Two international networks of accounting firms, IEC and JHI, have been admitted as full members of the Forum of Firms after indicating that they have met the Forum's membership standards. This includes reporting that they have implemented a globally coordinated quality assurance program, have policies and methodologies based on the International Standards on Auditing (ISAs), and have met other specific ethics requirements. Nineteen other international networks of accounting firms achieved full member status in 2008 and continue to report their adherence to the Forum's membership obligations. A list of the Forum's members is attached.

The Forum of Firms is an association of international networks of accounting firms. These firms perform a major global share of the audits of financial statements that are or may be used across national borders. The Forum's goal is to promote consistent and high quality standards of financial reporting and auditing practices worldwide. "Membership of the Forum demonstrates a network's commitment to meeting its public interest responsibilities and the highest level of quality in auditing on an international scale," emphasized David Maxwell, Chair of the Forum of Firms. "In these tumultuous economic times, such a public commitment to International Standards on Auditing and rigorous quality control standards is an active support to public confidence in the accountancy profession and in financial reporting in general."

In order to achieve full membership status, IEC and JHI had to commit to meeting the Forum's membership obligations which require members to:

• Maintain appropriate quality control standards in accordance with International Standards on Quality Control issued by the International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board (IAASB) in addition to relevant national quality control standards and conduct, to the extent not prohibited by national regulation, regular globally coordinated internal quality assurance reviews;
• Have policies and methodologies for the conduct of transnational audits that are based, to the extent practicable, on ISAs issued by the IAASB; and
• Have policies and methodologies which conform to the IFAC Code of Ethics for Professional Accountants and national codes of ethics.

For additional details on the Forum of Firms, please visit: https://www.ifac.org/Forum_of_Firms/.

Over 60 partners from 21 international networks of accounting firms met yesterday to share their experiences, industry insights and current practices for audits of financial institutions at a symposium on the Audit of Financial Institutions organized by the Forum of Firms.  Several panels of experts were assembled with the support of the six large networks to lead discussions on various topics including valuation and impairment, liquidity, market confidence, and going concern.

"This event was an initiative by the Forum of Firms to examine current practice in addressing the auditing and financial reporting issues resulting from the current events in the market and to consider the International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board (IAASB's) latest guidance in this area," states David Devlin, Symposium Chair.

The symposium included a review of current accounting and auditing guidance issued in response to the credit crisis.  Symposium participants noted particularly the IAASB's new Staff Audit Practice Alert - Challenges in Auditing Fair Value Accounting Estimates in the Current Market Environment.  This is relevant to audits of all entities that have investments in financial instruments, especially those in illiquid markets.

The symposium concluded with a discussion of specific auditing responses appropriate in audits of financial statements of financial institutions.  These include the importance of strong risk management and transparent disclosure for restoring market confidence as well as heightened sensitivity to going concern issues.

 "This symposium was designed to disseminate good practice in an area of critical importance in today's environment and to support the Forum's members in providing the highest quality audit services to their clients and the public," points out David Maxwell, chair of the Forum of Firms.

About the Forum of Firms
The Forum of Firms is an association of networks of international accounting firms that perform transnational audits. Members of the Forum have committed to adhere to and promote the consistent application of high quality audit practices worldwide, including the use of International Standards on Auditing, and the maintenance of appropriate quality control standards in accordance with International Standards on Quality Control issued by the International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board. Through their organizations, members also conduct globally coordinated internal quality assurance reviews on a regular basis and have policies and methodologies that conform to the International Federation of Accountants' Code of Ethics for Professional Accountants. The Transnational Auditors Committee is the Executive Committee of the Forum of Firms and a committee of the International Federation of Accountants.

For additional details on the Forum of Firms, please visit: https://www.ifac.org/Forum_of_Firms/.

About IFAC
IFAC is the global organization for the accountancy profession dedicated to serving the public interest by strengthening the profession and contributing to the development of strong international economies. IFAC is comprised of 157 members and associates in 123 countries and jurisdictions, representing more than 2.5 million accountants in public practice, education, government service, industry and commerce. The organization, through its independent standard-setting boards, sets international ethics, auditing and assurance, education, and public sector accounting standards. IFAC also issues guidance to encourage high quality performance by professional accountants in business.

SMS Latinoamérica has been named a full member of the Forum of Firms after reporting it has implemented a globally coordinated quality assurance program, committed to the use of International Standards on Auditing (ISAs), and met other specific ethics requirements, the Forum announced today. Seventeen other international networks of accounting firms achieved full member status earlier this year. A list of the Forum's members is attached.

The Forum of Firms is an association of international networks of accounting firms. These firms perform audits of financial statements that are or may be used across national borders. The Forum's goal is to promote consistent and high quality standards of financial reporting and auditing practices worldwide.

In order to achieve full membership status, SMS Latinamérica had to commit to meet the Forum's membership obligations which require members to:

• Maintain appropriate quality control standards in accordance with International Standards on Quality Control issued by the International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board (IAASB) in addition to relevant national quality control standards and conduct, to the extent not prohibited by national regulation, regular globally coordinated internal quality assurance reviews;
• Have policies and methodologies for the conduct of transnational audits that are based, to the extent practicable, on ISAs issued by the IAASB; and
• Have policies and methodologies which conform to the IFAC Code of Ethics for Professional Accountants and national codes of ethics.

As of July 2008, of the 22 Forum members, 18 are full members and four are provisional members. The Forum's remaining provisional members are working toward becoming full members in 2008. For additional details on the Forum of Firms, please visit: https://www.ifac.org/Forum_of_Firms/.

Seventeen international networks of accounting firms have reached a new milestone in their commitment to audit quality by becoming the first full members of the Forum of Firms. These international networks, whose member firms perform transnational audits, have reported that they have implemented a globally coordinated quality assurance program, committed to the use of International Standards on Auditing (ISAs), and met other quality and ethics requirements, the Forum of Firms announced today.

A list of the Forum's first full members is attached.

"The commitment of these networks to the Forum's membership obligations is a significant contribution towards consistent audit quality across borders - a goal consistently advocated by users of financial information as well as regulators and issuers themselves," states Forum Chairman David Maxwell. "The actions taken by the members of the Forum represent their dedication to achieving convergence of the various national audit standards to ISAs. This will contribute to the reduction of complexity, making audits more timely and efficient."

The Forum of Firms, formally established in 2002, is an association of international networks of accounting firms. These firms perform audits of financial statements that are or may be used across national borders. The Forum's goal is to promote consistent and high quality standards of financial reporting and auditing practices worldwide. It conducts its business through its executive arm, the Transnational Auditors Committee (TAC), which is also a committee of the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC). The members of the TAC are nominated by Forum members.

The networks comprising the group of first full members originally joined the Forum as provisional members. 2007 represented the first year provisional members could move to full membership. As of January 2008, of the 21 Forum members, 17 are full members and four are provisional members. The Forum's current provisional members are working toward becoming full members in 2008.

Membership in the Forum is open to networks and firms of all sizes that have transnational audit engagements or are interested in accepting such engagements and agree to meet Forum membership requirements. Members must promote the consistent application of high quality audit practices worldwide, including the use of ISAs, and support convergence of national audit standards with ISAs.

The Forum's membership obligations require:

• The maintenance of appropriate quality control standards in accordance with International Standards on Quality Control issued by the International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board (IAASB) in addition to relevant national quality control standards, and the conduct, to the extent not prohibited by national regulation, of regular globally coordinated internal quality assurance reviews;
• That policies and methodologies for the conduct of transnational audits that are based, to the extent practical, on ISAs issued by IAASB; and
• That policies and methodologies conform to the IFAC Code of Ethics for Professional Accountants and national codes of ethics.

For additional details on the Forum of Firms, please visit: https://www.ifac.org/Forum_of_Firms/.