Category: ANR

AT&T Faces Year-Long Scrutiny for ‘Unthinkable’ T-Mobile Bid [Bloomberg]
AT&T Inc. (T)’s $39 billion purchase of T-Mobile USA, the biggest acquisition worldwide in almost a year, may take a year to gain regulators’ approval even if the carrier pledges to sell assets and expand rural coverage. The acquisition would push AT&T past its largest rival, Verizon Wireless, to become the biggest U.S. mobile-phone carrier. AT&T and T-Mobile combined have 39 percent of the market, according to research firm EMarketer Inc.

Allies Press Libya Attacks [WSJ]
The U.S. and its allies intensified air attacks against forces loyal to Col. Moammar Gadhafi on Sunday, keeping anti-Gadhafi rebels from being immediately overrun and bringing a reprieve to the increasingly desperate pro-democracy uprising. Allied jets and missiles pounded Libyan military targets over the weekend, including one of Col. Gadhafi’s armored columns seen charred on the road to Benghazi, the rebels’ de facto capital. Rebels emboldened by the international support renewed fighting in Ajdabiya, a strategic city they had lost last week, witnesses said.

It Turns Out That Lower Taxes Could Kill You After All [JDA]
Some states (namely those with mottos like “Live Free or Die”) aren’t going to buckle to the pressure of tax lovers like the American Lung Association.

Is There Death in the Accounting Classroom? [The Summa]
Speaking of death.

Promise on Taxes Sparks GOP Rift [WSJ]
A few prominent GOP lawmakers believe they will have to raise some tax revenue if they are to bring Democrats along on a bipartisan compromise to address the U.S.’s long-term fiscal problems. Many Democrats want higher taxes to cover at least part of future budget gaps. That has led to clashes between Republican lawmakers and a Washington advocacy group, Americans for Tax Reform, the self-appointed keeper of the party’s anti-tax flame.

US banks face fresh scrutiny on lending [FT]
US banks could be forced to disclose when they give clients below-market rates on loans as a part of their efforts to secure further business, under rules being considered by accounting regulators. The proposed change could lay bare cases in which larger lenders use their balance sheet to secure lucrative investment banking business.

Companies: Gov. Rick Snyder’s business tax plan simple, appealing [DFP]
CPA turned Michigan Governor Rick Snyder wants to Michigan’s 6% corporate tax in a overhaul for the state.

Taxing Gestational Surrogacy [TaxProf Blog]
For those interested.

Libya Ceasefire Announced After U.N. Approves Intervention [Reuters]
Libya declared a ceasefire in the country to protect civilians and comply with a United Nations resolution passed overnight, Libyan Foreign Minister Moussa Koussa said on Friday. “We decided on an immediate ceasefire and on an immediate stop to all military operations,” he told reporters. “(Libya) takes great interest in protecting civilians,” he said, adding that the country would also protect all foreigners and foreign assets in Libya.

Frantic Repairs Go On at Plant as Japan Raises Severity of Crisis [NYT]
Japanese engineers battled on Friday to cool spent fuel rods and restore electric power to pumps at the stricken Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station as new challenges seemed to accumulate by the hour, with steam billowing from one reactor and damage at another apparently making it difficult to lower temperatures.

H&R Block Chairman Breeden Stepping Down to Focus on Hedge Fund [Bloomberg]
H&R Block Inc. (HRB), the biggest U.S. tax preparer, said Richard C. Breeden will step down as chairman more than three years after the hedge-fund manager and former securities regulator seized control in a proxy fight. Breeden, 61, plans to leave at the end of the tax season on April 18, the Kansas City, Missouri-based company said yesterday in a statement. He intends to devote more time to his hedge fund, Breeden Capital Management, H&R Block said.

April 1 Deadline Fast Approaching for Illinois CPA Society Scholarships [PR Newswire]
IL accounting wannabes pursuing an accounting degree with plans to become a CPA can apply for four different scholarships funded by the CPA Endowment Fund of Illinois.

Deloitte Fired For Kabul Bank But PwC Missed Fraud [Forbes]
Plenty of blame to go around!

Deloitte taps Miami native to head its Florida offices [SFBJ]
Peter T. Pruitt, Jr. is the new chief.

Tax-Writer Camp’s Push for Lower Rates Forces Deduction Choice [Bloomberg]
Representative Dave Camp’s call to lower U.S. corporate and individual tax rates to 25 percent would require Congress to make the type of difficult choices that have doomed tax overhaul plans for a quarter century. Camp, a Michigan Republican who heads the House Ways and Means Committee, this week said he wants to lower the top individual and corporate rates by 10 percentage points. His aim would be to collect revenue totaling 18 percent to 19 percent of gross domestic product, which is near the recent average.

Charlie Sheen’s Oprah Tax Problem [TaxProf Blog]
Of course it has to do with WINNING.

Texas Legislature Looks to Soda Tax to Fill Budget Gap [Tax Foundation]
Supposedly this will raise $2 billion for Texas, narrowing its budget deficit to $25 billion. Progress!

Tax Plan Aims for 25% Cap [WSJ]
The chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee wants to cut the top U.S. tax rate to 25% for individuals and corporations, and cut or eliminate many popular deductions. The odds of quick action appear slender. But the move, from Rep. Dave Camp (R., Mich.), is significant as a marker in what will likely be a multiyear debate over revamping the tax code. The plan also provides Republicans with a position to pitch in the 2012 election, a campaign that promises to focus heavily on the economy and jobs.

Moral for CEOs Is Choose Your Fraud Carefully [Jonathan Weil/Bloomberg]
Of all the stories to come out of the 2008 collapses of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, this one may be the most incredible: To this day, neither company has admitted that any of the numbers on its financial statements that year were wrong. It seems the Securities and Exchange Commission won’t be doing anything to challenge that pretense, either, and that this may be by design. The SEC for years has been bending over backward to avoid accusing major financial institutions of cooking their books, even when it’s obvious they did.

A Long, Painful Reckoning [WSJ]
The number of dead and missing after Japan’s twin earthquake and tsunami stood late Wednesday, officially, at 12,920. In reality, Japanese widely agree, the toll of last week’s disaster is likely much higher. In Miyagi, a coastal prefecture that bore some of the tsunami’s worst destruction, officials estimate the toll there alone will be in the tens of thousands.

The Ten Worst Things to Put on Your Resume [FINS]
Your experience as a lifeguard in high school won’t do much good.

Accountants gone bad… [AW]
The latest batch of bad apples.

Congress Deliberates on Taxes and Abortions [AT]
Stamping tax provisions into the “No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act” doesn’t make a lot of sense.

How do tax forms get their names? [MSN]
Some trivial information to distract your clients when they’re about to fire you.

Economic hit from Japan quake seen up to $200 billion [Reuters]
Japan’s devastating earthquake and deepening nuclear crisis could result in losses of up to $200 billion for the world’s third largest economy but the global impact remains hard to gauge five days after a massive tsunami battered the northeast coast. As Japanese officials scrambled to avert a catastrophic meltdown at a nuclear plant 240 km (150 miles) north of the capital Tokyo, economists took stock of the damage to buildings, production and consumer activity.

Two Obsolete Models: Global Financial Reporting and Audit — And Pimping Spam Viagra With AOL’s Rogue E-Mail [Re:Balance]
[F]or the last twenty-five years, nothing but in-bred regulatory inertia and supine user acquiescence have propped up the standard auditor’s report on a financial reporting model that is no less obsolete than that of AOL.

US audit reform debate not as raucous as in UK? [Accountancy Age]
Francine McKenna looks at the U.K.’s attempts at reforming the audit biz versus the U.S.’s attempt to…well, never mind.

Morale at SEC Remains High Despite Obstacles [FINS]
Morale at the SEC is high despite a frozen budget and staunch Republican opposition to increasing funds, according to deputy director of enforcement Lorin Reisner. “Morale is high because we continue to bring important enforcement actions,” he said. “We have empowered our staff with greater responsibility, more tools and more streamlined decision-making.”

IRS pays Enron whistleblower $1.1 million [WaPo]
Before Enron was publicly exposed as a financial house of cards, a whistleblower tipped the Internal Revenue Service that the company was using abusive tax shelters to generate fictitious income, a law firm representing the informant said Tuesday. Now, more than a decade later, the IRS has paid that whistleblower a $1.1 million reward, the law firm said.

Top 50 Companies for Executive Women 2011 [AOL]
Accenture #2; KPMG #25.

In Lehman’s Demise, a Dwindling Chance of Charges [DealBook]
Can it be that the largest bankruptcy ever will simply pass into history with no one held accountable for the losses inflicted on investors and the market?

Afghan Contract for Deloitte Suspended [WSJ]
The U.S. government has suspended Deloitte Consulting LLP’s contract to advise Afghanistan’s central bank ahead of the release Wednesday of an investigation into the regulator’s failure to stem corruption at the country’s largest private lender. An investigation by the inspector general for the U.S. Agency for International Development, which issued the contract to Deloitte, is expected to be highly critical of the firm’s failure to flag corruption at Kabul Bank, saddled with losses estimated to be as high as $900 million.

Futures Tumble After Nikkei Plunges [WSJ]
In Japan, the Nikkei Stock Average plunged 11%, sparking broad declines in Asian and European markets. Germany’s DAX 30 index was particularly hard hit, down 4.2%in intraday trading. Against this backdrop, futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average were down 232 points to 11694 about 90 minutes before the opening bell. They had fallen as low as 11611.

IRS Boosted Auditing of Richest Taxpayers, Almost Doubling Rate Last Year [BloombergKraft CFO to leave in mid-2011 [BBW]
Chief Financial Officer Timothy McLevish is leaving the company in mid-2011 to “pursue opportunities in general management.”

Is Happiness Overrated? [WSJ]
[R]esearchers say happiness as people usually think of it—the experience of pleasure or positive feelings—is far less important to physical health than the type of well-being that comes from engaging in meaningful activity. Researchers refer to this latter state as “eudaimonic well-being.” Happiness research, a field known as “positive psychology,” is exploding. Some of the newest evidence suggests that people who focus on living with a sense of purpose as they age are more likely to remain cognitively intact, have better mental health and even live longer than people who focus on achieving feelings of happiness.

Why the New 1099 Rules Aren’t That Bad for Small Businesses [You’re the Boss/NYT]
THE HORROR!

China Agritech, Inc. Dismisses Ernst & Young Hua Ming As Auditor [PR Newswire]
The dismissal of Ernst & Young Hua Ming was made after thorough consideration by the Audit Committee, and the Board of Directors of the Company. The decision to dismiss the auditor was the result of Ernst & Young (China) Advisory Limited Beijing Branch Office entering into a SOX 404 service agreement including performing the test of the Company’s internal controls from 2008 to 2010. Recently, the public and the management team have raised doubts about this service agreement’s impact on Ernst & Young Hua Ming’s independence to act as the Company’s auditor.

Professional gamblers gain with tax ruling [LVRJ]
A January ruling by the U.S. Tax Court changed a portion of a half-century-old opinion that equated expenses related to a gambling trip with gambling losses — they were deductible only to the extent of their winnings. The court now believes the expenses to reach a casino or racetrack, and other expenses associated with the activity of gambling, can be written off.

Taking Stock of India’s New Accounting Standards [WSJ]
The Indian Ministry of Corporate Affairs recently notified that it had converged 35 Indian accounting standards with international guidelines. This is an important first step in bringing International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) to India, and making Indian companies’ financial statements comparable to that of their global peers. However, several deviations of the proposed Indian standards from international practices have raised concerns among investors.

BOJ Pledges Liquidity on Japan Quake as Toyota Shuts Plants [Bloomberg]
Japan’s central bank pledged to ensure financial stability after the strongest earthquake in at least a century forced Toyota Motor Corp. to shut some plants, knocked out oil refineries and sparked a plunge in stocks. The magnitude 8.9 earthquake struck off the coast of Sendai, a city of 1 million in the northeast, unleashing a tsunami as high as 10 meters (33 feet) that engulfed towns along the coast. The Tohoku region, which includes Sendai, accounts for about 8 percent of the country’s gross domestic product, according to Macquarie Song>IASB urges US to adopt new accounting rules [FT]
Speaking in Washington DC on Thursday, Sir David Tweedie sought to reassure the US that it would not be ceding control of its accounting system to foreign politicians if it adopted the IASB’s rules. The plea by Sir David comes at the same time as a push by the European Commission to secure a greater say for public authorities in the oversight of his organisation. The US Securities and Exchange Commission is due to decide this year whether to jettison US accounting rules in favour of adopting the IASB’s international financial reporting standards (IFRS), which are followed in the European Union and a number of other countries.

Has India Abandoned IFRS? [The Accounting Onion]
Paging Sir David…

Medical marijuana subject to new LA tax [DMWT]
If only it were that simple.

3 Accounting Associations Merge to Form IGAF Polaris [AT]
Three international accounting associations—Polaris International, Fidunion and IGAF Worldwide—are merging together to create one of the largest associations of independent accounting firms in the world. The merged association, which will operate under the name IGAF Polaris, will contain 385 member firms with combined annual revenue of over $1.82 billion. The association will include a combined total of 2,402 partners, 16,304 professional staff operating out of 846 offices in 88 countries around the globe.

Arizona and Idaho Look Again to Film Tax Credits [Tax Foundation]
Joe Kristan is getting heartburn.

Pentagon accounting problems ‘serious’: Treasury [AFP]
Essentially the DoD is unauditable.

Ford truck crashes into public accountant’s office in Dodge City [Dodge City Daily Globe]
Yes, that Dodge City.

Deloitte Announces Alliance Agreement with MicroStrategy to Deliver Business Intelligence and Analytic Solutions [PR Newswire]
Under the agreement, Deloitte will combine MicroStrategy’s advanced business intelligence (BI) technology with its broad array of consulting, advisory and implementation services to assist their mutual clients in meeting information, business intelligence and analytic needs. The alliance includes collaboration on solution, service and market development, education, training, sales and delivery.

Auditors reject lack of scepticism concerns [Accountancy Age]
Auditors have rejected the suggestion that there [sic] work requires more scepticism. Following the release of a discussion paper from regulators on whether auditor scepticism needs to be increased, firms defended their attitude and working processes to provide audits. Some noted that the application of international financial reporting standards (IFRS), which can provide a range of potential outcomes, is confused by regulators as a lack of scepticism.

IFRS Outlook: Hurry Up and Wait [CFO]
Asked which are the most crucial accounting issues that their companies are facing in 2011, 34% of the 472 CFOs who responded to the question ranked “Convergence to IFRS,” or international financial reporting standards, as number one. Cumulatively, the respondents ranked IFRS convergence higher than any other accounting issue. Yet asked to describe their companies’ “readiness to comply with global accounting standards,” 44.2% said they hadn’t “begun to address convergence,” while 38.8% said they were preparing, “but far from ready.”

Satyam Seeks SEC Approval To Shorten Period of Earnings Restatement [Dow Jones]
Satyam Computer Services Ltd. […] which is recovering from a fraud scandal, is in talks with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to shorten the time frame for which the company would need to restate its earnings under U.S. accounting standards, its chairman said. A restatement of earnings under U.S. accounting standards would be one of the prerequisites for Satyam to be able to relist on the New York Stock Exchange.

Auditors would deflate accounting bubbles [FT]
But it is right for regulators to impose high standards on auditors, who in servicing big quoted companies benefit from what looks suspiciously like an oligopoly. Accountants who habitually let a little air out of inflated asset values could help avert future market crashes. In an old joke, a chief executive asks his slick FD what the profits figure is. “What would you like it to be?” comes the reply. Sceptical auditors would guard against that.

Auditors Abandon Investors On Liability Limits [Forbes]
The Big 4 audit firms have always been preoccupied with significant legal liability in the US. Managing these cases requires exorbitant amounts of the US firms’ time and money. Their international umbrella firms and, in many cases, members firms in other parts of the world are also burdened. It’s my estimate that Big 4 leadership spends 75% of their time on litigation matters.

American Apparel CEO held teen as sex slave: lawsuit [Reuters]
American Apparel Inc founder and chief executive Dov Charney is being sued for $250 million by a woman who said he treated her as a sex slave when she was a teenage sales employee at the clothing chain. Irene Morales of Brooklyn, New York, has accused Charney, 42, of sexual harassment, creating a hostile workplace, gender discrimination and retaliation. American Apparel and directors at the company have also been named as defendants in the lawsuit, filed in a New York state court on Friday. Morales accused them of failing to protect her, and said they knew or should have known that Charney was a “sexual predator.”

Marijuana IPOs Provide Investors With Gateway to Cannabis Boom [Bloomberg]
The legalization of medical marijuana — permitted in at least 15 states — has kicked off a booming economy in ancillary goods. Startups such as Peterson’s GrowOp Technology Ltd. and General Cannabis Inc. (CANA) compare the phenomenon to the California gold rush, when the people making the real money were the ones selling pick axes and shovels. Both companies are planning initial public offerings, part of an effort to remove the stigma from what’s seen as a multibillion-dollar industry.

GM Announces CFO Transition [PR Newswire]
General Motors Vice Chairman and Chief Financial Officer Chris Liddell today announced that he will leave the company April 1, 2011, having completed the largest public offering in history and stabilizing the company’s financial operations. Liddell, 52, joined GM in January, 2010 and led the company’s financial and accounting operations on a global basis. “Chris was a major contributor during a pivotal time in the company’s history,” said Dan Akerson, GM chairman and CEO. “He guided the company’s IPO process and established a good financial foundation for the future.”

Rewriting Pension History [WSJ]
Some big companies are changing how they account for their pension plans in a way that could make their earnings look better in coming years. AT&T Inc., Verizon Communications Inc. and Honeywell International Inc. recently ended a longstanding practice in which they “smooth” large gains and losses generated by pension assets into their financial results over a period of years. From now on, these companies will count all such gains and losses in the same year they are incurred.

Cracking the Glass Ceiling From Both Sides [FINS]
Women looking to make it to the C-suite stand a better chance if they can get a boost from other women, according to a new study from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. The study shows that companies with more women on their boards of directors have a greater share of women in top executive positions.

Baucus skeptical of businesses taxed as individuals [The Hill]
“I think the development of pass-throughs has not been helpful to the American economy,” Baucus said after a hearing on tax reform in which witnesses also questioned that arrangement. “I don’t know the solution,” the senator added, “but I think the problem of pass-throughs is concerning.”

BofA CFO: To Cut Long-Term Debt To Near $300B In 2013 From $448B [Dow Jones]
Bank of America Corp. plans on trimming its long-term debt by a further third over the next three years, Chief Financial Officer Charles Noski said, continuing the bank’s goal of shrinking itself to handle new capital ratio requirements. Noski said, in conjunction with slashing long-term debt, the bank plans to keep its total asset level relatively stable through 2013. It will continue to run off assets it doesn’t think are core to its business, with only “modest” increases predicted in certain commercial and consumer loans.

Tchenguizes arrested in Kaupthing probe [FT]
Vincent and Robert Tchenguiz, among the UK’s highest-profile entrepreneurs, have been arrested as part of an investigation into the collapse of Kaupthing, the Icelandic investment bank. Enforcement officers from the Serious Fraud Office and the City of London police made the arrests at about 5.30am on Wednesday, while offices at Rotch Property, the investment vehicle that controls the brothers’ property portfolio, have also been raided.

Americans Oppose Government Shutdown, Fault Cuts in Poll [Bloomberg]
Almost 8 in 10 people say Republicans and Democrats should reach a compromise on a plan to reduce the federal budget deficit to keep the government running, a Bloomberg National Poll shows. At the same time, lopsided margins oppose cuts to Medicare, education, environmental protection, medical research and community-renewal programs.

Dynegy Warns It Likely Won’t Be Able To Comply With Debt Covenants [Dow Jones]
Dynegy Inc.’s auditor, Ernst & Young LLP, expressed substantial doubt that the company will be able to continue as a going concern, as the power producer said it is likely that it won’t be able to comply with some debt covenants in 2011.

How to Be the Ultimate Facebook Troll [Gizmodo]
Because if strange people are going to friend you, you might as well fuck with them.

Hearing set on Koch lawsuit over Internet hoax [AP]
A federal judge will hear arguments next month on whether to quash subpoenas filed by Koch Industries seeking the identities of the environmental pranksters behind a media hoax and bogus website. Wichita-based Koch sued an anonymous group behind a bogus website and fake new release issued in December that falsely announced the company was going to fund more environmentally friendly groups.

When Your Friends Become Your Subordinates [FINS]
[W]hat happens when you’re promoted and your closest work friends are left behind? You could suddenly be overseeing someone who trained you. Or perhaps you bested a buddy in a competition for the promotion. Some of your most important relationships on the job may be threatened by the transition.

Scorsese slapped with $2.85M back-tax bill [NYP]
More fallout from the “accountant marries stripper, starts Ponzi scheme” tale.

Google, Infosys Fight `Daughterly Guilt’ to Lure Indian Women [Bloomberg]
When Preethi Mohan Rao quit her job following the birth of her first child in 2006, the 28-year-old tax professional was prepared to put her career on hold indefinitely. Her bosses at Ernst & Young’s Global Shared Services in India would have none of it. As E&Y’s Indian operations grew to almost 4,000 employees by 2010 from about 200 in 2002, the company accomplished something rare in India: having an equal number of male and female workers[.]

Tax prep winners? CPAs in a landslide [CPA Success]
A three-way face-off between TurboTax vs. H&R Block vs. CPA for the best refund.

Insider Trading Hurts: McKinsey Survives But Target Companies Suffer [Forbes]
Francine McKenna explains the difference between a McKinsey and a Big 4 insider trading scandal.

Why I’ll Never Comment on TechCrunch Again [JDA]
Something to do with Facebook.

SEC `Capacity Gap’ Risks Oversight Lapses as Regulator’s Targets Multiply [Bloomberg]
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is about 400 employees short of what it needs to manage its current workload, according to a consultant’s four- month internal review mandated by the Dodd-Frank Act. The preliminary findings by Boston Consulting Group Inc. reinforce arguments by SEC officials that the agency is underfunded and understaffed as it takes on oversight of derivatives, credit-rating firms and municipal bonds, according to a draft copy of the report obtained by Bloomberg News.

Country star to IRS: ‘Shove It’ [Tax Watchdog]
That’s a $1.6 million shove.

Brussels pushes US on accounting [FT]
The European Commission has tried to bolster the US’s uncertain commitment to global accounting standards by suggesting that it could lose international influence if it does not sign up. Brussels’s impatience with the long-standing attempt to create a single language for financial reporting comes amid criticism of the rules being written for the project.

MF Global appoints new CFO [Reuters]
Brokerage MF Global Holdings , led by former Goldman Sachs Chief Executive Jon Corzine, has appointed Henri Steenkamp to the post of Chief Financial Officer. Steenkamp, who is currently the firm’s chief accounting officer and global controller, will replace Randy MacDonald, who was recently appointed global head of the firm’s retail operations, the company said in a statement.

CFOs Reveal Second-Quarter Hiring Plans [PR Newswire]
Most (85 percent) chief financial officers (CFOs) interviewed for the Robert Half Financial Hiring Index said they expect to make no changes to their current staffing levels during the second quarter of 2011. Seven percent anticipate adding full-time accounting and finance professionals, while another 7 percent plan personnel reductions. The net 0 percent projection is down two points from the first-quarter 2011 forecast.

Taxman gives ex-pats a week’s notice to return to Libya [Accountancy Age]
HMRC has announced that the ex-pats will have one week after the country is deemed safe by the Foreign Office to return there without it affecting their status. Jonathan Kropman, a tax partner at law firm Berwin Leighton Paisner, said: “Given reports of widespread damage to property and infrastructure in Libya this seems unduly harsh.

Students Struggle for Words [WSJ]
While M.B.A. students’ quantitative skills are prized by employers, their writing and presentation skills have been a perennial complaint. Employers and writing coaches say business-school graduates tend to ramble, use pretentious vocabulary or pen too-casual emails.

Al Pacino — Targeted By IRS Over $188k Debt [TMZ]
A little fallout from the Ken Starr (the guy who just got sentenced) situation.

House votes to rescind IRS reporting measure [Reuters]
The House of Representatives voted on Thursday to rescind an unpopular business tax reporting requirement in the year-old healthcare law, but the measure could be delayed by a dispute with Senate Democrats over how to pay for it. The House vote was 314-112, with 76 Democrats joining the majority Republicans despite concerns the method used to cover the cost of repealing the reporting requirements would weaken President Barack Obama’s healthcare overhaul.

Ford Accounting Move May Add $13 Billion to Profit, Expert Says [BBW]
Ford Motor Co., after earning $9.3 billion in the last two years, may make an accounting change this year to reflect confidence in its recovery, a move one tax expert said could boost its 2011 profit as much as $13 billion. Ford in the second half may eliminate from its balance sheet a valuation allowance held against deferred tax assets, it said in a federal filing this week. The reserve was created in 2006 as Ford began four years of operating losses.

Employment Data Signal Economic Improvement [WSJ]
Nonfarm payrolls rose by 192,000 last month as private-sector employers added 222,000 jobs, the Labor Department said Friday in its survey of employers. The January number was revised to show an increase of 63,000 jobs from a previous estimate of 36,000. The unemployment rate, which is obtained from a separate household survey, fell to 8.9% last month, the first time it dipped below 9% since April 2009.

The DiversityInc Top 50 Companies for Diversity [DiversityInc]
PwC #3; E&Y #5; Deloitte #8; KPMG #29.

What NFL Players Are Asking Their Accountants Right Now [Esquire]
Pro football players may have to start unloading those extra cars.

Deloitte’s role as auditor to Aero Inventory under investigation [Telegraph]
The Accountancy and Actuarial Discipline Board (AADB) said on Thursday that it had opened an investigation into the “preparation, approval and audit” of Aero Inventory’s accounts in the years leading up to its collapse in late 2009. The enquiry will centre on Deloitte’s role as well as that of the company’s accountants.

Phil Isom Joins KPMG to Lead U.S. Corporate Finance Group [PR Newswire]
Mr Isom joins KPMG from “another Big Four accounting firm’s capital advisory group.”

Sleep is More Important than Food [HBR]
In case you’ve got a decision to make this weekend.

BP Spill Chiefs Miss Out on Bonuses [WSJ]
Former Chief Executive Tony Hayward, former head of Exploration and Production Andy Inglis and current Chief Executive Robert Dudley will receive no cash bonus for 2010 and no shares under the long-term remuneration plan running from 2008 to 2010, BP said in its annual report to shareholders. Head of Refining Iain Conn and Chief Financial Officer Byron Grote will receive cash bonuses of £104,000 ($169,800) and $207,000 respectively for meeting targets within their own division. This is around 10% of the cash bonuses they received in 2009.

Twitter’s Stone: No IPO or funding talks [Reuters]
Asked about a Financial Times report last week that said a technology fund from JPMorgan was in talks to buy 10 percent of Twitter, Stone said: “(The report is) made up.”

Taxpayers Beat Wall Street as Top Lenders to Clean Energy [Bloomberg]
Government-backed development banks in Europe, Brazil and the U.S. arranged the most funding for clean energy projects in 2010, taking up the slack left by commercial lenders during the credit crisis. The European Investment Bank furnished $5.41 billion of debt for renewable energy projects last year followed by $3.16 billion from Brazil’s state development bank, BNDES, and $2.12 billion from the U.S. Federal Financing Bank, according to an annual survey by Bloomberg New Energy Finance.

Robert Half Professional Employment Report [RHI]
Nine percent plan to increase staff, while 4 percent anticipate declines. The net 5 percent projected increase is unchanged from the first-quarter survey, with most respondents, 86 percent, expecting to maintain current personnel levels.

Starr Gets 7 1/2-Year Prison Sentence for Defrauding His Celebrity Clients [Bloomberg]
Kenneth I. Starr, the money manager whose clients included actors Sylvester Stallone and Wesley Snipes, was sentenced to 7 1/2 years in prison after pleading guilty to defrauding nine celebrities out of $33.3 million.

Ryan Donmoyer Leaves for Ernst & Young [FoC]
Donmoyer covered tax news for Bloomberg out of DC.

Wesley Snipes Seeks Supreme Court Review of His Tax Convictions [TaxProf Blog]
Um…okay.

Going through the motions: Only 1/3 of workers are engaged in their jobs [AW]
But far more are married to their jobs. Strange.