According to various reports, including this article by Davis Polk, which questioned the veracity of the information, the SEC's recently updated regulatory agenda now includes rule-making for the auditor independence issue involving lending relationships between auditors and entities invested in their firms' audit clients.
Interestingly, the item (last in a lengthy list of items) is characterized as "Final Rule Stage" (Auditor Independence With Respect to Loans or Debtor-Creditor Relationships).
More to come.... I suppose.
