The Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) published a report Monday detailing how, during 2022 and 2023, several firms’ engagement teams working on audits in the banking sector did not adequately identify the risks of material misstatement ahead of the implosion of several banks, such as Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank. As they reviewed the banking sector audits completed in early 2023 for financial statements dated in late 2022, PCAOB inspectors noticed a variety of deficiencies. In some instances, for example, engagement teams did not revisit initial risk assessments performed earlier in the year as interest rates continued to rise. Consequently, some engagement teams did not identify in their audits certain risks of material misstatement despite changes in bank-specific or macroeconomic conditions that indicated increased risk in certain audit areas. The PCAOB has since adjusted its inspection plan, telling its target team to perform procedures on interim reviews of banks in order to provide real-time perspective on important risks. Inspectors also chose additional bank audits for inspection, and worked to ensure emerging banking and economic trends, and banking issues or common deficiencies, were appropriately considered.
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