Assurant 2013 Annual Report Download - page 79

ASSURANT, INC. – 2013 Form 10-K 67
PART II
ITEM 9B Other Information
ITEM 9A Controls and Procedures
Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures
The Company’s Chief Executive Offi cer and Chief Financial
Offi cer have evaluated the effectiveness of the Company’s
disclosure controls and procedures pursuant to Rule 13a-15
under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the
“Exchange Act”) as of December 31, 2013. They have concluded
that the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures are
effective, and provide reasonable assurance that information
the Company is required to disclose in its reports under the
Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported
accurately. They also have concluded that information that
the Company is required to disclose is accumulated and
communicated to the Company’s management as appropriate
to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.
Management’s Annual Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
The 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 U.S.
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 U.S., 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 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 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.
The Company’s management assessed its internal control over
fi nancial reporting as of December 31, 2013 using criteria
established in “Internal Control—Integrated Framework”
issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the
Treadway Commission in 1992.
Management, including the Company’s Chief Executive Offi cer
and its Chief Financial 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
effective as of December 31, 2013.
The effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over
fi nancial reporting as of December 31, 2013 has been audited
by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, an independent registered
public accounting fi rm, as stated in their report which
appears herein.
Changes in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
There 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 2013 that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company’s
internal control over fi nancial reporting.
ITEM 9B Other Information
None.