Board to Hold Forum in Northern California on Auditing in the Small Business Environment

The Public Company Accounting Oversight Board will host a forum in Northern California to help bring important information concerning the PCAOB to the small business community. The Forum on Auditing in the Small Business Environment is a program for registered accounting firms and public companies in the small business community to learn more about the work of the Board, specifically the PCAOB inspections process and the impact of new auditing standards.

The forum will be held in Northern California at The Marriott San Mateo on Thursday, February 3, and Friday, February 4, 2005. The two-day program will be hosted by Board member Kayla J. Gillan and staff from the offices of inspections and standards-setting. The February 3 session will focus on educating smaller registered accounting firms about the Board’s work. Attendees will have the opportunity to earn continuing professional education credits. The February 4 session will concentrate on PCAOB issues impacting audit committees at smaller public companies.

Auditors from registered accounting firms with fewer than 20 issuer clients and the members of audit committees of smaller public companies are encouraged to register. The program is limited to those groups in the small business environment that are most directly impacted by the Board’s oversight responsibilities. The goal of such a format is to ensure that there is ample opportunity for discussion of PCAOB issues facing small business communities between representatives of this sector and Board members and its staff.

In addition to Northern California, the Board plans to hold seven more forums in Georgia, Illinois, New Jersey, Colorado, Pennsylvania, Florida and Massachusetts. Pre-registration for the Northern California forum is required.

More information, including the forum agenda, is available at www.pcaobus.org. For forum registration questions please call (202) 207-9061 or email.