Journal
Preparing Bank Confirmations Without Slowing the Close
A timeline for treasury teams in Japan to authorize external bank confirmations while still finishing the month-end close on schedule.
External confirmations for cash and borrowings remain a core substantive procedure in financial auditing. Delays usually come from missing authorizations, not from the banks themselves.
Start two weeks before fieldwork
Send us a complete list of accounts—yen and foreign currency—with branch codes and the name of the treasury contact who can sign the confirmation request. We draft the letters; you authorize them.
Separate operating and facility accounts
Lenders sometimes confirm facilities separately from deposit balances. Flag committed lines, overdrafts, and guarantees so we do not chase the wrong desk at the bank.
Track returns in one folder
Assign one person to collect returned confirmations. When replies arrive after the opinion date target, we need a clear trail of follow-up—not a scattered email chain.
Harbor Balance coordinates confirmation logistics as part of the statutory engagement. Treasury teams that prepare the account list early typically recover a full day during final fieldwork.