By understanding the auditor selection decisions and the agency costs faced in many private firms, auditors of private firms can more appropriately gauge risk and better understand their clients.

For more information on this study, please contact Ole-Kristian Hope.
 

Hope, O., Langli, J. C., and Thomas, W. B. 2012. Agency Conflicts and Auditing in Private Firms. Accounting, Organizations and Society 37 (7): 500-517.

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 Lowballing has been cited as a threat to auditor independence and manager performance in regulatory reports and academic research. This study suggests that auditors may face independence issues at the beginning of a client relationship under the lowballing fee structure because of the uncertainty of retaining a client. The study also suggests, however, that these independence issues seem to dissipate over time. Therefore, auditors should be aware of these potential opportunities to lose objectivity when they acquire new audit clients and continue to rely on professional skepticism to evaluate management assertions.

For more information on this study, please contact Darius J. Fatemi.
 

Fatemi, D. J. 2012. An Experimental Investigation of the Influence of Audit Fee Structure and Auditor Selection Rights on Auditor Independence and Client Investment Decisions. Auditing: A Journal of Practice and Theory 31(3): 75-94.

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 Private debt lenders are more likely to include a covenant that prohibits the borrower from receiving an audit report with going-concern modifications (GCAR) when the borrower has poor creditworthiness and the loan term is long. The auditor choice is more likely to be specified in the loan agreement when a GCAR covenant is included. The borrower with a GCAR covenant experiences both increased audit fees and higher probability of getting a GCAR when financial distress occurs. The results imply the GCAR covenant may complement traditional financial covenants in protecting the lenders but comes with a cost borne by the borrowers. It also shows the lenders’ use of audit reports can influence the auditors’ behavior.

 Menon, K., and D. D. Williams. 2016. Audit Report Restrictions in Debt Covenants. Contemporary Accounting Research 33 (2): 682–717.

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Currently, bank loans account for more than half of the total debt financing in the United States. The results from this study indicate that there is an increase in loan costs for companies within the following year of an auditor change. This is a factor companies should consider when applying for loans after a switch. 

Francis, Bill B., D. M. Hunter, D. M. Robinson, Michael N. Robinson, and X. Yuan. 2017. “Auditor Changes and the Cost of Bank Debt”. The Accounting Review. 92.3 (2017): 155.

http://commons.aaahq.org/groups/e5075f0eec/summary

The results of this study are important for audit firms to consider given interest from regulators on the role of shareholder ratification on auditor selection.  The evidence indicates that proxy advisor recommendations significantly influence the number of dissenting auditor ratification votes.  Unfavorable recommendations are more likely when there are concerns regarding auditor independence rather than audit quality.

Lauren M. Cunningham (2017) Auditor Ratification: Can't Get No (Dis)Satisfaction. Accounting Horizons: March 2017, Vol. 31, No. 1, pp. 159-175.

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