More on KPMG and the Precedents for Possible Punishment
Why did they do it? The WSJ walks around the question but KPMG may face big fines and, I think, its partners and the PCAOB professional could face criminal charges.
Posts
KPMG Takes Its Turn With a Big 4 -Sized Scandal
/1 Comment/in Madoff, Pure Content, Your CareerThe KPMG/PCAOB scandal is neither the first or last time a Big 4 firm reminded us that there’s nothing special anymore about being a Big 4 firm professional The firms, and their partners, are not capitalist eunuchs, immune from perverse incentives that advocates for free markets say, if big enough, can corrupt anyone.
Update: Writing About Equity Market Structure at MarketWatch
/in Food for Thought, Pure ContentOne area I am covering now at MarketWatch is market structure, specifically the equity markets. Reforming equity markets is a big ongoing issue, especially after the May 2010 flash crash. Here’s a summary of the articles, updated for a new one on February 3, I’ve written since May on the subject and some background on some of the many controversies.
Piling Up For PwC
/in Audit Quality, Independence, KPMG, Liability Caps, PCAOB, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Pure Content, Regulators, Laws, Standards, Regulations, Sarbanes-Oxley, SEC, The Case Against The AuditorsUpdate: The PCAOB is investigating PwC for its tax avoidance advice to Caterpillar, the Wall Street Journal is reporting. One down, more than 100+ PwC audit clients advised via Luxembourg to go…
An e-Book: Warren Buffett and Berkshire Hathaway: Corporate Governance and The Sokol Affair
/in Pure ContentThis compilation covers the period from April 4 – when the David Sokol scandal hit – to May 3, 2011 when I attended the Berkshire Hathaway Annual Meeting in Omaha, Nebraska.
The Saga Of Stephen Glass: A Guest Post Morality Tale From Eric Starkman
/2 Comments/in Pure Content, Your CareerIs it fair to “tar and feather” professionals when they are sued or only when they are convicted of crimes? How much time must pass before they can get on with their lives?
Winning! PwC Argues Both Sides Of The Partner Naming Debate
/2 Comments/in Audit Quality, Bear Stearns, Liability Caps, PCAOB, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Pure Content, Regulators, Laws, Standards, Regulations, Sarbanes-Oxley, The Case Against The AuditorsHow do the audit firms keep winning the war while losing battles left and right? They use the law and the courts to delay, deter and distract from transparency by settling, and sealing what they can, before the public can find out what silly arguments they often make in their defense.
Naming Them: Why Markets Deserve To Know Audit Partner Names And More
/13 Comments/in Audit Firm Management, Liability Caps, Partner Compensation, Pure Content, Regulators, Laws, Standards, Regulations, The Case Against The AuditorsWe now know more about what the firms have been hiding. The global capital markets, not just current shareholders, need full disclosure of the engagement teams on all public issuers over time, and in a way that is easily accessible.
Only Money—Deloitte Pays Another Fine And Then Moves On
/4 Comments/in Pure Content, The Case Against The AuditorsDeloitte has been caught thumbing its nose at regulators again. Deloitte is the best example in the Big Four of how a large consulting business corrupts an audit firm.
On Herbalife And The Slow Death Of Value Investing
/1 Comment/in Audit Quality, Food for Thought, Regulators, Laws, Standards, RegulationsBig egos making shares move by waving their wands. That makes picking stocks based on fundamental analysis more than slightly anachronistic. A bit about Herbalife…
The Indictment of S.A.C. Capital Advisors: Where Was The Auditor?
/28 Comments/in Latest, Pure Content, The Case Against The AuditorsUnfortunately, regulatory supervision of investment advisors, broker-dealers, and their auditors leaves a lot to be desired. PwC missed years of illegal activity at S.A.C. Capital Advisors. If only we could say that’s the first time.
Unfrugal, Lawbreaking CEOs and Auditor Reputation: New At University of Chicago Booth School of Business
/3 Comments/in Food for ThoughtTwo new blog posts at University of Chicago Booth School of Business Capital Ideas blog. One is about public company CEOs who buy luxury items and break the law and the other is about auditor reputation. Now I need an example of a thrice-married and divorced audit partner with a gambling or drug addiction who owns a Ferrari and a private jet…