2013 Annual Financial Statements and Notes

To view the PDF version of the 2013 Annual Financial Statements and Notes, please click on the link below:

 http://www.rns-pdf.londonstockexchange.com/rns/9787U_-2013-12-7.pdf

  REPORTS AND CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

The accompanying consolidated financial statements of Royal Bank of Canada were prepared by management, which is responsible for the integrity and fairness of the information presented, including the many amounts that must of necessity be based on estimates and judgments. These consolidated financial statements were prepared in accordance with the Bank Act (Canada) and International Financial Reporting Standards as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board. Financial information appearing throughout our Management's Discussion and Analysis is consistent with these consolidated financial statements.

Our internal controls are designed to provide reasonable assurance that transactions are authorized, assets are safeguarded and proper records are maintained. These controls include quality standards in hiring and training of employees, policies and procedures manuals, a corporate code of conduct and accountability for performance within appropriate and well-defined areas of responsibility.

The system of internal controls is further supported by a compliance function, which is designed to ensure that we and our employees comply with securities legislation and conflict of interest rules, and by an internal audit staff, which conducts periodic audits of all aspects of our operations.

The Board of Directors oversees management's responsibilities for financial reporting through an Audit Committee, which is composed entirely of independent directors. This Committee reviews our consolidated financial statements and recommends them to the Board for approval. Other key responsibilities of the Audit Committee include reviewing our existing internal control procedures and planned revisions to those procedures, and advising the directors on auditing matters and financial reporting issues. Our Chief Compliance Officer and Chief Internal Auditor have full and unrestricted access to the Audit Committee.

The Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions Canada (OSFI) examines and inquires into our business and affairs as deemed necessary to determine whether the provisions of the Bank Act are being complied with, and that we are in sound financial condition. In carrying out its mandate, OSFI strives to protect the rights and interests of our depositors and creditors.

Deloitte LLP, Independent Registered Chartered Accountants appointed by our shareholders upon the recommendation of the Audit Committee and Board, have performed an independent audit of the consolidated financial statements and their report follows. The auditors have full and unrestricted access to the Audit Committee to discuss their audit and related findings.

Gordon M. Nixon
President and Chief Executive Officer

Janice R. Fukakusa
Chief Administrative Officer and Chief Financial Officer

Toronto, December 4, 2013

To the Shareholders of Royal Bank of Canada

We have audited the accompanying consolidated financial statements of Royal Bank of Canada and subsidiaries (the "Bank"), which comprise the consolidated balance sheets as at October 31, 2013 and October 31, 2012, and the consolidated statements of income, statements of comprehensive income, statements of changes in equity, and statements of cash flows for each of the years in the three-year period ended October 31, 2013, and a summary of significant accounting policies and other explanatory information.

Management's Responsibility for the Consolidated Financial Statements

Management is responsible for the preparation and fair presentation of these consolidated financial statements in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board, and for such internal control as management determines is necessary to enable the preparation of consolidated financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.

Auditor's Responsibility

Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these consolidated financial statements based on our audits. We conducted our audits in accordance with Canadian generally accepted auditing standards and the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require that we comply with ethical requirements and plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the consolidated financial statements are free from material misstatement.

An audit involves performing procedures to obtain audit evidence about the amounts and disclosures in the consolidated financial statements. The procedures selected depend on the auditor's judgment, including the assessment of the risks of material misstatement of the consolidated financial statements, whether due to fraud or error. In making those risk assessments, the auditor considers internal control relevant to the entity's preparation and fair presentation of the consolidated financial statements in order to design audit procedures that are appropriate in the circumstances. An audit also includes evaluating the appropriateness of accounting policies used and the reasonableness of accounting estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the consolidated financial statements.

We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained in our audits is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our audit opinion.

Opinion

In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the balance sheets of Royal Bank of Canada and subsidiaries as at October 31, 2013 and October 31, 2012, and their financial performance and cash flows for each of the years in the three-year period ended October 31, 2013 in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board.

Other Matter

We have also audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States), the Bank's internal control over financial reporting as of October 31, 2013 based on the criteria established in Internal Control-Integrated Framework (1992) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission and our report dated December 4, 2013 expressed an unqualified opinion on the Bank's internal control over financial reporting.

Deloitte LLP
Independent Registered Chartered Accountants
Licensed Public Accountants
Toronto, Canada
December 4, 2013

Management of Royal Bank of Canada is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting. Internal control over financial reporting is a process designed by, or under the supervision of, the President and Chief Executive Officer and the Chief Administrative Officer and Chief Financial Officer and effected by the Board of Directors, management and other personnel 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. It includes those policies and procedures that:

•       Pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions related to and dispositions of our assets

•       Provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and our receipts and expenditures are made only in accordance with authorizations of our management and directors

•       Provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of our assets that could have a material effect on our financial statements.

Due to its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements on a timely basis. Also, projections of any evaluation of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting to future periods are subject to the risk that the controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.

Management evaluated, under the supervision of and with the participation of the President and Chief Executive Officer and the Chief Administrative Officer and Chief Financial Officer, the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of October 31, 2013, based on the criteria set forth in Internal Control - Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission. Based on that evaluation, management concluded that, as of October 31, 2013, internal control over financial reporting was effective based on the criteria established in the Internal Control - Integrated Framework. Also, based on the results of our evaluation, management concluded that there were no material weaknesses that have been identified in internal control over financial reporting as of October 31, 2013.

Our internal control over financial reporting as of October 31, 2013 has been audited by Deloitte LLP, Independent Registered Chartered Accountants, who also audited our Consolidated Financial Statements for the year ended October 31, 2013, as stated in the Report of Independent Registered Chartered Accountants, which report expressed an unqualified opinion on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting.

Gordon M. Nixon
President and Chief Executive Officer

Janice R. Fukakusa
Chief Administrative Officer and Chief Financial Officer

Toronto, December 4, 2013

To the Shareholders of Royal Bank of Canada

We have audited the internal control over financial reporting of Royal Bank of Canada and subsidiaries (the "Bank") as of October 31, 2013, based on the criteria established in Internal Control - Integrated Framework (1992) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission. The Bank'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 Control over Financial Reporting. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Bank'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 by, or under the supervision of, the company's principal executive and principal financial officers, or persons performing similar functions, and effected by the company's board of directors, management, and other personnel 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 the inherent limitations of internal control over financial reporting, including the possibility of collusion or improper management override of controls, material misstatements due to error or fraud may not be prevented or detected on a timely basis. Also, projections of any evaluation of the effectiveness of the internal control over financial reporting to future periods are subject to the risk that the 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, the Bank maintained, in all material respects, effective internal control over financial reporting as of October 31, 2013, based on the criteria established in Internal Control - Integrated Framework (1992) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission.

We have also audited, in accordance with Canadian generally accepted auditing standards and the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States), the consolidated financial statements as of and for the year ended October 31, 2013 of the Bank and our report dated December 4, 2013 expressed an unqualified opinion on those consolidated financial statements.

Deloitte LLP
Independent Registered Chartered Accountants
Licensed Public Accountants
Toronto, Canada
December 4, 2013