Charter of the Audit Committee

Mission

The purpose of the Audit Committee is to assist Board oversight of:
  • The independent registered public accounting firm's qualifications and independence
  • The performance of the corporation's internal audit function and independent registered public accounting firm
  • Management's responsibilities to assure that there is in place an effective system of controls reasonably designed to:
    • Safeguard the assets and income of the corporation
    • Assure the integrity of the corporation's financial statements
    • Maintain compliance with the corporation's ethical standards, policies, plans and procedures, and with laws and regulations
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Membership


The Audit Committee shall be composed solely of non-management directors, not fewer than three in number. Each member of the Audit Committee shall meet the independence and expertise requirements of the New York Stock Exchange corporate governance listing standards, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and rules promulgated thereunder, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Improvement Act of 1991 (FDICIA), and other applicable laws and regulations.

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Duties and responsibilities


The Audit Committee shall have the following duties and responsibilities:

A. Meetings and certain responsibilities

  • The Audit Committee shall meet as often as it determines, but not less frequently than quarterly. The Audit Committee shall meet, at least quarterly, with the General Auditor, the independent registered public accounting firm, and executive management in separate private sessions to discuss any matters that the Audit Committee or these persons believe should be discussed. The Audit Committee may also meet periodically in separate executive sessions. The Audit Committee may request any officer or employee of the corporation or the corporation's outside counsel or independent registered public accounting firm to attend a meeting of the Audit Committee or to meet with any members of, or consultants to, the Audit Committee.
  • The Audit Committee has authority to retain outside legal counsel, or accounting or other advisors, when deemed necessary, without the prior permission from the corporation's Board of Directors or management, and shall be provided the necessary resources for such purposes.
  • The Audit Committee shall review, at least annually, the committee's charter and recommend any proposed changes to the Board for approval. The Audit Committee shall conduct, and report to the Board the results of, an annual performance evaluation of the Audit Committee, which evaluation shall compare the performance of the Audit Committee with the requirements of this charter. The Audit Committee shall report regularly to the Board, including review of any issues that arise with respect to the quality or integrity of the corporation's financial statements, the corporation's compliance with legal or regulatory requirements, the performance and independence of the independent registered public accounting firm, or the performance of the General Auditor.
  • The Audit Committee shall establish procedures for the receipt, retention and treatment of complaints received by the corporation regarding accounting, internal accounting controls or auditing matters, and for the confidential, anonymous submission by corporation employees of concerns regarding questionable accounting or auditing matters.
  • The Audit Committee shall prepare the Audit Committee report required by the rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission to be included in the corporation's annual proxy statement.


B. Oversight of the corporation's relationship to external and internal auditors

  • The independent registered public accounting firm for the corporation is accountable to the Board of Directors and Audit Committee of the corporation, as representatives of the stockholders, and shall report directly to the Audit Committee. The Audit Committee shall have the authority and direct responsibility to appoint, retain, compensate, evaluate and, where appropriate, replace the independent registered public accounting firm (subject to stockholder ratification if required or sought by the Board of Directors), and shall advise the Board of Directors on these matters.
  • The independent registered public accounting firm shall submit, at least annually, a report to the Audit Committee regarding (a) the auditor's internal quality-control procedures and (b) any material issues raised by the most recent internal quality-control or peer review or by any inquiry or investigations by governmental or professional authorities within the preceding five years respecting one or more independent audits carried out by the audit firm, and any steps taken to deal with such issues. The independent registered public accounting firm shall also submit such a report to the Audit Committee promptly after any review, inquiry or investigation referred to in the preceding sentence.
  • The independent registered public accounting firm shall also submit on a periodic basis, but at least annually, to the Audit Committee a formal written statement delineating all relationships between the audit firm and the corporation, including each non-audit service provided to the corporation and at least the matters set forth in Public Company Accounting Oversight Board Rule 3526. The Audit Committee shall discuss with the independent registered public accounting firm whether any disclosed relationships or services, or any other factors, may impact the objectivity and independence of the independent registered public accounting firm, and shall recommend to the Board that it take appropriate action to satisfy itself of the independence of the independent registered public accounting firm.
  • The Audit Committee shall have authority to approve all fees and terms of engagement of the independent registered public accounting firm and shall pre-approve, or adopt appropriate procedures to pre-approve, all audit and non-audit services to be provided by the independent registered public accounting firm.
  • The Audit Committee shall set clear hiring policies for employees or former employees of the independent registered public accounting firm and for audit partner rotation in compliance with applicable laws and regulations. The Audit Committee shall consider whether, in order to assure continuing auditor independence, there should be a regular rotation of the independent registered public accounting firm.
  • The Audit Committee shall review and concur in the appointment, replacement, reassignment, or dismissal of the General Auditor. The Audit Committee shall review and approve the General Auditor's proposed annual audit plan and financial budget and staffing. The Audit Committee shall receive periodic communications from the General Auditor on the completion status of the annual audit plan, as well as a summary of significant changes made to such plan.
  • The Audit Committee shall discuss with management and the independent registered public accounting firm, and resolve, any disagreements regarding financial reporting. The Audit Committee shall review with the independent registered public accounting firm any audit problems or difficulties and management's response thereto.


C. Compliance and regulatory oversight responsibilities

The Audit Committee shall:

  • Receive from the General Auditor, periodically, and from management, as appropriate, communications and presentations on significant operating and control issues in internal audit reports, management letters, and regulatory authorities' examination reports, and on the initiation and status of significant special investigations; and initiate such other inquiries into the affairs of the corporation as it deems necessary or appropriate.
  • Receive periodic presentations from management and the independent registered public accounting firm on the identification and resolution status of material weaknesses and reportable conditions in the internal control environment, including any significant deficiencies in the design or operation of internal controls that could adversely affect the corporation's ability to record, process, summarize and report financial data, and on any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the corporation's internal controls.
  • Receive periodic presentations from the General Auditor on the review, and related results, of each corporate Executive Committee member's expense account and perquisites, including their use of corporate assets.
  • Review with management the corporation's program for compliance with laws and regulations and review the record of such compliance; and review significant legal cases outstanding against the corporation or its subsidiaries and other regulatory or legal matters that may have a material impact on the corporation's financial statements.
  • Review the program established by management that monitors compliance with the Code of Conduct and review the record of such compliance.
  • Review regulatory authorities' significant examination reports pertaining to the corporation, its subsidiaries and associated companies.
  • Receive communications and presentations from management summarizing the suspicious activity reports filed by subsidiaries with the appropriate regulatory and law enforcement agencies.
  • Review management reports issued by the corporation in accordance with FDICIA and the corresponding independent registered public accounting firm's attestation and agreed-upon procedures reports.


D. Financial statement and disclosure matters

The Audit Committee shall:

  • Review and discuss, at least annually, with management, the independent registered public accounting firm and the General Auditor the scope of the audit.
  • Review and discuss, at least quarterly, with management, the independent registered public accounting firm and the General Auditor the annual audited financial statements and quarterly financial statements, including reviewing the corporation's specific disclosures made in "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operation."
  • Review and discuss with management, the independent registered public accounting firm and the General Auditor, and receive a timely report from the independent registered public accounting firm with respect to, any significant accounting, income tax, financial, reporting policies, issues or judgments made in connection with the preparation, or audit, of the corporation's financial statements and other financial or informational reports, including any major issues regarding or significant changes in the corporation's selection or application of accounting principles, the development, selection and disclosure of critical accounting estimates or judgments (including reserves), an analysis of the effect of any alternative assumptions, estimates or GAAP methods on the financial statements, and the effect of regulatory examinations or any regulatory and accounting initiatives, as well as off-balance sheet structures, on the financial statements, and obtain from the independent registered public accounting firm a timely report relating to any material communications between the independent registered public accounting firm and management, such as any "management" letter or schedule of unadjusted differences.
  • Review internal accounting control reports (management letters) submitted by the independent registered public accounting firm which relate to the corporation. Review summaries of significant issues in management letters addressed to subsidiaries of the corporation.
  • Discuss with management the corporation's earnings press releases, as well as financial information and earnings guidance provided to analysts and rating agencies.
  • Taking into consideration the Board's allocation of responsibility for review of credit risk, market risk and fiduciary risk to the Board's Risk Policy Committee, discuss with management guidelines and policies for assessing and managing the corporation's exposure to risks, including reputation risk, the corporation's major financial risk exposures and the steps management has taken to monitor and control such exposures.
  • Discuss with the independent registered public accounting firm the matters required to be described by SAS 114, including without limitation, any difficulties encountered in the course of the work, any restriction on the scope of the independent registered public accounting firm's activities or on access to requested information and any significant disagreements with management.

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