We analyze whether information asymmetry affects three major aspects of the audit process using an instrumental variables research design that exploits exogenous increases in information asymmetry stemming from brokerage house mergers and closures. Consistent with our predictions, we find that a...

This paper investigates internal control restatements, i.e., companies and their auditors restating Section 404 internal control (IC) opinions from clean to adverse, after announcing financial statement restatements. We compare IC restatement companies with both companies that issue adverse IC...

Audits of internal control over financial reporting (ICFR) are typically “integrated” with the audit of the financial statements (FS)— both audits are conducted by the same audit firm, which designs procedures to satisfy the objectives of both audits simultaneously. A common assumption is...

After restating their financial statements, companies may voluntarily restate their previously issued internal control (IC) reports for the financial statement (FS) misstatement periods, changing them from “effective” to “ineffective.” This paper examines the determinants and...

We revisit the client importance and auditor independence debate and investigate whether investors' perceptions of the auditor's economic dependence has changed since the passage of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (SOX). Client importance is measured as the proportion of client non-audit service...