The Public Company Accounting Oversight Board has barred a former Ernst & Young partner and a former senior manager for their role in backdating audit documents. A 20-year firm former employee, Peter O'Toole, the former partner, and Darrin Estella, the former manager, were barred from associating with any PCAOB-registered firm after they were found to have ordered the addition of documents in preparation for a PCAOB inspection. Read more...

The National Association of State Boards of Accountancy and the American Institute of CPAs have launched CPAmobility.org. The bodies say the online tool is designed to help CPAs navigate practice privilege requirements that enable them to more easily practice across state borders.

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Payroll services giant Automatic Data Processing reported a 5-percent rise in net earnings from continuing operations on top of 11-percent growth for the year ended June 30. And the year ended on an uptick with a 16 percent rise in net income from continuing operations and a 14-percent rise in revenue in the fourth quarter.

In a prepared statement, CEO Gary Butler commented, "Our key business metrics continued to trend positively and were the strongest they have been in three years."

Fourth-quarter net income was $241.8 million, up from $207.6 million a year earlier. Revenue for the most recently ended period was $2.18 billion, compared to $1.9 billion. Organic revenue grew by 9 percent during the period.

For fiscal 2011, net income hit $1.254 million, a rise from 2010's $1.21 billion. Revenue for the most recently ended year was $9.9 billion, up from $8.93 billion the prior year. Employer services revenue was up 9 percent year-over-year in the fourth quarter; 6 percent organically. Payroll revenue was up 13 percent for both the quarter and the year with 3 points of that increase coming from acquisitions.

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