79% of CFOs say that CEO and Chairman roles should be separate

76% say SEC should revise 8-K rules

CHICAGO, October 31, 2007 - In a national survey of chief financial officers and senior comptrollers conducted by Grant Thornton LLP, the U.S. member firm of Grant Thornton International, one of the six global accounting, tax and business advisory organizations, more than three-quarters (79%) believe that the roles of chief executive officer (CEO) and chairman should be held by different people. In addition, three-quarters of the respondents think that the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) should revise the 8-k rules to require reasons for all company dismissals to auditors, for all auditor resignations and for all instances in which the auditor chooses not to stand for reappointment.

Do you believe the roles of CEO and chairman of the board should be independent of each other?
Yes	78.73 %
No	20.81 %
Should the SEC revise 8-K rules to require reasons for all company dismissals of auditors, for all auditor resignations and for all instances in which the auditor chooses not to stand for reappointment?
Yes	75.57 %
No	21.72 %
Do you believe shareholders in public companies should have greater access to the proxy?
Yes	66.06 %
No	29.86 %
Do you believe that small cap companies who test internal controls (according to Sarbanes-Oxley) will be looked upon more favorably by investors than those who do not test internal controls?
Yes	68.78 %
No	29.41 %
Do you consider the newly issued guidance (AS 5) from the SEC on internal controls and the new audit standard for auditing internal controls to be a significant improvement over previous rules?
Yes	43.89 %
No	47.96 %

About Grant Thornton LLP
Grant Thornton LLP is the U.S. member firm of Grant Thornton International, one of the six global accounting, tax and business advisory organizations. Through member firms in more than 110 countries, including 50 offices in the United States, the partners and employees of Grant Thornton member firms provide personalized attention and the highest quality service to public and private clients around the globe. Visit Grant Thornton LLP at www.GrantThornton.com.

###