"The trio of bank failures since March has cast a pall over KPMG’s lucrative business as the largest auditor of the US banking sector. Questions over the quality of its work and independence have mounted in recent days, following the release of a Federal Reserve report into the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and the forced sale of First Republic. The Big Four accounting firm was auditor to both banks, as well as to Signature, which was seized by regulators in March. In all three cases, KPMG gave the banks’ financial statements a clean bill of health as recently as the end of February 2023."
"KPMG alumni have also gone on to play significant roles in the banking sector, including at former clients.
The chief executives of Signature and First Republic were both former KPMG partners."
IMHO, it's been clear for many years that most large CPA Audit Firms are not truly independent from their clients.
Remember Enron and Global Crossings