Tag: SEC Office of Chief Accountant
Corp Fin and OCA have advice regarding SPACs
According to the staff of the SEC’s Office of the Chief Accountant, in “just the first two months of 2021, both the number of new SPACs and amount of capital raised by those SPACs have been reported to already match approximately three-fourths of all such activity last year.” And there was quite a bit of SPAC activity last year. In light of the incredible volume of SPAC deals, on Wednesday, the staffs of Corp Fin and the OCA issued special guidance for SPACs. These statements address shell company, financial reporting, accounting, internal control, governance and auditor considerations in connection with a de-SPAC transaction, that is, a transaction in which a private operating company undertakes a business combination with a SPAC, ultimately becoming a public operating company. Both staffs seem to question whether the timing and other circumstances of de-SPAC transactions mean that the private operating company targets may not be fully equipped for what comes next and want stakeholders to carefully consider whether each of these private targets, in the words of OCA, has “a clear, comprehensive plan to be prepared to be a public company.” Corp Fin also wants all those who are clamoring for SPACs to be aware of all restrictions, impediments and other potential hiccups that come with the package. Could they possibly be trying to put the kibosh on SPAC fever? According to Reuters, analysts think the SEC is “worried about how much due diligence is performed by SPACs before acquiring assets, and about disclosures to investors.”
SEC Chief Accountant issues statement on high-quality financial reporting in light of COVID-19
A couple of days ago, Sagar Teotia, SEC Chief Accountant, issued a Statement on the Continued Importance of High-Quality Financial Reporting for Investors in Light of COVID-19. The Statement, issued in advance of the close of the second quarter, follows on Teotia’s earlier Statement, issued in April, in which Teotia addressed, among other topics, estimates and judgments as well as temporary relief provided under the CARES Act for banks and other financial institutions. (See this PubCo post.) In this new Statement, Teotia again addresses estimates and judgments, as well as disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over financial reporting, going-concern issues, engagement by the Office of Chief Accountant with FASB, the PCAOB and international standard setters and OCA’s engagement with audit committees.
SEC Chief Accountant addresses CECL and accounting estimates in light of COVID-19
SEC Chief Accountant Sagar Teotia today issued a Statement on the Importance of High-Quality Financial Reporting in Light of the Significant Impacts of COVID-19, which stressed the importance of continuing to provide high-quality financial information for investors and other stakeholders in these uncertain times. In his statement, among other topics, Teotia addressed estimates and judgments as well as temporary relief provided under the CARES Act that allows banks and other financial institutions to suspend compliance with two provisions of GAAP, including CECL. Teotia emphasized that the Office of Chief Accountant is available for consultation and encouraged companies and others with questions as a result of COVID-19 to contact OCA.
A Christmas gift from the SEC staff: guidance on disclosure of the accounting effect of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act
Yesterday, the staffs of the Office of Chief Accountant and Corp Fin issued guidance regarding disclosure of the accounting impact of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, just signed into law on December 22. As discussed in this PubCo post, companies have been fretting about the timing of the new Act and whether they will be able to accurately determine the impact of the tax changes on their financial statements in time to file their annual and quarterly reports with the SEC. That is largely because, under U.S. accounting rules, companies must generally reflect the impact of these tax changes in the quarter they are signed into law, even if they go into effect at a future date. The staff has been talking with companies about their concerns and has responded with this guidance, which, Corp Fin Director Bill Hinman observes, “recognizes that investors demand and deserve high-quality information, while also recognizing that entities may face challenges in accounting for one of the most comprehensive changes to the U.S. federal tax code since 1986.” According to the related SEC Statement, the “staff guidance, which reflects the approach taken in prior situations where legislative changes could significantly affect financial reporting, provides a ‘measurement period’ for issuers to evaluate the impacts of the [Act] on the their financial statements. Importantly, the guidance also sets forth staff expectations for disclosure to investors during the measurement period.” Merry Christmas finance departments and auditors!
Boilerplate CAMs in auditor’s reports? That would be a bummer, man
In what were surely unprepared remarks to the American Institute of CPAs conference on SEC and PCAOB developments, as reported by Bloomberg BNA, SEC Chair Jay “the Dude” Clayton commented on the impact he expects the new form of auditor’s report could have on his mood: “‘If it results in quality, I’ll be happy….And if it results in boilerplate, I’ll be really bummed out.’”
SEC Chair and staff presentations at AICPA National Conference
by Cydney Posner SEC Chair Mary Jo White and a cast of thousands from the SEC’s Office of the Chief Accountant delivered remarks yesterday before the 2015 AICPA National Conference on Current SEC and PCAOB Developments. Summarized below are some of the key themes of their speeches:
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