Western Union 2010 Annual Report Download - page 78

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Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
The Board of Directors and Stockholders of The Western Union Company
We have audited The Western Union Company’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2010,
based on criteria established in Internal Control—Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring
Organizations of the Treadway Commission (the COSO criteria). The Western Union Company’s management is
responsible for maintaining effective internal control over financial reporting, and for its assessment of the
effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting included in the accompanying Management’s Report on
Internal Control Over Financial Reporting. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the company’s internal
control over financial reporting based on our audit.
We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board
(United States). Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about
whether effective internal control over financial reporting was maintained in all material respects. Our audit
included obtaining an understanding of internal control over financial reporting, assessing the risk that a material
weakness exists, testing and evaluating the design and operating effectiveness of internal control based on the
assessed risk, and performing such other procedures as we considered necessary in the circumstances. We believe
that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.
A company’s internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance
regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in
accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. A company’s internal control over financial reporting
includes those policies and procedures that (1) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail,
accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the company; (2) provide reasonable
assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance
with generally accepted accounting principles, and that receipts and expenditures of the company are being made
only in accordance with authorizations of management and directors of the company; and (3) provide reasonable
assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use or disposition of the company’s
assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.
Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect
misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that
controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions or that the degree of compliance with the policies
or procedures may deteriorate.
In our opinion, The Western Union Company maintained, in all material respects, effective internal control over
financial reporting as of December 31, 2010, based on the COSO criteria.
We have also audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United
States), the consolidated balance sheets of The Western Union Company as of December 31, 2010 and 2009, and the
related consolidated statements of income, cash flows, and stockholders’ equity/(deficiency) for each of the three
years in the period ended December 31, 2010 and our report dated February 25, 2011 expressed an unqualified
opinion thereon.
/s/ Ernst & Young LLP
Denver, Colorado
February 25, 2011
76