The Impact of Internal Control Quality on Audit Delay in the Sox Era
This study analyzes the impact of internal control quality on audit delay following
the implementation of the 2002 Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX). Unlike prior studies that utilize
survey samples, or that employ a proxy for internal control quality such as earnings restatements,
our study employs external auditor assessments of internal control quality that are publicly
disclosed in firms’ SEC 10-K filings as required by SOX Section 404. This makes our study
results both timely and reliable (i.e. not subject to small sample bias or weak proxies). Consistent
with our expectation, we find that the presence of material weakness in internal control over
financial reporting (ICOFR) is associated with longer delays. The types of material weakness
also matter. Compared to specific material weakness, general material weakness is associated
with longer delays. Additional analyses indicate that companies with control deficiencies in
personnel, process and procedure, segregation of duties, and closing process experience longer
delays.
This study also documents a signifi