The Dig

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Part 1: Where was KPMG while Silicon Valley Bank, and the rest, were teetering?
KPMG was the long time auditor of three banks that failed in rapid succession. The firm had an inside, full access view of regulatory issues, management…
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Francine McKenna
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Part 2: What is KPMG's bank audit quality history with the PCAOB and SEC?
KPMG has a long history of criminally poor ethics and lousy bank audit quality, but the DOJ, SEC, and PCAOB, just like the FRB and DFPI, keep giving…
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Francine McKenna
I'm hosting a new book talk series at Philadelphia's historic Pen & Pencil Club
The series is focused on books by journalists about business, corporate fraud, white collar crime, and the intersections between business and politics…
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Francine McKenna
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Elizabeth Holmes and her Big 4 audit firm buddies at Theranos
 • Francine McKenna
1
Been caught stealin': Hindenburg Research is on a roll with Adani and Block (Square) short reports
 • Francine McKenna
WeWork: Auditor EY didn’t warn about the risks
 • Francine McKenna
Gary Gensler is not the guy
 • Francine McKenna
Tipping Point: The Financial Fragility of the Big Four Global Audit Firms
 • Jim Peterson
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Anatomy of a failure: Credit Suisse, PwC, and KPMG, too
When Switzerland's Credit Suisse went down in flames over the weekend of March 18-19, 2023, few were thinking about its auditors. Except me.
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Francine McKenna
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Is The Price Really Right?
No one argues these businesses should be for-profit enterprises. But the simple answer to why prices are going up so quickly is that executives want to…
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David Glaymon
McKenna at Consensus 2023: All The Devils Were There
I was asked to lead a panel at Consensus 2023, the gathering of crypto enthusiasts sponsored by Coindesk. And then it got interesting.
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Francine McKenna
Life choices: A story about Buffett, Precision Castparts, Symantec, non-GAAP, and goodwill
"I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference."
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Francine McKenna
A presentation for TAF: Don’t Forget About the Auditors When Investigating Fraud
Let's not forget about the auditors when bolstering employment and whistleblower protection laws
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Francine McKenna
Talking about accounting research using the GE case
Prof. Tom Pearson teaches accounting graduate students in Hawaii how to research technical accounting. He asked me to talk to his class about my…
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Francine McKenna
The failure of Silicon Valley Bank: The song remains the same
All successful banks are the same; each bank fails in its own way and SIVB, as well as the spate of additional failures that followed, are no different.
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David Glaymon
The Dig
The Dig
Francine McKenna digs into accounting, audit, and corporate governance issues at public and pre-IPO companies.
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