On June 8, 2022, Acting Chief Accountant Paul Munter issued a Statement titled “The Critical Importance of the General Standard of Auditor Independence and an Ethical Culture for the Accounting Profession.”
The Statement:
- Reviews the principles in the SEC’s auditor independence framework,
- Summarizes OCA’s approach to independence questions,
- Lists recurring issues in independence consultations, and
- Discusses the importance of an ethical culture to accounting firms.
The auditor independence framework section begins with a review of the foundational principles in S-X Rule 2.01:
The Commission will not recognize an accountant as independent, with respect to an audit client, if the accountant is not, or a reasonable investor with knowledge of all relevant facts and circumstances would conclude that the accountant is not, capable of exercising objective and impartial judgment on all issues encompassed within the accountant’s engagement. In determining whether an accountant is independent, the Commission will consider all relevant circumstances, including all relationships between the accountant and the audit client, and not just those relating to reports filed with the Commission.
The discussion emphasizes that a simple “checklist compliance exercise” with the detailed requirements in Regulation S-X will not assure that an auditor is independent. All “relevant circumstances” must be considered when assessing independence.
The discussion of OCA’s approach to independence questions briefly reviews the staff’s process and emphasizes several considerations, including:
- Consultations should include all information relevant to an independence determination, and
- Companies and their auditors should not place undue reliance on previous independence consultations as circumstances, legal or regulatory requirements may be different.
The discussion of recurring issues in independence consultations begins with a discussion of concerns by the OCA staff that they are observing “loosening attitudes” about the general independence standards. It also focuses on the “checklist mentality,” non-audit services, including providing non-audit services to affiliates, and risks in alternative practice structures.
The concluding section about ethical culture issues begins with this statement:
“It is of paramount importance that public accounting firms foster a culture of ethical behavior with respect to all aspects of their professional responsibilities, including auditor independence.”
Included are discussions of how firms should be willing to forgo engagements that are “close-to-the-line” for independence and the importance of quality control systems.
As always, your thoughts and comments are welcome!