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Accounting Research Manager®
Weekly Summary of Developments
May 9-13, 2011
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Accounting Research Manager subscriber,

The Accounting Research Manager database now contains this week's weekly summary of developments. Click the link below to access and print the fully-formatted Weekly Summary:

For detail, please contact info@hkcmcpa.us


If you do not have immediate Internet access to the Accounting Research Manager database, below is the text of this week's Weekly Summary.

Accounting and SEC Headlines

Fair Value Measurement -- FASB Issues Revised Guidance
New Accounting Standards -- Checklist Updated
Investment Properties -- FASB Discusses Investment Properties
Insurance Contracts -- IASB and FASB Discuss Insurance Contracts
IFRS for SMEs -- Draft Q&As and Other Matters Discussed

Auditing and Internal Controls Headlines

Public Entities -- New Edition of Knowledge-Based Audits of Public Entities Published
Terms of Engagement -- Clarified SAS Discussed

Government Headlines

Financial Reports -- Use of Census 2010 Information in Financial Reports Discussed

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ACCOUNTING AND SEC HEADLINES:
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Fair Value Measurement -- FASB Issues Revised Guidance
For detail, please contact info@hkcmcpa.us


The FASB has issued Accounting Standards Update (ASU) No. 2011-04, Fair Value Measurement (Topic 820): Amendments to Achieve Common Fair Value Measurement and Disclosure Requirements in U.S. GAAP and IFRSs. This ASU represents the converged guidance of the FASB and the IASB (the Boards) on fair value measurement. The collective efforts of the Boards and their staffs, reflected in ASU 2011-04, have resulted in common requirements for measuring fair value and for disclosing information about fair value measurements, including a consistent meaning of the term “fair value.” The Boards have concluded the common requirements will result in greater comparability of fair value measurements presented and disclosed in financial statements prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP and IFRSs.

The amendments to the FASB Accounting Standards Codification™ (Codification) in this ASU are to be applied prospectively. For public entities, the amendments are effective during interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2011. For nonpublic entities, the amendments are effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2011. Early application by public entities is not permitted. Nonpublic entities may apply the amendments in ASU 2011-04 early, but no earlier than for interim periods beginning after December 15, 2011.

New Accounting Standards -- Checklist Updated
For detail, please contact info@hkcmcpa.us


We have updated our publication "Summary Checklist of Recent Authoritative U.S. Accounting Standards." This checklist is intended to serve as a reference tool to help users ensure that they have considered authoritative standards recently issued or approved by the FASB. The checklist is updated shortly after the FASB adds or revises content in the Codification. The standards are listed by source and a summary of the transition guidance is provided with a reference to the relevant Codification paragraph(s). Effective dates and application (adoption) requirements are also presented.

We have updated our checklist to reflect the issuance of ASU No. 2011-04, discussed above.

See our Literature Update for complete details.

Investment Properties -- FASB Discusses Investment Properties
For detail, please contact info@hkcmcpa.us


As reported in its "Summary of Board Decisions" publication, the FASB met on May 11, 2011, and discussed presentation and consolidation issues related to investment property entities. The FASB decided that:

-An Investment property entity should present the following items separately on the face of the financial statements related to investment property investments: (a) rental income; (b) rental expenses; (c) fair value of investment properties; and (d) debt; and
-An Investment property entity would be prohibited from consolidating controlling interests in noninvestment property entities unless the controlling interest is in an operating entity that provides services to the investment property entity.

The FASB also decided to refine the definition of an "investment property entity."

Insurance Contracts -- IASB and FASB Discuss Insurance Contracts
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As reported in its "IASB Update" publication, the Boards met on May 4, 2011, and discussed insurance contracts. Specifically, the Boards considered the unbundling of goods and services and of investment components. The Boards indicated their intention to be consistent with the approach in their revenue recognition project, subject to considering whether the pattern of transfer criterion is needed in this context and to future decisions on allocation. In addition, the Boards tentatively decided that an insurer should unbundle explicit account balances that are credited with an explicit return that is based on the account balance.

IFRS for SMEs -- Draft Q&As and Other Matters Discussed
For detail, please contact info@hkcmcpa.us


The IASB staff has issued "IFRS for SMEs Update" publication which is a staff summary of news relating to the International Financial Reporting Standard for Small and Medium-Sized Entities (IFRS for SMEs) Database 'Research Mgr - MOM Authoring', View '2. Contents\a. Accounting', Document 'Accounting'. This update includes discussion of the following topics:

-SME Implementation Group publishes three more draft Q&As on captive insurance subsidiaries, interpretation of "traded in a public market," and investment funds with only a few participants;
-New member appointed to the SME Implementation Group;
-Translations of the IFRS for SMEs;
-Upcoming "train the trainers" workshops; and
-Where to obtain IFRS for SMEs materials.

Some of the documents listed above may not be accessible under your current subscription. For information about upgrading your subscription to include additional content, click here:
For detail, please contact info@hkcmcpa.us


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AUDITING AND INTERNAL CONTROLS HEADLINES:
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Public Entities -- New Edition of Knowledge-Based Audits of Public Entities Published
For detail, please contact info@hkcmcpa.us


We have updated Knowledge-Based Audits of Public Entities. This publication is designed to help the auditor efficiently and effectively perform financial statement audits of commercial domestic entities, registered with the SEC, in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. This edition of the publication includes revisions and updates to reflect current authoritative literature, including the eight risk assessment standards issued by the PCAOB, which were approved by the SEC in December 2010.

See our Literature Update for complete details.

Terms of Engagement -- Clarified SAS Discussed
For detail, please contact info@hkcmcpa.us


We have added a GAAS Update Service that provides discussion and analysis of a clarified Statement on Auditing Standards (SAS), Terms of Engagement, which was finalized as part of the AICPA's Clarity Project. The clarified SAS addresses the auditor’s responsibilities in agreeing upon the terms of the audit engagement with management and those charged with governance, including establishing that certain preconditions for an audit are present. The clarified SAS will supersede: (1) AU Section 315, Communications Between Predecessor and Successor Auditors, paragraphs .03–.10 and .14; and (2) AU Section 311, Planning and Supervision, paragraphs .08–.10.

The clarified SAS is effective for audits of financial statements for periods ending on or after December 15, 2012.

The AICPA’s Clarity Project is intended to make existing U.S. generally accepted auditing standards (GAAS) easier to understand, apply, and move toward converging U.S. GAAS with International Standards on Auditing issued by the International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board. For further information on the AICPA's Clarity Project, see our previously published discussion and analysis in our publication "A Closer Look": For detail, please contact info@hkcmcpa.us


Some of the documents listed above may not be accessible under your current subscription. For information about upgrading your subscription to include additional content, click here:
For detail, please contact info@hkcmcpa.us


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GOVERNMENT HEADLINES:
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Financial Reports -- Use of Census 2010 Information in Financial Reports Discussed
For detail, please contact info@hkcmcpa.us


We have added a Governmental GAAP Update Service that discusses the release of the decennial census information during 2010 and opportunities or challenges for the preparers of financial reports in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles for governments. Topics discussed in this update include:

-Accessing the Census data;
-Running a dataset to use in a comprehensive annual financial report (CAFR); and
-Using Census data in a CAFR, an annual report, or other uses.

Some of the documents listed above may not be accessible under your current subscription. For information about upgrading your subscription to include additional content, click here:

For detail, please contact info@hkcmcpa.us