How much time does it take you to process the information you receive for an excess & surplus (E&S) lines client? The E&S Joint Working Group is bringing awareness to the industry that if today's systems aren't based on industry standards, the industry is missing the opportunity to streamline its workflows, connect to a number of industry partners, and ultimately reduce its costs.

Formed in 2008, the E&S Joint Working Group (ESJWG) is an alliance of carriers, agents and vendors working with the American Association of Managing General Agents (AAMGA), ACORD, Agents Council for Technology (ACT) of the Independent Agents & Brokers of America, and the National Association of Professional Surplus Lines Offices (NAPSLO). ESJWG's mission is to improve the efficiencies for retail agents, general agents, wholesale brokers and carriers by promoting the use of ACORD standards, best-practice workflows and the electronic exchange of data among each of the business partners. The group comprises retail agent/general agent, carrier and Lloyd's subgroups.

In the retail agent to MGA/carrier space, there has been a 14% increase in the number of ACORD Standards-based commercial lines transactions flowing through IVANS, a division of Applied and one of the providers of technology solutions for data exchange and integration between insurance carriers and agencies. According to their statistics, by the end of 2014, the number of commercial lines transactions flowing through the network had exceeded 8 million; this year the growth continues.