Board to Consider Rules for Periodic Reporting by Registered Accounting Firms

Washington, DC, May 18, 2006

05The Public Company Accounting Oversight Board has scheduled an open meeting for 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, May 23, 2006, to consider proposing rules for annual and special reporting of information and events by accounting firms that are registered with the PCAOB.

The meeting will be held in the Board’s open meeting room at 1666 K St. NW, Washington, D.C.

Section 102(d) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 provides that each registered public accounting firm shall submit an annual report to the Board, and may also be required to report more frequently, to provide information specified by the Board or the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Board is considering proposing rules and forms to govern and facilitate annual reporting of certain information and to require, govern, and facilitate special reporting of certain other information upon the occurrence of specified events.

The Board will also consider proposing rules that, in certain circumstances, would allow a successor firm to succeed to the registration status of a predecessor firm following a merger or other change in the registered firm's legal form.

The meeting is open to the public and will be webcast at www.pcaobus.org.