Audit Compliance Deadline Proves Costly to Companies
By Carrie Johnson
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, November 15, 2004; Page A14

Some of the nation's biggest companies face a deadline today for completing reviews of their internal financial controls, a labor-intensive, costly effort that has created intense friction between corporate managers and auditors.

Top regulatory officials repeatedly have warned that a significant minority of companies, from a few hundred to a thousand, may report serious weaknesses in their fiscal checks and balances, which could have repercussions in the price of stock shares.