The ups and downs in the economy during the novel coronavirus pandemic are causing audit committees at public companies to focus on the disclosures in their financial statements and SEC filings about the current and potential impacts of COVID-19, according to a new report from KPMG.
The report, Challenges Presented by COVID-19, found that companies are reassessing, enhancing or establishing new internal controls due to pandemic-related disruptions to their business operations. Meanwhile internal auditors are adjusting their audit plans and activities.
Bryan Cannon, CFP, is CEO and chief portfolio strategist at Cannon Advisors. A seasoned stock market technical analyst with over 25 years of investment and financial planning experience, he serves as the host of Markets ‘N5, a biweekly video series focused on analyzing market trends based on technical analysis. Cannon’s career covers a diverse range of investment and securities experience, ranging from financial and estate planning for high- and ultra-high-net-worth families, as well as senior and partner roles with both the big Wall Street firms and smaller boutique firms.
Kristina Wallender is chief experience officer at Human Interest, a leading 401(k) account provider for small to medium-sized businesses. Her mission is to create a more empowered world by helping others take control of their financial future. Previously she has served as the head of marketing for RealtyShares, a real estate investment platform with $870 million invested, and Ticketfly, a live events platform serving more than 1,800 venues. Kristina received her MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.
Ashish Masih is Encore Capital Group’s President and CEO.
Forecasting has become more challenging, including developing assumptions for the recoverability of goodwill and nonfinancial assets, as well as the realizability of deferred tax assets, making going-concern determinations and figuring other asset impairments more difficult, according to the report.
Nevertheless, audit committees are adapting to the new environment, as their companies allow more flexibility for remote work. Among the biggest areas of concern cited by the 114 U.S. audit committee members polled by the KPMG Audit Committee Institute are disclosures about the current and potential effects of COVID-19 (79 percent), preparation of forward-looking cash flow estimates (48 percent), and impairment of nonfinancial assets such as goodwill and other intangible assets (43 percent).
Audit committee members indicated that the remote work environment accelerated by COVID-19 has so far had little impact on the efficiency and effectiveness of their interactions with the management team and auditors.
Companies are reassessing their internal controls in response to COVID-19-related disruptions to their business operations. The most commonly cited disruptions included return-to-work plans (73 percent), IT system access and authentication for remote workers (69 percent) and cybersecurity (66 percent).
Audit committee members expect some environmental, social and governance issues to get much more attention from boards as a result of COVID-19 and recent protests against systemic racism. Survey respondents cited employee health, safety and well-being (85 percent), diversity within the company including the boardroom (53 percent) and corporate reputation (39 percent) as areas of greater focus for boards.
The pandemic has also caused many audit committees to reassess the scope of their workload agendas in addition to their risk oversight responsibilities. Most audit committee members who responded to the survey cited oversight responsibilities for a variety of COVID-related risks, including financial risks (83 percent), legal and regulatory compliance (70 percent), cybersecurity (62 percent) and data privacy (42 percent).
