A momentous change in the inspection process of audit firms occurred when the PCAOB, a
regulatory body created from SOX, assumed the role of inspecting all SEC registered audit firms.
The PCAOB inspections replaced the self-regulated peer review system that was in place for over
50 years. The inspection reports consist of a public portion (Part I) that lists any audit deficiencies
identified by the inspectors, and a nonpublic portion (Part II) that lists any deficiencies associated
with the audit firm’s quality control. The policy choice favoring a correction of quality control
problems over their exposure, results in the nonpublic disclosure of quality control findings. The
quality control findings only become publicly available if the firm fails to satisfactorily remediate
the identified issues within a 12-month period.