At American Banker: Auditors Give Banks a Pass on Reserves

My column at American Banker last week focused on the latest PCAOB inspection report for KPMG. We’ve got three more “Big Four” inspections reports to come – Ernst & Young, Deloitte and PwC. Don’t be surprised if you see the same focus on loan loss and repurchase reserves and the same kinds of auditor deficiencies.

New @Forbes: Bank of America Plays Hide And Seek Using Fannie Mae

Making the non-obvious connections between the audit firms and their clients, between the clients and each other, and between the firms and each other is getting to be like shooting fish in a barrel.

New at Forbes: My Comments On The Latest Sanctions Against Ernst & Young

As if Ernst & Young didn’t have enough to worry about now they’ve got a public airing of some dirty laundry by the PCAOB.

McKenna Quoted in American Banker re: Second-Lien Mortgages

I was quoted on May 2 in an article in American Banker by Alex Ulam entitled, “Why Second-Lien Loans Remain A Worry”. My quote focused on disclosures and transparency – for the loans and the reserves for losses. It’s a subject I’ve written about extensively.

McKenna in Accountancy Magazine

 I was asked by Accountancy Magazine in the UK to write a summary of the Compliance Week Annual Conference for their readers.  This article, entitled “Regulatory Reformation,” can be found here.  Please let me know what you think.

FEI Lists The Top Challenges for 2009 – An Interview With James Abel

Financial Executives International has just released the results of their survey, “2009 Top Challenges for Financial Executives,” and it’s quite interesting to see what a difference a year makes.

PCAOB – Seeing The Big 4 Through Rose Colored Glasses

Unfortunately, I was unable to attend the AICPA National Conference on PCAOB and SEC Developments  in person.  As much as I would have loved to be there live, to ask questions and, perhaps, walk all over the wafflers with my Manolos, it’s not always possible.  In this case it may have been just as well. […]

A Question Of Value – Why So Much Ado?

What we have we prize not to the worthWhiles we enjoy it, but being lacked and lost,Why, then we rack the value, then we findThe virtue that possession would not show usWhiles it was ours. William Shakespeare (1564–1616), British dramatist, poet. Friar Francis, in Much Ado About Nothing, act 4, sc. 1, l. 218-22. We […]

Fair Value – What Goes Up, Must Come Down

Take a look at Edith Orenstein’s exhaustive summary from April 11: IMF, IIF Rec’s on Market Turmoil Are Far-Reaching, Include Fair Value, Off-Balance Sheet; Q&A With Michael Young, Willkie Farr It’s everything you always wanted to know about the latest in fair value accounting, FAS 157, and the role of accounting standards in economic activity. Re: […]