Category: Featured News

These are brief news articles written by Internal Audit 360 editors. They may contain links to source material, but they are self contained and do not link to a longer version of the news item.

Reserve Bank of India

India Bank Regulator Pushes for Banks to Step Up Internal Audit Practices

The Reserve Bank of India called on India-based banks to align their internal audit functions with international best practices, such as those issued by the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (BCBS). According to a 2002 guidance note, India banks are required to put in place a risk-based internal audit system Read More

Securities and Exchange Whistleblower program

SEC Awards Internal Auditor with $300K Whistleblower Bounty

The Securities and Exchange Commission has awarded more than $300,000 to an internal auditor whistleblower. The SEC said the individual’s “high-quality information and continuing assistance” significantly contributed to a successful enforcement action, earning the whistleblower award. The agency did not reveal the identity of the whistleblower or the company that Read More

GE to Pay $200 Million for Disclosure Violations

General Electric Co. has struck a deal with the Securities and Exchange Commission to pay a $200 million penalty to settle charges for disclosure failures in its power and insurance businesses in financial reports filed in 2017 and 2018. According to the SEC’s order, GE misled investors by describing its Read More

Cheesecake Factory hit by SEC

SEC Bites Cheesecake Factory for Misleading COVID-19 Disclosures

The Securities and Exchange Commission has settled charges against The Cheesecake Factory for making misleading disclosures about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on its business operations and financial condition. The action is the SEC’s first charging a public company for misleading investors about the financial effects of the pandemic. Read More

NJ Transit internal auditor blows whistle

NJ Transit Internal Auditor Turns Whistleblower

A former internal auditor at NJ Transit claims in an email sent to state and federal officials this week that the agency has slipshod controls that have allowed fraud to take place, lacks transparency for internal investigations, and has no established standards for bus maintenance. “As a NJT Internal Audit Read More

SEC Plans to Modernize, Simplify ‘MD&A’ and Other Disclosures

The Securities and Exchange Commission voted this week to adopt amendments that will modernize, simplify, and enhance certain financial disclosures, including the Management’s Discussion and Analysis requirement. The changes are intended to enhance the focus of financial disclosures on material information for the benefit of investors, while simplifying compliance efforts Read More

Survey: Unstable Risk Landscape, Remote Work to Continue in 2021

According to new survey findings, risks will continue to be largely unpredictable in 2021, and the shift to remote work wont be ending anytime soon. The survey results, released by software platform AuditBoard, find that the risk landscape will continue to greatly fluctuate next year rather than returning to more Read More

Risk and compliance

COSO: More Focus on Compliance Risks Needed

Companies are taking a closer look at how to effectively manage and mitigate compliance risks, especially at a time when many compliance programs are under the microscope from regulators while also dealing with the effects of a global pandemic. The Committee of Sponsoring Organizations (COSO) has released a new publication, Read More

Kodak Logo

Kodak Says Poor Internal Controls Allowed Faulty Options Sales

Eastman Kodak said this week that problems with internal controls allowed five former executives to sell roughly $5.1 million worth of stock options in July, the same month a highly scrutinized federal loan announcement sent the company’s stock price soaring more than 2,100 percent. The company learned of the deficiencies Read More

FBI Opens Internal Audit Office, Names Gerber to Lead It

The Federal Bureau of Investigation has created a new Office of Internal Auditing intended to enhance compliance, oversight, and accountability of national security activities at the Bureau. It also named Mark J. Gerber, a former PwC partner and FBI special agent, as the assistant director to lead the new office. Read More