Thursday, April 17, 2008

Blame for restatements may need a rethinking


Study: Most revisions are due to 'basic internal company errors,' not complexity of standards. A 30% drop in restates seen in 2007.

The growing number of companies restating their financial results has been cited as a reason to ease U.S. accounting standards by the Securities and Exchange Commission and Treasury Department. But the restatement problem may not be the big bad wolf it was originally thought to be.

Two studies released recently indicate that not only have restatements begun to decline, but they may be caused more by basic company errors than by complex accounting standards that companies have a hard time applying. Although proponents of reducing accounting complexity still think restatements are a problem, the studies could provide ammo for those looking to preserve the current regime.

See full Article.