North Carolina General Statutes Chapter 58. Insurance § 58-10-240. Definition, availability, and maintenance of independent certified public accountants' work papers

(a) Work papers are the records kept by the independent certified public accountant of the procedures followed, the tests performed, the information obtained, and the conclusions reached pertinent to the accountant's audit of the financial statements of an insurer. Work papers, accordingly, may include audit planning documentation, work programs, analyses, memoranda, letters of confirmation and representation, abstracts of company documents, and schedules or commentaries prepared or obtained by the independent certified public accountant in the course of his or her audit of the financial statements of an insurer and which support the accountant's opinion.

(b) Every insurer required to file an audited financial report pursuant to this Part shall require the accountant to make available for review by the Commissioner all work papers prepared in the conduct of the accountant's audit and any communications related to the audit between the accountant and the insurer at the offices of the insurer, at the offices of the Commissioner, or at any other reasonable place designated by the Commissioner. The insurer shall require that the accountant retain the audit work papers and communications until the Commissioner has filed a report on examination covering the period of the audit but no longer than seven years after the date of the audit report.

(c) In the conduct of the periodic review by the Commissioner's examiners in subsection (b) of this section, copies of pertinent audit work papers may be made and retained by the Commissioner. Such reviews by the Commissioner's examiners shall be considered investigations, and all working papers and communications obtained during the course of such investigations shall be confidential.