Auditing

The SEC defers until January 1, 2005, a requirement that auditors of nonpublic broker-dealers register with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) ( www.sec.gov/rules/other/34-48281.htm ). The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 required auditors of financial statements of public companies or “issuers,” as defined in the act, to register by October 22 but did not establish a deadline by which auditors of broker-dealers that do not issue securities must register. While the deferral could end earlier if, in the interim, the SEC issues rules that say so, it now permits privately held broker-dealers to file annually with the commission and send their customers a balance sheet certified by an independent public accountant not registered with the board. Meanwhile the commission is assessing the applicability of registration requirements and procedures to nonpublic broker-dealers.