NU Online News Service, March 19, 2004, 5:42 p.m. EST, New York – Insurers are objecting to a proposal to incorporate elements of the federal Sarbanes-Oxley Act in a model audit rule for insurance filings.[@@]
Including a requirement based on Sarbanes-Oxley would be costly and unnecessary, insurers said here during the spring meeting of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, Kansas City, Mo.
But Doug Stolte, chair of the NAIC/American Institute of Certified Public Accountants working group, said adding a provision based on Sarbanes-Oxley would add value to regulatory oversight of insurance companies.
Stolte, a deputy commissioner with the Virginia Bureau of Insurance, said the failure of a property-casualty insurer in his state due to “problematic financial reporting” proves the need for better internal controls.
Some provisions in the current version of the Model Regulation Requiring Annual Audited Financial Reports, or model audit rule, would require an insurance company’s managers to file a report on the company’s internal compliance procedures.