[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 123 (Wednesday, June 27, 2007)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 35324-35343]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-12299]



[[Page 35323]]

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Part III





Securities and Exchange Commission





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17 CFR Part 241



 Commission Guidance Regarding Management's Report on Internal Control 
Over Financial Reporting Under Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities 
Exchange Act of 1934; Final Rule

  Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 123 / Wednesday, June 27, 2007 / 
Rules and Regulations  

[[Page 35324]]


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SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

17 CFR Part 241

[Release Nos. 33-8810; 34-55929; FR-77; File No. S7-24-06]


Commission Guidance Regarding Management's Report on Internal 
Control Over Financial Reporting Under Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the 
Securities Exchange Act of 1934

AGENCY: Securities and Exchange Commission.

ACTION: Interpretation.

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SUMMARY: The SEC is publishing this interpretive release to provide 
guidance for management regarding its evaluation and assessment of 
internal control over financial reporting. The guidance sets forth an 
approach by which management can conduct a top-down, risk-based 
evaluation of internal control over financial reporting. An evaluation 
that complies with this interpretive guidance is one way to satisfy the 
evaluation requirements of Rules 13a-15(c) and 15d-15(c) under the 
Securities Exchange Act of 1934.

DATES: Effective Date: June 27, 2007.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Josh K. Jones, Professional Accounting 
Fellow, Office of the Chief Accountant, at (202) 551-5300, or N. Sean 
Harrison, Special Counsel, Division of Corporation Finance, at (202) 
551-3430, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, 100 F Street, NE., 
Washington, DC 20549.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The amendments to Rules 13a-15(c) \1\ and 
15d-15(c) \2\ under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 \3\ (the 
``Exchange Act''), which clarify that an evaluation of internal control 
over financial reporting that complies with this interpretive guidance 
is one way to satisfy those rules, are being made in a separate 
release.\4\
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    \1\ 17 CFR 240.13a-15(c).
    \2\ 17 CFR 240.15d-15(c).
    \3\ 15 U.S.C. 78a et seq.
    \4\ Release No. 34-55928 (Jun. 20, 2007).
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I. Introduction

    Management is responsible for maintaining a system of internal 
control over financial reporting (``ICFR'') that provides reasonable 
assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the 
preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance 
with generally accepted accounting principles. The rules we adopted in 
June 2003 to implement Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 
\5\ (``Sarbanes-Oxley'') require management to annually evaluate 
whether ICFR is effective at providing reasonable assurance and to 
disclose its assessment to investors.\6\ Management is responsible for 
maintaining evidential matter, including documentation, to provide 
reasonable support for its assessment. This evidence will also allow a 
third party, such as the company's external auditor, to consider the 
work performed by management.
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    \5\ 15 U.S.C. 7262.
    \6\ Release No. 33-8238 (Jun. 5, 2003) [68 FR 36636] 
(hereinafter ``Adopting Release'').
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    ICFR cannot provide absolute assurance due to its inherent 
limitations; it is a process that involves human diligence and 
compliance and is subject to lapses in judgment and breakdowns 
resulting from human failures. ICFR also can be circumvented by 
collusion or improper management override. Because of such limitations, 
ICFR cannot prevent or detect all misstatements, whether unintentional 
errors or fraud. However, these inherent limitations are known features 
of the financial reporting process, therefore, it is possible to design 
into the process safeguards to reduce, though not eliminate, this risk.
    The ``reasonable assurance'' referred to in the Commission's 
implementing rules relates to similar language in the Foreign Corrupt 
Practices Act of 1977 (``FCPA'').\7\ Exchange Act Section 13(b)(7) 
defines ``reasonable assurance'' and ``reasonable detail'' as ``such 
level of detail and degree of assurance as would satisfy prudent 
officials in the conduct of their own affairs.'' \8\ The Commission has 
long held that ``reasonableness'' is not an ``absolute standard of 
exactitude for corporate records.'' \9\ In addition, the Commission 
recognizes that while ``reasonableness'' is an objective standard, 
there is a range of judgments that an issuer might make as to what is 
``reasonable'' in implementing Section 404 and the Commission's rules. 
Thus, the terms ``reasonable,'' ``reasonably,'' and ``reasonableness'' 
in the context of Section 404 implementation do not imply a single 
conclusion or methodology, but encompass the full range of appropriate 
potential conduct, conclusions or methodologies upon which an issuer 
may reasonably base its decisions.
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    \7\ Title 1 of Pub. L. 95-213 (1977).
    \8\ 15 U.S.C. 78m(b)(7). The conference committee report on the 
1988 amendments to the FCPA also noted that the standard ``does not 
connote an unrealistic degree of exactitude or precision. The 
concept of reasonableness of necessity contemplates the weighing of 
a number of relevant factors, including the costs of compliance.'' 
Cong. Rec. H2116 (daily ed. Apr. 20, 1988).
    \9\ Release No. 34-17500 (Jan. 29, 1981) [46 FR 11544].
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    Since companies first began complying in 2004, the Commission has 
received significant feedback on our rules implementing Section 
404.\10\ This feedback included requests for further guidance to assist 
company management in complying with our ICFR evaluation and disclosure 
requirements. This guidance is in response to those requests and 
reflects the significant feedback we have received, including comments 
on the interpretive guidance we proposed on December 20, 2006. In 
addressing a number of the commonly identified areas of concerns, the 
interpretive guidance:
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    \10\ Release Nos. 33-8762; 34-54976 (Dec. 20, 2006) [71 FR 
77635] (hereinafter ``Proposing Release''). For a detailed history 
of the implementation of Section 404 of Sarbanes-Oxley, see Section 
I., Background, of the Proposing Release. An analysis of the 
comments we received on the Proposing Release is included in Section 
III of this release.
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     Explains how to vary evaluation approaches for gathering 
evidence based on risk assessments;
     Explains the use of ``daily interaction,'' self-
assessment, and other on-going monitoring activities as evidence in the 
evaluation;
     Explains the purpose of documentation and how management 
has flexibility in approaches to documenting support for its 
assessment;
     Provides management significant flexibility in making 
judgments regarding what constitutes adequate evidence in low-risk 
areas; and
     Allows for management and the auditor to have different 
testing approaches.
    The Interpretive Guidance is organized around two broad principles. 
The first principle is that management should evaluate whether it has 
implemented controls that adequately address the risk that a material 
misstatement of the financial statements would not be prevented or 
detected in a timely manner. The guidance describes a top-down, risk-
based approach to this principle, including the role of entity-level 
controls in assessing financial reporting risks and the adequacy of 
controls. The guidance promotes efficiency by allowing management to 
focus on those controls that are needed to adequately address the risk 
of a material misstatement of its financial statements. The guidance 
does not require management to identify every control in a process or 
document the business processes impacting ICFR. Rather, management can 
focus its

[[Page 35325]]

evaluation process and the documentation supporting the assessment on 
those controls that it determines adequately address the risk of a 
material misstatement of the financial statements. For example, if 
management determines that a risk of a material misstatement is 
adequately addressed by an entity-level control, no further evaluation 
of other controls is required.
    The second principle is that management's evaluation of evidence 
about the operation of its controls should be based on its assessment 
of risk. The guidance provides an approach for making risk-based 
judgments about the evidence needed for the evaluation. This allows 
management to align the nature and extent of its evaluation procedures 
with those areas of financial reporting that pose the highest risks to 
reliable financial reporting (that is, whether the financial statements 
are materially accurate). As a result, management may be able to use 
more efficient approaches to gathering evidence, such as self-
assessments, in low-risk areas and perform more extensive testing in 
high-risk areas. By following these two principles, we believe 
companies of all sizes and complexities will be able to implement our 
rules effectively and efficiently.
    The Interpretive Guidance reiterates the Commission's position that 
management should bring its own experience and informed judgment to 
bear in order to design an evaluation process that meets the needs of 
its company and that provides a reasonable basis for its annual 
assessment of whether ICFR is effective. This allows management 
sufficient and appropriate flexibility to design such an evaluation 
process.\11\ Smaller public companies, which generally have less 
complex internal control systems than larger public companies, can use 
this guidance to scale and tailor their evaluation methods and 
procedures to fit their own facts and circumstances. We encourage 
smaller public companies \12\ to take advantage of the flexibility and 
scalability to conduct an evaluation of ICFR that is both efficient and 
effective at identifying material weaknesses.
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    \11\ Exchange Act Rules 13a-15 and 15d-15 [17 CFR 240.13a-15 and 
15d-15] require management to evaluate the effectiveness of ICFR as 
of the end of the fiscal year. For purposes of this document, the 
term ``evaluation'' or ``evaluation process'' refers to the methods 
and procedures that management implements to comply with these 
rules. The term ``assessment'' is used in this document to describe 
the disclosure required by Item 308 of Regulations S-B and S-K [17 
CFR 228.308 and 229.308]. This disclosure must include discussion of 
any material weaknesses which exist as of the end of the most recent 
fiscal year and management's assessment of the effectiveness of 
ICFR, including a statement as to whether or not ICFR is effective. 
Management is not permitted to conclude that ICFR is effective if 
there are one or more material weaknesses in ICFR.
    \12\ While a company's individual facts and circumstances should 
be considered in determining whether a company is a smaller public 
company and the resulting implications to management's evaluation, a 
company's public market capitalization and annual revenues are 
useful indicators of its size and complexity. The Final Report of 
the Advisory Committee on Smaller Public Companies to the United 
States Securities and Exchange Commission (Apr. 23, 2006), available 
at http://www.sec.gov/info/smallbus/acspc/acspc-finalreport.pdf, 
defined smaller companies, which included microcap companies, and 
the SEC's rules include size characteristics for ``accelerated 
filers'' and ``non-accelerated filers'' which approximately fit the 
same definitions.
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    The effort necessary to conduct an initial evaluation of ICFR will 
vary among companies, partly because this effort will depend on 
management's existing financial reporting risk assessment and control 
monitoring activities. After the first year of compliance, management's 
effort to identify financial reporting risks and controls should 
ordinarily be less, because subsequent evaluations should be more 
focused on changes in risks and controls rather than identification of 
all financial reporting risks and the related controls. Further, in 
each subsequent year, the documentation of risks and controls will only 
need to be updated from the prior year(s), not recreated anew. Through 
the risk and control identification process, management will have 
identified for testing only those controls that are needed to meet the 
objective of ICFR (that is, to provide reasonable assurance regarding 
the reliability of financial reporting) and for which evidence about 
their operation can be obtained most efficiently. The nature and extent 
of procedures implemented to evaluate whether those controls continue 
to operate effectively can be tailored to the company's unique 
circumstances, thereby avoiding unnecessary compliance costs.
    The guidance assumes management has established and maintains a 
system of internal accounting controls as required by the FCPA. 
Further, it is not intended to explain how management should design its 
ICFR to comply with the control framework management has chosen. To 
allow appropriate flexibility, the guidance does not provide a 
checklist of steps management should perform in completing its 
evaluation.
    The guidance in this release shall be effective immediately upon 
its publication in the Federal Register.\13\
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    \13\ The Commission finds good cause under 5 U.S.C. 808(2) for 
this interpretation to take effect on the date of Federal Register 
publication. Further delay would be unnecessary and contrary to the 
public interest because following the guidance is voluntary. 
Additionally, delay may deter companies from realizing all the 
efficiencies intended by this guidance, and immediate effectiveness 
will assist in preparing for 2007 evaluations and assessments of 
internal control over financial reporting.
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    As a companion \14\ to this interpretive release, we are adopting 
amendments to Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(c) and 15d-15(c) and revisions 
to Regulation S-X.\15\ The amendments to Rules 13a-15(c) and 15d-15(c) 
will make it clear that an evaluation that is conducted in accordance 
with this interpretive guidance is one way to satisfy the annual 
management evaluation requirement in those rules. We are also amending 
our rules to define the term ``material weakness'' and to revise the 
requirements regarding the auditor's attestation report on ICFR. 
Additionally, we are seeking additional comment on the definition of 
the term ``significant deficiency.'' \16\
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    \14\ Release No. 34-55928.
    \15\ 17 CFR 210.1-01 et seq.
    \16\ Release No. 34-55930 (Jun. 20, 2007).
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II. Interpretive Guidance--Evaluation and Assessment of Internal 
Control Over Financial Reporting

    The interpretive guidance addresses the following topics:

A. The Evaluation Process
    1. Identifying Financial Reporting Risks and Controls
    a. Identifying Financial Reporting Risks
    b. Identifying Controls That Adequately Address Financial 
Reporting Risks
    c. Consideration of Entity-Level Controls
    d. Role of Information Technology General Controls
    e. Evidential Matter To Support the Assessment
    2. Evaluating Evidence of the Operating Effectiveness of ICFR
    a. Determining the Evidence Needed To Support the Assessment
    b. Implementing Procedures To Evaluate Evidence of the Operation 
of ICFR
    c. Evidential Matter To Support the Assessment
    3. Multiple Location Considerations
B. Reporting Considerations
    1. Evaluation of Control Deficiencies
    2. Expression of Assessment of Effectiveness of ICFR by 
Management
    3. Disclosures About Material Weaknesses
    4. Impact of a Restatement of Previously Issued Financial 
Statements on Management's Report on ICFR
    5. Inability To Assess Certain Aspects of ICFR

A. The Evaluation Process

    The objective of internal control over financial reporting \17\ 
(``ICFR'') is to

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provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial 
reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external 
purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles 
(``GAAP''). The purpose of the evaluation of ICFR is to provide 
management with a reasonable basis for its annual assessment as to 
whether any material weaknesses \18\ in ICFR exist as of the end of the 
fiscal year.\19\ To accomplish this, management identifies the risks to 
reliable financial reporting, evaluates whether controls exist to 
address those risks, and evaluates evidence about the operation of the 
controls included in the evaluation based on its assessment of 
risk.\20\ The evaluation process will vary from company to company; 
however, the top-down, risk-based approach which is described in this 
guidance will typically be the most efficient and effective way to 
conduct the evaluation.
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    \17\ Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) [17 CFR 240.13a-
15(f) and 15d-15(b)] define internal control over financial 
reporting as:
    A process designed by, or under the supervision of, the issuer's 
principal executive and principal financial officers, or persons 
performing similar functions, and effected by the issuer's board of 
directors, management and other personnel, to provide reasonable 
assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the 
preparation of financial statements for external purposes in 
accordance with generally accepted accounting principles and 
includes those policies and procedures that:
    (1) Pertain to the maintenance of records that in reasonable 
detail accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and 
dispositions of the assets of the issuer;
    (2) Provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded 
as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in 
accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and that 
receipts and expenditures of the issuer are being made only in 
accordance with authorizations of management and directors of the 
registrant; and
    (3) Provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely 
detection of unauthorized acquisition, use or disposition of the 
issuer's assets that could have a material effect on the financial 
statements.
    \18\ As defined in Exchange Act Rule 12b-2 [17 CFR 240.12b-2] 
and Rule 1-02 of Regulation S-X [17 CFR 210.1-02], a material 
weakness is a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, in ICFR 
such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material 
misstatement of the registrant's annual or interim financial 
statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis. See 
Release No. 34-55928.
    \19\ This focus on material weaknesses will lead to a better 
understanding by investors about the company's ICFR, as well as its 
inherent limitations. Further, the Commission's rules implementing 
Section 404, by providing for public disclosure of material 
weaknesses, concentrate attention on the most important internal 
control issues.
    \20\ If management's evaluation process identifies material 
weaknesses, but all material weaknesses are remediated by the end of 
the fiscal year, management may conclude that ICFR is effective as 
of the end of the fiscal year. However, management should consider 
whether disclosure of such remediated material weaknesses is 
appropriate or required under Item 307 or Item 308 of Regulations S-
K or S-B or other Commission disclosure rules.
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    The evaluation process guidance is described in two sections. The 
first section explains the identification of financial reporting risks 
and the evaluation of whether the controls management has implemented 
adequately address those risks. The second section explains an approach 
for making judgments about the methods and procedures for evaluating 
whether the operation of ICFR is effective. Both sections explain how 
entity-level controls \21\ impact the evaluation process, as well as 
how management should focus its evaluation efforts on the highest risks 
to reliable financial reporting.\22\
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    \21\ The term ``entity-level controls'' as used in this document 
describes aspects of a system of internal control that have a 
pervasive effect on the entity's system of internal control such as 
controls related to the control environment (for example, 
management's philosophy and operating style, integrity and ethical 
values; board or audit committee oversight; and assignment of 
authority and responsibility); controls over management override; 
the company's risk assessment process; centralized processing and 
controls, including shared service environments; controls to monitor 
results of operations; controls to monitor other controls, including 
activities of the internal audit function, the audit committee, and 
self-assessment programs; controls over the period-end financial 
reporting process; and policies that address significant business 
control and risk management practices. The terms ``company-level'' 
and ``entity-wide'' are also commonly used to describe these 
controls.
    \22\ Because management is responsible for maintaining effective 
ICFR, this interpretive guidance does not specifically address the 
role of the board of directors or audit committee in a company's 
evaluation and assessment of ICFR. However, we would ordinarily 
expect a board of directors or audit committee, as part of its 
oversight responsibilities for the company's financial reporting, to 
be reasonably knowledgeable and informed about the evaluation 
process and management's assessment, as necessary in the 
circumstances.
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    Under the Commission's rules, management's annual assessment of the 
effectiveness of ICFR must be made in accordance with a suitable 
control framework's \23\ definition of effective internal control.\24\ 
These control frameworks define elements of internal control that are 
expected to be present and functioning in an effective internal control 
system. In assessing effectiveness, management evaluates whether its 
ICFR includes policies, procedures and activities that address the 
elements of internal control that the applicable control framework 
describes as necessary for an internal control system to be effective. 
The framework elements describe the characteristics of an internal 
control system that may be relevant to individual areas of the 
company's ICFR, pervasive to many areas, or entity-wide. Therefore, 
management's evaluation process includes not only controls involving 
particular areas of financial reporting, but also the entity-wide and 
other pervasive elements of internal control defined by its selected 
control framework. This guidance is not intended to replace the 
elements of an effective system of internal control as defined within a 
control framework.
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    \23\ In the Adopting Release, the Commission specified 
characteristics of a suitable control framework and identified the 
Internal Control--Integrated Framework (1992) created by the 
Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission 
(``COSO'') as an example of a suitable framework. We also cited the 
Guidance on Assessing Control published by the Canadian Institute of 
Chartered Accountants (``CoCo'') and the report published by the 
Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales Internal 
Control: Guidance for Directors on the Combined Code (known as the 
Turnbull Report) as examples of other suitable frameworks that 
issuers could choose in evaluating the effectiveness of their ICFR. 
We encourage companies to examine and select a framework that may be 
useful in their own circumstances; we also encourage the further 
development of existing and alternative frameworks.
    \24\ For example, both the COSO framework and the Turnbull 
Report state that determining whether a system of internal control 
is effective is a subjective judgment resulting from an assessment 
of whether the five components (that is, control environment, risk 
assessment, control activities, monitoring, and information and 
communication) are present and functioning effectively. Although 
CoCo states that an assessment of effectiveness should be made 
against twenty specific criteria, it acknowledges that the criteria 
can be regrouped into different structures, and includes a table 
showing how the criteria can be regrouped into the five-component 
structure of COSO.
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1. Identifying Financial Reporting Risks and Controls
    Management should evaluate whether it has implemented controls that 
will achieve the objective of ICFR (that is, to provide reasonable 
assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting). The 
evaluation begins with the identification and assessment of the risks 
to reliable financial reporting (that is, materially accurate financial 
statements), including changes in those risks. Management then 
evaluates whether it has controls placed in operation (that is, in use) 
that are designed to adequately address those risks. Management 
ordinarily would consider the company's entity-level controls in both 
its assessment of risks and in identifying which controls adequately 
address the risks.
    The evaluation approach described herein allows management to 
identify controls and maintain supporting evidential matter for its 
controls in a manner that is tailored to the company's financial 
reporting risks (as defined below). Thus, the controls that management 
identifies and documents are those that are important to achieving the 
objective of ICFR. These controls are then subject to procedures to 
evaluate evidence of their operating

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effectiveness, as determined pursuant to Section II.A.2.
a. Identifying Financial Reporting Risks
    Management should identify those risks of misstatement that could, 
individually or in combination with others, result in a material 
misstatement of the financial statements (``financial reporting 
risks''). Ordinarily, the identification of financial reporting risks 
begins with evaluating how the requirements of GAAP apply to the 
company's business, operations and transactions. Management must 
provide investors with financial statements that fairly present the 
company's financial position, results of operations and cash flows in 
accordance with GAAP. A lack of fair presentation arises when one or 
more financial statement amounts or disclosures (``financial reporting 
elements'') contain misstatements (including omissions) that are 
material.
    Management uses its knowledge and understanding of the business, 
and its organization, operations, and processes, to consider the 
sources and potential likelihood of misstatements in financial 
reporting elements. Internal and external risk factors that impact the 
business, including the nature and extent of any changes in those 
risks, may give rise to a risk of misstatement. Risks of misstatement 
may also arise from sources such as the initiation, authorization, 
processing and recording of transactions and other adjustments that are 
reflected in financial reporting elements. Management may find it 
useful to consider ``what could go wrong'' within a financial reporting 
element in order to identify the sources and the potential likelihood 
of misstatements and identify those that could result in a material 
misstatement of the financial statements.
    The methods and procedures for identifying financial reporting 
risks will vary based on the characteristics of the company. These 
characteristics include, among others, the size, complexity, and 
organizational structure of the company and its processes and financial 
reporting environment, as well as the control framework used by 
management. For example, to identify financial reporting risks in a 
larger business or a complex business process, management's methods and 
procedures may involve a variety of company personnel, including those 
with specialized knowledge. These individuals, collectively, may be 
necessary to have a sufficient understanding of GAAP, the underlying 
business transactions and the process activities, including the role of 
computer technology, that are required to initiate, authorize, record 
and process transactions. In contrast, in a small company that operates 
on a centralized basis with less complex business processes and with 
little change in the risks or processes, management's daily involvement 
with the business may provide it with adequate knowledge to 
appropriately identify financial reporting risks.
    Management's evaluation of the risk of misstatement should include 
consideration of the vulnerability of the entity to fraudulent activity 
(for example, fraudulent financial reporting, misappropriation of 
assets and corruption), and whether any such exposure could result in a 
material misstatement of the financial statements.\25\ The extent of 
activities required for the evaluation of fraud risks is commensurate 
with the size and complexity of the company's operations and financial 
reporting environment.\26\
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    \25\ For example, COSO's Internal Control Over Financial 
Reporting--Guidance for Smaller Public Companies (2006), Volume 1: 
Executive Summary, Principle 10: Fraud Risk (page 10) states, ``The 
potential for material misstatement due to fraud is explicitly 
considered in assessing risks to the achievement of financial 
reporting objectives.''
    \26\ Management may find resources such as ``Management 
Antifraud Programs and Controls--Guidance to Help Prevent, Deter, 
and Detect Fraud,'' which was issued jointly by seven professional 
organizations and is included as an exhibit to AU Sec. 316, 
Consideration of Fraud in a Financial Statement Audit (as adopted on 
an interim basis by the PCAOB in PCAOB Rule 3200T) helpful in 
assessing fraud risks. Other resources also exist (for example, the 
American Institute of Certified Public Accountants' (AICPA) 
Management Override of Internal Controls: The Achilles' Heel of 
Fraud Prevention (2005)), and more may be developed in the future.
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    Management should recognize that the risk of material misstatement 
due to fraud ordinarily exists in any organization, regardless of size 
or type, and it may vary by specific location or segment and by 
individual financial reporting element. For example, one type of fraud 
risk that has resulted in fraudulent financial reporting in companies 
of all sizes and types is the risk of improper override of internal 
controls in the financial reporting process. While the identification 
of a fraud risk is not necessarily an indication that a fraud has 
occurred, the absence of an identified fraud is not an indication that 
no fraud risks exist. Rather, these risk assessments are used in 
evaluating whether adequate controls have been implemented.
b. Identifying Controls That Adequately Address Financial Reporting 
Risks
    Management should evaluate whether it has controls \27\ placed in 
operation (that is, in use) that adequately address the company's 
financial reporting risks. The determination of whether an individual 
control, or a combination of controls, adequately addresses a financial 
reporting risk involves judgments about whether the controls, if 
operating properly, can effectively prevent or detect misstatements 
that could result in material misstatements in the financial 
statements.\28\ If management determines that a deficiency in ICFR 
exists, it must be evaluated to determine whether a material weakness 
exists.\29\ The guidance in Section II.B.1. is designed to assist 
management with that evaluation.
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    \27\ A control consists of a specific set of policies, 
procedures, and activities designed to meet an objective. A control 
may exist within a designated function or activity in a process. A 
control's impact on ICFR may be entity-wide or specific to an 
account balance, class of transactions or application. Controls have 
unique characteristics--for example, they can be: Automated or 
manual; reconciliations; segregation of duties; review and approval 
authorizations; safeguarding and accountability of assets; 
preventing or detecting error or fraud. Controls within a process 
may consist of financial reporting controls and operational controls 
(that is, those designed to achieve operational objectives).
    \28\ Companies may use ``control objectives,'' which provide 
specific criteria against which to evaluate the effectiveness of 
controls, to assist in evaluating whether controls can prevent or 
detect misstatements.
    \29\ A deficiency in the design of ICFR exists when (a) 
Necessary controls are missing or (b) existing controls are not 
properly designed so that, even if the control operates as designed, 
the financial reporting risks would not be addressed.
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    Management may identify preventive controls, detective controls, or 
a combination of both, as adequately addressing financial reporting 
risks.\30\ There might be more than one control that addresses the 
financial reporting risks for a financial reporting element; 
conversely, one control might address the risks of more than one 
financial reporting element. It is not necessary to identify all 
controls that may exist or identify redundant controls, unless 
redundancy itself is required to address the financial reporting risks. 
To illustrate, management may determine that the risk of a misstatement 
in interest expense, which could result in a material misstatement of 
the financial statements, is adequately addressed by a control within 
the company's period-end financial reporting process (that is, an 
entity-level control). In such a case, management may not need to 
identify, for purposes of the ICFR evaluation, any

[[Page 35328]]

additional controls related to the risk of misstatement in interest 
expense.
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    \30\ Preventive controls have the objective of preventing the 
occurrence of errors or fraud that could result in a misstatement of 
the financial statements. Detective controls have the objective of 
detecting errors or fraud that has already occurred that could 
result in a misstatement of the financial statements. Preventive and 
detective controls may be completely manual, involve some degree of 
computer automation, or be completely automated.
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    Management may also consider the efficiency with which evidence of 
the operation of a control can be evaluated when identifying the 
controls that adequately address the financial reporting risks. When 
more than one control exists and each adequately addresses a financial 
reporting risk, management may decide to select the control for which 
evidence of operating effectiveness can be obtained more efficiently. 
Moreover, when adequate information technology (``IT'') general 
controls exist and management has determined that the operation of such 
controls is effective, management may determine that automated controls 
are more efficient to evaluate than manual controls. Considering the 
efficiency with which the operation of a control can be evaluated will 
often enhance the overall efficiency of the evaluation process.
    In addition to identifying controls that address the financial 
reporting risks of individual financial reporting elements, management 
also evaluates whether it has controls in place to address the entity-
level and other pervasive elements of ICFR that its chosen control 
framework prescribes as necessary for an effective system of internal 
control. This would ordinarily include, for example, considering how 
and whether controls related to the control environment, controls over 
management override, the entity-level risk assessment process and 
monitoring activities,\31\ controls over the period-end financial 
reporting process,\32\ and the policies that address significant 
business control and risk management practices are adequate for 
purposes of an effective system of internal control. The control 
frameworks and related guidance may be useful tools for evaluating the 
adequacy of these elements of ICFR.
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    \31\ Monitoring activities may include controls to monitor 
results of operations and controls to monitor other controls, 
including activities of the internal audit function, the audit 
committee, and self-assessment programs.
    \32\ The nature of controls within the period-end financial 
reporting process will vary based on a company's facts and 
circumstances. The period-end financial reporting process may 
include matters such as: Procedures to enter transaction totals into 
the general ledger; the initiation, authorization, recording and 
processing of journal entries in the general ledger; procedures for 
the selection and application of accounting policies; procedures 
used to record recurring and non-recurring adjustments to the annual 
and quarterly financial statements; and procedures for preparing 
annual and quarterly financial statements and related disclosures.
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    When identifying the controls that address financial reporting 
risks, management learns information about the characteristics of the 
controls that should inform its judgments about the risk that a control 
will fail to operate as designed. This includes, for example, 
information about the judgment required in its operation and 
information about the complexity of the controls. Section II.A.2. 
discusses how these characteristics are considered in determining the 
nature and extent of evidence of the operation of the controls that 
management evaluates.
    At the end of this identification process, management has 
identified for evaluation those controls that are needed to meet the 
objective of ICFR (that is, to provide reasonable assurance regarding 
the reliability of financial reporting) and for which evidence about 
their operation can be obtained most efficiently.
c. Consideration of Entity-Level Controls
    Management considers entity-level controls when identifying 
financial reporting risks and related controls for a financial 
reporting element. In doing so, it is important for management to 
consider the nature of the entity-level controls and how those controls 
relate to the financial reporting element. The more indirect the 
relationship to a financial reporting element, the less effective a 
control may be in preventing or detecting a misstatement.\33\
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    \33\ Controls can be either directly or indirectly related to a 
financial reporting element. Controls that are designed to have a 
specific effect on a financial reporting element are considered 
directly related. For example, controls established to ensure that 
personnel are properly counting and recording the annual physical 
inventory relate directly to the existence of the inventory.
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    Some entity-level controls, such as certain control environment 
controls, have an important, but indirect, effect on the likelihood 
that a misstatement will be prevented or detected on a timely basis. 
These controls might affect the other controls management determines 
are necessary to adequately address financial reporting risks for a 
financial reporting element. However, it is unlikely that management 
will identify only this type of entity-level control as adequately 
addressing a financial reporting risk identified for a financial 
reporting element.
    Other entity-level controls may be designed to identify possible 
breakdowns in lower-level controls, but not in a manner that would, by 
themselves, adequately address financial reporting risks. For example, 
an entity-level control that monitors the results of operations may be 
designed to detect potential misstatements and investigate whether a 
breakdown in lower-level controls occurred. However, if the amount of 
potential misstatement that could exist before being detected by the 
monitoring control is too high, then the control may not adequately 
address the financial reporting risks of a financial reporting element.
    Entity-level controls may be designed to operate at the process, 
application, transaction or account-level and at a level of precision 
that would adequately prevent or detect on a timely basis misstatements 
in one or more financial reporting elements that could result in a 
material misstatement of the financial statements. In these cases, 
management may not need to identify or evaluate additional controls 
relating to that financial reporting risk.
d. Role of Information Technology General Controls
    Controls that management identifies as addressing financial 
reporting risks may be automated,\34\ dependent upon IT 
functionality,\35\ or a combination of both manual and automated 
procedures.\36\ In these situations, management's evaluation process 
generally considers the design and operation of the automated or IT 
dependent application controls and the relevant IT general controls 
over the applications providing the IT functionality. While IT general 
controls alone ordinarily do not adequately address financial reporting 
risks, the proper and consistent operation of automated controls or IT 
functionality often depends upon effective IT general controls. The 
identification of risks and controls within IT should not be a separate 
evaluation. Instead, it should be an integral part of management's top-
down, risk-based approach to identifying risks and controls and in 
determining evidential matter necessary to support the assessment.
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    \34\ For example, application controls that perform automated 
matching, error checking or edit checking functions.
    \35\ For example, consistent application of a formula or 
performance of a calculation and posting correct balances to 
appropriate accounts or ledgers.
    \36\ For example, a control that manually investigates items 
contained in a computer generated exception report.
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    Aspects of IT general controls that may be relevant to the 
evaluation of ICFR will vary depending upon a company's facts and 
circumstances. For purposes of the evaluation of ICFR, management only 
needs to evaluate those IT general controls that are necessary for the 
proper and consistent operation of other controls designed to 
adequately address financial reporting risks. For example, management 
might consider whether certain aspects of IT

[[Page 35329]]

general control areas, such as program development, program changes, 
computer operations, and access to programs and data, apply to its 
facts and circumstances.\37\ Specifically, it is unnecessary to 
evaluate IT general controls that primarily pertain to efficiency or 
effectiveness of a company's operations, but which are not relevant to 
addressing financial reporting risks.
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    \37\ However, the reference to these specific IT general control 
areas as examples within this guidance does not imply that these 
areas, either partially or in their entirety, are applicable to all 
facts and circumstances. As indicated, companies need to take their 
particular facts and circumstances into consideration in determining 
which aspects of IT general controls are relevant.
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e. Evidential Matter To Support the Assessment
    As part of its evaluation of ICFR, management must maintain 
reasonable support for its assessment.\38\ Documentation of the design 
of the controls management has placed in operation to adequately 
address the financial reporting risks, including the entity-level and 
other pervasive elements necessary for effective ICFR, is an integral 
part of the reasonable support. The form and extent of the 
documentation will vary depending on the size, nature, and complexity 
of the company. It can take many forms (for example, paper documents, 
electronic, or other media). Also, the documentation can be presented 
in a number of ways (for example, policy manuals, process models, 
flowcharts, job descriptions, documents, internal memorandums, forms, 
etc). The documentation does not need to include all controls that 
exist within a process that impacts financial reporting. Rather, the 
documentation should be focused on those controls that management 
concludes are adequate to address the financial reporting risks.\39\
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    \38\ See instructions to Item 308 of Regulations S-K and S-B.
    \39\ Section II.A.2.c also provides guidance with regard to the 
documentation required to support management's evaluation of 
operating effectiveness.
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    In addition to providing support for the assessment of ICFR, 
documentation of the design of controls also supports other objectives 
of an effective system of internal control. For example, it serves as 
evidence that controls within ICFR, including changes to those 
controls, have been identified, are capable of being communicated to 
those responsible for their performance, and are capable of being 
monitored by the company.
2. Evaluating Evidence of the Operating Effectiveness of ICFR
    Management should evaluate evidence of the operating effectiveness 
of ICFR. The evaluation of the operating effectiveness of a control 
considers whether the control is operating as designed and whether the 
person performing the control possesses the necessary authority and 
competence to perform the control effectively. The evaluation 
procedures that management uses to gather evidence about the operation 
of the controls it identifies as adequately addressing the financial 
reporting risks for financial reporting elements (pursuant to Section 
II.A.1.b) should be tailored to management's assessment of the risk 
characteristics of both the individual financial reporting elements and 
the related controls (collectively, ICFR risk). Management should 
ordinarily focus its evaluation of the operation of controls on areas 
posing the highest ICFR risk. Management's assessment of ICFR risk also 
considers the impact of entity-level controls, such as the relative 
strengths and weaknesses of the control environment, which may 
influence management's judgments about the risks of failure for 
particular controls.
    Evidence about the effective operation of controls may be obtained 
from direct testing of controls and on-going monitoring activities. The 
nature, timing and extent of evaluation procedures necessary for 
management to obtain sufficient evidence of the effective operation of 
a control depend on the assessed ICFR risk. In determining whether the 
evidence obtained is sufficient to provide a reasonable basis for its 
evaluation of the operation of ICFR, management should consider not 
only the quantity of evidence (for example, sample size), but also the 
qualitative characteristics of the evidence. The qualitative 
characteristics of the evidence include the nature of the evaluation 
procedures performed, the period of time to which the evidence relates, 
the objectivity \40\ of those evaluating the controls, and, in the case 
of on-going monitoring activities, the extent of validation through 
direct testing of underlying controls. For any individual control, 
different combinations of the nature, timing, and extent of evaluation 
procedures may provide sufficient evidence. The sufficiency of evidence 
is not necessarily determined by any of these attributes individually.
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    \40\ In determining the objectivity of those evaluating 
controls, management is not required to make an absolute conclusion 
regarding objectivity, but rather should recognize that personnel 
will have varying degrees of objectivity based on, among other 
things, their job function, their relationship to the control being 
evaluated, and their level of authority and responsibility within 
the organization. Personnel whose core function involves permanently 
serving as a testing or compliance authority at the company, such as 
internal auditors, normally are expected to be the most objective. 
However, the degree of objectivity of other company personnel may be 
such that the evaluation of controls performed by them would provide 
sufficient evidence. Management's judgments about whether the degree 
of objectivity is adequate to provide sufficient evidence should 
take into account the ICFR risk.
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a. Determining the Evidence Needed To Support the Assessment
    Management should evaluate the ICFR risk of the controls identified 
in Section II.A.1.b as adequately addressing the financial reporting 
risks for financial reporting elements to determine the evidence needed 
to support the assessment. This evaluation should consider the 
characteristics of the financial reporting elements to which the 
controls relate and the characteristics of the controls themselves. 
This concept is illustrated in the following diagram.

[[Page 35330]]

[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TR27JN07.000

    Management's consideration of the misstatement risk of a financial 
reporting element includes both the materiality of the financial 
reporting element and the susceptibility of the underlying account 
balances, transactions or other supporting information to a 
misstatement that could be material to the financial statements. As the 
materiality of a financial reporting element increases in relation to 
the amount of misstatement that would be considered material to the 
financial statements, management's assessment of misstatement risk for 
the financial reporting element generally would correspondingly 
increase. In addition, management considers the extent to which the 
financial reporting elements include transactions, account balances or 
other supporting information that are prone to material misstatement. 
For example, the extent to which a financial reporting element: (1) 
Involves judgment in determining the recorded amounts; (2) is 
susceptible to fraud; (3) has complex accounting requirements; (4) 
experiences change in the nature or volume of the underlying 
transactions; or (5) is sensitive to changes in environmental factors, 
such as technological and/or economic developments, would generally 
affect management's judgment of whether a misstatement risk is higher 
or lower.
    Management's consideration of the likelihood that a control might 
fail to operate effectively includes, among other things:
     The type of control (that is, manual or automated) and the 
frequency with which it operates;
     The complexity of the control;
     The risk of management override;
     The judgment required to operate the control;
     The competence of the personnel who perform the control or 
monitor its performance;
     Whether there have been changes in key personnel who 
either perform the control or monitor its performance;
     The nature and materiality of misstatements that the 
control is intended to prevent or detect;
     The degree to which the control relies on the 
effectiveness of other controls (for example, IT general controls); and
     The evidence of the operation of the control from prior 
year(s).
    For example, management's judgment of the risk of control failure 
would be higher for controls whose operation requires significant 
judgment than for non-complex controls requiring less judgment.
    Financial reporting elements that involve related party 
transactions, critical accounting policies,\41\ and related critical 
accounting estimates \42\ generally would be assessed as having a 
higher misstatement risk. Further, when the controls related to these 
financial reporting elements are subject to the risk of management 
override, involve significant judgment, or are complex, they should 
generally be assessed as having higher ICFR risk.
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    \41\ ``Critical accounting policies'' are defined as those 
policies that are most important to the financial statement 
presentation, and require management's most difficult, subjective, 
or complex judgments, often as the result of a need to make 
estimates about the effect of matters that are inherently uncertain. 
See Release No. 33-8040 (Dec. 12, 2001) [66 FR 65013].
    \42\ ``Critical accounting estimates'' relate to estimates or 
assumptions involved in the application of generally accepted 
accounting principles where the nature of the estimates or 
assumptions is material due to the levels of subjectivity and 
judgment necessary to account for highly uncertain matters or the 
susceptibility of such matters to change and the impact of the 
estimates and assumptions on financial condition or operating 
performance is material. See Release No. 33-8350 (Dec. 19, 2003) [68 
FR 75056]. For additional information, see, for example, Release No. 
33-8098 (May 10, 2002) [67 FR 35620].
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    When a combination of controls is required to adequately address 
the risks related to a financial reporting element, management should 
analyze the risk characteristics of the controls. This is because the 
controls associated with a given financial reporting element may not 
necessarily share the same risk characteristics. For example, a 
financial reporting element involving significant estimation may 
require a combination of automated controls that accumulate source data 
and manual controls that require highly judgmental determinations of 
assumptions. In this case, the automated controls may be subject to a 
system that is stable (that is, has not undergone significant change) 
and is supported by effective IT general controls and are therefore 
assessed as lower risk, whereas the manual controls would be assessed 
as higher risk.
    The consideration of entity-level controls (for example, controls 
within the control environment) may influence management's 
determination of the evidence needed to sufficiently support its 
assessment of ICFR. For example, management's judgment about the 
likelihood that a control fails to operate effectively may be 
influenced by a highly effective control environment and thereby impact 
the evidence evaluated for that control. However, a strong control 
environment would not eliminate the need to evaluate the operation of 
the control in some manner.
b. Implementing Procedures To Evaluate Evidence of the Operation of 
ICFR
    Management should evaluate evidence that provides a reasonable 
basis for its assessment of the operating

[[Page 35331]]

effectiveness of the controls identified in Section II.A.1. Management 
uses its assessment of ICFR risk, as determined in Section II.A.2 to 
determine the evaluation methods and procedures necessary to obtain 
sufficient evidence. The evaluation methods and procedures may be 
integrated with the daily responsibilities of its employees or 
implemented specifically for purposes of the ICFR evaluation. 
Activities that are performed for other reasons (for example, day-to-
day activities to manage the operations of the business) may also 
provide relevant evidence. Further, activities performed to meet the 
monitoring objectives of the control framework may provide evidence to 
support the assessment of the operating effectiveness of ICFR.
    The evidence management evaluates comes from direct tests of 
controls, on-going monitoring, or a combination of both. Direct tests 
of controls are tests ordinarily performed on a periodic basis by 
individuals with a high degree of objectivity relative to the controls 
being tested. Direct tests provide evidence as of a point in time and 
may provide information about the reliability of on-going monitoring 
activities. On-going monitoring includes management's normal, recurring 
activities that provide information about the operation of controls. 
These activities include, for example, self-assessment \43\ procedures 
and procedures to analyze performance measures designed to track the 
operation of controls.\44\ Self-assessment is a broad term that can 
refer to different types of procedures performed by individuals with 
varying degrees of objectivity. It includes assessments made by the 
personnel who operate the control as well as members of management who 
are not responsible for operating the control. The evidence provided by 
self-assessment activities depends on the personnel involved and the 
manner in which the activities are conducted. For example, evidence 
from self-assessments performed by personnel responsible for operating 
the control generally provides less evidence due to the evaluator's 
lower degree of objectivity.
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    \43\ For example, COSO's 1992 framework defines self-assessments 
as ``evaluations where persons responsible for a particular unit or 
function will determine the effectiveness of controls for their 
activities.''
    \44\ Management's evaluation process may also consider the 
results of key performance indicators (``KPIs'') in which management 
reconciles operating and financial information with its knowledge of 
the business. The procedures that management implements pursuant to 
this section should evaluate the effective operation of these KPI-
type controls when they are identified pursuant to Section II.A.1.b. 
as addressing financial reporting risk.
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    As the ICFR risk increases, management will ordinarily adjust the 
nature of the evidence that is obtained. For example, management can 
increase the evidence from on-going monitoring activities by utilizing 
personnel who are more objective and/or increasing the extent of 
validation through periodic direct testing of the underlying controls. 
Management can also vary the evidence obtained by adjusting the period 
of time covered by direct testing. When ICFR risk is assessed as high, 
the evidence management obtains would ordinarily consist of direct 
testing or on-going monitoring activities performed by individuals who 
have a higher degree of objectivity. In situations where a company's 
on-going monitoring activities utilize personnel who are not adequately 
objective, the evidence obtained would normally be supplemented with 
direct testing by those who are independent from the operation of the 
control. In these situations, direct testing of controls corroborates 
evidence from on-going monitoring activities as well as evaluates the 
operation of the underlying controls and whether they continue to 
adequately address financial reporting risks. When ICFR risk is 
assessed as low, management may conclude that evidence from on-going 
monitoring is sufficient and that no direct testing is required. 
Further, management's evaluation would ordinarily consider evidence 
from a reasonable period of time during the year, including the fiscal 
year-end.
    In smaller companies, management's daily interaction with its 
controls may provide it with sufficient knowledge about their operation 
to evaluate the operation of ICFR. Knowledge from daily interaction 
includes information obtained by on-going direct involvement with and 
direct supervision of the execution of the control by those responsible 
for the assessment of the effectiveness of ICFR. Management should 
consider its particular facts and circumstances when determining 
whether its daily interaction with controls provides sufficient 
evidence to evaluate the operating effectiveness of ICFR. For example, 
daily interaction may be sufficient when the operation of controls is 
centralized and the number of personnel involved is limited. 
Conversely, daily interaction in companies with multiple management 
reporting layers or operating segments would generally not provide 
sufficient evidence because those responsible for assessing the 
effectiveness of ICFR would not ordinarily be sufficiently 
knowledgeable about the operation of the controls. In these situations, 
management would ordinarily utilize direct testing or on-going 
monitoring-type evaluation procedures to obtain reasonable support for 
the assessment.
    Management evaluates the evidence it gathers to determine whether 
the operation of a control is effective. This evaluation considers 
whether the control operated as designed. It also considers matters 
such as how the control was applied, the consistency with which it was 
applied, and whether the person performing the control possesses the 
necessary authority and competence to perform the control effectively. 
If management determines that the operation of the control is not 
effective, a deficiency exists that must be evaluated to determine 
whether it is a material weakness.
c. Evidential Matter To Support the Assessment
    Management's assessment must be supported by evidential matter that 
provides reasonable support for its assessment. The nature of the 
evidential matter may vary based on the assessed level of ICFR risk of 
the underlying controls and other circumstances. Reasonable support for 
an assessment would include the basis for management's assessment, 
including documentation of the methods and procedures it utilizes to 
gather and evaluate evidence.
    The evidential matter may take many forms and will vary depending 
on the assessed level of ICFR risk for controls over each of its 
financial reporting elements. For example, management may document its 
overall strategy in a comprehensive memorandum that establishes the 
evaluation approach, the evaluation procedures, the basis for 
management's conclusion about the effectiveness of controls related to 
the financial reporting elements and the entity-level and other 
pervasive elements that are important to management's assessment of 
ICFR.
    If management determines that the evidential matter within the 
company's books and records is sufficient to provide reasonable support 
for its assessment, it may determine that it is not necessary to 
separately maintain copies of the evidence it evaluates. For example, 
in smaller companies, where management's daily interaction with its 
controls provides the basis for its assessment, management may have 
limited documentation created specifically for the evaluation of ICFR. 
However, in these instances, management should consider whether 
reasonable support for its assessment

[[Page 35332]]

would include documentation of how its interaction provided it with 
sufficient evidence. This documentation might include memoranda, e-
mails, and instructions or directions to and from management to company 
employees.
    Further, in determining the nature of supporting evidential matter, 
management should also consider the degree of complexity of the 
control, the level of judgment required to operate the control, and the 
risk of misstatement in the financial reporting element that could 
result in a material misstatement of the financial statements. As these 
factors increase, management may determine that evidential matter 
supporting the assessment should be separately maintained. For example, 
management may decide that separately maintained documentation in 
certain areas will assist the audit committee in exercising its 
oversight of the company's financial reporting.
    The evidential matter constituting reasonable support for 
management's assessment would ordinarily include documentation of how 
management formed its conclusion about the effectiveness of the 
company's entity-level and other pervasive elements of ICFR that its 
applicable framework describes as necessary for an effective system of 
internal control.
3. Multiple Location Considerations
    Management's consideration of financial reporting risks generally 
includes all of its locations or business units.\45\ Management may 
determine that financial reporting risks are adequately addressed by 
controls which operate centrally, in which case the evaluation approach 
is similar to that of a business with a single location or business 
unit. When the controls necessary to address financial reporting risks 
operate at more than one location or business unit, management would 
generally evaluate evidence of the operation of the controls at the 
individual locations or business units.
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    \45\ Consistent with the guidance in Section II.A.1., management 
may determine when identifying financial reporting risks that some 
locations are so insignificant that no further evaluation procedures 
are needed.
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    Management may determine that the ICFR risk of the controls (as 
determined through Section II.A.2.a) that operate at individual 
locations or business units is low. In such situations, management may 
determine that evidence gathered through self-assessment routines or 
other on-going monitoring activities, when combined with the evidence 
derived from a centralized control that monitors the results of 
operations at individual locations, constitutes sufficient evidence for 
the evaluation. In other situations, management may determine that, 
because of the complexity or judgment in the operation of the controls 
at the individual location, the risk that controls will fail to operate 
is high, and therefore more evidence is needed about the effective 
operation of the controls at the location.
    Management should generally consider the risk characteristics of 
the controls for each financial reporting element, rather than making a 
single judgment for all controls at that location when deciding whether 
the nature and extent of evidence is sufficient. When performing its 
evaluation of the risk characteristics of the controls identified, 
management should consider whether there are location-specific risks 
that might impact the risk that a control might fail to operate 
effectively. Additionally, there may be pervasive risk factors that 
exist at a location that cause all controls, or a majority of controls, 
at that location to be considered higher risk.

B. Reporting Considerations

1. Evaluation of Control Deficiencies
    In order to determine whether a control deficiency, or combination 
of control deficiencies, is a material weakness, management evaluates 
the severity of each control deficiency that comes to its attention. 
Control deficiencies that are determined to be a material weakness must 
be disclosed in management's annual report on its assessment of the 
effectiveness of ICFR. Control deficiencies that are considered to be 
significant deficiencies are reported to the company's audit committee 
and the external auditor pursuant to management's compliance with the 
certification requirements in Exchange Act Rule 13a-14.\46\
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    \46\ Pursuant to Exchange Act Rules 13a-14 and 15d-14 [17 CFR 
240.13a-14 and 240.15d-14], management discloses to the auditors and 
to the audit committee of the board of directors (or persons 
fulfilling the equivalent function) all material weaknesses and 
significant deficiencies in the design or operation of internal 
controls which could adversely affect the issuer's ability to 
record, process, summarize and report financial data. The term 
``material weakness'' is defined in the Commission's rules in 
Exchange Act Rule 12b-2 and Rule 1-02 of Regulation S-X. See Release 
No. 34-55928. The Commission is seeking additional comment on the 
definition of the term ``significant deficiency'' in the 
Commission's rules in Exchange Act Rule 12b-2 and Rule 1-02 of 
Regulation S-X. See Release No. 34-55930.
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    Management may not disclose that it has assessed ICFR as effective 
if one or more deficiencies in ICFR are determined to be a material 
weakness. As part of the evaluation of ICFR, management considers 
whether each deficiency, individually or in combination, is a material 
weakness as of the end of the fiscal year. Multiple control 
deficiencies that affect the same financial statement amount or 
disclosure increase the likelihood of misstatement and may, in 
combination, constitute a material weakness if there is a reasonable 
possibility \47\ that a material misstatement of the financial 
statements would not be prevented or detected in a timely manner, even 
though such deficiencies may be individually less severe than a 
material weakness. Therefore, management should evaluate individual 
control deficiencies that affect the same financial statement amount or 
disclosure, or component of internal control, to determine whether they 
collectively result in a material weakness.
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    \47\ There is a reasonable possibility of an event when the 
likelihood of the event is either ``reasonably possible'' or 
``probable'' as those terms are used in Financial Accounting 
Standards Board Statement No. 5, Accounting for Contingencies. The 
use of the phrase ``reasonable possibility that a material 
misstatement of the financial statements would not be prevented or 
detected in a timely manner'' is intended solely to assist 
management in identifying matters for disclosure under Item 308 of 
Regulation S-K. It is not intended to interpret or describe 
management's responsibility under the FCPA or modify a control 
framework's definition of what constitutes an effective system of 
internal control.
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    The evaluation of the severity of a control deficiency should 
include both quantitative and qualitative factors. Management evaluates 
the severity of a deficiency in ICFR by considering whether there is a 
reasonable possibility that the company's ICFR will fail to prevent or 
detect a misstatement of a financial statement amount or disclosure; 
and the magnitude of the potential misstatement resulting from the 
deficiency or deficiencies. The severity of a deficiency in ICFR does 
not depend on whether a misstatement actually has occurred but rather 
on whether there is a reasonable possibility that the company's ICFR 
will fail to prevent or detect a misstatement on a timely basis.
    Risk factors affect whether there is a reasonable possibility \48\ 
that a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, will result in a 
misstatement of a financial statement amount or disclosure. These 
factors include, but are not limited to, the following:
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    \48\ The evaluation of whether a deficiency in ICFR presents a 
reasonable possibility of misstatement can be made without 
quantifying the probability of occurrence as a specific percentage 
or range.
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     The nature of the financial reporting elements involved 
(for example, suspense accounts and related party transactions involve 
greater risk);

[[Page 35333]]

     The susceptibility of the related asset or liability to 
loss or fraud (that is, greater susceptibility increases risk);
     The subjectivity, complexity, or extent of judgment 
required to determine the amount involved (that is, greater 
subjectivity, complexity, or judgment, like that related to an 
accounting estimate, increases risk);
     The interaction or relationship of the control with other 
controls, including whether they are interdependent or redundant;
     The interaction of the deficiencies (that is, when 
evaluating a combination of two or more deficiencies, whether the 
deficiencies could affect the same financial statement amounts or 
disclosures); and
     The possible future consequences of the deficiency.
    Factors that affect the magnitude of the misstatement that might 
result from a deficiency or deficiencies in ICFR include, but are not 
limited to, the following:
     The financial statement amounts or total of transactions 
exposed to the deficiency; and
     The volume of activity in the account balance or class of 
transactions exposed to the deficiency that has occurred in the current 
period or that is expected in future periods.
    In evaluating the magnitude of the potential misstatement, the 
maximum amount that an account balance or total of transactions can be 
overstated is generally the recorded amount, while understatements 
could be larger. Also, in many cases, the probability of a small 
misstatement will be greater than the probability of a large 
misstatement.
    Management should evaluate the effect of compensating controls \49\ 
when determining whether a control deficiency or combination of 
deficiencies is a material weakness. To have a mitigating effect, the 
compensating control should operate at a level of precision that would 
prevent or detect a misstatement that could be material.
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    \49\ Compensating controls are controls that serve to accomplish 
the objective of another control that did not function properly, 
helping to reduce risk to an acceptable level.
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    In determining whether a deficiency or a combination of 
deficiencies represents a material weakness, management considers all 
relevant information. Management should evaluate whether the following 
situations indicate a deficiency in ICFR exists and, if so, whether it 
represents a material weakness:
     Identification of fraud, whether or not material, on the 
part of senior management; \50\
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    \50\ For purposes of this indicator, the term ``senior 
management'' includes the principal executive and financial officers 
signing the company's certifications as required under Section 302 
of Sarbanes Oxley as well as any other members of senior management 
who play a significant role in the company's financial reporting 
process.
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     Restatement of previously issued financial statements to 
reflect the correction of a material misstatement; \51\
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    \51\ See FAS 154, Accounting Changes and Error Corrections, 
regarding correction of a misstatement.
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     Identification of a material misstatement of the financial 
statements in the current period in circumstances that indicate the 
misstatement would not have been detected by the company's ICFR; and
     Ineffective oversight of the company's external financial 
reporting and internal control over financial reporting by the 
company's audit committee.
    When evaluating the severity of a deficiency, or combination of 
deficiencies, in ICFR, management also should determine the level of 
detail and degree of assurance that would satisfy prudent officials in 
the conduct of their own affairs that they have reasonable assurance 
that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit the preparation 
of financial statements in conformity with GAAP. If management 
determines that the deficiency, or combination of deficiencies, might 
prevent prudent officials in the conduct of their own affairs from 
concluding that they have reasonable assurance that transactions are 
recorded as necessary to permit the preparation of financial statements 
in conformity with GAAP, then management should treat the deficiency, 
or combination of deficiencies, as an indicator of a material weakness.
2. Expression of Assessment of Effectiveness of ICFR by Management
    Management should clearly disclose its assessment of the 
effectiveness of ICFR and, therefore, should not qualify its assessment 
by stating that the company's ICFR is effective subject to certain 
qualifications or exceptions. For example, management should not state 
that the company's controls and procedures are effective except to the 
extent that certain material weakness(es) have been identified. In 
addition, if a material weakness exists, management may not state that 
the company's ICFR is effective. However, management may state that 
controls are ineffective for specific reasons.
3. Disclosures About Material Weaknesses
    The Commission's rule implementing Section 404 was intended to 
bring information about material weaknesses in ICFR into public view. 
Because of the significance of the disclosure requirements surrounding 
material weaknesses beyond specifically stating that the material 
weaknesses exist, companies should also consider including the 
following in their disclosures: \52\
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    \52\ Significant deficiencies in ICFR are not required to be 
disclosed in management's annual report on its evaluation of ICFR 
required by Item 308(a).
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     The nature of any material weakness,
     Its impact on the company's financial reporting and its 
ICFR, and
     Management's current plans, if any, or actions already 
undertaken, for remediating the material weakness.
    Disclosure of the existence of a material weakness is important, 
but there is other information that also may be material and necessary 
to form an overall picture that is not misleading.\53\ The goal 
underlying all disclosure in this area is to provide an investor with 
disclosure and analysis that goes beyond describing the mere existence 
of a material weakness. There are many different types of material 
weaknesses and many different factors that may be important to the 
assessment of the potential effect of any particular material weakness. 
While management is required to conclude and state in its report that 
ICFR is ineffective when there are one or more material weaknesses, 
companies should also consider providing disclosure that allows 
investors to understand the cause of the control deficiency and to 
assess the potential impact of each particular material weakness. This 
disclosure will be more useful to investors if management 
differentiates the potential impact and importance to the financial 
statements of the identified material weaknesses, including 
distinguishing those material weaknesses that may have a pervasive 
impact on ICFR from those material weaknesses that do not.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \53\ See Exchange Act Rule 12b-20 [17 CFR 240.12b-20].
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

4. Impact of a Restatement of Previously Issued Financial Statements on 
Management's Report on ICFR
    Item 308 of Regulation S-K requires disclosure of management's 
assessment of the effectiveness of the company's ICFR as of the end of 
the company's most recent fiscal year. When a material misstatement of 
previously issued

[[Page 35334]]

financial statements is discovered, a company is required to restate 
those financial statements. However, the restatement of financial 
statements does not, by itself, necessitate that management consider 
the effect of the restatement on the company's prior conclusion related 
to the effectiveness of ICFR.
    While there is no requirement for management to reassess or revise 
its conclusion related to the effectiveness of ICFR, management should 
consider whether its original disclosures are still appropriate and 
should modify or supplement its original disclosure to include any 
other material information that is necessary for such disclosures not 
to be misleading in light of the restatement. The company should also 
disclose any material changes to ICFR, as required by Item 308(c) of 
Regulation S-K.
    Similarly, while there is no requirement that management reassess 
or revise its conclusion related to the effectiveness of its disclosure 
controls and procedures, management should consider whether its 
original disclosures regarding effectiveness of disclosure controls and 
procedures need to be modified or supplemented to include any other 
material information that is necessary for such disclosures not to be 
misleading. With respect to the disclosures concerning ICFR and 
disclosure controls and procedures, the company may need to disclose in 
this context what impact, if any, the restatement has on its original 
conclusions regarding effectiveness of ICFR and disclosure controls and 
procedures.
5. Inability To Assess Certain Aspects of ICFR
    In certain circumstances, management may encounter difficulty in 
assessing certain aspects of its ICFR. For example, management may 
outsource a significant process to a service organization and determine 
that evidence of the operating effectiveness of the controls over that 
process is necessary. However, the service organization may be 
unwilling to provide either a Type 2 SAS 70 report or to provide 
management access to the controls in place at the service organization 
so that management could assess effectiveness.\54\ Finally, management 
may not have compensating controls in place that allow a determination 
of the effectiveness of the controls over the process in an alternative 
manner. The Commission's disclosure requirements state that 
management's annual report on ICFR must include a statement as to 
whether or not ICFR is effective and do not permit management to issue 
a report on ICFR with a scope limitation.\55\ Therefore, management 
must determine whether the inability to assess controls over a 
particular process is significant enough to conclude in its report that 
ICFR is not effective.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \54\ AU Sec. 324, Service Organizations (as adopted on an 
interim basis by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board 
(``PCAOB'') in PCAOB Rule 3200T), defines a report on controls 
placed in operation and test of operating effectiveness, commonly 
referred to as a ``Type 2 SAS 70 report.'' This report is a service 
auditor's report on a service organization's description of the 
controls that may be relevant to a user organization's internal 
control as it relates to an audit of financial statements, on 
whether such controls were suitably designed to achieve specified 
control objectives, on whether they had been placed in operation as 
of a specific date, and on whether the controls that were tested 
were operating with sufficient effectiveness to provide reasonable, 
but not absolute, assurance that the related control objectives were 
achieved during the period specified.
    \55\ See Item 308(a)(3) of Regulations S-K and S-B [17 CFR 
229.308(a)(3) and 228.308(a)(3)].
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

III. Discussion of Comments on the Proposing Release

    The Proposing Release proposed for public comment interpretive 
guidance for management regarding the annual evaluation of ICFR 
required by Rules 13a-15(c) and 15d-15(c) under the Exchange Act. We 
received letters from 211 commenters in response to the Proposing 
Release.\56\ The majority of commenters were supportive of the 
Commission's efforts in developing this Interpretive Guidance. We have 
reviewed and considered all of the comments received on the proposal, 
and we discuss our conclusions with respect to the comments in more 
detail in the following sections.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \56\ Of the 211 commenters, 43 were issuers, 33 professional 
associations and business groups, 19 foreign private issuers and 
foreign professional associations, 10 investor advocacy and other 
similar groups, 8 major accounting firms, 11 smaller accounting 
firms and Section 404 service providers, 8 banks and banking 
associations, 4 law firms and law associations, and 75 other 
interested parties including students, academics, and other 
individuals. The comment letters are available for inspection in the 
Commission's Public Reference Room at 100 F Street, NE., Washington, 
DC 20549 in File No. S7-24-06, or may be viewed at http://www.sec.gov/comments/s7-24-06/s72406.shtml.
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A. Alignment between Management's Evaluation and Assessment and the 
External Audit

    Commenters expressed concern that confusion and inefficiencies may 
arise from differences between the proposed guidance for management's 
evaluation of ICFR and the PCAOB's proposed auditing standard for 
ICFR.\57\ Commenters cited a lack of alignment between the two with 
regard to the terminology and definitions used \58\ as well as 
differences in the overall approach. Some commenters that were 
supportive of the principles-based approach to the proposed 
interpretive guidance expressed concern that improvements in the 
efficiency of management's evaluation of ICFR would be limited by what 
they viewed as comparatively more prescriptive guidance for external 
auditors in the Proposed Auditing Standard.\59\ Other commenters 
suggested that maximizing their auditor's ability to rely on the work 
performed in management's evaluation would require aligning the 
evaluation approach for management with the Proposed Auditing 
Standard.\60\ Even so, some of these commenters still viewed the 
interpretive guidance as an improvement because it provides management 
the ability to choose whether, and to what extent, it should align its 
evaluation with the auditing standard; whereas commenters said that 
management feels compelled to align with the auditing standard under 
the current rules. Other commenters suggested that the proposed 
interpretive guidance was compatible with the Proposed Auditing 
Standard and that improvements in implementation could be attained with 
close coordination between management and auditors.\61\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \57\ In PCAOB Release No. 2006-007 the PCAOB proposed for public 
comment An Audit of Internal Control Over Financial Reporting That 
Is Integrated With An Audit of Financial Statements and Considering 
and Using the Work of Others in an Audit. See http://www.pcaobus.org/Rules/Docket_021/2006-12-19_Release_No._2006-007.pdf (hereinafter ``Proposed Auditing Standard'').
    \58\ See, for example, letters from American Bar Association's 
Committees on Federal Regulation of Securities and Law and 
Accounting of the Section of Business Law (ABA), Association of 
Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), Edison Electric Institute 
(EEI), European Federation of Accountants (FEE), Financial 
Executives International Committee on Corporate Reporting (FEI CCR), 
Frank Gorrell (F. Gorrell), Society of Corporate Secretaries and 
Governance Professionals, and The Institute of Chartered Accountants 
in England and Wales (ICAEW).
    \59\ See, for example, letters from Eli Lilly and Company (Eli 
Lilly), FEI CCR, Hutchinson Technology Inc. (Hutchinson), 
Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA), MetLife Inc. 
(MetLife), Procter & Gamble Company (P&G), and Supervalu Inc. 
(Supervalu).
    \60\ See, for example, letters from Heritage Financial 
Corporation and Southern Company.
    \61\ See, for example, letters from BDO Seidman LLP (BDO), 
McGladrey & Pullen LLP (M&P), and PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (PwC).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    In response to the comment letters, we have revised our proposal to 
more closely align it with how we anticipate the PCAOB will revise its 
proposed auditing standard. For example, the

[[Page 35335]]

definition of a material weakness and the related guidance for 
evaluating deficiencies, including indicators of a material weakness, 
have been revised.\62\ In addition, alignment revisions were made to 
the guidance for evaluating whether controls adequately address 
financial reporting risks, including entity-level controls, the factors 
to consider when identifying financial reporting risks and the factors 
for assessing the risk associated with individual financial reporting 
elements and controls.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \62\ The revisions made to the proposed definition of material 
weakness and the related guidance, including the strong indicators, 
are discussed in Section III.F. of this document.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    However, some differences between our final interpretive guidance 
for management and the PCAOB's audit standard remain. These differences 
are not necessarily contradictions or misalignment; rather they reflect 
the fact that management and the auditor have different roles and 
responsibilities with respect to evaluating and auditing ICFR. 
Management is responsible for designing and maintaining ICFR and 
performing an evaluation annually that provides it with a reasonable 
basis for its assessment as to whether ICFR is effective as of fiscal 
year-end. Management's daily involvement with its internal control 
system provides it with knowledge and information that may influence 
its judgments about how best to conduct the evaluation and the 
sufficiency of evidence it needs to assess the effectiveness of ICFR. 
In contrast, the auditor is responsible for conducting an independent 
audit that includes appropriate professional skepticism. Moreover, the 
audit of ICFR is integrated with the audit of the company's financial 
statements. While there is a close relationship between the work 
performed by management and its auditor, the ICFR audit will not 
necessarily be limited to the nature and extent of procedures 
management has already performed as part of its evaluation of ICFR. 
There will be differences in the approaches used by management and the 
auditor because the auditor does not have the same information and 
understanding as management and because the auditor will need to 
integrate its tests of ICFR with the financial statement audit. We 
agree with those commenters that suggested coordination between 
management and auditors on their respective efforts will ensure that 
both the evaluation by management and the independent audit are 
completed in an efficient and effective manner.

B. Principles-based Nature of Guidance for Conducting the Evaluation

    The guidance is intended to assist management in complying with two 
broad principles: (1) Evaluate whether controls have been implemented 
to adequately address the risk that a material misstatement of the 
financial statements would not be prevented or detected in a timely 
manner and (2) evaluate evidence about the operation of controls based 
on an assessment of risk. We believe the guidance will enable companies 
of all sizes and complexities to comply with our rules effectively and 
efficiently.
    Commenters expressed support for the proposed guidance's 
principles-based approach.\63\ However, some requested that the 
proposal be revised to include additional guidance and illustrative 
examples in the following areas: \64\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \63\ See, for example, letters from ACE Limited (ACE), American 
Electric Power Company, Inc. (AEP), Business Roundtable (BR), 
Canadian Bankers Association, Center for Audit Quality (Center), 
Ernst & Young LLP (EY), Grant Thornton LLP (GT), ING Groep N.V. 
(ING), Manulife Financial (Manulife), PwC, P&G, and Reznick Group, 
P.C. (Reznick).
    \64\ See, for example, letters from Brown-Forman, Ford Motor 
Company, MasterCard Incorporated (MasterCard), Northrop Grumman 
Corporation, Supervalu, UFP Technologies (UFP), and UnumProvident 
Corporation (UnumProvident).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

     The identification of controls that address financial 
reporting risks; \65\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \65\ See, for example, letter from Nina Stofberg (N. Stofberg).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

     The assessment of ICFR risk, including how evidence gained 
over prior periods should impact management's assessment of risks 
associated with controls identified and therefore, the evidence needed 
to support its assessment; \66\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \66\ See, for example, letters from ISACA and IT Governance 
Institute (ISACA), Manulife, and Ohio Society of Certified Public 
Accountants (Ohio).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

     How varying levels of risk impact the nature of the 
evidence necessary to support its assessment; \67\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \67\ See, for example, letters from Cardinal Health, Inc. 
(Cardinal), Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP (Cleary), and 
ISACA.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

     When on-going monitoring activities, including self-
assessments, could be used to support management's assessment and 
reduce direct testing; \68\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \68\ See, for example, letters from BASF Aktiengesellschaft 
(BASF), Cardinal, Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC), ING, ISACA, 
Ohio, PPL Corporation (PPL), R. Malcolm Schwartz, N. Stofberg, and 
UnumProvident.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

     Sampling techniques, sample sizes, and testing methods; 
\69\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \69\ See, for example, letters from BDO, National Association of 
Real Estate Investment Trusts, Reznick, and UFP.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

     The type and manner in which supporting evidence should be 
maintained; \70\ including specific guidelines regarding the amount, 
form and medium of evidence; \71\ and
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \70\ See, for example, letters from AEP, BDO, Center, EEI, Frank 
Consulting, PLLP (Frank), The Hundred Group of Finance Directors 
(100 Group), Institut Der Wirtschaftsprufer [Institute of Public 
Auditors in Germany] (IDW), Managed Funds Association (MFA), Nasdaq 
Stock Market, Inc. (Nasdaq), Ohio, N. Stofberg, and UFP.
    \71\ See, for example, letter from Nasdaq.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

     How management should document the effectiveness of 
monitoring activities utilized to support its assessment, as well as 
how management should support the evidence obtained from its daily 
interaction with controls as part of its assessment.\72\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \72\ See, for example, letters from BDO and Center.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    We have considered the requests for additional guidance and decided 
to retain the principles-based nature of the proposed guidance. We 
believe an evaluation of ICFR will be most effective and efficient when 
management makes use of all available facts and information to make 
reasonable judgments about the evaluation methods and procedures that 
are necessary to have a reasonable basis for the assessment of the 
effectiveness of ICFR and the evidential matter maintained in support 
of the assessment. Additional guidance and examples in the areas 
requested would likely have the negative consequence of establishing 
``bright line'' or ``one-size fits all'' evaluation approaches. Such an 
outcome would be contrary to our view that the evaluations must be 
tailored to a company's individual facts and circumstances to be both 
effective and efficient. Moreover, an evaluation by management that is 
focused on compliance with detailed guidance, rather than the risks to 
the reliability of its financial reporting, would likely lead to 
evaluations that are inefficient, ineffective or both.
    Detailed guidance and examples from the Commission may also limit 
or hinder the natural evolution and further development of control 
frameworks and evaluation methodologies as technology, control systems, 
and financial reporting evolve. As we have previously stated, the 
Commission supports and encourages the further development of control 
frameworks and related implementation guidance. For example, the July 
2006 small business guidance issued by COSO addresses the 
identification of financial reporting risks and the related controls. 
Additionally, we note that COSO is currently working on a project to 
further define how the effectiveness of control systems can be 
monitored.\73\ As such, companies may

[[Page 35336]]

find that there are other sources for the additional guidance in the 
areas they are seeking.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \73\ In a press release on January 8, 2007, COSO announced that 
Grant Thornton LLP had been commissioned to develop guidance to help 
organizations monitor the quality of their internal control systems. 
According to that press release, the guidance will serve as a tool 
for effectively monitoring internal controls while complying with 
Sarbanes-Oxley. The press release is available at http://www.coso.org/Publications/COSO%20Monitoring%20GT%20Final%20Release_1.8.07.pdf.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Commenters also expressed the view that companies may abuse the 
flexibility afforded by the proposed principles-based guidance to 
perform inadequate evaluations, thereby undermining the intended 
investor protection benefits.\74\ Other commenters have observed that 
material weakness disclosures to investors are too often simultaneous 
with, rather than in advance of, the restatement of financial 
statements, which undermines the usefulness of the disclosures.\75\ In 
response to these comments, we note that this principles-based guidance 
enables management to tailor its evaluation so that it focuses on those 
areas of financial reporting that pose the highest risk to reliable 
financial reporting. We believe that a tailored evaluation approach 
that focuses resources on areas of highest risk will improve, rather 
than degrade, the effectiveness of many company's evaluations and 
improve the timeliness of material weakness disclosures to investors.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \74\ See, for example, letters from Joseph V. Carcello, Consumer 
Federation of America, Consumer Action, U.S. Public Interest 
Research Group (CFA), and Moody's Investors Service (Moody's).
    \75\ See, for example, letters from CFA and Moody's.
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C. Scalability and Small Business Considerations

    Commenters believed that the proposed interpretive guidance can be 
scaled to companies of all sizes and will benefit smaller public 
companies in completing their assessments.\76\ However, some commenters 
requested more guidance to enable them to conduct the evaluation in an 
effective and efficient manner. For example, commenters requested more 
guidance on how some of the unique characteristics of smaller 
companies, including a lack of segregation of duties, should be 
considered in the evaluation.\77\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \76\ See, for example, letters from American Bankers Association 
(American Bankers), Anthony S. Chan, Chandler (U.S.A.), Inc. 
(Chandler), CNB Corporation & Citizens National Bank of Cheboygan 
(CNB), Financial Services Forum, GT, Greater Boston Chamber of 
Commerce, Minn-Dak Farmers Cooperative (MDFC), RAM Energy Resources, 
Inc., and San Jose Water Company.
    \77\ See, for example, letters from American Electronics 
Association (AeA), EY, Financial Executives International Small 
Public Company Task Force (FEI SPCTF), Frank, Institute of 
Management Accountants (IMA), MFA, U.S. Chamber of Commerce 
(Chamber), and U.S. Small Business Administration's Office of 
Advocacy (SBA).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Other commenters, mostly comprised of investor groups, requested 
that the guidance emphasize that scaled or tailored evaluation methods 
and procedures for smaller public companies should be based on both the 
size and complexity of the business and do not imply less rigorous 
evaluation methods and procedures.\78\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \78\ See, for example, letters from California Public Employees' 
Retirement System (CalPERS), CFA, Council of Institutional 
Investors, Ethics Resource Center, International Brotherhood of 
Teamsters, and Pension Reserves Investment Management Board (PRIMB).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Some commenters indicated that smaller public companies should 
continue to be exempt at least until a thorough examination is 
conducted of both the Interpretive Guidance and the new Auditing 
Standard to ensure that smaller companies are not disproportionately 
burdened.\79\ Some commenters requested that the SEC further delay the 
implementation for one additional year \80\ or continued to call for a 
complete exemption from Section 404 for smaller public companies.\81\ 
Other commenters requested that smaller public companies not be 
exempted.\82\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \79\ See, for example, letters from AeA, Biotechnology Industry 
Organization, Committee on Capital Markets Regulation (CCMR), 
Financial Reporting Committee of the Association of the Bar of the 
City of New York (NYC Bar), International Association of Small 
Broker Dealers and Advisers, National Venture Capital Association, 
SBA, Silicon Valley Leadership Group (SVLG), Small Business 
Entrepreneurship Council, TechNet, and Telecommunications Industry 
Association.
    \80\ See, for example, letters from American Bankers, America's 
Community Bankers, Chandler, CNB, FEI SPCTF, F. Gorrell, ICBA, MFA, 
and Washington Legal Foundation (WLF).
    \81\ See, for example, letters from American Stock Exchange, 
ICBA, UFP, and WLF.
    \82\ See, for example, letters from American Federation of Labor 
and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO), CalPERS, Frank, 
F. Gorrell, PRIMB, and WithumSmith+Brown Global Assurance, LLC.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    We believe the principles-based guidance permits flexible and 
scalable evaluation approaches that will enable management of smaller 
public companies to evaluate and assess the effectiveness of ICFR 
without undue cost burdens. The guidance recognizes that internal 
control systems and the methods and procedures necessary to evaluate 
their effectiveness may be different in smaller public companies than 
in larger companies. However, the flexibility provided in the guidance 
is not meant to imply that evaluations for smaller public companies be 
conducted with less rigor, or to provide anything less than reasonable 
assurance as to the effectiveness of ICFR at such companies. Rather, 
smaller public companies should utilize the flexibility provided in the 
guidance to cost-effectively tailor and scale their methods and 
approaches for identifying and documenting financial reporting risks 
and the related controls and for evaluating whether operation of 
controls is effective (for example, by utilizing evidence gathered 
through management's daily interaction with its controls), so that they 
provide the evidence needed to assess whether ICFR is effective.
    In addition, as previously mentioned, companies may find that there 
are other sources for guidance, such as the July 2006 guidance for 
applying the COSO framework to smaller public companies. We believe our 
guidance, when used in conjunction with other such guidance, will 
enable smaller public companies to have a better understanding of the 
requirements of a control framework, its role in effective internal 
control systems and the relationship to our evaluation and disclosure 
requirements. This should enable management to plan and conduct its 
evaluation in an effective and efficient manner.
    The Commission believes that compliance with the ICFR evaluation 
and assessment requirements by smaller public companies will further 
the primary goal of Sarbanes-Oxley which is to enhance the quality of 
financial reporting and increase investor confidence in the fairness 
and integrity of the securities markets. We note that all financial 
statements filed with the Commission, even those by smaller public 
companies, result from a system of internal controls. Such systems are 
required by the FCPA to operate at a level that provides ``reasonable 
assurance'' about the reliability of financial reporting. Our rules 
implementing Section 404 direct management of all companies to evaluate 
and assess whether the company's system of internal controls is 
effective at achieving reasonable assurance. Our guidance is intended 
to help them do so in a cost-effective manner. Given the principles-
based nature of our guidance and the flexibility it provides, we do not 
believe further postponement of the evaluation requirements are needed 
for smaller companies. We believe that the timing of the issuance of 
the Interpretive Guidance is adequate to allow for its effective 
implementation in 2007 evaluations.

[[Page 35337]]

D. Identifying Financial Reporting Risks and Controls

1. Summary of the Proposal
    The proposal directed management to consider the sources and 
potential likelihood of misstatements, including those arising from 
fraudulent activity, and identify those that could result in a material 
misstatement of the financial statements (that is, financial reporting 
risks). The proposal indicated that management's consideration of the 
risk of misstatement generally includes all of its locations or 
business units and that the methods and procedures for identifying 
financial reporting risks will vary based on the characteristics of the 
individual company. The proposal discussed factors for management to 
consider in selecting methods and procedures for evaluating financial 
reporting risks and in identifying the sources and potential likelihood 
of misstatement.
    The proposal directed management to evaluate whether controls were 
placed in operation to adequately address the financial reporting risks 
it identifies. The proposal indicated that controls were not adequate 
when their design was such that there was a reasonable possibility that 
a misstatement in a financial reporting element that could result in a 
material misstatement of the financial statements would not be 
prevented or detected in a timely manner. The proposal discussed the 
fact that some controls may be automated or may depend upon IT 
functionality. In these situations, the proposal stated that 
management's evaluation should consider not only the design and 
operation of the automated or IT dependent controls, but also the 
aspects of IT general controls necessary to adequately address 
financial reporting risks.
    The proposal also indicated that entity-level controls should be 
considered when identifying financial reporting risks and related 
controls for a financial reporting element. The proposal discussed the 
nature of entity-level controls, how they relate to a financial 
reporting element and the need to consider whether they would prevent 
or detect material misstatements. If a financial reporting risk for a 
financial reporting element is adequately addressed by an entity-level 
control, the proposal indicated that no further controls needed to be 
identified and tested by management for purposes of the evaluation of 
ICFR.
2. Comments on the Proposal and Revisions Made
    The Commission received a number of comments on the proposed 
guidance for identifying financial reporting risks and controls. As 
discussed in Section III.B above, many of these commenters requested 
more examples or more detailed guidance. Other comments received 
related to the identification of fraud risks and related controls; 
entity-level controls; and IT general controls.
Identification of Fraud Risks and Related Controls
    Commenters suggested the guidance be revised to more strongly 
emphasize management's responsibility to identify and evaluate fraud 
risks and the related controls that address those risks.\83\ Commenters 
also discussed the nature of fraud risks that most often lead to 
materially misstated financial statements and requested additional 
guidance regarding which fraud related controls are within the scope of 
the evaluation; \84\ whether management can consider the risk of fraud 
through the overall risk assessment or if a specific fraud threat 
analysis is required; \85\ and examples of the types of fraud that 
should be considered.\86\ Other commenters noted that there is existing 
guidance for management, beyond what was referenced in the proposal, 
for assessing fraud risks and the related controls. These commenters 
suggested that the proposal be revised to directly incorporate the most 
relevant elements of such guidance.\87\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \83\ See, for example, letters from ACE, ACCA, BDO, Center, CSC, 
Deloitte & Touche LLP (Deloitte), GT, IMA, KPMG LLP (KPMG), M&P, 
Moody's, and PwC.
    \84\ See, for example, letters from BASF, BDO, and GT.
    \85\ See, for example, letter from Tatum LLC (Tatum).
    \86\ See, for example, letters from FEI CCR, P&G, and N. 
Stofberg.
    \87\ See, for example, letters from Center, GT, KPMG, and M&P.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    In response to the comments, the proposal was revised to clarify 
that fraud risks are expected to exist at every company and that the 
nature and extent of the fraud risk assessment activities should be 
commensurate with the size and complexity of the company. Additionally, 
we expanded the references to existing guidance to include the AICPA's 
2005 Management Override of Internal Controls: The Achilles' Heel of 
Fraud Prevention and COSO's July 2006 Guidance for Smaller Public 
Companies. Given the availability of existing information and guidance 
on fraud and consistent with the principles-based nature of the 
interpretive guidance, we determined that it was unnecessary to provide 
a list of fraud risks expected to be present at every company or a list 
of the areas of financial reporting expected to have a risk of material 
misstatement due to fraud. Moreover, providing such a list may result 
in a ``checklist'' type approach to fraud risk assessments that would 
likely be ineffective as financial reporting changes over time, or 
given the wide variety of facts and circumstances that exist in 
different companies and industries. While management may find such 
checklists a useful starting point, effective fraud risk assessments 
will require sound and thoughtful judgments that reflect a company's 
individual facts and circumstances.
Entity-Level Controls
    Commenters requested further clarification of how entity-level 
controls can address financial reporting risks in a top-down, risk 
based approach.\88\ Commenters also suggested that the guidance place 
more emphasis on entity-level controls given their pervasive impact on 
all other aspects of ICFR.\89\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \88\ See, for example, letters from EY, Frank, MetLife, and 
UnumProvident.
    \89\ See, for example, letters from ACCA, ACE, Eli Lilly, 
European Association of Listed Companies (EALIC), and PwC.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    In response to the comments received, we expanded the discussion of 
entity-level controls and how they relate to financial reporting 
elements. This discussion further clarifies that some entity-level 
controls, such as controls within the control environment, have an 
important, but indirect, effect on the likelihood that a misstatement 
will be prevented or detected on a timely basis. While these controls 
might affect the other controls management determines are necessary to 
address financial reporting risks for a financial reporting element, it 
is unlikely management will identify only this type of entity-level 
control as adequately addressing a financial reporting risk. Further, 
the guidance clarifies that some entity-level controls may be designed 
to identify possible breakdowns in lower-level controls, but not in a 
manner that would, by themselves, adequately address financial 
reporting risks. In these cases, management would identify the 
additional controls needed to adequately address financial reporting 
risks, which may include those that operate at the transaction or 
account balance level. Consistent with the proposal, management does 
not need to identify or evaluate additional controls relating to a 
financial reporting risk if it

[[Page 35338]]

determines that the risk is being adequately addressed by an entity-
level control.
    We have also revised the proposed guidance to further clarify that 
the controls management identifies in Section II.A.1 should include the 
entity-level and pervasive elements of its ICFR that are necessary to 
have a system of internal control that provides reasonable assurance as 
to the reliability of financial reporting. Management can use the 
existing control frameworks and related guidance to assist them in 
evaluating the adequacy of these aspects of their ICFR.
Information Technology General Controls
    Commenters expressed concern that the proposal's guidance on IT 
general controls was too vague or that it lacked sufficient clarity 
\90\ and requested further guidance and illustrative examples \91\ to 
clarify the extent to which IT general controls are within the scope of 
the ICFR evaluation.\92\ Commenters also suggested that the Commission 
directly incorporate the May 16, 2005 Staff Guidance \93\ on IT general 
controls \94\ and that we clarify that IT general controls alone, 
without consideration of application controls, will not sufficiently 
address the risk of material misstatement.\95\ One commenter noted that 
providing such guidance could have the unintended consequence of 
setting a precedent for providing more detailed guidance in other areas 
of the evaluation.\96\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \90\ See, for example, letters from Aerospace Industries 
Association, MasterCard, and Nasdaq.
    \91\ See, for example, letter from Microsoft Corporation (MSFT).
    \92\ See, for example, letters from Faisal Danka, ISACA, MSFT, 
Rod Scott, and The Travelers Companies, Inc. (Travelers).
    \93\ Division of Corporation Finance and Office of the Chief 
Accountant: Staff Statement on Management's Report on Internal 
Control Financial Reporting (May 16, 2005), available at http://www.sec.gov/spotlight/soxcom/.htm.
    \94\ See, for example, letters from FEI CCR and P&G.
    \95\ See, for example, letter from IDW.
    \96\ See, for example, letter from ICAEW.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Commenters also suggested that we revise the proposal to clarify 
how a top-down approach considers IT general controls,\97\ that we 
encourage a ``benchmarking'' approach for evaluating automated 
controls,\98\ and that we permit companies who implement IT systems 
late in the year to do so while still being able to satisfy their ICFR 
responsibilities.\99\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \97\ See, for example, letters from Cardinal and ISACA.
    \98\ See, for example, letter from CSC.
    \99\ See, for example, letter from Chamber.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    We made several revisions to the proposed guidance based on the 
comment letters. We revised the proposal to explain that the 
identification of risks and controls within IT should be integral to, 
and not separate from, management's top-down, risk-based approach to 
evaluating ICFR and in determining the necessary supporting evidential 
matter. We clarified that controls which address financial reporting 
risks may be automated, dependent upon IT functionality, or require a 
combination of both manual and automated procedures and that IT general 
controls alone, without consideration of application controls, 
ordinarily do not adequately address financial reporting risks. We also 
incorporated guidance from the May 16, 2005 Staff Statement which 
explains that it is unnecessary to evaluate IT general controls that 
primarily pertain to efficiency or effectiveness of operations, but 
which are not relevant to addressing financial reporting risks.
    We have declined to further specify categories or areas of IT 
general controls that will be relevant to the ICFR evaluation for all 
companies. We continue to believe that such determinations require 
consideration of each company's individual facts and circumstances. 
Moreover, we have concluded it is not necessary to include a discussion 
of a ``benchmarking'' approach to evaluating automated controls. The 
lack of such discussion in our guidance does not preclude management 
from taking such an approach if they believe it to be both efficient 
and effective.
    Additionally, we did not revise the proposed guidance to discuss 
implementation of IT systems, or changes thereto, late in the year 
because we do not believe such decisions should be impacted by the 
requirement to evaluate and assess the effectiveness of ICFR. Even 
without the evaluation and assessment requirements, the implementation 
of an IT system late in the year does not change management's 
responsibility to maintain a system of internal control that provides 
reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting. 
Allowing an exclusion from the evaluation for controls placed in 
operation late in the year could have the unintended consequence of 
negatively impacting the reliability of financial reporting. Management 
has the ability to mitigate the risk of material misstatement that 
arises from ineffective controls in a new IT system. For example, 
management may perform pre-implementation testing of the IT controls 
needed to adequately address financial reporting risks. Additionally, 
management may implement compensating controls, such as manual 
reconciliations and verification, until such time that management has 
concluded that the IT controls within the system are adequate. 
Accordingly, we do not believe it is necessary or appropriate to 
exclude new IT systems or changes to existing systems from the scope of 
the evaluation of ICFR.

E. Evaluating Evidence of the Operating Effectiveness of ICFR

1. Summary of the Proposal
    Our proposal indicated that management should consider both the 
risk characteristics of the financial reporting elements to which the 
controls relate and the risk characteristics of the controls themselves 
(collectively, ICFR risk) in making judgments about the nature and 
extent of evidence necessary to provide a reasonable basis for the 
assessment of whether the operation of controls is effective. The 
proposal identified significant accounting estimates, related party 
transactions and critical accounting policies as examples of financial 
reporting areas that generally would be assessed as having a higher 
risk of misstatement and control failure. However, the proposed 
guidance recognizes that since not all controls have the same risk 
characteristics, when a combination of controls is required to 
adequately address the risks to a financial reporting element, 
management should analyze the risk characteristics of each control 
separately. Further, under the proposed guidance, when evaluating risks 
in multi-location environments, management should generally consider 
the risk characteristics of the controls related to each financial 
reporting element, rather than making a single judgment for all 
controls at a particular location when determining the sufficiency of 
evidence to support its assessment.
    Our proposal indicated that the evidence of the operation of 
controls that management evaluates may come from a combination of on-
going monitoring and direct testing and that management should vary the 
nature, timing and extent of these based on its assessment of the ICFR 
risk. Our proposal stated that this evidence would ordinarily cover a 
reasonable period of time during the year and include the fiscal year-
end. The proposal also acknowledged that, in smaller companies, those 
responsible for assessing the effectiveness of ICFR may, through their 
on-going direct knowledge

[[Page 35339]]

and supervision of the operation of controls (that is, daily 
interaction) have a reasonable basis to evaluate the effectiveness of 
some controls without performing direct tests specifically for purposes 
of the evaluation.
    The proposal explained that the evidential matter constituting 
reasonable support for the assessment would generally include the basis 
for management's assessment and documentation of the evaluation methods 
and procedures for gathering and evaluating evidence. Additionally, the 
proposal indicated that the nature of the supporting evidential matter, 
including documentation, may take many forms and may vary based on 
management's assessment of ICFR risk. For example, management may 
determine that it is not necessary to maintain separate copies of the 
evidence evaluated if such evidence already exists in the company's 
books and records. The proposal also indicates that as the degree of 
complexity of the control, the level of judgment required to operate 
the control, and the risk of misstatement in the financial reporting 
element increase, management may determine that separate evidential 
matter supporting a control's operation should be maintained.
2. Comments on the Proposal and Revisions Made
    The Commission received a number of comments on the proposed 
guidance for evaluating whether the operation of controls was 
effective. As discussed in Section III.B above, many of these 
commenters requested more examples or more detailed guidance. Other 
comments received related to the appropriateness of various 
``rotational'' approaches to evaluating evidence of whether the 
operation of controls was effective; the nature of on-going monitoring 
activities, including self-assessments and daily interaction; the time 
period to be covered by evaluation procedures; and supporting 
evidential matter.
Rotational Approaches to Evaluating Evidence
    Commenters requested that the guidance explicitly allow management 
to rotate its evaluation of evidence of the operation of controls and a 
variety of different approaches for doing so were suggested. These 
approaches included, for example, a rotational approach for lower risk 
controls,\100\ a rotational approach in areas where management 
determines there are no changes in the controls since the previous 
assessment,\101\ or a rotational approach where there is both lower 
risk and no changes in controls.\102\ In addition, some suggested a 
``benchmarking'' approach, similar to that used for IT controls, be 
allowed for non-IT controls.\103\ Other commenters agreed with the 
proposal's requirement that management consider evidence of the 
operation of controls each year.\104\ Others noted that while they 
believed it is appropriate for management to consider the results of 
its prior year assessments, the guidance should make it clear that the 
evaluation of operating effectiveness is an annual requirement.\105\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \100\ See, for example, letters from CSC, EALIC, ING, 
MasterCard, and NYC Bar.
    \101\ See, for example, letters from P&G and Travelers.
    \102\ See, for example, letters from EEI and Supervalu.
    \103\ See, for example, letters from Eli Lilly and FEI CCR.
    \104\ See, for example, letters from CCMR, Deloitte, and KPMG.
    \105\ See, for example, letters from AFL-CIO, Center, CFA, 
Deloitte, and PwC.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Other commenters raised the issue of a rotational approach specific 
to multi-location considerations. For example, commenters suggested 
that the guidance allow for rotation of locations based upon risk (for 
example, once every three years).\106\ However, some commenters 
suggested that the risk-based approach provided in the proposed 
guidance would appropriately allow companies to vary testing in 
locations based more on risk than coverage, which would improve the 
efficiency of their assessment.\107\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \106\ See, for example, letter from CSC.
    \107\ See, for example, letters from MSFT, New York State 
Society of Certified Public Accountants, and Plains Exploration & 
Production Company.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    After considering the comments, the Commission has retained the 
guidance substantially as proposed. We did not introduce a concept that 
allows management to eliminate from its annual evaluation those 
controls that are necessary to adequately address financial reporting 
risks. For example, management cannot decide to include controls for a 
particular location or process within the scope of its evaluation only 
once every three years or exclude controls from the scope of its 
evaluation based on prior year evaluation results. To have a reasonable 
basis for its assessment of the effectiveness of ICFR, management must 
have sufficient evidence supporting the operating effectiveness of all 
aspects of its ICFR as of the date of its assessment. The guidance 
provides a framework to assist management in making judgments regarding 
the nature, timing and extent of evidence needed to support its 
assessment. Management can use this framework to scale its evaluation 
methods and procedures in response to the risks associated with both 
the financial reporting elements and related controls in its particular 
facts and circumstances.
    However, the guidance has been clarified to reflect that 
management's experience with a control's operation both during the year 
and as part of its prior year assessment(s) may influence its decisions 
regarding the risk that controls will fail to operate as designed. 
This, in turn, may have a corresponding impact on the evidence needed 
to support management's conclusion that controls operated effectively 
as of the date of management's assessment.
Nature of On-Going Monitoring Activities
    Commenters expressed concern that, as defined in the proposal, some 
on-going monitoring activities would not be deemed to provide 
sufficient evidence.\108\ Other commenters were concerned that the 
guidance placed too much emphasis on the amount of evidence that could 
be obtained from on-going monitoring activities and called for further 
examples of when they may provide sufficient evidence and when direct 
testing would be required.\109\ With regard to self-assessments, 
commenters suggested that self-assessments can be an integral source of 
evidence when their effective operation is verified by direct testing 
over varying periods of time based on the manner in which the self-
assessments were conducted and on the level of risk associated with the 
controls.\110\ Other commenters requested the proposed guidance be 
revised to clarify how, based on the definitions provided, self-
assessments differed from direct testing.\111\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \108\ See, for example, letters from BASF and Cees Klumper & 
Matthew Shepherd (C. Klumper & M. Shepherd).
    \109\ See, for example, letters from Center and EY.
    \110\ See, for example, letters from GT and C. Klumper & M. 
Shepherd.
    \111\ See, for example, letter from Cardinal.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Some commenters questioned the sufficiency of evidence that would 
result from management's daily interaction with controls and requested 
more specifics on when it would be appropriate as a source of evidence 
\112\ and how management should demonstrate that its daily interaction 
with controls provided it with sufficient evidence to have a reasonable 
basis to

[[Page 35340]]

assess whether the operation of controls was effective.\113\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \112\ See, for example, letters from BDO, EY, Ohio, and Tatum.
    \113\ See, for example, letter from Ohio.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Based on the feedback received, we modified the discussion of on-
going monitoring activities, including self-assessments, and direct 
testing to clarify how the evidence obtained from each of the 
activities can vary. As commenters in this area noted, on-going 
monitoring, including self-assessments, encompasses a wide array of 
activities that can be performed by a variety of individuals within an 
organization. These individuals have varying degrees of objectivity, 
ranging from internal auditors to the personnel involved in business 
processes, and can include both those responsible for executing a 
control as well as those responsible for overseeing its effective 
operation. Because of the varying degrees of objectivity, the 
sufficiency of the evidence management obtains from on-going monitoring 
activities is determined by the nature of the activities (that is, what 
they entail and how they are performed).
    We clarified the proposed guidance to indicate that when evaluating 
the objectivity of personnel, management is not required to make an 
absolute conclusion regarding objectivity, but rather should recognize 
that personnel will have varying degrees of objectivity based on, among 
other things, their job function, their relationship to the control 
being evaluated, and their level of authority and responsibility within 
the organization. Management should consider the ICFR risk of the 
controls when determining whether the objectivity of the personnel 
involved in the monitoring activities results in sufficient evidence. 
For example, for areas of high ICFR risk, management's on-going 
monitoring activities may provide sufficient evidence when the 
monitoring activities are carried out by individuals with a high degree 
of objectivity. However, when management's support includes evidence 
obtained from activities performed by individuals who are not highly 
objective, management would ordinarily supplement the evidence with 
some degree of direct testing by individuals who are independent from 
the operation of the control to corroborate the information from the 
monitoring activity.
    With regard to requests for more guidance related to management's 
daily interaction, we have adopted the guidance substantially as 
proposed. We believe that in smaller companies, management's daily 
interaction with the operation of controls may provide it with 
sufficient evidence to assess whether controls are operating 
effectively. The guidance is not intended to limit management's 
flexibility with regard to the areas of ICFR where its interaction can 
provide it with sufficient evidence or the manner by which management 
obtains knowledge of the operation of the controls. However, as noted 
in the guidance, daily interaction as a source of evidence for the 
operation of controls applies to management who are responsible for 
assessing the effectiveness of ICFR and whose knowledge about the 
effective operation is gained from its on-going direct knowledge and 
direct supervision of controls. In addition, the evidence management 
maintains in support of its assessment should include the design of the 
controls that adequately address the financial reporting risks as well 
as how its interaction provides an adequate basis for its assessment of 
the effectiveness of ICFR.
Time Period Covered by Evaluation Procedures
    Commenters requested that the guidance allow for, and encourage, 
management to gather evidence throughout the year to support its 
assessment in lieu of having to gather some evidence close to or as-of 
year-end.\114\ These commenters believed that such guidance would 
encourage companies to better integrate their evaluation procedures 
into the normal activities of their daily operations, spread the effort 
more evenly throughout the year, and help reduce the strain on 
resources at year-end when company personnel are preparing the annual 
financial statements and complying with other financial reporting 
activities.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \114\ See, for example, letters from Eli Lilly, The Financial 
Services Roundtable, and Neenah Paper, Inc.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    We agree with the comments received in this area with respect to 
allowing management the flexibility to gather evidence in support of 
its assessment during the year. Since management's assessment is 
performed as of the end of its fiscal year-end, the evidence management 
utilizes to support its assessment would ordinarily include a 
reasonable period of time during the year, including some evidence as 
of the date of its assessment. However, the proposal was not intended 
to limit management's flexibility to conduct its evaluation activities 
during the year. Rather, the proposed guidance was intended to provide 
management with the ability to perform a variety of activities covering 
periods of time that vary based on its assessment of risk in order to 
provide it with a sufficient basis for its evaluation. This could 
include, for example, a strategy that employs direct testing over a 
control during the year (but prior to year-end), that is supplemented 
with a self-assessment activity at year-end. As a result, we have 
adopted the guidance related to the period of time for which management 
should obtain evidence of the operation of controls substantially as 
proposed.
Supporting Evidential Matter
    Commenters expressed support for the guidance in the proposal 
related to the supporting evidential matter and believed it would allow 
management to make better judgments and allow for sufficient 
flexibility to vary the nature and extent of evidence based on the 
company's particular facts and circumstances.\115\ Other commenters 
observed that a certain level of documentation was required in order to 
facilitate an efficient and effective audit and suggested the guidance 
explicitly state this fact and/or clarify how the guidance for 
management was intended to interact with the requirements provided to 
auditors.\116\ One commenter requested that we clarify our intention 
related to the audit committee's involvement in the review of 
evidential matter prepared by management in support of its 
assessment.\117\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \115\ See, for example, letters from BR, EY, Hudson Financial 
Solutions (HFS), and MSFT.
    \116\ See, for example, letters from Center, Deloitte, EY, GT, 
M&P, MetLife, MDFC, PwC, and N. Stofberg.
    \117\ See, for example, letter from ABA.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    After consideration of the comments, we are adopting the guidance 
substantially as proposed. We continue to believe that management 
should have considerable flexibility as to the nature and extent of the 
documentation it maintains to support its assessment, while at the same 
time maintaining sufficient evidence to provide reasonable support for 
its assessment. Providing specific guidelines and detailed examples of 
various types of documentation would potentially limit the flexibility 
we intended to afford management.
    With respect to the concerns raised regarding the interaction of 
the proposed guidance and the audit requirements, we determined that no 
changes were necessary. Similar to an audit of the financial 
statements, the nature and extent of evidential matter maintained by 
management may impact how an auditor conducts the audit and the 
efficiency of the audit. We believe

[[Page 35341]]

that the most efficient implementation by management and the auditor is 
achieved when flexibility exists to determine the appropriate manner by 
which to complete their respective tasks. However, we also believe that 
the Proposed Auditing Standard allows auditors sufficient flexibility 
to consider various types of evidence utilized by management. The audit 
standard allows auditors to adjust their approach in certain 
circumstances, if necessary, so that audit procedures should not place 
any undue burden or expense on management's evaluation process.

F. Evaluation of Control Deficiencies

1. Summary of the Proposal
    The proposal directed management to evaluate each control 
deficiency that comes to its attention in order to determine whether 
the deficiency, or combination of control deficiencies, is a material 
weakness. The proposal defined a material weakness as a deficiency, or 
combination of deficiencies, in ICFR such that there is a reasonable 
possibility that a material misstatement of the company's annual or 
interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a 
timely basis by the company's ICFR. The proposal contained guidance on 
the aggregation of deficiencies by indicating that multiple control 
deficiencies that affect the same financial reporting element increase 
the likelihood of misstatement and may, in combination, constitute a 
material weakness, even though such deficiencies may be individually 
insignificant. The proposal also highlighted four circumstances that 
were strong indicators that a material weakness in ICFR existed. In 
summary, the following four items were listed:
     An ineffective control environment, including 
identification of fraud of any magnitude on the part of senior 
management; significant deficiencies that remain unaddressed after some 
reasonable period of time; and ineffective oversight by the audit 
committee (or entire board of directors if no audit committee exists).
     Restatement of previously issued financial statements to 
reflect the correction of a material misstatement.
     Identification by the auditor of a material misstatement 
of financial statements in the current period under circumstances that 
indicate the misstatement would not have been discovered by the 
company's ICFR.
     For complex entities in highly regulated industries, an 
ineffective regulatory compliance function.
2. Comments on the Proposal and Revisions Made
Definition of Material Weakness
    Commenters expressed concern about differences between our proposed 
definition of material weakness and that proposed by the PCAOB in its 
Proposed Auditing Standard and requested that the two definitions be 
aligned.\118\ Commenters provided feedback on the reasonably possible 
threshold for determining the likelihood of a potential material 
misstatement as well as the reference to interim financial statements 
for determining whether a potential misstatement could be material. 
Commenters also suggested that a single definition of material weakness 
be established for use by both auditors and management and that 
definition be established by the SEC in its rules.\119\ Based on 
comments on the proposal, we are amending Exchange Act Rule 12b-2 and 
Rule 1-02 of Regulation S-X to define the term material weakness. 
Further discussion and analysis of the definition of material weakness 
and commenter feedback can be found in that rule release.\120\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \118\ See, for example, letters from EEI, FEI CCR, FEI SPCTF, 
ICAEW, N. Stofberg, and SVLG.
    \119\ See, for example, letters from FEE and ICAEW.
    \120\ Release No. 34-55928.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Strong Indicators of a Material Weakness
    Commenters noted there were differences in the list of strong 
indicators included in the proposal and the list of strong indicators 
included in the Proposed Auditing Standard, raising concern that the 
failure of the two proposals to provide similar guidance would cause 
unnecessary confusion between management and auditors.\121\ Commenters 
also provided suggested changes, additions or deletions to 
circumstances that were included on the list of strong indicators. For 
example, commenters raised questions about the ``identification of 
fraud of any magnitude on the part of senior management,'' questioning 
the appropriateness of the term ``of any magnitude'' or which 
individuals were encompassed in the term ``senior management.'' \122\ 
Commenters also felt the Commission's proposed list of indicators 
should be expanded to include the indicator relating to an ineffective 
internal audit function or risk assessment function that was included 
in the Proposed Auditing Standard.\123\ One commenter felt that the 
list of strong indicators needed to be made more specific, and should 
include more illustrative examples.\124\ Another commenter stated that 
the indicator of ``significant deficiencies that have been identified 
and remain unaddressed after some reasonable period of time'' should be 
clarified to mean unremediated deficiencies.\125\ Other commenters 
suggested that the list of strong indicators be eliminated completely, 
stating that designating these items as strong indicators creates a 
presumption that such items are, in fact, material weaknesses, and may 
impede the use of judgment to properly evaluate the identified control 
deficiency in light of the individual facts and circumstances.\126\ 
Commenters also felt the Commission should clearly indicate that a 
company may determine that no deficiency exists despite the fact that 
one of the identified strong indicators was present.\127\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \121\ See, for example, letters from BDO, BR, Center, Cleary, 
CSC, Deloitte, KPMG, M&P, and Schneider Downs & Co., Inc. 
(Schneider).
    \122\ See, for example, letters from 100 Group, Eli Lilly, FEI 
CCR, and P&G.
    \123\ See, for example, letters from BR, Crowe Chizek & Company 
LLC (Crowe), Deloitte, and M&P.
    \124\ See, for example, letter from Chamber.
    \125\ See, for example, letter from EEI.
    \126\ See, for example, letters from Cleary, Institute of 
Internal Auditors (IIA), and NYC Bar.
    \127\ See, for example, letters from Chamber, Cleary, CSC, PPL, 
and Schneider.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    After consideration of the comments, we have decided to modify the 
proposed guidance. We believe judgment is imperative in determining 
whether a deficiency is a material weakness and that the guidance 
should encourage management to use that judgment. As a result, we have 
modified the guidance to emphasize that the evaluation of control 
deficiencies requires the consideration of all of the relevant facts 
and circumstances. We agreed with the concerns that an overly detailed 
list may create a list of de facto material weaknesses or 
inappropriately suggest that identified control deficiencies not 
included in the list are of lesser importance. At the same time, 
however, we continue to believe that highlighting certain circumstances 
that are indicative of a material weakness provides practical 
information for management. As a result, rather than referring to 
``strong indicators,'' the final guidance refers simply to 
``indicators.'' This change should further emphasize that the presence 
of one of the indicators does not mandate a conclusion that a material 
weakness exists. Rather management should apply professional judgment 
in this area. These examples include indicators related to the results 
of the financial statement audit, such as material audit adjustments 
and restatements, and

[[Page 35342]]

indicators related to the overall evaluation of the company's oversight 
of financial reporting, such as the effectiveness of the audit 
committee and incidences of fraud among senior management. These 
examples are by no means an exhaustive list. For example, under COSO, 
risk assessment and monitoring are two of the five components of an 
effective system of internal control. If management concludes that an 
internal control component is not effective, or if required entity-
level or pervasive elements of ICFR are not effective, it is likely 
that internal control is not effective.
    Lastly, we agreed with commenters that it is appropriate for the 
Commission's guidance in this area to mirror the PCAOB's auditing 
standard. As a result, we have worked with the PCAOB in reaching 
conclusions regarding the guidance in this area, and we anticipate the 
PCAOB's auditing standard will align with our final management 
guidance.

G. Management Reporting and Disclosure

    Comment letters expressed various viewpoints regarding the 
information management provides as part of its report on the 
effectiveness of ICFR. For example, commenters raised concerns 
regarding the ``point in time'' assessment and suggested various 
alternative approaches.\128\ Commenters also made suggestions regarding 
the disclosures management provides when a material weakness has 
occurred. Certain commenters felt the suggested disclosures indicated 
in the proposing release should be mandatory,\129\ while other 
commenters wanted the Commission to specify where in the Form 10-K 
management must provide its disclosures.\130\ Commenters also requested 
that the Commission include in its release additional possible 
disclosures for consideration by management to include in its 
report.\131\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \128\ See, for example, letters from BHP Billiton Limited, Eli 
Lilly, and IIA.
    \129\ See, for example, letters from HFS, IDW, and Tatum.
    \130\ See, for example, letters from Crowe and KPMG.
    \131\ See, for example, letters from PCG Worldwide Limited and 
PepsiCo, Inc. (Pepsi).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    In addition, commenters expressed concerns regarding the language 
in the Proposing Release with respect to management's ability to 
determine that ICFR is ineffective due solely to, and only to the 
extent of, the identified material weakness(es). Some commenters felt 
that this language was essentially the same as a qualified opinion, 
which is prohibited by the guidance,\132\ while two others stated that 
the Commission needed to provide additional guidance around the 
circumstances under which this approach would be appropriate.\133\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \132\ See, for example, letters from BDO and CFA.
    \133\ See, for example, letters from Crowe and Deloitte.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Based on the feedback we received, we have eliminated this from the 
final interpretive guidance and revised the proposed guidance to simply 
state that management may not state that the company's ICFR is 
effective. However, management may state that controls are ineffective 
for specific reasons.
    Additionally, certain of the requests received seemed inconsistent 
with the statutory obligation. For example, Section 404(a)(2) of 
Sarbanes-Oxley requires that management perform the assessment as of 
the end of its most recent fiscal year. As a result, we do not believe 
any further changes to the proposed guidance around management's 
expression of its assessment of the effectiveness of ICFR are 
necessary.

H. Previous Staff Guidance and Staff Frequently Asked Questions

    Commenters raised questions regarding the status of guidance 
previously issued by the Commission and its staff, on May 16, 
2005,\134\ as well as the Frequently Asked Questions (``FAQs'').\135\ 
Some commenters requested the FAQs be retained in their entirety,\136\ 
while others requested that some particular FAQs be retained.\137\ As 
we indicated in the proposed guidance, the May 2005 guidance remains 
relevant. Additionally, we have instructed the staff to review the FAQs 
and, as a result of the final issuance of this guidance, update them as 
appropriate.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \134\ Commission Statement on Implementation of Internal Control 
Reporting Requirements, Press Release No. 2005-74 (May 16, 2005); 
Division of Corporation Finance and Office of the Chief Accountant: 
Staff Statement on Management's Report on Internal Control Financial 
Reporting (May 16, 2005), available at http://www.sec.gov/spotlight/soxcom/.htm.
    \135\ Office of the Chief Accountant and Division of Corporation 
Finance: Management's Report on Internal Control Over Financial 
Reporting and Certification of Disclosure in Exchange Act Periodic 
Reports Frequently Asked Questions (revised Oct. 6, 2004), available 
at http://www.sec.gov/info/accountants/controlfaq1004.htm.
    \136\ See, for example, letters from BP p.l.c. (BP), GT, IIA, 
ISACA, MSFT, and Tatum.
    \137\ See, for example, letters from BDO, EY, KPMG, and Stantec 
Inc.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

I. Foreign Private Issuers

    The Commission received comments directed towards the information 
included in the proposed guidance related to foreign private issuers. 
While three commenters noted that no additional guidance for foreign 
private issuers was necessary,\138\ other commenters suggested changes. 
Commenters raised concerns regarding potential duplicative efforts and 
costs foreign registrants are subject to, as a result of similar 
regulations in their local jurisdictions.\139\ These commenters 
requested that the Commission attempt to minimize or remove any 
duplicative requirements, with some requesting the Commission exempt 
foreign registrants entirely from the ICFR reporting requirements if 
the registrant was subject to similar regulations in their home 
country. Other commenters raised concerns relating to the unique 
challenges that foreign registrants face in evaluating their ICFR, 
including language and cultural differences and international legal 
differences.\140\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \138\ See, for example, letters from BP, Manulife, and Pepsi.
    \139\ See, for example, letters from 100 Group, Banco 
Ita[uacute] Holding Financeira SA, CCMR, Eric Fandrich, and FEI CCR.
    \140\ See, for example, letters from IIA and GT.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Commenters also made suggestions regarding how the reconciliation 
to U.S. GAAP should be handled in the evaluation of ICFR. Certain 
commenters expressed support for the Commission's position that foreign 
private issuers should scope their evaluation effort based on the 
financial statements prepared in accordance with home country GAAP, 
rather than based on the reconciliation to U.S. GAAP.\141\ However, 
other commenters requested that the Commission exempt the 
reconciliation to U.S. GAAP from the scope of the evaluation 
altogether,\142\ while others sought further clarification as to 
whether and how the reconciliation was included in the evaluation of 
ICFR,\143\ with one commenter suggesting the Commission staff publish 
additional Frequently Asked Questions to address any implementation 
issues.\144\ One commenter requested the Commission exclude from the 
evaluation process those financial statement disclosures that are 
required by home country GAAP but not under U.S. GAAP to minimize the 
differences in the ICFR evaluation efforts between U.S. registrants and 
foreign filers as much as possible.\145\
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    \141\ See, for example, letters from 100 Group, BDO, and ICAEW.
    \142\ See, for example, letters from CCMR, Cleary, EALIC, and 
NYC Bar.
    \143\ See, for example, letters from Deloitte, EY, KPMG, and N. 
Stofberg.
    \144\ See, for example, letter from Ohio.
    \145\ See, for example, letter from ING.

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[[Page 35343]]

    After considering the comments received, the Commission has 
determined not to exempt foreign registrants from the ICFR reporting 
requirements, regardless of whether they are subject to similar home 
country requirements. The Commission's requirement for all issuers to 
complete an evaluation of ICFR is not derived from the Commission's 
Interpretive Guidance for Management; this requirement has been 
established by Congress. Further, the Commission does not believe it is 
appropriate to exclude the U.S. GAAP reconciliation from the scope of 
the evaluation as long as it is a required element of the financial 
statements. Currently, however, the Commission is evaluating, as part 
of another project, the acceptance of International Financial Reporting 
Standards (``IFRS'') as published by the International Accounting 
Standards Board (``IASB'') without reconciliation to U.S. GAAP.\146\
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    \146\ In a press release on April 24, 2007, the Commission 
announced its next steps pertaining to acceptance of IFRS without 
reconciliation to U.S. GAAP. In that press release, the Commission 
stated that it anticipates issuing a Proposing Release in summer 
2007 that will request comments on proposed changes to the 
Commission's rules which would allow the use of IFRS, as published 
by the IASB, without reconciliation to U.S. GAAP in financial 
reports filed by foreign private issuers that are registered with 
the Commission. The press release is available at http://www.sec.gov/news/press/2007/2007-72.htm.
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    In light of the comment letters, the Commission realizes that there 
are certain implementation concerns and issues that are unique to 
foreign private issuers. As a result, the Commission has instructed the 
staff to consider whether these items should be addressed in a 
Frequently Asked Questions document.

List of Subjects in 17 CFR Part 241

    Securities.

Text of Amendments

0
For the reasons set out in the preamble, the Commission is amending 
Title 17, chapter II, of the Code of Federal Regulations as follows:

PART 241--INTERPRETATIVE RELEASES RELATING TO THE SECURITIES 
EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 AND GENERAL RULES AND REGULATIONS THEREUNDER

0
Part 241 is amended by adding Release No. 34-55929 and the release date 
of June 20, 2007 to the list of interpretative releases.

    Dated: June 20, 2007.

    By the Commission.
Nancy M. Morris,
Secretary.
 [FR Doc. E7-12299 Filed 6-26-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8010-01-P