First Data 2008 Annual Report Download - page 202

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
The Board of Directors and Shareholders of First Data Corporation
We have audited First Data Corporation's internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2008, based on criteria established in Internal
Control—Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (the COSO criteria). First Data
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 Controls 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 accounting 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 prevention
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, First Data Corporation maintained, in all material respects, effective internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2008,
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 First Data Corporation as of December 31, 2008 and 2007, and the related consolidated statements of operations, cash flows and stockholders' equity
for the period from January 1, 2007 through September 24, 2007 and for the year ended December 31, 2006 (predecessor period), and for the year ended
December 31, 2008 and for the period from September 25, 2007 through December 31, 2007 (successor period) and our report dated March 23, 2009
expressed an unqualified opinion thereon.
/s/ Ernst & Young LLP
Denver, Colorado
March 23, 2009
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