charter provisions by 24 companies since May of this year. The “dam” here is the practice of private enforcement, as a supplement […]
Expecting SEC comments on your conflict minerals filing? Don’t hold your breath.
by Cydney Posner Waiting for those helpful and informative SEC comments on your — or even better, other companies’ — Form SD conflict minerals filings? Fuggedaboutit. At today’s PLI Securities Regulation Institute, Shelley Parratt, Corp Fin Deputy Director, Disclosure Operations, confirmed that, while Corp Fin is “assessing” this year’s conflict […]