Federal Rules and Regulations Governing ESOPs Business valuation reports of employer’s securities owned by ESOPs are subject to review by plan fiduciaries, government agencies, and IQPAs auditing the ESOP’s financial statements. Each of these readers have their own responsibilities to the participants and beneficiaries of the plans. This article will examine the federal rules and regulations governing ESOPS, the responsibilities of the report readers, and the use of the report as audit evidence. Introduction Business valuation reports of employer’s securities owned by Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOP) are subject to review by plan fiduciaries, government agencies, and independent qualified public…
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Delicate Balancing (and a Backbone) Required Rarely does a week pass in white collar and investigation or SEC-regulatory outside counsel life that an auditor or government enforcement attorney does not request some form of interim or final read-out or update. These requests for information can encompass investigative process and factual findings, lists of search terms, interview outlines, or similar investigative materials. However, this information, if provided, presents a very real risk of privilege waiver. This article encourages pushback against the “nobody else ever fights us on this” contention often heard from government enforcers and outside auditors wanting to “better understand”…
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In a SPAC Merger Transaction The fair value of equity consideration issued in a merger involving a public company is generally calculated as the product of the quoted price for the individual equity instrument times the quantity issued (commonly referred to a “P times Q”). However, if the merger involves a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC), determining “P” can be subjective and may result in different interpretations of U.S. GAAP fair value between the valuation specialist and the parties involved in the deal. Introduction The fair value of equity consideration issued in a merger involving a public company is generally…
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Buyer and Seller Beware When a privately-held acquirer uses its stock to partly purchase a company, it is imperative that both the acquirer and the target in a transaction have support for, and a level of comfort with, the value assigned to the acquirer’s shares if they are being issued as part of the deal. It is especially important for the seller to conduct its own due diligence to better assess its risk exposure and understand the fair value of intangible assets. This article discusses procedures that sellers and buyers should consider before finalizing the terms. We are all familiar…
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Accountants should focus on providing niche areas of service such as business valuation and retirement planning and move away from tasks including bookkeeping and financial reporting because automation and technological advances will take over much of their work. Dominic Diongson, deputy editor for AccountingWEB, explains. To read the full article in AccountingWEB, click: CPAs Should Shift to Niche Services as Automation Takes Over.