Ameriprise 2015 Annual Report Download - page 45

Following the conversion of Ameriprise Bank, Ameriprise Financial deregistered as a savings and loan holding company and
is no longer subject to consolidated regulation or supervision by the Federal Reserve System (‘‘FRB’’) as such, nor is it
subject to the additional FRB requirements applicable to financial holding companies.
Parent Company Regulation
Ameriprise Financial is a publicly traded company that is subject to SEC and New York Stock Exchange (‘‘NYSE’’) rules and
regulations regarding public disclosure, financial reporting, internal controls and corporate governance. The adoption of the
Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 as well as the implementation of the Dodd-Frank Act have significantly enhanced these rules
and regulations.
We have operations in a number of geographical regions outside of the U.S. through Threadneedle and certain of our other
subsidiaries. We monitor developments in European Union (‘‘EU’’) legislation, as well as in the other markets in which we
operate, to ensure that we comply with all applicable legal requirements, including EU directives applicable to financial
institutions as implemented in the various member states. Because of the mix of business activities we conduct, we
assess the impact of, and monitor our status under, the EU Financial Conglomerates Directive, which contemplates that
certain financial conglomerates involved in banking, insurance and investment activities among other things, implement
measures to prevent excessive leverage and multiple leveraging of capital and maintain internal control processes to
address risk concentrations as well as risks arising from significant intragroup transactions.
Privacy, Environmental Laws and USA Patriot Act
Many aspects of our business are subject to comprehensive legal requirements by a multitude of different functional
regulators concerning the use and protection of personal information, including client and employee information. This
includes rules adopted pursuant to the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act, the Health
Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (‘‘HIPAA’’), the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health
(‘‘HITECH’’) Act, an ever increasing number of state laws, EU data protection legislation as domestically implemented in
the respective EU member states, and data protection rules in the other regions outside the U.S. and the EU in which we
operate. We have also implemented policies and procedures in response to such requirements. We continue our efforts to
safeguard the data entrusted to us in accordance with applicable laws and our internal data protection policies, including
taking steps to reduce the potential for identity theft or other improper use or disclosure of personal information, while
seeking to collect only the data that is necessary to properly achieve our business objectives and to best serve our clients.
As the owner and operator of real property, we are subject to federal, state and local environmental laws and regulations.
We periodically conduct environmental reviews on our own real estate as well as investment real estate to assess and
ensure our compliance with these laws and regulations.
The Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act,
commonly referred to as the USA Patriot Act, was enacted in October 2001 in the wake of the September 11th terrorist
attacks. The USA Patriot Act broadened existing anti-money laundering legislation and the extraterritorial jurisdiction of the
United States substantially. In response, we enhanced our existing anti-money laundering programs and developed new
procedures and programs. For example, we implemented a customer identification program applicable to many of our
businesses and enhanced our ‘‘know your customer’’ and ‘‘due diligence’’ programs. In addition, we will continue to
comply with anti-money laundering legislation in the UK derived from applicable EU directives and international initiatives
adopted in other jurisdictions in which we conduct business.
Securities Exchange Act Reports and Additional Information
We maintain an Investor Relations website at ir.ameriprise.com. Investors can also access the website through our main
website at ameriprise.com by clicking on the ‘‘Investor Relations’’ link located at the bottom of our homepage. We use our
Investor Relations website to announce financial and other information to investors and to make available SEC filings,
press releases, public conference calls and webcasts. Investors and others interested in the company are encouraged to
visit the investor relations website from time to time, as information is updated and new information is posted. The website
also allows users to sign up for automatic notifications in the event new materials are posted. The information found on
the website is not incorporated by reference into this report or in any other report or document the Company furnishes or
files with the SEC.
Segment Information and Classes of Similar Services
You can find financial information about our operating segments and classes of similar services in Note 25 to our
Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
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