September 2009
DiNapoli Bans Campaign Contributors From Pension Deals
New York State Comptroller Thomas P.
Paterson to Appear on 'Meet the Press'
From the "Making Lemonade From Lemons" file:
Perhaps being told by the president of the United States to ditch your run for governor isn't all bad. Especially if it gets you a spot on the weekly Sunday news show, Meet the Press.
NYSSCPA Sets Scene for 'Forensic Accountant' Will Ferrell
The headquarters of the NYSSCPA got some silver screen action yesterday, as Will Ferrell and Mark "Marky Mark" Wahlberg filmed their new cop movie, "The Other Guys."
State Tax Department Posts Info on Tax Return Preparer Registration
The New York State Department of Taxation and Finance has finally posted information on its Web site about its new tax return preparer registration requirements.
There is not much new information available except that the department will have an online registration page available in November.
New York-licensed CPAs are exempt from this law. You can see a list of who else is exempt here.
Who Owes What to Whom?
Comparative macroeconomic analyses of public debt just got a little easier today. The Economist, a London-based news and international affairs magazine, has recently released a rather interesting toy that lets you examine how much debt virtually every country in the world currently carries. Users can view the data through a number of different metrics, including per capita, GDP percentage, rate of growth and, of course, the total sum.
NYT: Paterson Tells Obama He’s Running for Gov
New York Governor David A. Paterson said that he still plans to run for re-election in 2010, despite a direct request from President Barack Obama that he not, reported the New York Times on Sunday. The governor made his intentions known during a parade in Harlem, saying to interviewers that he intends to fight to retain his position, with or without White House support.
NYT Reports: Obama to Paterson: Don't Run for Gov
According to White House administration officials and a New York Democratic political operative, President Obama has requested that Gov. David A. Paterson drop his campaign for governor in 2010, the New York Times reported Saturday.
The message was conveyed to Paterson through Queens Democrat, Rep. Gregory W. Meeks, who has developed a strong relationship with Obama, the administration officials said, according to the Times.
SEC Formally Proposes Ban on Flash Trading
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission announced on Thursday that it was formally proposing a ban on the practice known as flash trading, the use of ultra high-speed computers to “flash” securities orders for fractions of a second in order to gain pricing information faster than any human mind could possibly calculate.
Press Turn Out for SEC Conference
Financial reporters from Bloomberg News, BNA, CFO Magazine, Compliance Week, Reuters and WebCPA were among those who turned out for yesterday’s SEC Conference. Several of them have already written about SEC chief accountant James L. Kroeker’s address.
Bernie Madoff’s Beach House Sold for $8.75M
The Montauk beach house of disgraced financier and symbol for all that is wrong with Wall Street, Bernie Madoff, was sold this week for more than the $8.75 million asking price. The specifics of the deal, such as who actually bought the thing and how much he or she paid, have remained a secret in order to protect the integrity of the sale. The house was put on the market Sept.