We use the Compact D/SEC database to identify a sample of public companies
experiencing financial distress during 1994 (financial institutions are excluded).7 We focus
on distressed companies since prior research indicates that auditors virtually never issue
going-concern reports to companies that are not financially distressed (McKeown et al.
1991).8 However, because auditors’ reporting discretion declines when a company has
filed for bankruptcy, we exclude companies that filed for bankruptcy before the issuance
of the 1994 audit report (n = 14)