IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/accoun/v44y2009i3p239-255.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The effectiveness of the auditor's going-concern evaluation as an external governance mechanism: Evidence from loan defaults

Author

Listed:
  • Bhimani, Alnoor
  • Gulamhussen, Mohamed Azzim
  • Lopes, Samuel

Abstract

When there is significant doubt about a firm's ability to continue as a going concern, professional standards require independent auditors to disclose the uncertainty in their report. This study assesses the influence of the independent auditor's going-concern evaluation by examining default following the release of the auditor's report. We use a proprietary sample maintained by the Portuguese Central Bank on 12,199 audit reports relating to approximately 2000 firms that are liable by law to have their accounts audited on an annual basis. Empirical estimation of a logit model controlling for accounting cash- flow-related and nonaccounting variables shows that the likelihood of default for firms that received going concern opinion is 2.792 times that of firms that received a clean opinion. Likelihood ratio tests for omitted variable also confirm the incremental predictive ability of going-concern opinion over and above accounting and nonaccounting variables for the estimation and hold-out samples. In the nondefaulting group, the average default rate is 6.05%, in the defaulting group it is 17.78%. The default rate for firms in the nondefaulting group that received a going-concern opinion is 9.92% and for firms that received a clean opinion it is 5.96%. In the defaulting group, the rate for firms that received a going-concern opinion is 35.49% and for firms that received a clean opinion it is 16.96%. Checks for robustness across different asset classes, age, industries, and regions indicate that firms that receive a going-concern opinion on average default more than those that receive a clean opinion.

Suggested Citation

  • Bhimani, Alnoor & Gulamhussen, Mohamed Azzim & Lopes, Samuel, 2009. "The effectiveness of the auditor's going-concern evaluation as an external governance mechanism: Evidence from loan defaults," The International Journal of Accounting, Elsevier, vol. 44(3), pages 239-255, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:accoun:v:44:y:2009:i:3:p:239-255
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0020-7063(09)00048-X
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Gentry, Ja & Newbold, P & Whitford, Dt, 1985. "Classifying Bankrupt Firms With Funds Flow Components," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 23(1), pages 146-160.
    2. Casey, C & Bartczak, N, 1985. "Using Operating Cash Flow Data To Predict Financial Distress - Some Extensions," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 23(1), pages 384-401.
    3. Tarun Khanna & Krishna G. Palepu & Suraj Srinivasan, 2004. "Disclosure Practices of Foreign Companies Interacting with U.S. Markets," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 42(2), pages 475-508, May.
    4. Teija Laitinen & Maria Kankaanpaa, 1999. "Comparative analysis of failure prediction methods: the Finnish case," European Accounting Review, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 8(1), pages 67-92.
    5. Joseph P. H. Fan & T. J. Wong, 2005. "Do External Auditors Perform a Corporate Governance Role in Emerging Markets? Evidence from East Asia," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 43(1), pages 35-72, March.
    6. Scott, James, 1981. "The probability of bankruptcy: A comparison of empirical predictions and theoretical models," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 5(3), pages 317-344, September.
    7. Beaver, Wh, 1966. "Financial Ratios As Predictors Of Failure," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 4, pages 71-111.
    8. Elliott, Ja, 1982. "Subject To Audit Opinions And Abnormal Security Returns - Outcomes And Ambiguities," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 20(2), pages 617-638.
    9. Abdul Aziz & David C. Emanuel & Gerald H. Lawson, 1988. "Bankruptcy Prediction ‐ An Investigation Of Cash Flow Based Models[1]," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 25(5), pages 419-437, September.
    10. Thomas E. McKee, 2003. "Rough sets bankruptcy prediction models versus auditor signalling rates," Journal of Forecasting, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 22(8), pages 569-586.
    11. Dimitras, A. I. & Zanakis, S. H. & Zopounidis, C., 1996. "A survey of business failures with an emphasis on prediction methods and industrial applications," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 90(3), pages 487-513, May.
    12. Willenborg, Michael & McKeown, J.C.James C., 2000. "Going-concern initial public offerings," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 30(3), pages 279-313, December.
    13. Dambolena, Ismael G & Khoury, Sarkis J, 1980. "Ratio Stability and Corporate Failure," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 35(4), pages 1017-1026, September.
    14. Mitchell A. Petersen & Raghuram G. Rajan, 2002. "Does Distance Still Matter? The Information Revolution in Small Business Lending," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 57(6), pages 2533-2570, December.
    15. Ohlson, Ja, 1980. "Financial Ratios And The Probabilistic Prediction Of Bankruptcy," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 18(1), pages 109-131.
    16. Krishnagopal Menon & Kenneth B. Schwartz, 1987. "An empirical investigation of audit qualification decisions in the presence of going concern uncertainties," Contemporary Accounting Research, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 3(2), pages 302-315, March.
    17. Westgaard, Sjur & van der Wijst, Nico, 2001. "Default probabilities in a corporate bank portfolio: A logistic model approach," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 135(2), pages 338-349, December.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Pei-Gi Shu & Tsung-Kang Chen & Wen-Jye Hung, 2015. "Audit duration quality and client credit risk," Asia-Pacific Journal of Accounting & Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 22(2), pages 137-162, June.
    2. Josep Mª Argilés-Bosch & Josep García-Blandón & Diego Ravenda & Maika M. Valencia-Silva & Antonio D. Somoza, 2017. "The influence of the trade-off between profitability and future increases in sales on cost stickiness," Estudios de Economia, University of Chile, Department of Economics, vol. 44(1 Year 20), pages 81-104, June.
    3. Marilena Mironiuc & Ioan-Bogdan Robu & Mihaela-Alina Robu, 2011. """Going Concern"" And The Effects Of The Operational Cycle Management. An Empirical Study Concerning The Usage Of Financial Analysis For Obtaining Preliminary Proofs In The Task Of," Analele Stiintifice ale Universitatii "Alexandru Ioan Cuza" din Iasi - Stiinte Economice (1954-2015), Alexandru Ioan Cuza University, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, vol. 2011, pages 41-53, july.
    4. Alberto Tron & Maurizio Dallocchio & Salvatore Ferri & Federico Colantoni, 2023. "Corporate governance and financial distress: lessons learned from an unconventional approach," Journal of Management & Governance, Springer;Accademia Italiana di Economia Aziendale (AIDEA), vol. 27(2), pages 425-456, June.
    5. Tara Ioan Gheorghe, 2011. "The Going Concern - Theory And Practice In The Financial Audit," Annals of Faculty of Economics, University of Oradea, Faculty of Economics, vol. 1(2), pages 631-635, December.
    6. Amani, Farzaneh A. & Fadlalla, Adam M., 2017. "Data mining applications in accounting: A review of the literature and organizing framework," International Journal of Accounting Information Systems, Elsevier, vol. 24(C), pages 32-58.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Balcaen, Sofie & Ooghe, Hubert, 2006. "35 years of studies on business failure: an overview of the classic statistical methodologies and their related problems," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 38(1), pages 63-93.
    2. fernández, María t. Tascón & gutiérrez, Francisco J. Castaño, 2012. "Variables y Modelos Para La Identificación y Predicción Del Fracaso Empresarial: Revisión de La Investigación Empírica Reciente," Revista de Contabilidad - Spanish Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 15(1), pages 7-58.
    3. du Jardin, Philippe, 2015. "Bankruptcy prediction using terminal failure processes," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 242(1), pages 286-303.
    4. Bhimani, Alnoor & Gulamhussen, Mohamed Azzim & Lopes, Samuel Da-Rocha, 2010. "Accounting and non-accounting determinants of default: An analysis of privately-held firms," Journal of Accounting and Public Policy, Elsevier, vol. 29(6), pages 517-532, November.
    5. Westgaard, Sjur & van der Wijst, Nico, 2001. "Default probabilities in a corporate bank portfolio: A logistic model approach," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 135(2), pages 338-349, December.
    6. Nisansala Wijekoon & A. Abdul Azeez, 2015. "An Integrated Model to Predict Corporate Failure of Listed Companies in Sri Lanka," International Journal of Business and Social Research, LAR Center Press, vol. 5(7), pages 1-14, July.
    7. Şaban Çelik, 2013. "Micro Credit Risk Metrics: A Comprehensive Review," Intelligent Systems in Accounting, Finance and Management, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 20(4), pages 233-272, October.
    8. Nisansala Wijekoon & A. Abdul Azeez, 2015. "An Integrated Model to Predict Corporate Failure of Listed Companies in Sri Lanka," International Journal of Business and Social Research, MIR Center for Socio-Economic Research, vol. 5(7), pages 1-14, July.
    9. Layla Khoja & Maxwell Chipulu & Ranadeva Jayasekera, 2016. "Analysing corporate insolvency in the Gulf Cooperation Council using logistic regression and multidimensional scaling," Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting, Springer, vol. 46(3), pages 483-518, April.
    10. Fernando Zambrano Farias & María del Carmen Valls Martínez & Pedro Antonio Martín-Cervantes, 2021. "Explanatory Factors of Business Failure: Literature Review and Global Trends," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(18), pages 1-26, September.
    11. Muhammad Shahzad Ijaz & Ahmed Imran Hunjra & Rauf I Azam, 2017. "Forewarning Bankruptcy: An Indigenous Model for Pakistan," Business & Economic Review, Institute of Management Sciences, Peshawar, Pakistan, vol. 9(4), pages 259-286, December.
    12. Andreas Charitou & Evi Neophytou & Chris Charalambous, 2004. "Predicting corporate failure: empirical evidence for the UK," European Accounting Review, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 13(3), pages 465-497.
    13. Christian Lohmann & Thorsten Ohliger, 2020. "Bankruptcy prediction and the discriminatory power of annual reports: empirical evidence from financially distressed German companies," Journal of Business Economics, Springer, vol. 90(1), pages 137-172, February.
    14. Ahsan Habib & Mabel D' Costa & Hedy Jiaying Huang & Md. Borhan Uddin Bhuiyan & Li Sun, 2020. "Determinants and consequences of financial distress: review of the empirical literature," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 60(S1), pages 1023-1075, April.
    15. du Jardin, Philippe & Séverin, Eric, 2011. "Predicting corporate bankruptcy using a self-organizing map: An empirical study to improve the forecasting horizon of a financial failure model," MPRA Paper 44262, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    16. McGurr, Paul T. & DeVaney, Sharon A., 1998. "Predicting Business Failure of Retail Firms: An Analysis Using Mixed Industry Models," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 43(3), pages 169-176, November.
    17. Hu, Yu-Chiang & Ansell, Jake, 2007. "Measuring retail company performance using credit scoring techniques," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 183(3), pages 1595-1606, December.
    18. Elena Gregova & Katarina Valaskova & Peter Adamko & Milos Tumpach & Jaroslav Jaros, 2020. "Predicting Financial Distress of Slovak Enterprises: Comparison of Selected Traditional and Learning Algorithms Methods," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(10), pages 1-17, May.
    19. García-Gallego, Ana & Mures-Quintana, María-Jesús, 2013. "La muestra de empresas en los modelos de predicción del fracaso: influencia en los resultados de clasificación || The Sample of Firms in Business Failure Prediction Models: Influence on Classification," Revista de Métodos Cuantitativos para la Economía y la Empresa = Journal of Quantitative Methods for Economics and Business Administration, Universidad Pablo de Olavide, Department of Quantitative Methods for Economics and Business Administration, vol. 15(1), pages 133-150, June.
    20. Peresetsky, A. A., 2011. "What factors drive the Russian banks license withdrawal," MPRA Paper 41507, University Library of Munich, Germany.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:accoun:v:44:y:2009:i:3:p:239-255. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/inca/620179 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.