With the current debate focusing on providing relief to firms subject to Section 404 of Sarbanes-Oxley Act, the SEC and the PCAOB are jointly developing regulatory and auditing guidelines to simplify and increase the efficiency of the Section 404 review process. To shed light on this ongoing...

Much has been written about Section 404 of the Sarbanes Oxley Act, especially the great expense that it inflicts upon SEC registrants preparing their annual reports. Less remarked on, though, is whether the restrictions that SOX imposes on the auditing profession in its relationship to its...