The Chicago office is the first to report having the sit-downs. Five professionals in one of the specialty tax practices at all levels except partner. We’ve seen several comments from people that have received emails but we haven’t received any confirmation and we’re still waiting to hear back from KPMG.
If you have severance details, number let go, or other information, send to tips@goingconcern.com or discuss in the comments.
Category: Big 4
If it happens at a Big 4 accounting firm, we’re talking about it here.
Rumor Mill: KPMG Layoff Started Early in Philly
Not that Klynveldians need reminded but tomorrow is the rumored next round of layoffs. This time its rumored to be the tax practice and perhaps the advisory practice as well making cuts.
Someone in the Philadelphia office got their call earlier than planned according to a tip we received:
…one associate who received a phone call at 3:00 PM letting her know that her services were no longer needed. She was initially told this would likely happen on the 21st, but for some reason, the powers that be thought it more appropriate to call someone on the 15th
If you’ve got details on your office or if you have received a request for a meeting, let us know and we’ll continue to update you as we hear more.
Somehow Deloitte Gets Roped Into a Chicago Political Scandal
Big D is probably just a pawn in the whole game but it serves as a nice example of how Illinois political tomfoolery touches just about anyone and everyone.
And Rod Blagojevich is just ridiculous and not relevant for this story but his picture seems to work here, so deal with it.
A criminal investigation into Cook County Board President Todd Stroger that started with questions surrounding the hiring, promotion, and firing of a busboy. Stroger then fired his own cousin, “the county’s chief financial officer amid questions about her dealings with [Tony] Cole.”
Cole is said busboy who must have made a move on Stroger’s cousin but enough speculation. The investigation has now grown wider as prosecutors have now subpoenaed Deloitte.
More, after the jump
Chicago Tribune:
Prosecutors have ordered Deloitte & Touche LLP, the county’s auditors, to turn over “certain documents” pertaining to the 2008 audit of county finances, according to a memo from County Board Finance Committee Chairman John Daley (D-Chicago), who also heads the Audit Committee. Deloitte personnel “may serve as witnesses to a current grand jury investigation,” according to an attached letter sent to Stroger from Deloitte’s Tracey Guidry.
It should be noted that John is the brother of Richard, the Mayor who was elected around the time when the Cubs last won the World Series.
The only word on the documents are that they were used in the ‘customary preparation’ of the audit, according to the Sun-Times.
Safe money is on at least one resignation/removal from office and a small fortune being discovered to have passed through various channels of the City Hall.
Todd Stroger: Probe expands into Cook County Board president’s hiring of ex-busboy [Chicago Tribune]
E&Y Partners Need Pachyderm-like Memory for Counting Emmy Ballots
Today in dorks in tuxedos news, E&Y is finishing up their counting of the votes for this weekend’s Emmy Awards and hopefully they can handle it.
From the press release:
“We work very hard to safeguard the entire voting process and take the appropriate measures to preserve the accuracy and confidentiality of the awards,” explained Andy Sale, Ernst & Young LLP Lead Partner for the 2009 Emmy Awards. “Our team uses a combination of technology and traditional hand-counting methods to deliver accurate results.”
The technology methods must be terribly advanced for this complex engagement and since some partners can’t even send email, we’re a little concerned. Especially since three people memorize the list of 109 winners.
Plus, since this the 21st time E&Y has done the awards, we’re assuming there will be jager shots before, during, and after the show. Not only will this not help with the whole memorization issue but it could also jeopardize the envelope handoffs and projectile vomiting will blow whatever slim shot they had at hooking up with Christina Hendricks.
Good luck E&Y. Don’t f*ck it up. And if you have second thoughts on sharing results early, you know how to reach us.
We Get It. PwC Wins Every Employer Award in the UK
The UK’s annoying hot crush on PwC continues as the firm has won the The Times High Fliers Top Graduate Employer of the year award.
This is the sixth year in a row that P. Dubs has won this award. They were also named top accountancy firm for the tenth year in row and won the top finance company award this year, the first time an accounting firm has won the award.
We know it’s a little late on a Friday to be asking our UK friends to participate but we’d really like to know how P. Dubs manages to win all these awards.
The vote early, vote often mantra immediately comes to mind but is it legitimately possible that PwC is really the best place to work in the UK year after year? Whatever the case may be, it’s just annoying.
If you’ve done some time across the pond and have stories of Google-esque cafeterias, rub n’ tugs, puppies for everyone and the such, let us know, otherwise, debunk.
PwC voted best place for graduates [Accountancy Age]
Rumor of Morning: KPMG Layoffs September Edition
This isn’t how Klynveldians probably want to start their Friday but we’ve received a tip that conference rooms have already been reserved by HR for all of next Tuesday at the Radio Station in Kansas City.
If you’re throwing a birthday party that day, let us know, otherwise discuss.
Rumor of the Day: E&Y Considering Coal in Your Stocking
Possibly following the Radio Station’s lead, E&Y’s New York office is giving consideration to ix-nay on the Holiday Party-nay.
This really makes sense since 5 Times Square is in the middle of all the action, everyone can go to TGI Friday’s instead. Separate checks of course.
E&Y did not immediately reply to our request for comment.
(UPDATE) Rumor Mill: KPMG Making Pay Freeze Announcement?
There’s been rumors about pay freezes at all firms and E&Y came out last month to say it’s happening mostly because it’s fair.
Since many of you Klynveldians are probably anxious for some kind of “official” word, we’ll pass this along:
Rumor is the Radio Station will be announcing raises and bonuses on Monday/Tuesday in the Southeast next week (rates are loaded online on the self service connection next Friday for all to see, so talk about waiting until the last minute).
Firm leadership is saying KPMG will pay market and market rates are down when compared to the prior year… so here’s to no raises!
Ernstinites got a voicemail announcing the news which didn’t seem to go over well, so here’s hoping that some kind of live feed from Tim Flynn’s office will be KPMG’s approach for this announcement with Q&A to follow of course. More personal that way, don’t you think?
If you’ve got information on your city or region matching the market rates, drop us an email to us or discuss in the comments.
UPDATE, 2:57 pm: Apparently the offices in the Mid-Atlantic are willing to sit down with you to discuss this as we received a tip that “roundtables” were held by partners to explain the merit increases. Beats a voicemail. If you participated in one of these sit downs or had similar meetings in your region, discuss further.
KPMG UK Head of Audit Explains Rentokil Arrangement
KPMG’s new arrangement with Rentokil has brought some differing opinions amongst the firms, even prompting PwC to take a not-so direct jab at the Radio Station for scooping Rentokil.
Today, KPMG’s head of audit in the UK, Oliver Tant, wrote a piece for Accountancy Age explaining the firm’s new “extended assurance”:
Continued, after the jump
Under the service, those responsible for corporate governance may ask KPMG to perform work beyond that which is required for the statutory audit, for example by testing a larger sample of controls or additional transactions and balances of lower value than the materiality level set for the statutory audit.
This work does not replace, conflict with or undermine the independence of the external audit it simply extends our understanding of the business and its controls and hence the breadth and depth of insight we can offer. That is why we call it extended assurance.
Mr. Tant also cites the savings passed along to the client, which is so hot these days. He also explains what “extended assurance” is NOT:
The service is not about merging the external and internal audit functions. A company can continue to have its own internal audit function and those charged with corporate governance will still be responsible for assessing the overall adequacy of a company’s control environment and the need for skilled internal audit expertise.
Ethical standards do not prevent the auditor from doing more than the bare minimum to support the audit opinion. We will identify and plan the work necessary to support our audit opinion independent of any further work we may be requested to perform.
As we mentioned, PwC has already made their opinion known and E&Y’s head of assurance in the UK, John Flattery has stated that they will not be “mirroring the arrangement.”
It’s already been speculated that this type of arrangement would not be allowed in the U.S. but there has been no indication that the U.S. firm is pursuing such arrangements.
Since independence is kinda, sorta important for auditors, and many of you are ramming these rules into your brains as we speak (or just waiting to see if you learned anything) discuss in the comments how you feel about the arrangement. Would it pass the smell test Stateside? Is KPMG evolving to the market or are they on thin ice? Are P. Dubs and Ernie being self-righteous dicks since they didn’t think of it first? Feel free to get ugly about it.
KPMG audit head defends controversial Rentokil role [Accountancy Age]
Deloitte Will Not Hold Your Hair Back While You’re Worshipping the Porcelain God
Overheard today at the Business Development Institute’s B2B Social Communications Roundtable via the Twitterverse:
“[Deloitte] is a potential employer, not a BFF”
We’re a little shocked. We really thought mega-bureaucratic professional service companies had genuine feelings. Guess we were wrong.
PwC Is Sick of You Not Passing the CPA Exam
Studying for CPA exam got you down? Tired of choosing between sleeping and listening to Peter Olinto’s melodic voice talking about partnership basis calculations?
Luckily P. Dubs feels your pain. We’ve heard from a couple of sources that PwC is pushing sabbaticals for those of you that are scoring just slighty better than Tiger Woods.
We’ve heard that San Jose is offering tax associates 20% of their salary through the end of the year to get their act together. We also hear the same offer has been made to audit associates in New York. We would assume it’s on the same time frame since both offices will need every warm body available come 2010.
We kindly requested some details from PwC but they haven’t gotten back to us.
If you’ve got more details on this offer from Dubs or are considering participating so you can strike the Pedro and T. Gearty from your gray mass, discuss in the comments.
(UPDATE) E&Y Is Making Good on its Promise to The 2nd Year Associates
News from E&Y in SoCal is that those second year associates that were getting raises to put them at a pay level above the newbies are getting a 1% increase to put them there.
Personally, we’d rather be in pay raise Siberia with the rest of you than get 1% but a firm’s word is its bond. If Zitor has given you similar good news for your office, discuss in the comments or shoot us the details to our tips mailbox.
UPDATE, September 21st, 12:20 pm: Another tip out of Chicago confirms Uncle Ernie’s promise-keeping ways, giving the new 2nd Years, a 1% bump.