Preliminary Analytics | 11.11.09

• PwC: Sour Economy Sparks Divestitures – “Each of the Big Four accounting firms have scrutinized the corporate divestiture market over the last three quarters and have come up with largely the same conclusions.” Anyone surprised by this? [CFO]
• Galleon Clients Abandon Ship – “Galleon’s chief operating officer, Rick Schutte, directed portfolio managers Monday to shed some positions in a “coordinated, orderly fashion,” according to a Galleon trader. The trader said he wasn’t told to sell everything but to begin raising some cash.” [WSJ]
• NYC Judge Tosses Suit Against Biden’s Son, Brother – The non-Joe Bidens had been sued for $10 mil by an investor who says he was double-crossed on a purchase of a hedge fund firm. [AP via NYT]
• Huron, others could get caught in Galleon Group problems – Raj held nearly 6% of Huron in mid-August according to the Trib. [CT]

• Kansas City Fed’s Denver Branch Gives Us a Peek into the Fed’s Secret Decision-Making Process – This should explain some things. [JDA]
• Are lawsuits against CPA’s poised to spike? – “After a year of record-setting investor losses, a leading securities attorney warned that accounting firms will face a rising tide of enforcement actions and litigation in 2010, and should take steps to ensure their client relationship practices reflect recent court decisions.” [CPA Trendlines]
• Jean Stephens, CEO RSM International – The make up sex between RSM and M&P gets a little attention but alas, no mention of NG. [Web CPA]
• GMAC Set for Another Cash Infusion – According to those familiar with the sitch, GMAC is looking to get an additional $3.5 billion on top of the $12.5 bil that’s already been thrown at them. [WSJ]
• FDIC Moves to Seize Slice of Bank-Stock Rallies – “Starting next year, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. will ask bidders for some seized banks to offer the agency a chance to profit if the deal is well-received by the buyer’s shareholders.” If banks are going to keep failing, why not get in on this action? [WSJ]
• More ammo for the bazooka – Will the crack fiend aka the housing market score again? [Rolfe Winkler/Reuters]
• Dutch To Use Full-Body Scanners For U.S. Flights – This is one of those hindsight situations. [AP]

• Geithner’s New York Fed Told AIG to Limit Swaps Disclosure – “AIG said in a draft of a regulatory filing that the insurer paid banks, which included Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and Societe Generale SA, 100 cents on the dollar for credit-default swaps they bought from the firm. The New York Fed crossed out the reference, according to the e-mails, and AIG excluded the language when the filing was made public on Dec. 24, 2008.” [Bloomberg]
• Climbing the Finance Ladder: Landing a Promotion [FINS]
• Canadian Police Seek Man Accused of Ponzi Scheme – According to the SEC, the self-dubbed, “Chinese Warren Buffet” sent a letter to investors admitting that he was running a Ponzi scheme. That was easy. [AP via NYT]
• Economic Consequences and the Political Nature of Accounting Standard Setting – “For decades it has been taught in every graduate accounting program in the country that accounting standards have economic consequences. As a result, I contend it is natural and predictable that competing economic interest attempt a political solution to proposed accounting standards.” [The Summa]
• Accounting rules over M&A spread confusion – IFRS 3 is disappointing many. [FT]