Investor relations
Communication with the local Rabobanks
Corporate governance information on the Internet
Risk management
53 Rabobank Group Annual Report 2005
Organisation and risk management: Rabobank Group Corporate Governance
Besides good communication with its members, Rabobank Nederland
also attaches great importance to good communication with its other
stakeholders. The investor relations unit informs investors on develop
ments at Rabobank Group via a dedicated website and an electronic
newsletter. This unit is also responsible for supplying and explaining all
relevant information requested by investors. In addition, institutional
investors and other providers of professional funds are informed, through
presentations or face-to-face, about the financial developments at
Rabobank Group.
A closed Internet connection created specifically for the local Rabobanks
gives them swift access to useful information and fosters a high level of
commitment to Rabobank Nederland.
Rabobank Group has placed information on its corporate governance
and activities on its public Internet site, including a full explanation of
deviations from the Dutch Corporate Governance Code. While Rabobank
Group endorses the Code's principles and implements the majority of
its elements, it does not implement a number of principles and best
practice provisions on account of its cooperative structure.
The management of Rabobank Group is based on its strategic principles
and, by extension, on the interrelationship between risk, return and
reserves. Both the Dutch Central Bank and the bank itself have formulated
standards concerning Rabobank's organisation and control. The standards
of the Dutch Central Bank are laid down for example in the Regulation
on Organisation and Control, which forms the framework for the
organisation and control of Rabobank Group's activities. For further
information, please refer to the relevant sections in this Annual Report
and the chapter on Risk management in particular. In view of the above,
the Executive Board believes that Rabobank Group's internal risk
management and control systems meet the relevant requirements and
are adequate and effective. A project was started in 2005 in order to
comply with the international standard for in-control statements on
financial reporting, Sarbanes Oxley (SOX), as well. The aim is to be 'SOX
compliant' at the end of 2006.
For more information
www.rabobank.com/corporategovernance
