Equifax 2009 Annual Report Download - page 38

REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
ON INTERNAL CONTROL OVER FINANCIAL REPORTING
The Board of Directors and Shareholders of Equifax Inc.:
We have audited Equifax Inc.’s internal control over financial report- that receipts and expenditures of the company are being made only
ing as of December 31, 2009, based on criteria established in Inter- in accordance with authorizations of management and directors of
nal Control — Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of the company; and (3) provide reasonable assurance regarding pre-
Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (the COSO vention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use or dispo-
criteria). Equifax Inc.’s management is responsible for maintaining sition of the company’s assets that could have a material effect on
effective internal control over financial reporting, and for its assess- the financial statements.
ment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting
included in the accompanying Management’s Report on Internal Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial
Control over Financial Reporting. Our responsibility is to express an reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projec-
opinion on the company’s internal control over financial reporting tions of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject
based on our audit. to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of
changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the
We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the policies or procedures may deteriorate.
Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those
standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain rea- In our opinion, Equifax Inc. maintained, in all material respects,
sonable assurance about whether effective internal control over effective internal control over financial reporting as of December 31,
financial reporting was maintained in all material respects. Our audit 2009, based on the COSO criteria.
included obtaining an understanding of internal control over financial
reporting, assessing the risk that a material weakness exists, testing We also have audited, in accordance with the standards of the
and evaluating the design and operating effectiveness of internal Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States), the
control based on the assessed risk, and performing such other pro- consolidated balance sheets as of December 31, 2009 and 2008,
cedures as we considered necessary in the circumstances. We and the related consolidated statements of income, shareholders’
believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion. equity and comprehensive income, and cash flows for each of the
three years in the period ended December 31, 2009 of Equifax Inc.
A company’s internal control over financial reporting is a process and our report dated February 23, 2010 expressed an unqualified
designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of opinion thereon.
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 main-
tenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly
reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the com-
Atlanta, Georgia
pany; (2) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are
February 23, 2010
recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements
in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and
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