logo
episode-header-image
May 2024
17m 55s

Why auditors are missing red flags

Financial Times
About this episode

Audit firms are supposed to put a company’s books under the microscope. But these days, regulators are finding an increasing number of flaws in the audits that they inspect. The FT’s US accounting editor Stephen Foley explains what’s going wrong, and how regulators around the world plan to fix these shortcomings. 


Clips from CNN, NBC News 


- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 


For further reading:

Why don’t auditors find fraud?

Auditors failed to raise alarm before 75% of UK corporate collapses

Big Four firms rethink governance after year of mis-steps and scandals 


- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 


On X, follow Stephen Foley (@stephenfoley) and Michela Tindera (@mtindera07), or follow Michela on LinkedIn for updates about the show and more.


Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com



Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Up next
Yesterday
A case of Schrödinger’s tariffs
It’s been exactly 90 days since US President Donald Trump paused most of his ‘reciprocal’ tariffs. With just a 10 per cent blanket tariff on all imports and a higher tariff on China, economists predicted the American economy would feel the heat pretty quickly. But the sky hasn’t ... Show More
19m 49s
Jul 2
How oil traders called the Middle East war
When Iran attacked a US airbase in Qatar – a response to strikes on its nuclear facilities – many feared a global war may be imminent. But there was one market that didn’t break a sweat: oil. It’s typically a commodity that surges at the first sight of conflict in the Middle East ... Show More
19m 14s
Jun 25
The end of the UK’s ‘bailout era’
The Royal Bank of Scotland was once the biggest bank in the world. Then, hubris got the best of it. During the financial crisis the UK government spent £46bn to bail out the bank. Seventeen years and a rebrand to NatWest Group later, the government just sold its last shares in it ... Show More
16m 46s
Recommended Episodes
Oct 2024
How to survive a corporate shake-up
Corporate reorganisations can be hugely unsettling for employees, whose working lives can change overnight. What can managers do to make these periods of flux as easy as possible for their charges? Isabel Berwick speaks to work researcher Christine Armstrong, and Andrew Hill, the ... Show More
17m 15s
Jul 2024
You messed up at work. What now?
There’s plenty of finger pointing taking place following the CrowdStrike software outage that took down millions of computers all over the world earlier this month. So what’s the best way to deal with big mistakes in the workplace – and can you win back trust after a huge error? ... Show More
19m 42s
Mar 2025
Why do companies make terrible decisions? With Dan Davies
Modern industrial economies were made possible by automation and mass production, but also by something similar going on inside the world of management. Where once all the decisions were made by an identifiable boss, now they are farmed out to rule books, bureaucracies and comput ... Show More
32m 29s
May 6
How a CEO’s Faked Results Led to a $300 Million Wipeout
In late 2018, five years after launching fish-feeding company eFishery, Gibran Huzaifah found himself all out of cash. To save his business, the CEO started plugging fake numbers into financial reports. The brighter picture drew hundreds of millions of investor dollars. But his h ... Show More
16m 39s
Aug 2024
Global elections: What impacts can companies expect?
Did you enjoy this episode? Text us your thoughts and be sure to include the episode name.Named the year of global elections, 2024 will see more than 50 countries with over half of the world’s population exercise their right to vote. On today’s episode, host Heather Horn reunites ... Show More
38m 27s
May 26
Behind the Money: GE Vernova tries to shake its parent’s problems
Today, we're bringing you an episode from our fellow FT podcast, Behind the Money. Massive conglomerates used to define corporate best practice. Think about a company like General Electric, known as “the everything company”. But today, there’s a new popular model: de-conglomerati ... Show More
26m 17s
Dec 2024
47. Trump’s Cabinet Fiasco
What is going on with Donald Trump’s cabinet picks? Why are lawyers advising civil servants to flee the country? How is Donald Trump getting away with breaking federal law to meet with foreign leaders? Join Katty Kay and Anthony Scaramucci as they answer all this and more. Become ... Show More
54m 37s
Sep 2024
Who audits the auditors?
The UK blocks some arms shipments to Israel, audit firms are fighting against new oversight rules in the US, and the same technology that brought us Covid-19 vaccines could also be used to fight cancer. Plus, the Oasis revival tour is so popular it triggered a UK investigation in ... Show More
10m 39s
Apr 30
ICYMI: Inside the Turmoil at CBS' 60 Minutes
Shari Redstone wanted to know what 60 Minutes was going to say next about President Donald Trump. The CBS newsmagazine aired two segments involving Trump on April 13 that angered the president, one on his plans to take over Greenland and another an interview with Ukraine Presiden ... Show More
6m 51s
Aug 2024
Albemarle’s BIG Failure
It’s name and shame time to get us started, for those exploration battlers who can’t report on time. Then we’ve got uranium news from Cameco (CCJ.nyse), WA gold M&A involving BTR/AME/GML, quarterly awards with an Olympic theme plus a breakdown of the Albemarle news and what stood ... Show More
43m 16s