According to AU Section 330.15 of SAS 67, “[t]he auditor should exercise an appropriate level of
professional skepticism throughout the confirmation process.” This includes the design of the
confirmation request, the performance of associated procedures, and the evaluation of any results. The
confirmation process is designed to gather evidence on the existence of and, to a lesser extent, the
valuation of assets such as cash and accounts receivable. The quality of audit evidence is greatly
enhanced when the confirmation process has been approved by all parties concerned (e.g., bankers and
auditors for cash confirmations), is under the auditor’s direct control, identifies the proper respondent,
requests information readily available to the respondent, and assures that the proper respondent not only
completed the confirmation request but returned it directly and promptly to the auditor (see Sections AU
330.16 to AU 330.27 of SAS 67). The auditor then evaluates the results and takes appropriate action
including the performance of alternative procedures for items with no responses.