While Auditing the Financial Statements of Forble Corp

question 27

Essay

While auditing the financial statements of Forble Corp. (which are to be included in a Securities Act registration statement), Ernie, a certified public accountant, fails to review any of Forble's journal entries, does not read the details of meetings of the board of directors, and does not even speak with the comptroller of Forble. Consequently, Ernie does not discover that substantial loans, which went unmentioned in the financial statements, had been made to Forble officers. As a result, the registration statement omits any mention of the loans. Assuming the omitted fact is a material one and that Ernie is not an officer or director of Forble, does Ernie face potential liability under Section 11 of the Securities Act of 1933? Discuss the reasons for your answer.

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Definitions:

Securities

Financial instruments that represent ownership positions in corporations (stocks), creditor relationships with corporations or governmental bodies (bonds), or rights to ownership as represented by an option.

Capital Allocation Line

A line on a graph that shows the risk-reward ratio of portfolios that combine a risk-free asset and a risky portfolio.

Optimal Risky Portfolio

An investment portfolio that offers the highest expected return for a specific level of risk.

Risk-free Rate

The theoretical rate of return on an investment with zero risk, often represented by the yield on government securities.