Attestation Standard No. 1

​​​​Examination Engagements Regarding Compliance Reports of Brokers and Dealers

Appendix C—Examination Report Modifications

C1.     The auditor should modify his or her examination report if any of the following conditions exist:

1. There is non-compliance with the net capital rule or the reserve requirements rule as of the end of the most recent fiscal year, one or more Material Weaknesses in Internal Control Over Compliance during or as of the end of the most recent fiscal year, or the information used to assert compliance with the net capital rule or the reserve requirements rule was not derived, in all material respects, from the books and records of the broker or dealer (paragraphs C2-C3).
2. There is a restriction on the scope of the examination engagement (paragraphs C4-C8).
3. There is information other than the assertions and descriptions required under paragraph (d)(3)(i) of SEC Rule 17a-5 contained in the compliance report (paragraphs C9-C10).

Non-Compliance, Material Weakness, or Instance in which Information Used to Assert Compliance was not Derived from the Broker's or Dealer's Books and Records

C2.     If (1) one or more instances of non-compliance with the net capital rule or the reserve requirements rule exist as of the end of the fiscal year; (2) one or more Material Weaknesses in Internal Control Over Compliance exist during or as of the end of the fiscal year; or (3) the information used to assert compliance with the net capital rule or the reserve requirements rule was not derived, in all material respects, from the books and records of the broker or dealer, the auditor must express an adverse opinion directly on the subject matter of the respective assertions, rather than on the assertions themselves, unless there is a restriction on the scope of the examination engagement.

Note: The requirement in this paragraph to express an adverse opinion applies regardless of whether the non-compliance, Material Weakness, or other matters preventing the unqualified opinion were identified by management or by the auditor.

C3.     When expressing such an adverse opinion, the auditor's examination report should include, as applicable:

1. A statement that non-compliance with the net capital rule or the reserve requirements rule has been identified and an identification of each instance of non-compliance described in the broker's or dealer's compliance report as of the end of the most recent fiscal year.
2. A statement that one or more Material Weaknesses in Internal Control Over Compliance have been identified during the fiscal year and an identification of each Material Weakness described in the compliance report.
3. A statement that one or more Material Weaknesses in Internal Control Over Compliance have been identified as of the end of the fiscal year and an identification of each Material Weakness described in the compliance report.
4. A statement that one or more instances in which the information used to assert compliance with the net capital rule or the reserve requirements rule was not derived, in all material respects, from the broker's or dealer's books and records have been identified.

Note: If a description of all identified instances of non-compliance with the net capital rule or the reserve requirements rule and all identified Material Weaknesses has not been included in the broker's or dealer's compliance report, the examination report must be modified to describe those instances of non-compliance or Material Weaknesses that the auditor has identified but that are not described in the broker's or dealer's compliance report.^1/

Scope Limitations

C4.     The auditor can express an opinion on whether the assertions made by a broker or dealer in a compliance report are fairly stated, in all material respects, only if the auditor has been able to apply the procedures necessary in the circumstances. If there are restrictions on the scope of the examination engagement, the auditor should withdraw from the engagement or disclaim an opinion. A disclaimer of opinion should state that the auditor does not express an opinion on the assertions made by the broker or dealer in the compliance report.

C5.     When disclaiming an opinion because of a scope limitation, the auditor should state that the scope of the examination engagement was not sufficient for the auditor to express an opinion and, in a separate paragraph or paragraphs, the substantive reasons for the disclaimer, including the procedures that were deemed necessary by the auditor that have been omitted and the reason for their omission. The auditor should not identify the procedures that were performed nor include the statements describing the characteristics of an examination engagement.

C6.     When the auditor plans to disclaim an opinion and the limited procedures performed by the auditor caused the auditor to conclude that: (1) one or more instances of non-compliance with the net capital rule or the reserve requirements rule existed as of the end of the fiscal year; (2) one or more Material Weaknesses in Internal Control Over Compliance existed during or as of the end of the most recent fiscal year; or (3) the information used to assert compliance with the net capital rule or the reserve requirements rule was not derived, in all material respects, from the books and records of the broker or dealer, the auditor's report also must include the matters described in paragraph C3, as applicable.

C7.     The auditor may issue a report disclaiming an opinion on the assertions made by a broker or dealer in a compliance report as soon as the auditor concludes that a scope limitation will prevent the auditor from obtaining the reasonable assurance necessary to express an opinion. The auditor is not required to perform any additional work before issuing a disclaimer when the auditor concludes that he or she will not be able to obtain sufficient evidence to express an opinion.

Note: In this case, in following the direction in paragraph 38 of this standard regarding dating the auditor's examination report, the report date is the date on which the auditor concludes that he or she will not be able to obtain sufficient evidence to express an opinion.

C8.     If the auditor concludes that he or she cannot express an opinion because of a limitation on the scope of the examination engagement, the auditor should communicate on a timely basis, in writing, to management and the audit committee that the examination engagement cannot be satisfactorily completed.

Other Information in the Compliance Report

C9.     If the compliance report contains other information besides the statements and descriptions required by SEC Rule 17a-5,^2/ the auditor should disclaim an opinion on the other information.

C10. If the auditor believes that the other information in the compliance report contains a material misstatement of fact, he or she should discuss the matter with management of the broker or dealer. If, after discussing the matter with management, the auditor concludes that a material misstatement of fact remains, the auditor should notify management and the audit committee of the auditor's views concerning the information.^3/