Audit

Editor’s note: This is the second article in a series of articles about application of the group audits standard. For the first article in the series, see “The Scoop on Group Audits: You May Have Them, Even Though You Think You Don’t.” There is a lot to consider when evaluating

A new PCAOB related-party auditing standard may cause audit firms to revise their audit plans and methodologies to ensure that newly required procedures are fully incorporated into all phases of the audit. The PCAOB issued Auditing Standard (AS) No. 18, Related Parties, on June 10 along with amendments to auditing

The PCAOB staff on Thursday issued new guidance for SEC-registered auditors of brokers and dealers as they make the transition to PCAOB standards from the generally accepted auditing standards (GAAS) that previously governed such audits. The staff guidance highlights relevant requirements for audits and attestation engagements. It also provides direction

The AICPA Auditing Standards Board (ASB) on Thursday issued two interpretations that are designed to help governmental pension plans, participating employers, and their auditors as they implement new GASB standards. Governmental multiple-employer pension plans and their participating employers are facing numerous accounting and auditing issues as a result of GASB

New PCAOB rules approved Tuesday are designed to strengthen auditors’ scrutiny of related-party transactions and significant unusual transactions. Auditing Standard No. 18, Related Parties, requires the auditor to perform specific procedures to evaluate a company’s identification of, accounting for, and disclosure of the transactions and relationships between a company and

The PCAOB is asking for additional comment on its proposal for reorganizing the board’s auditing standards. The framework would reorganize the existing PCAOB-issued and interim auditing standards by topic with a single numbering system. The original comment period for the proposal ended May 28, 2013. Along with a supplemental request

A new International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board (IAASB) reproposal is intended to clarify and strengthen auditors’ responsibilities related to “other information” that is included in organizations’ annual reports outside the audited financial statements. The reproposed International Standard on Auditing 720 (Revised), The Auditor’s Responsibilities Relating to Other Information, would

A new international framework for audit quality takes a broad look at how the stakeholders in the audit process can work to make audits better. The International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board (IAASB) released Tuesday a framework that is designed to encourage auditors, audit clients, audit firms, regulators, and others

As Vince Lombardi said, “Individual commitment to a group effort—that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work.” I would add to this that an individual firm’s commitment to group audit considerations makes audit planning work. Simply stated, group audits are audits of

The AICPA Auditing Standards Board (ASB) proposed amendments Thursday to AU-C Section 920, Letters for Underwriters and Certain Other Requesting Parties. AU-C Section 920 was issued as part of the ASB’s clarity project and is a redrafting of AU Section 634 of the same title. When the clarified standard was

With the release of a new auditing standard addressing the external auditor’s responsibilities if using the work of internal auditors, the AICPA Auditing Standards Board has completed the clarity redrafting of its final AU section in AICPA Professional Standards. Developed using International Standard on Auditing 610 (Revised 2013), Using the

The PCAOB has extended the comment period on its reproposed standard that would require the engagement partner and certain other participants in the audit to be identified in the audit report. The new deadline is March 17; the original deadline was Feb. 3. The board reproposed the amendments in December.

Changes proposed Tuesday by the AICPA Auditing Standards Board (ASB) would restructure the content of several important attestation standards. The ASB has issued a second exposure draft as a result of the attestation clarity project. The exposure draft contains three proposed clarified subject-matter-specific standards. Proposed Statement on Standards for Attestation

The AICPA has issued nonauthoritative guidance addressing the use of current auditing standards for audits of prior periods. According to Technical Question and Answer (TPA) 8100.03, when an auditor is engaged to perform an audit of financial statements that are as of or for a period that ended prior to

Audit firms’ quality controls will be the subject of PCAOB discussion in 2014 that could lead to a new auditing standard, board Chief Auditor and Director of Professional Standards Martin Baumann said Tuesday. The PCAOB plans to issue a concept release seeking comment on ways to address audit firm quality

A PCAOB report released Friday instructs audit firms to take steps to ensure that engagement quality reviews detect the audit deficiencies they are meant to identify. Although firms’ methodologies reviewed by the PCAOB were generally consistent with the requirements of Auditing Standard No. 7, Engagement Quality Review, the report says

Auditing revenue will need to be an area of focus for PCAOB standard setting in the near future, PCAOB member Jay Hanson said in a speech Monday. FASB and the International Accounting Standards Board are in the closing stages of developing a converged financial reporting standard for revenue recognition. The

The PCAOB maintained its focus on audits of internal control over financial reporting (ICFR) Thursday by issuing its second report in 11 months on the subject. Staff Audit Practice Alert No. 11, Considerations for Audits of Internal Control Over Financial Reporting, discusses application of PCAOB standards to audits of internal

The PCAOB on Thursday approved new standards for auditors of brokers and dealers. Two new attestation standards are designed to help protect customer funds by establishing rules for examinations and reviews of compliance information that broker-dealers submit to the SEC. A new auditing standard applies to procedures performed and reporting