Sunday, November 8, 2009

Information Security + Fair Value Accounting + UBS Systems and Controls Failures

Information Security: Why Cybercriminals Are Smiling
Published: August 19, 2009 in Knowledge@Wharton

Hardly a week goes by without some new internet security snafu being reported. And with web usage exploding, expect to hear about a lot more. According to a new analysis from Forrester Research, the number of Internet users is forecast to grow 45% globally over the next four years, reaching 2.2 billion by 2013. More people online, more data to hack -- it's a cybercriminal's paradise. read more

Is It Fair to Blame Fair Value Accounting for the Financial Crisis?
Published in Harvard Business Review
Investors and corporate executives don’t agree on how to value distressed assets. But maybe they don’t have to. What was the primary cause of the current financial crisis? Subprime mortgages, credit default swaps, or excessive debt? None of those, says Steve Forbes, chairman of Forbes Media and sometime political candidate. In his view, mark-to-market accounting was “the principal reason” that the U.S. financial system melted down in 2008. read more

News in the making:

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Regulation of the U.S. financial sector

The current regulatory environment worldwide is one that demands that enterprises take every step to ensure the integrity of their finances, their data, their processes, and their employees. Legislators in virtually every nation have promulgated laws that mandate higher levels of corporate governance, risk management, and compliance. From the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) in the United States, to Bill 198 in Canada, to Japan’s Financial Instruments and Exchange Law (J-SOX) , to Saudi Arabia’s CMA Corporate Governance.

There is plan in the making at White house. The plan would bring sweeping changes to the way financial markets are overseen, empowering federal regulators and limiting the amount of risk financial companies can extend. It also would allow the government to take over and break up large firms, boost consumer protections and push for changes in the way loans are securitized.

Consultants stay tune ....