The PCAOB’s annual report on its interim inspection program for auditors of brokers and dealers details the results of inspections that the board conducted last year, the first inspection year in which all inspected engagements were governed by new rules from the Securities and Exchange Commission. A fact sheet is also available.
The SEC’s 2013 amendments to Exchange Act Rule 17a-5 include a new requirement that broker-dealer audits be performed in accordance with PCAOB standards. However, the report indicates high levels of deficiencies, no better than PCAOB inspection results in previous years.
At 96 percent of the audit firms inspected, the PCAOB found deficiencies. The main improvement appeared to be in the area of auditor independence, which seemed to be impaired in 7 percent of the inspected audits in 2015, compared to 25 percent in 2014. On the other hand, many audit firms continue to help their broker-dealer clients with bookkeeping and preparing financial statements.
“While there were fewer independence findings, it is very troubling that we continue to find auditors assisting in the preparation of the financial statements they audit or providing bookkeeping services to their audit clients,” said Robert Maday, deputy director of PCAOB Registration and Inspections and leader of the Broker-Dealer Audit Firm Inspection Program, in a statement. “Auditor independence continues to be a focus of our inspections.”
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