A Disturbing Trend

Posted by & filed under Accounting Information Systems, Accounting Principles, Auditing, Cost Accounting, Ethical Dilemma, Financial Accounting, Fraud Accounting, Intermediate Accounting, Managerial Accounting, Video Updates.

A controversial law enforcement known as civil asset forfeiture allows police to seize and keep cash and property from people, who are suspected of wrongdoing but may never be charged. Despite public outcries, the use of this procedure has increased in the past decade. Questions: 1. The figures in reports show “the size of the… Read more »

File and Suspend is No Longer Available

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A strategy to increase lifetime Social Security benefits by up to roughly $60,000 for some high-earning couples was eliminated by the Obama Administration on Nov. 2. The strategy, known as file-and-suspend, allowed one spouse to file for Social Security retirement benefits and then suspend the payouts, so that the other spouse could collect spousal benefits… Read more »

Contagion in Earnings Manipulations

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A new study shows that after one company in an industry is found to have misstated its earnings, others in its industry often followed suit and began massaging their own numbers; this ultimately results in their own restatements. Questions: 1. Why were the regulatory actions in the study so intriguing and what did they indicate?… Read more »

Gentrification Ignites Deed Theft

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White-collar criminals are employing a variety of schemes in New York City to snatch properties from their owners. Often, they use the secrecy afforded to shell companies to rent out vacated properties until they are caught or sell them to third parties. Questions: 1. What are some of the signs of forgery on the fraudulent… Read more »

Incredible Law School Debt

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The median LSAT score of students admitted to Florida Coastal School of Law was among the lowest 25% nationwide. Despite the fact that the average debt of the 2014 graduating class had $163,000 in debt, may not pass the bar, and probably cannot repay the debt, this school is one of six for-profit law schools… Read more »

To PIN or not to PIN?

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Some big U.S. retailers are stepping up efforts to use personal identification numbers, or PINs, with new credit cards embedded with computer chips in a bid to prevent counterfeit card fraud. Questions: 1. Why is this being resisted by banks? 2. Which retailers are leading the movement? 3. Discuss the costs and benefits of the… Read more »

Circumventing the Courts with Nine Words

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Banning class action suits have essentially disabled consumer challenges to practices like predatory lending. Additionally, a Wall Street-led coalition of credit card companies and retailers, have also engineered blocks on class action suits. In this article, various companies’ efforts to protect arbitration are discussed. Questions: 1. Why has the “birth of a thousand clauses” taken… Read more »

Frauds in Small Family-owned Wineries

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There have been a number of examples of wine-related crimes in recent times. In the wine industry, the most trusted employee could be the person least suspected of committing fraud. This article details some of the most recent frauds in the wine industry. Questions: 1. What types of fraud are highlighted in the article? 2…. Read more »

Fueling Both the Upside and Downside

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In the wake of the financial crisis, HUD established the Dirtressed Asset Stabilization Program. Unfortunately, this program has allowed many of these loans to be sold to hedge funds and private equity firms, rather than nonprofits. Questions: 1. What have the private equity firms done that Senator Warren is rallying against? 2. How many distressed… Read more »

New Mortgage Rules for Those with Student Debt

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New rules could make it tougher to qualify for a low down payment mortgage from the Federal Housing Administration, particularly with respect to down payment gifts and deferments associated with student loans. Questions: 1. What is the role of debt-to-income ratios in this story, as they related to student loans? 2. What is the old… Read more »