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Information uncertainty and auditor reputation

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  • Autore, Don M.
  • Billingsley, Randall S.
  • Schneller, Meir I.

Abstract

This paper explores the relationship between information uncertainty and auditor reputation revealed by the failure of Arthur Andersen (AA). AA's reputation deteriorated considerably when it announced on January 10, 2002, that it had shredded documents related to its audit of Enron. AA's demise was sealed on March 14, 2002, with its indictment for obstruction of justice. We find that on these dates the clients of AA and other Big Five auditors that are characterized by higher information uncertainty experience relatively larger share price declines compared to clients with lower information uncertainty. The findings suggest that the market relies more heavily on auditor reputation for higher information uncertainty firms, which implies that the value of an audit is greater when a firm is harder to value. Our results highlight the importance of information uncertainty in financial markets: where there is a shock to auditor reputation, firms with greater information uncertainty suffer the largest losses.

Suggested Citation

  • Autore, Don M. & Billingsley, Randall S. & Schneller, Meir I., 2009. "Information uncertainty and auditor reputation," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 33(2), pages 183-192, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jbfina:v:33:y:2009:i:2:p:183-192
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    Cited by:

    1. Larry G. Epstein & Martin Schneider, 2010. "Ambiguity and Asset Markets," Annual Review of Financial Economics, Annual Reviews, vol. 2(1), pages 315-346, December.
    2. Chen, Li-Wen & Chen, Fan, 2009. "Does concurrent management of mutual and hedge funds create conflicts of interest?," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 33(8), pages 1423-1433, August.
    3. Kanagaretnam, Kiridaran & Lim, Chee Yeow & Lobo, Gerald J., 2010. "Auditor reputation and earnings management: International evidence from the banking industry," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 34(10), pages 2318-2327, October.
    4. Frendy, & Hu, Dan, 2014. "Japanese stock market reaction to announcements of news affecting auditors’ reputation: The case of the Olympus fraud," Journal of Contemporary Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 10(3), pages 206-224.
    5. Leila GHARSELLAOUI & Anis JARBOUI, 2017. "Impact de l’interaction de la qualité d’audit et de la propriété institutionnelle sur la transparence de la communication financière : cas des entreprises cotées à la BVMT," Journal of Academic Finance, RED research unit, university of Gabes, Tunisia, vol. 8(1), June.
    6. Leila GHARSELLAOUI & Anis JARBOUI, 2017. "Impact de l’interaction de la qualité d’audit et de la propriété institutionnelle sur la transparence de la communication financière : cas des entreprises cotées à la BVMT," Journal of Academic Finance, RED research unit, university of Gabes, Tunisia, vol. 8(1), June.
    7. Ozili, Peterson K, 2017. "Bank Earnings Smoothing, Audit Quality and Procyclicality in Africa: The Case of Loan Loss Provisions," MPRA Paper 92646, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    8. Tessema, Abiot, 2019. "The impact of corporate governance and political connections on information asymmetry: International evidence from banks in the Gulf Cooperation Council member countries," Journal of International Accounting, Auditing and Taxation, Elsevier, vol. 35(C), pages 1-17.
    9. Lu, Chia-Wu & Chen, Tsung-Kang & Liao, Hsien-Hsing, 2010. "Information uncertainty, information asymmetry and corporate bond yield spreads," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 34(9), pages 2265-2279, September.
    10. Magnis, Chris & Iatridis, George Emmanuel, 2017. "The relation between auditor reputation, earnings and capital management in the banking sector: An international investigation," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 39(PA), pages 338-357.
    11. Konstantinos Vasilakopoulos & Christos Tzovas & Apostolos Ballas, 2021. "Banks’ Risk and The Impact of Audit Quality on Income Smoothing," Journal of Accounting and Management Information Systems, Faculty of Accounting and Management Information Systems, The Bucharest University of Economic Studies, vol. 20(3), pages 425-453, September.
    12. Choi, Sunhwa & Choi, Youn-Sik & Gul, Ferdinand A. & Lee, Woo-Jong, 2015. "The impact of mandatory versus voluntary auditor switches on stock liquidity: Some Korean evidence," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 47(1), pages 100-116.
    13. Yeongsuk Cho & Youngsik Kwak, 2018. "A Comparative Study on the Information Effect of Stock Lending and Borrowing and Short Selling between the Korea Stock Exchange and the New Stock Exchange," American Journal of Economics and Business Administration, Science Publications, vol. 10(1), pages 11-21, October.
    14. Masoud Azizkhani & Gary S. Monroe & Greg Shailer, 2010. "The value of Big 4 audits in Australia," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 50(4), pages 743-766, December.
    15. DeBoskey, David Gregory & Jiang, Wei, 2012. "Earnings management and auditor specialization in the post-sox era: An examination of the banking industry," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 36(2), pages 613-623.
    16. Huang, Roger D. & Li, Hang, 2009. "Does the market dole out collective punishment? An empirical analysis of industry, geography, and Arthur Andersen's reputation," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 33(7), pages 1255-1265, July.
    17. Hue Hwa Au Yong & Christine Brown & Choy Yeing (Chloe) Ho & Chander Shekhar, 2021. "Rights issues: Retail shareholders and their participation decisions," International Review of Finance, International Review of Finance Ltd., vol. 21(3), pages 917-944, September.
    18. Elaoud, Assawer & Jarboui, Anis, 2017. "Auditor specialization, accounting information quality and investment efficiency," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 42(C), pages 616-629.
    19. Jin, Justin Yiqiang & Kanagaretnam, Kiridaran & Lobo, Gerald J., 2013. "Unintended consequences of the increased asset threshold for FDICIA internal controls: Evidence from U.S. private banks," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 37(12), pages 4879-4892.
    20. Yumei Feng & Haozhi Huang & Congcong Wang & Qian Xie, 2021. "Effects of anti‐takeover provisions on the corporate cost of debt: evidence from China," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 61(3), pages 4119-4145, September.
    21. Jin, Justin Yiqiang & Kanagaretnam, Kiridaran & Lobo, Gerald J., 2011. "Ability of accounting and audit quality variables to predict bank failure during the financial crisis," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 35(11), pages 2811-2819, November.
    22. Martin Schneider, 2010. "The Research Agenda: Martin Schneider on Multiple Priors Preferences and Financial Markets," EconomicDynamics Newsletter, Review of Economic Dynamics, vol. 11(2), April.
    23. Kiridaran Kanagaretnam & Gerald Lobo & Chong Wang, 2015. "Religiosity and Earnings Management: International Evidence from the Banking Industry," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 132(2), pages 277-296, December.
    24. Lagoarde-Segot, Thomas, 2009. "Financial reforms and time-varying microstructures in emerging equity markets," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 33(10), pages 1755-1769, October.

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