The Public Accounting Oversight Board wielded its powers over individual practitioners in 2010 when it barred two CPAs from representing companies that were registered with the organization. One ban went into effect after the practitioner appealed the decision to the SEC. The other was official in December when the disciplined accountant did not protest the PCAOB's action.

Intuit's eSort scan and import system, introduced last year, has disappeared into a new product, called ProLine Tax Import, which Intuit is picturing as an evolution of eSort. However, product managers say the new offering, now offers capabilities the previous product incarnation lacked.

H&R Block had reached an agreement with its bank to provide refund anticipation loans for the upcoming tax season. But that agreement was wiped out by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency which has barred HSBC from providing funding for both RALs and refund transfers. The decision gives Block's competitors Jackson Hewitt and Liberty Tax a big advantage in the upcoming tax season as both will be offering refund loans.