The Securities and Exchange Commission has released its 2021 “Agency Rule List” to give companies an idea of the regulations in its pipeline and when they can expect them to move forward. The list includes a schedule of proposed and final rules on such topics such as climate change disclosures, Read More
Akron General Health System, a regional hospital system based in Akron, Ohio, will pay $21 million to resolve allegations under the False Claims Act of improper relationships with certain referring physicians, resulting in the submission of false claims to the Medicare program. The settlement resolves charges that between August 2010 Read More
Investors and regulators are pushing for more comprehensive and uniform reporting on environmental, social, and governance (ESG) efforts. Some organizations are even tying incentive compensation metrics to ESG goals. In March, the Securities and Exchange Commission said it would be looking more closely at ESG disclosures and also announced the Read More
The recent hack of the Colonial Pipeline, which has crippled the transmission of fuel in the Southeast United States, serves as a stark and alarming reminder to all businesses of the vulnerability of information systems to security breaches, hacks, and ransomware attacks. Over the last several years, most businesses have Read More
The Securities and Exchange Commission has announced the creation of a Climate and ESG Task Force in the Division of Enforcement. The task force will be led by Kelly L. Gibson, the Acting Deputy Director of Enforcement, who will oversee a Division-wide effort, with 22 members drawn from the SEC’s Read More
The building blocks of reliable, comparable and relevant environmental, social, and governance (ESG) information begin with a foundation of quality reporting by company management. Now companies have a new resource to improve ESG reporting. The American Institute of CPAs and Center for Audit Quality teamed up to provide audit practitioners Read More
A new report from Transparency International finds that corruption levels have increased around the world, including in some of the countries that have typically scored well, such as Canada, Australia, and the United States. Indeed, among the top 25 least corrupt countries, according to TI’s Corruption Perception Index (CPI), 15 Read More
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
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
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
