ACORD

ACORD, the Association for Cooperative Operations Research and Development, is a non-profit organization that provides the global insurance industry with data standards and implementation solutions.^[1] ACORD is widely known across the industry for the publication and maintenance of an extensive archive of standardized forms. ACORD has also developed a comprehensive library of electronic data standards with more than 1200 standardized transaction types to support exchange of insurance data between trading partners.

Today, many of the forms and electronic data standards utilized by the insurance and related industries – both in the United States and in several countries across the globe – were developed by ACORD. The Lloyd's of London insurance market uses ACORD standards for messaging between counterparties.^[2]

ACORD has also worked with the Centre for Study of Insurance Operations on numerous initiatives including the development of North American XML data standards^[3] and the creation of a telematics data standard.^[4]

ACORD is headquartered in Pearl River, NY and maintains an office in London, U.K.

History

Established in 1970 as a non-profit organization, ACORD was formed by insurance carriers and agents focused on building efficiencies in the United States Property Casualty Insurance Market. Originally termed the Agent Company Operations Research and Development (ACORD) organization, its initial goal was to standardize the many proprietary forms being used by carriers for new business and claims submission.^[5] In the late 1970s, ACORD began developing electronic standards to complement its form standards. ACORD subsequently expanded both its forms and electronic data standards beyond Property and Casualty Insurance to encompass Life and Annuity, Surety, and Reinsurance markets.

Impact on the Insurance Industry

Since its inception, ACORD has maintained its commitment to supporting improvements across the insurance value chain. Today, ACORD currently engages thousands of participants from more than 900 organizations in 20 countries.

Leadership

William Pieroni is CEO of ACORD, the global standards-setting body for the insurance industry. Bill is a respected industry veteran with three decades of experience across the insurance and financial services sectors. Prior to joining ACORD, he held several leadership roles at Marsh, and was most recently the Global Chief Operating Officer.

Throughout his career, Bill has held senior management positions at several Fortune 500 companies including McKinsey, Accenture, IBM, and State Farm.

Bill is a graduate of the Harvard University School of Business Administration, where he was named a Baker Scholar and earned an M.B.A. with Highest Distinction.

Conferences

ACORD hosts several events on technology and related business topics. Among its events are an annual conference dedicated to advancing innovation in insurance technology. The ACORD2016 Conference is scheduled for November 1–3, 2016.

References