China Auditors Barred for Six Months for Blocking SEC

Chinese affiliates of the four largest accounting firms were barred for six months from leading audits of U.S.-listed companies after failing to comply with Securities and Exchange Commission orders for documents at the heart of a series of accounting fraud probes.

The decision by U.S. Administrative Law Judge Cameron Elliot, if finalized, would force more than 200 Chinese companies traded in the U.S. to find new auditors, while multinationals with significant operations in China, like General Motors Co., would also have to bring in new firms to check those units, said Jason Flemmons, a former SEC accountant who is now a senior managing director at FTI Consulting Inc.