Whirlpool 2010 Annual Report Download - page 48

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Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
The Stockholders and Board of Directors
Whirlpool Corporation
We have audited Whirlpool Corporation’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2010, based on criteria estab-
lished in Internal Control—Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission
(the COSO criteria). Whirlpool Corporation’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 account-
ing 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 pre-
vention 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, Whirlpool Corporation maintained, in all material respects, effective internal control over financial reporting as of
December 31, 2010, based on the COSO criteria.
We also have audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States), the
consolidated balance sheets of Whirlpool Corporation as of December 31, 2010 and 2009, and the related consolidated statements
of income, changes in stockholders’ equity, and cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2010,
and our report dated February 14, 2011 expressed an unqualified opinion thereon.
Chicago, Illinois
February 14, 2011