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2025 Annual Report and Financial Statements
Independent Auditor’s report to the member of Syndicate 2357
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Extent to which the audit was considered capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud
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We obtained an understanding of the legal and regulatory frameworks that the syndicate operates in, and
identified the key laws and regulations that:
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had a direct effect on the determination of material amounts and disclosures in the financial
statements. These included the Insurance Accounts Directive (Lloyd’s Syndicate and Aggregate
Accounts) Regulations 2008 and the Lloyd’s Syndicate Accounting Byelaw (no. 8 of 2005), the Lloyd’s
Syndicate Accounts Instructions; and
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do not have a direct effect on the financial statements but compliance with which may be
fundamental to the syndicate’s ability to operate or to avoid a material penalty. These included
permissions and supervisory requirements of Lloyd’s of London, The Prudential Regulation Authority
(PRA) and the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and the requirements of Solvency UK.
We discussed among the audit engagement team including relevant internal specialists such as actuarial
and IT specialists regarding the opportunities and incentives that may exist within the organisation for fraud
and how and where fraud might occur in the financial statements.
As a result of performing the above, we identified the greatest potential for fraud in the following areas, and
our procedures performed to address them are described below:
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The recognition of gross earned premiums involves complex methodologies, reliance on advanced
models and significant management judgement. Premiums are allocated into different components
with distinct earning patterns, and seasonality curves are applied to reflect the underlying risk profile,
which increases the potential for error or management bias. In response, we obtained an updated
understanding of the end-to-end process, evaluated the design and implementation of key controls,
and tested the completeness and accuracy of the underlying data. We involved actuarial specialists
to assess the appropriateness of the earning methodologies and key assumptions, and recalculated
earned premiums on a sample basis to verify the accuracy of the earning pattern and revenue
recognised.
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Valuation of technical provisions includes assumptions and methodology requiring significant
management judgement and involves complex calculations, and therefore there is potential for
management bias. There is also a risk of overriding controls by making late adjustments to the
technical provisions. In response to these risks, we involved our actuarial specialists to develop
independent estimates of the technical provisions and we tested the late journal entries to technical
provisions.
In common with all audits under ISAs (UK), we are also required to perform specific procedures to respond
to the risk of management override. In addressing the risk of fraud through management override of
controls, we tested the appropriateness of journal entries and other adjustments; assessed whether the
judgements made in making accounting estimates are indicative of a potential bias; and evaluated the
business rationale of any significant transactions that are unusual or outside the normal course of business.
In addition to the above, our procedures to respond to the risks identified included the following:
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reviewing financial statement disclosures by testing to supporting documentation to assess
compliance with provisions of relevant laws and regulations described as having a direct effect on
the financial statements;
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performing analytical procedures to identify any unusual or unexpected relationships that may
indicate risks of material misstatement due to fraud;
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enquiring of management, internal audit, those charged with governance and in-house
legal
counsel concerning actual and potential litigation and claims, and instances of non-compliance with
laws and regulations; and
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reading minutes of meetings of those charged with governance
,
reviewing internal audit reports and
reviewing correspondence with Lloyd’s, the FCA and the PRA.