AICPA ethics proposal would limit firms' loaning of staff to attest clients
CPA firms’ ability to loan staff to attest clients would be limited to rare circumstances under a newly proposed AICPA ethics interpretation.
Performing an Attest Engagement
More flexibility for agreed-upon procedures
Statement on Standards for Attestation Engagements (SSAE) No. 19, Agreed-Upon Procedures Engagements, provides practitioners more flexibility for performing agreed-upon procedures engagements.
SEC exempts certain companies from ICFR attestation requirement
The SEC issued amendments that exempt smaller reporting companies with less than $100 million in revenue from the requirement to obtain attestation of their internal control over financial reporting from an outside auditor.
Independence and information systems services
A recently issued independence interpretation contains guidance for CPAs’ interactions with attest clients’ information systems.
Demand for sustainability assurance is growing
Seventy percent of companies participating in a survey by The Conference Board that obtain assurance on their sustainability information said the need for such assurance will increase over the next five years.
Sustainability assurance’s link to reporting quality
The steady growth in assurance of sustainability reports suggests that companies increasingly perceive that there are net benefits of having their sustainability reports assured.
Proposed standard would revise SSAE No. 18
If approved, the standard would give practitioners added flexibility.
Proposed SSAE would increase flexibility for practitioners in performing attestation engagements
The AICPA Auditing Standards Board issued a proposal that would make numerous changes to the attestation standards, including changing the terminology for what have been known as “review engagements.”
The trouble with nondisclosure agreements in attest engagements
CPA firms must take care not to run afoul of professional standards if they are asked to sign nondisclosure agreements.
New FAQs address familiarity threats for long-tenured senior engagement personnel
Two new Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) issued by the AICPA Professional Ethics Division provide nonauthoritative guidance for the effects on independence when senior personnel have been on an attest engagement team for a long period.
ASB issues new statement of position
Attestation guidance addresses third-party due-diligence services for asset-backed securities.
Guidance for sustainability attestation engagements
Read excerpts from a new AICPA-issued sustainability guide issued to aid practitioners taking on attestation services in this emerging area.
Attestation guidance for third-party due-diligence services for asset-backed securities
The ASB issued a statement of position providing guidance for attestation engagements related to third-party due-diligence services performed in connection with asset-backed securities.
How data-hosting services affect independence
Taking responsibility for hosting an attest client’s data or records impairs a CPA’s independence, according to a new ethics interpretation.
Proposal would pave the way for a new attestation service
A proposal by the AICPA's ARSC would result in flexibility for practitioners performing and reporting on a procedures and findings service.
ASB addresses engagements performed under 2 sets of attestation standards
The AICPA ASB issued an interpretation that describes conditions for practitioners who wish to perform and report on an attestation engagement in accordance with AICPA attestation standards in addition to another set of attestation standards.
Issuance of attestation standards completes clarity project
SSAE No. 18 is designed to make attestation standards easier to read, understand and apply.
AICPA issues Q&As for practitioners related to ALTA best practices framework
New technical questions and answers provide nonauthoritative guidance for practitioners regarding the types of engagements practitioners may perform in connection with the American Land Title Association’s “Best Practices Framework.”
ASB issues attestation interpretation to agreed-upon procedures engagements standard
A new AICPA Auditing Standards Board attestation interpretation provides guidance for third-party due-diligence services performed as agreed-upon procedures engagements related to asset-backed securitizations.
Evolving practice monitoring to improve quality in A&A engagements
In a new concept of practice monitoring the AICPA envisions for the future, peer reviewers and firms will use a new technology platform to enable more thorough analysis and provide more timely feedback for accounting, auditing and attestation engagements.
