P-C ACORD-XML Standards Advance If I couldcharacterize the past year, it would be the time when “the rubbermet the road.” ACORD XML Standards and real-time deliverycapabilities truly came off the paper of theory and into the realmof reality, impacting agents and their carriers in a big way.

In just the last year alone, 44 new XML messages for propertyand casualty business have been developed, in addition to thebuild-out of several other messages, bringing the total numberavailable to 644.

As a result of all of this activity, some interesting trendshave also emerged. Were seeing carriers and solution providersgaining greater appreciation for the impact XML standards can haveinternally, helping to connect the many different systems together.It has already been established that systems integration can oftenbe the difference between a successful partnership and one thatfails. The “go” or “no go” decision in a merger or acquisition dealsometimes hinges on whether the new, larger entity will be able tooperate smoothly or suffer from prolonged and “resource-draining”incompatible systems.