Assurant 2010 Annual Report Download - page 64

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58 ASSURANT, INC.2010 Form 10K
PART II
ITEM 9 Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure
ITEM 9 Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants
on Accounting and Financial Disclosure
ere have been no disagreements with accountants on accounting and fi nancial disclosure.
ITEM 9A Controls and Procedures
Disclosure Controls and Procedures
e management of Assurant is responsible for establishing and
maintaining eff ective disclosure controls and procedures, as defi ned
under Rules 13a-15 and 15d-15 of the Securities Exchange Act of
1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). As of December 31, 2010,
an evaluation was performed under the supervision and with the
participation of the Company’s management, including the chief
executive offi cer and chief fi nancial offi cer, of the eff ectiveness of the
design and operation of Assurant’s disclosure controls and procedures.
Based on that evaluation, management concluded that Assurant’s
disclosure controls and procedures as of December 31, 2010, were
eff ective to provide reasonable assurance that information required to
be disclosed by Assurant in the reports Assurant fi les or submits under
the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported
within the time periods specifi ed in the applicable rules and forms
and that it is accumulated and communicated to our management, as
appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.
Management’s Annual Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
e management of the Company is responsible for establishing and
maintaining adequate internal control over fi nancial reporting for
the Company as defi ned in Rule 13a-15(f) under the Exchange Act.
A company’s internal control over fi nancial reporting is a process
designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of
fi nancial reporting and the preparation of fi nancial statements for
external purposes in accordance with accounting principles generally
accepted in the United States. A company’s internal control over
fi nancial reporting includes policies and procedures that (1) pertain
to the maintenance of records that in reasonable detail accurately
and fairly refl ect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the
company; (2) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded
as necessary to permit preparation of fi nancial statements in accordance
with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States, 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 eff ect on the fi nancial
statements. Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over
fi nancial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also,
projections of any evaluation of eff ectiveness 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.
e Company’s management assessed its internal control over fi nancial
reporting as of December 31, 2010 using criteria established in “Internal
Control—Integrated Framework” issued by the Committee of Sponsoring
Organizations of the Treadway Commission.
Management, including the Company’s chief executive offi cer and
its chief fi nancial offi cer, based on their evaluation of the Company’s
internal control over fi nancial reporting (as defi ned in Exchange Act
Rule 13a-15(f)), have concluded that the Company’s internal control
over fi nancial reporting was eff ective as of December 31, 2010.
e eff ectiveness of the Company’s internal control over fi nancial reporting
as of December 31, 2010 has been audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers
LLP, an independent registered public accounting fi rm, as stated in
their report which appears herein.
ere have been no changes in the Company’s internal control over
fi nancial reporting that occurred during the Company’s fourth fi scal
quarter in 2010 that have materially aff ected, or are reasonably likely to
materially aff ect, the Company’s internal control over fi nancial reporting.
ITEM 9B Other Information
None.