Category: Articles

Internal Audit Probe Finds Procurement Misconduct at Kraft Heinz

Global package foods company Kraft Heinz announced in a statement to the Securities and Exchange Commission this week that it would restate nearly three years of financial statements after an internal inquiry, led in part by internal audit, found misconduct in the company’s procurement department. The company will restate earnings Read More

Andy Fastow is back with a message on fraud.

Enron’s Andy Fastow Is Back with an Important Message on Fraud

Editor’s Blog Former Enron CFO Andy Fastow was at the center of one of Corporate America’s most notorious frauds. He helped orchestrate the series of off-the-books special purpose entities that enabled Enron to hide its failings and propped the company up before its inevitable collapse. For his part in the Read More

Regulator Proposes Big Changes for Audit Firms in the U.K.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) in the United Kingdom is recommending some sweeping changes to the U.K. audit industry. After issuing its final report from a large-scale investigation into audit practices in Britain, it says some drastic changes are needed to address serious competition problems in the industry. “Legislation Read More

Pakistan Adopts New Internal Audit Requirements for Financial Firms

The State Bank of Pakistan has issued some new standards for financial firms on internal audit and the oversight of the function. The new internal audit guidelines set forth several requirements for how the function is structured and governed. Banks and other companies that meet the state definition of a Read More

During Culture Audits, Pay Attention to the Little Red Flags

Guest Blog: Once upon a time, Little Red Riding Hood ventured out into the forest to visit her poor, sick grandmother. Along the way, she encountered a charming wolf, which gave her no cause for alarm. Although he asked countless questions about where she was going and distracted her with beautiful flowers, Read More

Lax Controls Enable $5 Million Fraud at Canadian Software Firm

It wouldn’t take an internal auditor long to spot the internal control problem with the former spending approval process at Wescom Solutions. An accounting manager, Nadia Minetto, was responsible for approving all spending on company cards at the Mississauga, Ontario-based software company, including her own. That means if she made Read More

Report: Companies Lag on Improving Risk Management

Despite the constant drumbeat on the need for companies to improve and formalize risk management systems, most are still way behind, a new report finds. A study released this week by the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA) and North Carolina State University’s Enterprise Risk Management Initiative finds that while companies Read More

SEC Whistleblower program

SEC Awards $50 Million to Two J.P. Morgan Tipsters

The Securities and Exchange Commission awarded a total $50 million to two whistleblowers who assisted the agency in bringing a successful enforcement action. One whistleblower received an award of $37 million and the other received an award of $13 million. While the SEC did not disclose the identities of the Read More