The current financial climate has financial executives more worried about corporate risk management than any other issue facing their businesses, according to a new survey conducted in part by Stamford professional services firm Towers Perrin.

Concern over risk management practices was tops on the minds of 72 percent of survey respondents, compared to 65 percent who named long-term debt financing and 59 percent worried over their relationship with their financial provider.

“This crisis exposes material gaps in risk management – particularly operational risk – and the companies surveyed acknowledge that they will need to retool their risk management practices,” said Prakash Shimpi, Towers Perrin principal and head of the firm’s Enterprise Risk Management practice.

Ongoing economic troubles compelled 55 percent of survey respondents to say they are likely to change risk management practices at their companies at either the board or the employee level, or both.