SEC independence rules proposal & comment letters

This past Winter, which seems so long ago, Audit Conduct NEWS provided a summary and observations on the Securities and Exchange Commission's (SEC's) independence rules proposal. Click here to see video highlights of the proposed changes.

The comment period closed on March 16, and the SEC's web site includes comment letters from 26 organizations and individuals, including: 

  • SEC Professionals Group
  • Several auditing firms, including the big 4 firms, Grant Thornton, BDO, RSM and Crowe
  • Independent Directors Council
  • U.S. Chamber of Commerce
  • Council of Institutional Investors
  • National Assn. of State Boards of Accountancy (note: I am a member of NASBA's board of directors and chair its ethics committee)
  • Financial Executives International
  • AICPA Professional Ethics Executive Committee
  • Illinois CPA Society
  • NYS Society of CPAs
  • Several individuals
  • Center for Audit Quality
  • International Bancshares Corp.
  • Center for Capital Markets Competitiveness