We develop and test a model of the determinants of going concern reporting for banks. Banks are an essential component of the economy, but most audit market studies exclude them because they have significant differences from other companies. Our model draws on banking literature and industry sources to identify bank-specific risk factors, including measures of capital adequacy, asset quality, liquidity, and regulatory concern. We find that regulatory sanctions are a significant determinant of going concern opinions along with low capitalization, poor loan quality, and declining customer deposits and that these are incremental to characteristics drawn from studies of other industries. Also, going concern reports anticipate bank failures and provide descriptive evidence regarding Type I and Type II errors. We shed light on the audit market for banks and add to the going concern literature by providing evidence on going concern reporting in this unique industry.

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