Interpretive Release Commission Guidance Regarding Auditing, Attestation, and Related Professional Practice Standards Related To Brokers and Dealers 34-62991

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
17 CFR PART 241
[Release No. 34-62991]
Commission Guidance Regarding Auditing, Attestation, and Related Professional Practice
Standards Related to Brokers and Dealers
AGENCY: Securities and Exchange Commission.
ACTION: Interpretation.
SUMMARY: The Securities and Exchange Commission is publishing interpretive guidance to clarify
the application of certain Commission rules, regulations, releases, and staff bulletins in light of the
authority granted to the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board in the Dodd-Frank Wall Street
Reform and Consumer Protection Act to establish auditing, attestation, and related professional
practice standards governing the preparation and issuance of audit reports to be included in broker and
dealer filings with the Commission.
EFFECTIVE DATE: October 1, 2010
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Questions should be referred to Rebekah Goshorn
(Attorney), Division of Trading and Markets, at (202) 551-5777, or to John Offenbacher (Senior
Associate Chief Accountant) or Jeffrey Cohan (Senior Special Counsel), Office of the Chief
Accountant, at (202) 551-5300, Securities and Exchange Commission, 100 F Street NE, Washington,
DC 20549-7561.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Section 982 of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act1 (“Dodd-
Frank Act”) amended the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 20022 (the “Sarbanes-Oxley Act”) to authorize the
1 Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, Pub. L. No. 111-203, 124 Stat. 1376 (2010).
2 17 U.S.C. 7202 et seq.

Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (“PCAOB”), among other things, to establish, subject
to approval by the Commission, auditing and related attestation, quality control, ethics, and
independence standards to be used by registered public accounting firms with respect to the
preparation and issuance of audit reports to be included in broker and dealer filings with the
Commission pursuant to Rule 17a-53 under the Exchange Act of 19344 (“Exchange Act”). The
amendments directly impact certain Commission rules, regulations, releases, and staff bulletins related
to brokers and dealers (collectively referred to in this release as “Commission rules and staff
guidance”) and certain provisions in the federal securities laws for brokers and dealers, which refer to
Generally Accepted Auditing Standards (“GAAS”) and to specific standards under GAAS (including
related professional practice standards).5 There may be confusion on the part of brokers, dealers,
auditors, and investors with regard to the professional standards auditors should follow for reports
filed and furnished by brokers and dealers pursuant to the federal securities laws and the rules of the
Commission.
The Commission is considering a rulemaking project to update the audit and related attestation
requirements under the federal securities laws for brokers and dealers, particularly in light of the
Dodd-Frank Act. In addition, the PCAOB has not yet revised its rules, which currently refer only to
issuers, to require registered public accounting firms to comply with PCAOB standards for audits of
3 17 CFR 240.17a-5
4 15 U.S.C. 78a et seq.
5 Many parts of Commission rules and staff guidance related to obligations of brokers and dealers refer to GAAS
and contain requirements for audits to be conducted in accordance with GAAS. Rule 17a-5(g)(1) under the
Exchange Act, for example, states that the audit of the report required by Rule 17a-5(d) “…shall be made in
accordance with generally accepted auditing standards…” (See 17 CFR 240.17a-5) Rule 17a-12 under the
Exchange Act requires that the audit of certain over-the-counter derivative dealers “…shall be made in accordance
with U.S. Generally Accepted Auditing Standards...” (17 CFR 240.17a-12)
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non-issuer brokers and dealers.6
As a result, the Commission is providing transitional guidance with respect to its existing rules
regarding non-issuer brokers and dealers. Specifically, references in Commission rules and staff
guidance and in the federal securities laws to GAAS or to specific standards under GAAS, as they
relate to non-issuer brokers or dealers, should continue to be understood to mean auditing standards
generally accepted in the United States of America,7 plus any applicable rules of the Commission.
The Commission intends, however, to revisit this interpretation in connection with its rulemaking
project referenced above.
List of Subjects
17 CFR Part 241
Brokers, Reporting and recordkeeping reports, Securities.
Amendments to the Code of Federal Regulations
For the reasons set forth above, the Commission is amending title 17, chapter II of the Code of
Federal Regulations as set forth below:
PART 241 - INTERPRETATIVE RELEASES RELATING TO THE SECURITIES
EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 AND GENERAL RULES AND REGULATIONS THEREUNDER
Part 241 is amended by adding Release No. 34-62991 to the list of interpretive releases as
follows:
6 See PCAOB Rule 3100. See also, e.g., PCAOB Rules 3200T, 3300T, 3400T, and 3500T.
7 Audit and attestation standards established by the AICPA.
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Subject 	Release No. 	Date 	Fed. Reg. vol. .and page
**********
Commission Guidance Regarding
Auditing, Attestation, and Related
Professional Practice Standards
Related to Brokers and Dealers
34-62991 	September 24, 2010 	75 FR [FR PAGE
NUMBER]
By the Commission.
Elizabeth M. Murphy
Secretary
Dated: September 24, 2010
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