Elaine Harwood and Alison Forman, coauthors of the report, Accounting and Auditing Enforcement Activity—2019 Review and Analysis, join Laura Simmons to discuss their recent findings, including:

• The overall level of enforcement activity during 2019, which saw a decrease in SEC actions but an increase in PCAOB actions.
• The increased number of enforcement actions involving announcements of restatements or material weaknesses in internal controls.
• Trends in enforcement actions brought against non-U.S. respondents at the SEC and PCAOB.
• The most common allegation types brought by the SEC and PCAOB.
• Settlement activity at the SEC and PCAOB, including an increase in the median settlement amount in 2019 at both agencies.