— AuditChat · Zoom
AUDITCHAT: What do the recent SEC proposals mean for public practice and their clients?
Thursday, September 17, 2026 · 10:00 – 11:30 a.m. Central Time · Zoom
We will send you the Zoom link, along with instructions on how to join the call, one week before the panel.
This AuditChat looks at two SEC proposals from May 2026. The first would let any reporting company elect, once a year, to file a single semi-annual report on a new Form 10-S instead of three quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. The second would simplify the filer status framework into just two categories — raising the large accelerated filer threshold to $2 billion of public float and exempting all non-accelerated filers from the Section 404(b) ICFR auditor attestation, a change the SEC estimates would newly exempt roughly 60% of the companies currently subject to the attestation. Our panelists will discuss what these proposals would mean for the audit profession — the demand for assurance, interim reviews, and audit quality — and for companies weighing whether to elect the new accommodations.
— Panelists
Kevin Vaughn
Partner, National Office at PwC LLP (Washington, D.C.)
Kevin is an Assurance Partner in PwC's National Office and a member of PwC's Accounting and SEC Services Group, advising public companies on SEC reporting matters including IPO readiness, M&A transactions, and periodic reporting.
Before PwC, Kevin spent nearly 19 years at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including senior roles in the Office of the Chief Accountant and the Division of Corporation Finance. His SEC experience included leading complex accounting consultation matters, supporting SEC rulemaking and implementation efforts, and advising CorpFin review teams on accounting and disclosure issues.
Consuelo Hitchcock
Principal at Deloitte LLP (Washington, D.C.)
Consuelo Hitchcock is the Deputy Regulatory Leader of Deloitte & Touche LLP. The Regulatory Group monitors and engages with various regulators (including the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board), public policy makers, and other stakeholders that influence the accounting profession, public company reporting, and corporate governance.
Before joining Deloitte, Ms. Hitchcock was at the SEC, where she served as Counsel to two Chairmen, as well as Counsel to the Director of the Division of Corporation Finance. She was in the private practice of law before joining the SEC.
— Moderator
Nick Hallman
Associate Professor of Accounting, The University of Texas at Austin
Nicholas (Nick) J. Hallman is an Associate Professor of Accounting at the McCombs School of Business, University of Texas at Austin. At McCombs, Nick has been instrumental in advancing the curriculum by creating and teaching a Python-based data analytics course for accounting students. His research primarily focuses on auditors and other information intermediaries in financial markets. His work has appeared in the Journal of Accounting Research, Contemporary Accounting Research, Journal of Accounting and Economics, and Review of Accounting Studies.
Nick serves on the editorial boards of several leading journals including The Accounting Review and AUDITING: A Journal of Practice and Theory. He is also the Senior Scholar for the CAS Center, where he explores the intersections of artificial intelligence and auditing.