• Taxman misses 44 million calls – The British version anyway. That makes the IRS look like rock stars by comparison. [Accountancy Age]
• Annals of Public Relations – Fortunately for us, Patrick Byrne doesn’t keep PR by his side at all times. [Gary Weiss]
• If California Owes You, It Would Like to Pay You – “Across the state, 89,000 residents and businesses — including 2,315 here in San Francisco alone — are sitting on some $50 million in uncashed i.o.u.’s from the state, a souvenir of California’s most recent, but by no means its last, budget crisis.” [NYT]
• Verizon Lowers Wireless Pricing Plans – “Verizon Wireless introduced lower wireless-pricing plans Friday, a move that’s likely to force rival AT&T Inc. to follow and could pressure margins on the carriers’ high-end business.” [WSJ]
• GM Daewoo finance chief Mark James named Opel CFO – Missed opportunity, people. [Reuters]
• Prince Tells Pandit ‘It’s Time to Deliver’ – No pressure. [DealBook]
Related Posts
Preliminary Analytics | 09.24.09
• Omaha’s Oracle of Style Sings the Praises of a Chinese Suit – And probably will take the opportunity to spread the folksy seed around. [WSJ]
• Employee of Perot Affiliate Charged With Insider Trades on Takeover Talks – “[Reza] Saleh began buying call options, which give the holder the right to buy stock at a specific future time and price, between Sept. 4 and Sept. 18, according to the SEC complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Dallas. Around that time, several Perot executives and board members, including Mr. Perot, became aware of the takeover negotiations, the SEC alleged.” [WSJ]
• Acorn Sues Over Video as I.R.S. Severs Ties – And the Fox News grave dancing begins…[NYT]
• CFOs plan to invest in technology – When the economy recovers, sayeth Bob Half. [Washington Business Journal via DBJ]
• Microsoft says no plans to buy Electronic Arts Yet. [Reuters]
• The beginning of the end of meaningful regulatory reform – Banks 1 gazillion, Congress 0 [Felix Salmon/Reuters]
Preliminary Analytics | 11.12.09
• Costco CFO: Fingers crossed consumers will spend – Sounds like a winning strategy. [Reuters]
• Wall Street Faces ‘Live Ammo’ as Congress Aims to Unravel Banks – The bank lobby is finally a little concerned that this break up of TBTF is for real… [Bloomberg]
• The Kanjorski “We’re Tough on TBTF” Headfake – …or maybe they’re just playing along. [Naked Capitalism]
• White House Aims to Cut Deficit With TARP Cash – Not only that, there’s talk of, GASP, tax reform: “[Office of Management and Budget] is also reviewing a host of tax changes. The President’s Economic Recovery Advisory Board will submit tax-policy options by Dec. 5, including simplifying the tax code and revamping the corporate tax code.” [WSJ]
• G.E. Sells Security Unit for $1.8 Billion – The industrial conglomerate is a little less conglomerate-y, saying the fire alarm and security unit is a “noncore” business. [DealBook]
Preliminary Analytics | 12.14.09
• H.R. 4173, Summary of Accounting and Audit Related Provisions – Lots to digest here but it’s all important, including a possible GASP name change for the PCAOB. [FEI Financial Reporting Blog]
• Invitation to a Conversation: If the Auditors Were Missing from the Financial Crisis — Let’s Ask Why – Jim Peterson doesn’t mince words: “The simple if depressing reason is that their core product has long since been judged irrelevant. The standard auditor’s report is an anachronism — having lost any value it may once have had, except for legally-required compliance.” [Re: Balance/Jim Peterson]
• Accenture Makes Right Decision, Drops Tiger Sponsorship – The awkward inappropriateness of the whole situation is now hitting T. Dubs in the wallet, as Accenture jumps into the “your services are no longer needed” camp. He won’t starve. [The Big Four Blog]
• Open Letter to the Securities and Exchange Commission (Part 5): Issuer Retaliation Complaint Against Overstock.com – Patrick Byrne’s attempt to develop his own Richard Nixon-esque enemies list has been met with fierce resistance. [Sam Antar/White Collar Fraud]
• CPA firms face pricing pinch – “After years of gains since the government started keeping track in December 2003, overall prices for CPA firm services plummeted with the onset of recession in December 2007.” [CPA Trendlines]
• Citigroup to Repay $20 Billion of Government Bailout – $25 bil to go. Get on it. [Bloomberg]