RSM pays back £4.4m furlough cash December 16, 2020 Audit challenger firm RSM has repaid £4.4m to the government, having decided to do so in a board meeting earlier this month, City A.M can reveal. RSM’s board made the decision to repay the the money in full on 8 December. CEO Rob Donaldson said the firm did not see the decision as an opportunity [...]
Queen faces technical hitch during KPMG video call December 16, 2020 The Queen faced a technical hitch while on a call with KPMG yesterday, proving even the royal family are not immune from video call mishaps. Her Majesty paid a virtual visit to KPMG on Tuesday to mark the firm’s 150th anniversary, where she spoke via video call with five individuals at the Big Four firm. [...]
London FOIL appoints Weightman’s partner as new president December 14, 2020 London FOIL has just appointed Ling Ong as their new president to lead the organisation through 2021. London FOIL is an arm of the Forum of Insurance Lawyers, concentrating on the global insurance and reinsurance markets. Ling Ong is also a partner at UK law firm, Weightmans. Ong has been appointed to replace the outgoing [...]
Accountants BDO to pay back millions in furlough cash after payout outcry December 13, 2020 Accountants BDO will return £4.1m in furlough cash after being subject to a barrage of criticism for paying out hefty profits to its partners. The Sunday Times reported that the company, which is one of the UK’s biggest accounting firms, would give back the money after paying its partners an average of £500,000. Managing partner [...]
Professional services firms to be called on to help make sense of Brexit December 11, 2020 Professional services firms will play an important role in deciphering a Brexit deal – should the UK get one – or what the rules will be in the event of a no-deal scenario. Time is running out for the UK and the EU to agree a post-Brexit trade deal. On the last day of the [...]
Clifford Chance bids farewell to gendered language December 11, 2020 You may have missed it between Brexit drama and more Covid-19 news, but this week Clifford Chance announced it had ditched traditional gendered language like “Dears Sir” in its communications. The move aligns it with a growing trend in the legal sector to make language less gendered. The magic circle law firm is making efforts [...]
German audit watchdog head faces investigation over Wirecard share trading December 11, 2020 Head of German audit watchdog Apas Ralf Bose is facing an investigation after admitting buying and selling shares in Wirecard while the regulator was investigating the troubled payments firm. Bose, who has headed up German audit watchdog Apas since 2016 and is a former senior partner at KPMG, told a German parliamentary inquiry into [...]
Mastercard loses £14bn class action ruling in UK Supreme Court for overcharging 46m Brits December 11, 2020 A £14bn class action against Mastercard for allegedly overcharging more than 46m people in Britain over a 15-year period has been given the go-ahead by the UK Supreme Court this morning. The ruling means the case will now head for a second hearing at the Competition Appeal Tribunal so a decision can be made on [...]
Lengthy audits cut into BDO profits as firm defends use of furlough scheme December 10, 2020 Audits carried out during the coronavirus pandemic have taken between 5 and 10 per cent longer than they would typically, creating extra expense for clients and smaller profits for BDO. Profits at the audit and consultancy firm suffered somewhat in the 2019/20 financial year, with the firm making a profit of £137m, down from a [...]
Lookers switches auditor from Deloitte to BDO after £19m vanishes from its books December 10, 2020 BDO will be appointed the next auditor of vehicle retailer Lookers after a difficult final year with Deloitte that saw £19m vanish from its books. Lookers had been audited by Deloitte for the previous 14 years. The Big Four firm first began auditing the business on 31 December 2006. Lookers’ ran into trouble with Deloitte [...]