The Internal Control—Integrated Framework (the COSO Framework) was developed by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations (COSO) of the Treadway Commission. The COSO was established 1985 to sponsor the National Commission on Fraudulent Financial Reporting, which is an independent private-sector initiative that studied the underlying factors that can cause fraudulent financial reporting. It also developed recommendations for public companies and their independent auditors, for the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and other regulators, and for educational institutions. Read more about the COSO.
The COSO Framework helps organizations design and implement internal controls, broaden the application of internal controls in addressing operations and reporting objectives, and clarify the requirements for determining what constitutes effective internal control. Guidance documentation and information is available on the COSO website.
