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Chapter 7: Q1FC (page 430)

Levon Helm was a kind of one-person mortgage broker. He would drive around Tennessee looking for homes that had second mortgages, and if the criteria were favorable, he would offer to buy the second mortgage for “cash on the barrelhead.” Helm bought low and sold high, making sizable profits. Being a small operation, he employed one person, Cindy Patterson, who did all his bookkeeping. Patterson was an old family friend, and he trusted her so implicitly that he never checked up on the ledgers or the bank reconciliations. At some point, Patterson started “borrowing” from the business and concealing her transactions by booking phony expenses. She intended to pay it back someday, but she got used to the extra cash and couldn’t stop. By the time the scam was discovered, she had drained the company of funds that it owed to many of its creditors. The company went bankrupt, Patterson did some jail time, and Helm lost everything

Requirements

  1. What was the key control weakness in this case?
  2. Many small businesses cannot afford to hire enough people for adequate separation of duties. What can they do to compensate for this?

Short Answer

Expert verified
  1. There was no separation of duties between cash disbursements and recording transactions.
  2. Small businesses must be aware of the risks and vulnerabilities of their business.

Step by step solution

01

Meaning of Mortgage

A mortgage loan can be a type of advance used to purchase real estate, such as a domestic or commercial building. The bank registers a contract with the province where the property is found as part of the loan application process. If the borrower does not make the specified installment, the contract pays the bank a security interest within the home.

02

(1) Meaning of crucial control in the case

Cindy was able to keep her activities under wraps since there was no distinction between the tasks of allocating funds and noting transactions in the notebook. Additionally, the owner was not reviewing the payments or the bank reconciliations. He probably would have discovered the deception right away if he had looked at those documents.

03

(2) Explaining how small businesses can compensate

Small firms must first be conscious of their weaknesses and hazards. Owners must then personally evaluate and authorize all cash-related transactions. Reviewing bank reconciliations is a crucial step in keeping cash under control.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

What are some common controls used with a bank account?

This case is based on an actual situation. Centennial Construction Company, headquartered in Dallas, Texas, built a Rodeway Motel 35 miles north of Dallas. The construction foreman, whose name was Slim Chance, hired the 40 workers needed to complete the project. Slim had the construction workers fill out the necessary tax forms, and he sent their documents to the home office. Work on the motel began on April 1 and ended September 1. Each week,Slim filled out a time card of hours worked by each employee during the week. Slim faxed the time cards to the home office, which prepared the payroll checks on Friday morning. Slim drove to the home office on Friday, picked up the payroll checks, and returned to the construction site. At 5 p.m. on Friday, Slim distributed payroll checks to the workers.

Requirements

1. Describe in detail the main internal control weakness in this situation. Specify what negative result(s) could occur because of the internal control weakness.

2. Describe what you would do to correct the internal control weakness.

Accounting for petty cash Jackie’s Dance Studio created a \(220 imprest petty cash fund. During the month, the fund custodian authorized and signed petty cash tickets as follows: Petty Cash Ticket No. Item Account Debited Amount

1 Delivery of programs to customers Delivery Expense \) 20 2 Mail package Postage Expense 10 3 Newsletter Printing Expense 25 4 Key to closet Miscellaneous Expense 40 5 Copier paper Office Supplies 70

Requirements

1. Make the general journal entry to create the petty cash fund. Include an explanation.

2. Make the general journal entry to record the petty cash fund replenishment. Cash in the fund totals \(40. Include an explanation.

3. Assume that Jackie’s Dance Studio decides to decrease the petty cash fund to \)120. Make the general journal entry to record this decrease.

Accounting for petty cash transactions

Suppose that on June 1, Rockin’ Gyrations, a disc jockey service, creates a petty cash

fund with an imprest balance of \(300. During June, Michael Martell, fund custodian,

signs the following petty cash tickets:

Petty Cash

Ticket Number Item Amount

1 Postage for package received \) 30

2 Office party 25

3 Two boxes of stationery 20

4 Printer cartridges 15

5 Business dinner 65

On June 30, prior to replenishment, the fund contains these tickets plus cash of \(140.

The accounts affected by petty cash payments are Office Supplies, Entertainment

Expense, and Postage Expense.

Requirements

1. On June 30, how much cash should this petty cash fund hold before it is replenished?

2. Journalize all required entries to (a) create the fund and (b) replenish it. Includeexplanations.

3. Make the entry on July 1 to increase the fund balance to \)325. Include an explanation

Match the accounting terminology to the definitions.

1. Sarbanes-Oxley Act

2. Internal control

3. Encryption

4. Separation of duties

5. Internal auditors

a. Organizational plan and all the related measures adopted by an entity to safeguard assets, encourage employees to follow company policies, promote operational efficiency, and ensure accurate and reliable accounting records.

b. Employees of the business who ensure that the company’s employees are following company policies and meeting legal requirements and that operations are running efficiently.

c. Rearranging plain-text messages by a mathematical process—the primary method of achieving security in e-commerce.

d. Requires companies to review internal control and take responsibility for the accuracy and

completeness of their financial reports.

e. Dividing responsibilities between two or more people.
See all solutions

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