KPMG Hit With Billion-Dollar U.S. Lawsuit Over Audits of Subprime Lender

April 2, 2009

  • April 2, 2009 at 3:22 am
    barb wired says:
    Like or Dislike:
    Thumb up 0
    Thumb down 0

    accounting firms work for the people that hired them – the firms do what they are told by their client. and who gets to see the real set of books on the company is the question everyone should be asking. it appears to me that a lot of mothers out there didn’t teach their children its not right to lie.

  • April 2, 2009 at 3:24 am
    Barb Geithner says:
    Like or Dislike:
    Thumb up 0
    Thumb down 0

    Tim, which is it, are you a communist or a socialist? Comrades? You cant have it both ways a hole.

  • April 2, 2009 at 3:36 am
    Golf is more fun says:
    Like or Dislike:
    Thumb up 0
    Thumb down 0

    So now I’m wondering what will be on Phil’s cap the next time I see him… maybe he and the Stanford endorsees should get together.

  • April 2, 2009 at 5:16 am
    Chicken Hawk says:
    Like or Dislike:
    Thumb up 0
    Thumb down 0

    Relax, Mr. Chicken Little. The government is not taking over accounting firms and we are not turning, communist, socialist, fascist…whatever. Someone is suing this firm for screwing up. Where did you read or hear that the government is going into the accounting business? KMPG performs a service (poorly). If they go belly-up, the government will not need to rescue them. The financial industry or civilization is not dependent on these clowns like we are dependent on the banks, auto industry, etc. Sounds like you are listening to too much Rush.

  • April 2, 2009 at 5:57 am
    Peon Agent says:
    Like or Dislike:
    Thumb up 0
    Thumb down 0

    Um – listening to Rush, no. I haven’t listened to him in years. However, I can see the progression. I’m sorry you can’t.

    Nobody has announced that the Feds were taking over KPMG yet. Give it some time.

    You talk about rescuing KPMG, but again, that’s not what I said. I’m not talking about rescuing them at all.

    What I did try to say, is that it will not take much of a stretch to say that the big accounting firm’s screw-ups are causing great financial difficulties when those audited companies that don’t measure up to the marks that were indicated by those fine auditors, are suddenly found insolvent and then THOSE companies need to be bailed out.

    Because of that, it will not take much more of a stretch to say this practice can’t go on, and then it will not take much more of a stretch for Geitner/Obama/McCain/Feingold/Hutchison, (you know, the established crew) to say its of National importance for the government to control those companies for the good of the country – for the good of the world.

    Downhill from there, dude.

    You say the financial industry is not dependent on these clowns, to quote you, and directly you are correct. But, read the article again. The lawsuit is saying that Enron and AIG type failures are preceded by these auditor’s mischaracterizations. Well, if the current crash can be tied to these mischaracterizations, then why would it not seem logical for our legislators to figure it’s in the National Interest to control those companies?

    They want to control GM, don’t they? Did I misread that news story? Who essentially fired the CEO?

    Rush didn’t tell me about it. Have you listened to Lou Dobbs? Is he as far to the right as Rush?

    For the record, chicken little will say again, its not a political sided problem. George Bush greased the skids mightily for the socialization of our country. I’m sure he thought he was doing the right thing, but it wasn’t. Obama has taken the ball and run with it. I’m sure he and Geitner think they are doing the right thing, but it’s not.

    Pull you head out of the sand. Stop drinking the kool-aid on either side of the aisle and just use your mind. That is, unless it was steeped in too many drugs in your youth (assuming the steeping has stopped).

  • April 3, 2009 at 10:35 am
    Peon Agent says:
    Like or Dislike:
    Thumb up 0
    Thumb down 0

    Smart Girl is correct in this response. It’s the Goldman Sachs (and others like) and their complicit government bureaucrats and politicians that really caused this problem. Ask yourself why so very many former Goldman execs leave to serve in our government. Are they really that charitable with their time? Why do they leave a position where they are making millions to take a percentage of their normal salary? Hmmm. That company must really search hard to find so many humanitarians. We’re so lucky!

    But primarily, it was the Federal Government threatening to come down on the lenders if they did not do the FAIR thing and lend to the financially challenged. Then, they offered their backing through Fannie and Freddie, and the ball was already heading downhill.

    Any insurance agent with a few months in the business, that sold Homeowners, could tell you in about 2 minutes worth of phone conversation with these buyers, who needed insurance for their closing’s, that this was going to be a temporary policy. It was not rocket science to determine these people didn’t have any money, they were buying a home that was too big, they got a loan that did not have an escrow, and many times it was a newly built structure that only had taxes for the vacant property showing up on their cost estimates. Were they shocked at the end of the year when they got an insurance bill for $1500 and a tax bill that went from $300 to $5,000?

    Duh!

    But, it wasn’t fair to tell these people to hold on and try saving a little more cash first. It wasn’t fair to ask for a down payment on the home. It wasn’t fair to make them have their insurance and taxes included in their mortgages.

    Well, fairness equates to mediocrity. Mediocrity rarely rises and usually falls lower. We have become so instilled with the idea that fairness is what this country should be all about, and that’s the real root of the trouble and the reason these political bozos can step in and manipulate the system.

    America was not founded on fairness. Equality, yes. But, that was only at the moment of birth. After that, it was only through hard work and ingenuity that one succeeded. And the best part was in the opportunity that this very principle offered. Look how many nobodies flocked into this country. That’s what made us the greatest country ever!

    But, that wasn’t good enough. There were some people that didn’t think it was fair to live under that design. They didn’t succeed, and that wasn’t fair. So, we’ve come up with volumes of laws in an attempt to remedy something that can’t be remedied on this earth. In that process, opportunity has been forgotten by most and nearly squashed. All the fairness doctrines, and the feel-good initiatives have left us with a bunch of limp wrists, and now those limp wrists are still complaining and wanting to drag this country further into the dumpster of whiners.

    It’s time to man up and make it everyone’s own personal responsibility to work hard and obtain the things they feel they need. Until then, the pencil-necked, limp-wristed politicians will take us for everything we’ve got. 14 Trillion and counting, folks.

    Can you say – CHARGE IT!

  • April 3, 2009 at 10:58 am
    Peon Agent says:
    Like or Dislike:
    Thumb up 0
    Thumb down 0

    Sorry, Smart Girl, but not so much this time.

    You are correct that KPMG is a private company. However, public or private, what’s the difference? The Fed was not a stockholder of GM either.

    Yes, they were bailout recipients, but listen to what the Fed is now saying. They want more power to preemptively step in and control companies that, as they say, could effectively become detrimental to our economy. Well, if KPMG doesn’t fit that bill, I don’t know who would. Don’t get me wrong – I’m not saying KPMG truly caused the trouble this lawsuit claims they did, but the media reports will shape the public’s opinion on this matter, and facts will have little importance.

    If the Federal Government feels the public will allow them another power grab, why wouldn’t those self-serving, borderline sociopath, politicians step in under the guise of protecting the country’s economy? It’s the FAIR thing to do.

    I just hope Texas pursues the possibility of Secession. That might be our last chance for a free country.

    By the way, does anyone think it’s ironic that the democrats lambasted George Bush for seeking preemptive military strikes against countries that could be detrimental to us, but now those same folks want to preemptively strike at businesses that could also be detrimental to our country? I don’t think either one was truly correct, but at least one could be linked to direct possible devastation, while the other is usually only an accomplice to any possible devastation.

    Just things that make me go, hmmm.

  • April 3, 2009 at 11:33 am
    Ned says:
    Like or Dislike:
    Thumb up 0
    Thumb down 0

    Your comments are so long winded – Do you think anyone reads your drivel? too long….

    No wonder yout boss pisses on you.

  • April 3, 2009 at 12:07 pm
    Adirondacker says:
    Like or Dislike:
    Thumb up 0
    Thumb down 0

    True enough Capitalism isn’t necessarily designed to be fair; as a matter of fact it rarely is… generally the affluent rule. However, our society must allow for opportunity. “Equal” opportunity? Well that’s perhaps a matter of semantics. Peon Agent seems to be arguing that our Government has too much control over its citizens… a compelling argument and well articulated.

    Intellectually, it wouldn’t seem to be such a difficult task for our Government to police greed without getting in the way of an open and free market, but historically it’s been a very fine line indeed. Each ideology of a particular political party, when in power, seems to tip the scale one way of the other. Perhaps it’s impossible balancing act. The laissez-faire agenda of our most recent Administration (which incidentally was promulgated by the Democratic majority the last two-years) is now being reigned in by the heavy-handed federalist agenda of our current Administration.

    Interestingly, the middle-class has been left largely unaffected by the last several Administrations. Actually the overall wealth of the middle-class has increased significantly in the last 40-years. I’m assuming must who read this would fit into that class. Is anyone here feeling the affects of the recent downturn? Just curious.

  • April 3, 2009 at 12:30 pm
    Mark says:
    Like or Dislike:
    Thumb up 0
    Thumb down 0

    Where do you get your facts? Adjusted for inflation the middle class makes less money now than it did in 1973.



Add a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*