IOSCO Survey Suggests Improvements For Audit Committee Practices

The SEC Staff has issued new guidance addressing fair value measurement and disclosure practices for private credit and other illiquid assets held by registered funds and business development companies. As private credit portfolios have grown nearly 60% since 2020, reaching $270 billion, regulators emphasize the critical importance of robust valuation methodologies, transparent disclosure of significant judgments, and careful application of accounting standards when market prices are unavailable.

The CAS Board has raised contract thresholds to $35 million and eliminated CAS 407, fundamentally changing cost accounting requirements for federal contractors. At the same time, the Department of War is demanding unprecedented cost and pricing transparency through new memoranda requiring actual cost information for negotiations valued at $10 million or more, creating a complex landscape where contractors face fewer formal CAS requirements but heightened scrutiny of their pricing data.

In a July 23, 2026 Memorandum, President Trump announced the final tariff rates for the 60 countries included in USTR’s Section 301 investigation into those countries’ efforts to prohibit importation of goods made with forced labor

The US National Association of Insurance Commissioners' Statutory Accounting Principles Working Group convened in August 2026 to address critical reforms to the Interest Maintenance Reserve framework...

Finance teams face critical implementation challenges as new GAAP amendments take effect for 2026, requiring immediate attention to accounting policies, documentation standards, and system readiness. Are your financial reporting processes prepared to handle expanded disclosure requirements, CECL practical expedients, and internal-use software accounting changes before year-end audit fieldwork begins?

The SEC has announced the creation of a new enforcement team focused on auditing-related misconduct, signaling heightened scrutiny of auditors and potential SOX violations.

An HHS Office of Inspector General audit of Methodist Hospital in San Antonio reveals how a review of just 100 claims led to a $12.4 million overpayment recommendation through statistical extrapolation. The audit targeted specific high-risk billing areas including Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility claims, certain diagnosis-related groups, and outpatient billing patterns, uncovering documentation and coding compliance issues that hospital leadership should examine within their own Medicare claims.

The SEC has established a new Financial Reporting and Accounting Unit within its Division of Enforcement, consolidating nationwide resources to investigate public company accounting and financial reporting issues. This organizational shift signals heightened scrutiny of complex accounting matters, non-GAAP measures, and disclosure practices.

FINRA proposed a rule amendment to restrict access to representative- and principal-level qualification scores.

The SEC charged Ernst & Young LLP with violations of auditor independence rules that require firms to maintain their objectivity and impartiality with clients.

The final rule goes into effect on November 9, 2020.

In a registration filing with the SEC, an investment firm is seeking approval of a series of double-leveraged bullish and bearish exchange-traded funds ("ETFs") that each track the performance of a single U.S.-listed equity security.

The Federal Communications Commission is seeking public feedback on modernizing its accessibility framework to address rapid changes in consumer technology. The draft Notice of Proposed Rulemaking examines whether existing rules keep pace with today's communications marketplace or inadvertently hinder innovation in accessibility solutions.

The Federal Communications Commission has amended its TCPA consent revocation rules, introducing category-specific opt-outs for informational robocalls and allowing callers to designate exclusive revocation methods. The changes aim to balance consumer control with operational flexibility while addressing concerns about the previous "revoke all" requirement that could inadvertently block wanted communications like fraud alerts and security notifications.

The Surface Transportation Board has lifted its abeyance and established a procedural roadmap for the Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern merger proceeding, marking the official start...

FinCEN notified U.S. financial institutions that the Financial Action Task Force ("FATF") updated the list of jurisdictions with strategic deficiencies in combating anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism ("AML/CFT").

Landlords of rent stabilized buildings in New York City have filed a lawsuit challenging the rent freeze passed by the Rent Guidelines Board, questioning the Board's independence and data integrity. With operating costs rising 31% over five years while the Board voted 7-1 for a freeze affecting 1 million apartments, the case raises critical questions about the balance between tenant protection and landlord viability.

The Health Resources and Services Administration has announced a revised 340B Rebate Model Pilot Program for drugs subject to Medicare's Maximum Fair Price, expanding eligibility to manufacturers with selected drugs for 2026 and 2027. The program introduces new data requirements, dispute resolution mechanisms, and stricter compliance monitoring while addressing stakeholder concerns about administrative burden and program integrity.

The SEC has issued a groundbreaking Innovation Exemption order that creates a five-year regulatory framework for trading tokenized versions of major U.S. exchange-listed stocks. This temporary relief exempts certain digital asset venues and liquidity providers from traditional securities regulations, establishing permissioned environments for on-chain secondary markets while maintaining investor protections.

President Trump signed into law H.R. 3364, the "Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act" ("CAATSA"), imposing new sanctions on Iran, North Korea and Russia.