February 2013 Risk Newsletter

Copyright © 2013 Association for Financial Professionals, Inc.
All rights reserved.

• AFP Fraudwatch: China-Backed Group Hacking Corporates AgainHackers sponsored by the Chinese government are back after three months of silence. Although they are more interested in stealing state secrets than corporate cash, treasury risk managers should still be concerned.  
• Should Treasury Lead ERM? Practitioners Weigh Pros and ConsLast week at the CTC Corporate Treasurers Forum a question arose: Should treasurers lead the enterprise risk management function instead of the internal audit group? Not surprisingly, a spirited debate followed.
• AFP Fraudwatch: Essential Controls for Treasury, FinanceWith payments fraud running rampant, a recent AFP webinar held by a treasury executive provided especially timely advice. Effective internal controls include exception processing, activity specific accounts and more.  
  
  
• 6 Tips Treasurers Can Use to Reduce Payment Vendor RiskPayments vendors will claim they are PCI compliant. But smart treasury and finance professionals shouldn't take their word for it. 
• Murky Outlook: Treasurers Not Taking on RiskAlthough the recent AFP Corporate Cash Indicators™ suggests that corporate treasurers have become more willing to spend some of their excess cash, many do not anticipate a large uptick in spending on capital investments for some time. Treasurers at a recent roundtable in New York co-hosted by BlackRock and the AFP Corporate Treasurers Council indicated they are still very hesitant to take on more risk and spend more money.