MRO » Topics » Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

These excerpts taken from the MRO 10-K filed Feb 29, 2008.

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

To the Stockholders of Marathon Oil Corporation:

In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements listed in the accompanying index present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of Marathon Oil Corporation and its subsidiaries (the “Company”) at December 31, 2007 and 2006, and the results of their operations and their cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2007 in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. Also in our opinion, the Company maintained, in all material respects, effective internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2007, based on criteria established in Internal Control—Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO). The Company’s management is responsible for these financial statements, 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 Control over Financial Reporting. Our responsibility is to express opinions on these financial statements and on the Company’s internal control over financial reporting based on our integrated audits. We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require that we plan and perform the audits to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement and whether effective internal control over financial reporting was maintained in all material respects. Our audits of the financial statements included examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements, assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, and evaluating the overall financial statement presentation. Our audit of internal control over financial reporting included obtaining an understanding of internal control over financial reporting, assessing the risk that a material weakness exists, and testing and evaluating the design and operating effectiveness of internal control based on the assessed risk. Our audits also included performing such other procedures as we considered necessary in the circumstances. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinions.

As discussed in Note 2 to the consolidated financial statements, the Company changed its methods of accounting for purchases and sales of inventory with the same counterparty and defined benefit pension and other postretirement plans in 2006, and its method of accounting for conditional asset retirement obligations in 2005.

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 (i) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the company; (ii) 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 (iii) 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.

As described in Management’s Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting, management has excluded Marathon Oil Canada Corporation from its assessment of internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2007 because it was acquired by the Company in a purchase business combination on October 18, 2007. We have also excluded Marathon Oil Canada Corporation from our audit of internal control over financial reporting. Marathon Oil Canada Corporation is a wholly-owned subsidiary whose loss before income taxes and total assets represent $100 million and $8.9 billion, respectively, of the related consolidated financial statement amounts as of and for the year ended December 31, 2007.

LOGO

PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP

Houston, Texas

February 28, 2008

 

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Table of Contents
Index to Financial Statements


Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

To the Stockholders of Marathon Oil Corporation:

STYLE="margin-top:6px;margin-bottom:0px; text-indent:3%">In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements listed in the accompanying index present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of
Marathon Oil Corporation and its subsidiaries (the “Company”) at December 31, 2007 and 2006, and the results of their operations and their cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2007 in conformity
with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. Also in our opinion, the Company maintained, in all material respects, effective internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2007, based on criteria
established in Internal Control—Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO). The Company’s management is responsible for these financial statements, 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 Control over Financial Reporting. Our
responsibility is to express opinions on these financial statements and on the Company’s internal control over financial reporting based on our integrated audits. We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the Public Company
Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require that we plan and perform the audits to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement and whether effective internal control
over financial reporting was maintained in all material respects. Our audits of the financial statements included examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements, assessing the accounting
principles used and significant estimates made by management, and evaluating the overall financial statement presentation. Our audit of internal control over financial reporting included obtaining an understanding of internal control over financial
reporting, assessing the risk that a material weakness exists, and testing and evaluating the design and operating effectiveness of internal control based on the assessed risk. Our audits also included performing such other procedures as we
considered necessary in the circumstances. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinions.

As discussed in Note 2
to the consolidated financial statements, the Company changed its methods of accounting for purchases and sales of inventory with the same counterparty and defined benefit pension and other postretirement plans in 2006, and its method of accounting
for conditional asset retirement obligations in 2005.

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 (i) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the company;
(ii) 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 (iii) 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.

As described in Management’s Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting,
management has excluded Marathon Oil Canada Corporation from its assessment of internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2007 because it was acquired by the Company in a purchase business combination on October 18, 2007.
We have also excluded Marathon Oil Canada Corporation from our audit of internal control over financial reporting. Marathon Oil Canada Corporation is a wholly-owned subsidiary whose loss before income taxes and total assets represent $100 million
and $8.9 billion, respectively, of the related consolidated financial statement amounts as of and for the year ended December 31, 2007.



LOGO

PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP

SIZE="2">Houston, Texas

February 28, 2008

 


F-3







Table of Contents


Index to Financial Statements


EXCERPTS ON THIS PAGE:

10-K (2 sections)
Feb 29, 2008
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