Statement from AICPA President and CEO Barry Melancon on U.S. Senate Passage of Legislative Fix to FTC's Red Flags Rule

NEW YORK, Dec. 1, 2010 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The following is a statement by AICPA President and CEO Barry Melancon on U.S. Senate passage of a legislative fix to FTC's Red Flags rule:

On behalf of the U.S. accounting profession, the AICPA is very pleased the Senate last night unanimously passed S. 3987, Red Flag Program Clarification Act of 2010, a bill to amend the Fair Credit Reporting Act. The bill brings common sense to the Federal Trade Commission's proposed Red Flags rule by clarifying that CPAs and CPA firms are not classified as creditors because they do not offer or maintain accounts that pose a risk of identity theft.

The AICPA and state CPA societies fought tirelessly for this clarification over the past year. This change will relieve CPAs and CPA firms, already subject to confidentiality requirements, of the unwarranted burden of developing and implementing identity theft prevention and detection programs under the FTC rule. We urge the House of Representatives to move quickly to enact this amendment into law before Congress adjourns.

About the AICPA

The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (www.aicpa.org) is the world's largest association representing the accounting profession, with nearly 370,000 members in 128 countries. AICPA members represent many areas of practice, including business and industry, public practice, government, education, and consulting; membership is also available to accounting students and CPA candidates. The AICPA sets ethical standards for the profession and U.S. auditing standards for audits of private companies, non-profit organizations, federal, state and local governments. It develops and grades the Uniform CPA Examination. The AICPA maintains offices in New York, Washington, D.C., Durham, N.C., Ewing, N.J. and Lewisville, Tex.

Media representatives are invited to visit the AICPA Press Center at www.aicpa.org/press.

SOURCE American Institute of Certified Public Accountants