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Changes to Accounting Principles Articles

Revised Contingency Accounting Rules Delayed Again

November 16th, 2010

November 2010   Significant negative feedback from legal executives and groups caused the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) to delay implementing expanded financial statement disclosures [...]

U.S. Private Companies Now Have Additional Accounting Alternatives

July 16th, 2009

July 2009 Although there has often been a call for simplified accounting principles for smaller or non-public enterprises, U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) do [...]

FASB Proposes New Revenue Rules As Part Of Dramatic Change To Principles-Based Worldwide Standards

June 16th, 2009

June 2009 In accounting, revenue recognition refers to the point when one is able to record a sale in the financial statements. In a typical [...]

FASB Toughens Off-Balance-Sheet Accounting

June 16th, 2009

June 2009 Existing accounting guidance permits companies to report transfers of portions of financial assets as sales. The off-balance-sheet entities that enabled banks to keep [...]

GAAP Reorganization Will Cause Short-Term Frustration, But Should Improve Research Capabilities

May 16th, 2009

May 2009  On July 1, 2009, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) is expected to issue their “Accounting Standards Codification” (ASC) as the sole authoritative [...]

M&A Accounting For Lawsuit Contingencies Revoked

April 16th, 2009

April 2009 An accounting pronouncement highly criticized by the legal profession was formally revoked this month.   The Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued FSP FAS [...]

Significant New Litigation Disclosures Proposed

June 18th, 2008

June 2008   The Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) proposed expanded disclosures regarding contingencies, most notably those arising from litigation. Unless delayed or altered, litigators [...]

SEC Allows Foreign Reporting Standards in the U.S.

November 16th, 2007

November 2007   Last week, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) eliminated its requirement for international companies to reconcile financial statements prepared under the International [...]

How Principles-Based Accounting Affects Lawyers

August 16th, 2003

August 2003   In late July 2003, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) released a staff study required by Section 108(d) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.  [...]