The Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation

"DTCC made these copyrighted record layouts, which enables the processing and electronic exchange of insurance information, freely available and open to the industry over seven years ago, in an effort to enable everyone to speak the same language," says Adam Bryan, managing director, DTCC Insurance & Retirement Services. "We are pleased that having them now a part of the ACORD library further defines them not as a proprietary entity, but truly as a recognized industry standard."

ACORD accepts intellectual property contributions from member companies on behalf of the industry, and integrates them through the standards development process to further enhance and expand ACORD standards. ACORD will now maintain these new standards. All requests for changes to the formats will go through ACORD's Maintenance Request process and an ACORD Working Group will be established.

The formats include Positions and Values (POV); Commissions (COM); Financial Activity Reporting (FAR); Licensing and Appointment (LNA); In-Force Transactions (IFT); and Applications and Premium/Subsequent Premium (APP/SUB). These formats, developed as part of DTCC's drive to greater standardization and automation, are EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) file specifications that are currently used to communicate data.

"As a member-driven association, we rely on our members to help expand and promote standardization and gratefully accept this donation from DTCC. It's through such donations of intellectual property that ACORD's standards have been able to evolve and grow so rapidly in both depth and breadth," says Lloyd Chumbley, vice president, standards, ACORD. "DTCC has long been committed to insurance industry standards. This will help promote further standards usage across the annuities sector by making these EDI formats publicly available as a true industry standard."

The formats will be posted on ACORD's website (www.acord.org) under Life, Annuity, & Health Downloads and are publicly available.

Special Reports /

DTCC Adds to ACORD Library of Insurance Standards

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