This study examines whether the length of the relationship hetween a company and an audit
firm (audit-firm tenure) is associated with financial-reporting quality. Using two proxies for
financial-reporting quality and a sample of Big 6 clients matched on industry and size, we
find that relative to medium audit-firm tenures of four to eight years, short audit-firm tenures
of two to three years are associated with lower-quality financial reports. In contrast, we find
no evidence of reduced financial-reporting quality for longer audit-firm tenures of nine or
more years. Overall, our results provide empirical evidence pertinent to the recurring debate
regarding mandatory audit-firm rotation — a dehate that has, to date, relied on anecdotal
evidence and isolated cases.