Summary financial statements

These statements are aimed at giving shareholders a summary of the position and performance by Aviva. They do not however, contain all the information to allow as complete an understanding of the Group as would be provided by the full audited Annual Report and Accounts. A copy of the full Annual Report and Accounts, which contains an unqualified auditors’ opinion, is available free of charge from Lloyds TSB Registrars.

2005 accounts

The summary financial statements have been prepared on the basis of accounting policies set out in the Group’s 2005 Annual Report and Accounts. The consolidated income statement has been presented on both a European Embedded Value (EEV) basis and an International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) basis. The Group continues to believe that the embedded value basis provides a better measure of the performance of the life business than the statutory IFRS basis. Results of an insurance business in any particular year can be affected by significant movements in investment values, which influence the reported profits before tax. Therefore, to measure the underlying business performance, operating profit before tax based on longer term rates of investment return is used, eliminating the volatility caused by movements in investment values. As a result, managers are encouraged to focus on operational performance and aspects of the business that are under their control.