Bank schikt fraude, liegen tegen accountant en boekhoudkundige malversaties voor $1,5 miljoen

De SEC en Trinity/Los Alamos Bank zijn een boete van anderhalf miljoen dollar overeengekomen voor het rapporteren van een verlies van 30 miljoen dollar als een winst van $5 miljoen.
In de filings bij de SEC in de periode 2010-2012 was sprake van een ‘material misstatement’ van de reserveringen voor verliezen op slechte leningen én van feitelijke verliezen, waardoor de aandeelhouders niet te horen kregen dat er eigenlijk een verlies van 30 miljoen was opgetreden.  
De SEC beschuldigt dan ook de toenmalige CFO  en de ‘vice president of internal audit’ van grove nalatigheid, zowel qua control als  in hun controleverantwoordelijkheden.
 
Uit het jaarverslag van Trinity over 2013 kopiëren wij de volgende interessante paragrafen over de controlerend accountants van de bank: 
 
“Trinity requests proposals from its auditors at least every five years. As part of its process, the Audit Committee selected Crowe as its independent registered public accounting firm beginning in the first quarter of 2012, as reported in its Form 8-K dated March 26, 2012. During Trinity’s two most recent years and the subsequent interim period preceding the replacement of Moss Adams, there were no disagreements with Moss Adams on any matter of accounting principles or practices, financial statement disclosure, or auditing scope or  procedure, which if not resolved to the satisfaction of Moss Adams, would have caused it to make reference to the subject matter of the disagreement in connection with its report on Trinity’s financial statements for such years.
During the same periods, there were no “reportable events” as that term is defined in Item 304(a)(1)(v) of Regulation S-K.
During the two most recent years and the subsequent interim period up to the date of engagement with Crowe, Trinity did not consult with Crowe regarding the application of accounting principles to a specified transaction, either completed or proposed, or the type of audit opinion that might be rendered on Trinity’s financial statements or as to any disagreement or “reportable event” as described in Item 304(a)(1)(iv) and Item 304(a)(1)(v) of Regulation S-K.
Following the selection of Crowe as its independent registered public accounting firm beginning in the first quarter of 2012 and thereafter, Trinity determined the necessity of restating its financial statements for the years ended December 31, 2011 and 2010 and the intervening periods as well as for the quarters ended June 30, 2012 and March 31, 2012. Due to the circumstances leading to the restatement of financials, Moss Adams revoked its previous audit letters on the years ended December 31, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007 and 2006. Following the  restatement, Moss Adams provided a revised audit letter for the year ended December 31, 2011.”
 
Een gedetailleerd overzicht van de malversaties van de bank, die de accountants dus ontgingen, leest u via 
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