iPipeline Receives Top Honor at 2009 ACORD Awards

iPipeline, the leader in on-demand software that supports marketing, selling, and processing solutions for the nation’s top insurance carriers, distributors and producers, today announces that it has won the distinguished ACORD Accomplishment Award for Infrastructure Platform/Middleware Award at the 2009 ACORD LOMA Insurance Systems Forum in Orlando, Florida.

The award honors those companies whose infrastructure platform enhances the utilization or eases the implementation of ACORD standards, such as ACORD 103 XML Web Service standards—the ACORD transaction for submitting new business applications for life insurance. Utilizing these standards, iPipeline implemented ACORD transactions at Assurity Life that enable straight-through processing using iGO e-App (intelligent fillable e-applications), e-signature and e-submission for use by agents, brokers, and insurance carriers.

The entire value chain benefits from this leading solution that eliminates NiGOs (Not in Good Order) submissions, reduces cycle time and costs, speeds policy issuance, and improves placement ratios by delivering 100% iGO (in Good Order) submissions.

“iPipeline views this award as a major milestone in our mission to transform the way the insurance industry markets, sells, and processes insurance,” said Tim Wallace, CEO, iPipeline. “We are equally delighted that we can share this prestigious award with our client, Assurity Life. Assurity and iPipeline share a common vision as to what can be achieved through the proper integration of the iPipeline Velocity Platform with ACORD standards. Their confidence in our team encouraged us to break through the challenges and design an infrastructure platform that solved their immediate needs while providing competitive advantage for many years into the future. We are proud to win this award with Assurity.”

“Assurity Life shares iPipeline’s vision to redefine how the insurance industry transacts its business. Traditional business models need to proactively respond to the challenges presented by an eBusiness-based economy,” said Pat Criger, Director of New Business Services, Assurity Life. “iPipeline’s Velocity Platform leverages ACORD Standards as a set of rules and guidelines that serve as a common framework for communication. This commonality in communication has positively affected the evolution of our business by introducing new efficiencies and productivity and decreasing the cost of sales. It is truly an honor to share this prestigious award with iPipeline.”

About iPipeline

iPipeline™ leads its industry in providing the next-generation suite of sales distribution software to the insurance and financial services markets as an on-demand service. By positively influencing behavior across the value chain through flexible, rules-based technology, iPipeline's channel solutions for carriers, distributors, and producers automate activities for quoting, forms processing, illustrations development, requirements ordering, contracting, and content distribution, enabling the insurance industry to market, sell, and process faster. iPipeline provides the process automation and seamless integration needed to make a sale by aggregating over 125 carriers, 850 distributors, and 400,000 agents in a single, Web-based environment — the iPipeline Network. The network generated over $3 billion in premiums in 2008.

iPipeline's simple, intuitive system integrates directly with 850 Web sites including the industry's largest banks, broker-dealers and insurance distributors via a Software as a Service (SaaS)-based model. This integrated approach enables insurance companies to automate sales distribution, eliminates point-of-sale mistakes, and streamlines the issuance of insurance policies. With headquarters in Exton, Pennsylvania, iPipeline has offices in Atlanta, Charlotte, Los Angeles, and Milwaukee.

iPipeline, one of the fastest growing, privately-held companies in the US, is a Philadelphia 100 and an Inc. 5000 company. For more information, please visit: http://www.ipipeline.com.

About Assurity Life

Assurity Life Insurance Company's origins are rooted in a century-long legacy of providing long-term security to policyholders, earning generations of customers' confidence and trust.

Focused on serving the needs of Middle America, Assurity specializes in providing innovative protection-based financial solutions for every stage of life. Assurity products can be tailored according to specific individual, family or business situations. We understand that consumers have unique protection needs and individual preferences for how they purchase their insurance protection. Assurity products and services are available through a nationwide network of brokers who serve individual clients one on one; to employees through their place of work; and by direct mail.

We focus on creating superior value for our customers by cultivating lasting relationships, reinforcing our financial strength and fostering innovation in our products and services. (www.assurity.com)

About ACORD

Based in New York, ACORD (Association for Cooperative Operations Research and Development) is a global, nonprofit insurance association whose mission is to facilitate the development and use of standards for the insurance, reinsurance and related financial services industries. With offices in London as well, ACORD accomplishes its mission by remaining an objective, independent advocate for sharing information among diverse platforms. ACORD Standards and services improve efficiency and expand market reach.

Affiliated with ACORD are hundreds of insurance and reinsurance companies, and thousands of agents and brokers, related financial services organizations, solution providers, and industry organizations worldwide. (www.acord.org)