Audit Procedure for Loans And Advances
Obtaining a loan or advance can be a complex process, as lenders carefully consider a range of criteria when assessing risk.
Factors such as income, credit score, and debt levels are used to evaluate the borrower’s ability to repay the loan.
Depending on the type of loan, lenders may require collateral to secure the loan, such as a house or car.
Revolving loans, such as a credit card, can be reused, while term loans have fixed rates and payments.
In cases where a borrower is deemed to be at a higher risk, the lender may opt to charge a higher interest rate to offset the risk.
Ultimately, lenders must audit the borrower’s financial capacity to determine whether or not to offer the loan or advance.
Audit Risk of Loan and Advance
The potential for material misstatement increases when auditing highly leveraged entities with a history of non-payment of interest. Audit risk is further compounded due to the possibility of:
- Classification errors leading to misstatements of the value of assets or cash and understatements of liabilities or debts.
- Absence of controls in monitoring loan covenant compliance.
- Lack of appropriate procedures for approving Loans and Advances.
Detection risk may occur when the auditor is unable to identify material misstatements in reported amounts or disclosures of Loans and Advances. To mitigate this risk, auditors should establish procedures for monitoring classification and measurement of Loans and Advances. This will help them to identify potential misstatements and prevent them from going undetected.
Internal Control
Having effective internal controls is essential for ensuring accurate reporting of Loans and Advances. An effective internal control environment will help to reduce the risk of fraud and mismanagement, as well as increase the efficiency and accuracy of the loan processes. It is important that the internal control policies and practices are properly designed and implemented in order to detect any errors or fraud that may arise.
Internal control policies should include procedures for loan disbursement, approval, and collection. This should include the development of a loan approval process that is properly documented and monitored. Additionally, periodic review of the loan portfolio should be conducted in order to ensure that all loans are being serviced and collected in accordance with the terms of the loan agreement.
Audit procedures should be implemented in order to assess the effectiveness of the internal control processes and to identify any areas of weakness. The audit should include a review of the loan disbursement and approval process, as well as the loan collection process. Additionally, the audit should include testing of the accuracy and completeness of the financial records related to the loan portfolio. The audit should also include an assessment of the adequacy of the internal controls related to the loan processes.
Audit Assertion
Assessing the effectiveness of internal control processes is critical for confirming the accuracy and completeness of Loans and Advances.
The audit assertions for loans and advances relate to:
- Existence: Evidence that the loan or advance actually exists and is recorded in the entity’s books.
- Rights and Obligations: Evidence that the entity has a legal right to the loan or advance and that it has an obligation to repay it.
- Completeness: Evidence that all loans and advances of the entity are completely recorded and presented in the financial statements.
- Valuation and Allocation: Evidence that loans and advances are measured under the correct accounting standards and foreign currency loans are translated using the correct exchange rates.
The auditor should confirm that the amounts in the financial statements and disclosure notes are complete and follow accounting standards. The auditor should also verify the existence of any loans or advances, including non-cash transactions.
The auditor should also assess the entity’s compliance with relevant laws and regulations. The auditor should examine the rights and obligations related to the loan or advance, including any related security or guarantees.
The auditor should also assess the reasonableness of the carrying amount of the loan or advance and verify the accuracy of the recorded amounts.
Audit Procedure for Loan and Advance
Examining financial documents and confirming the accuracy and completeness of loans and advances is essential for a successful audit. The first task is to identify the existence and rights and obligations associated with the loan advances. This involves reviewing legal documents and bank statements to ensure the documentation is in order. Secondly, it is important to ensure the completeness of the loan advances. This requires requesting external bank confirmation from all banks the entity has financial dealings with. Banks may disclose incomplete transactions when requested by the auditor.
The third step is to review the valuation of the loan advances. This includes recomputing the accounting treatment of loans and advances and ensuring compliance with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) 9. Additionally, foreign currency-denominated loans and advances should be recomputed.
The final task is to assess the presentation and disclosure of the loan advances. This includes reviewing financial statements to verify the correctness and completeness of the amounts presented, as well as ensuring compliance with applicable accounting standards.
Task | Description |
---|---|
Existence/Rights and Obligation | Review legal documents and bank statements |
Completeness | Obtain external bank confirmation from all banks the entity has financial dealings with |
Valuation | Review and recompute accounting treatment of loans and advances |
Presentation and Disclosure | Review financial statements and verify correctness and completeness of amounts presented |
Conclusion
The audit of loan and advance is a challenging task, as it involves a high risk of irregularities and frauds. The internal controls put in place should be sufficient enough to ensure that the loan and advance operations are conducted in accordance with the established policies and procedures of the organization.
The audit assertions should be tested and verified in order to detect any irregularities or frauds. The audit procedures should be designed in such a way that it provides reasonable assurance that the loan and advance transactions are properly authorized, recorded, and reported in the financial statements.
The effective implementation of audit procedures will help in ensuring that the organization’s loan and advance operations are conducted efficiently and in compliance with the established policies and procedures.
In conclusion, the audit of loans and advances requires a robust internal control system and effective audit procedures. The audit of loans and advances should be conducted with due care and professional judgment in order to ensure accurate and reliable financial statements.