This study examined the effect of external auditors characteristics and  corporate financial performance of deposit money banks in Nigeria. The study specifically assessed how auditor expertise, audit tenure and financial statements reporting timeliness influence the financial performance of banks, measured using Return of Asset (ROA) and Return of Equity (ROE). The research adopted an ex-post facto research design, making use of secondary data extracted from the audited annual reports of 12 listed deposit money banks in Nigeria covering a ten year period (2014 – 2023). The total population consisted of all 12 listed deposit money banks on the Nigerian Exchange Group (NGX), from which the entire population was studied, making the sample size 12. Panel data regression analysis was employed using both fixed and random effects models, alongside the Hausman test to determine the appropriate model for analysis. Descriptive statistics and correlation analysis were also conducted to provide preliminary insights. The findings revealed that auditor independence and auditor expertise have a significant positive impact on corporate financial performance, while audit tenure showed a weak negative but statistically insignificant relationship. Furthermore, audit report lag was found to have a significant negative effect on financial performance, indicating that delays in financial reporting adversely affect the financial health of banks. The study concludes that specific external auditor characteristics such as independence and expertise play critical roles in enhancing the financial performance of banks, while timeliness in reporting remains a vital factor in sustaining stakeholder confidence and market integrity. Based on the findings, the study recommends the regulatory authorities should enforce polices that strengthen auditor independence and ensure continuous professional development for auditors to enhance expertise. Additionally, banks should minimize delays in financial reporting to improve transparency and financial performance.   

Keywords: External Auditors’ Characteristics, Reporting Timeliness, Corporate Financial Performance, Money Banks, Nigeria.