Public companies to begin telling investors of fraud-prevention procedures.

Byline: Brian Louis

Dec. 23--Public companies will soon be telling investors if they have effective procedures in place to reduce the risk of mistakes or fraud in their bookkeeping.

A key measure in a sweeping corporate-reform law passed in 2002 requires a company's management to include a report in its annual-report filing with regulators that its "internal control" over its financial reporting provides "reasonable assurance" about its reliability.

The reports will begin appearing as early as February for large companies whose financial-reporting years end on Dec. 31, according to a report by the Big Four accounting firms released this month. …