Tag: AFFIRM

Advisor Group Selects iPipeline® Order Entry Technology to Streamline Annuities for Financial Professionals

Written by iPipeline on . Posted in Press & News.

iPipeline Ecosystem’s Solutions Create Operational and Supervisory Efficiencies to Simplify the Process
of Helping Clients Benefit from Annuities

EXTON, PA—March 9, 2023—iPipeline® announces that Advisor Group, the nation’s largest network of independent wealth management firms, has chosen to harness iPipeline’s AFFIRM® for Annuities order entry system to optimize annuity transactions for financial professionals.

The Advisor Group network consists of more than 11,000 financial professionals associated with eight wealth management firms—FSC Securities Corp., Royal Alliance, SagePoint Financial, Securities America, Triad Advisors, and Woodbury Financial Services, American Portfolios and Infinex. Through this relationship, financial professionals affiliated with Advisor Group will gain access to iPipeline’s Order Entry system to digitize their business and enhance the agent and user experience.

The AFFIRM for Annuities order entry system will enable advisors to:

• Reduce Not in Good Order (NiGO) transactions.

• Immediately identify which contracts are eligible for withdrawals and subsequent payments—without the need to conduct extensive research.

• Seamlessly route annuity orders to existing compliance and suitability queues using robust application programming interface (API) and messaging capabilities.

• Accommodate various rules, forms, and transmission changes, and quickly adapt to regulatory updates.

“The iPipeline ecosystem strengthens the ability of financial professionals to better serve clients choosing annuities in an ever-evolving marketplace—by increasing efficiency and decreasing risk,” said Robert Powell, Vice President of Sales and Wealth Management at iPipeline. “We continue our drive to innovate, further improve, and personalize the overall annuities experience. Our order entry platform will empower Advisor Group to expand its financial professional base, its client base, and its business, through simplifying the often complex and expensive processes associated with annuities.”

“Investment in cutting-edge technology is a crucial element of our ongoing commitment to our sales force, and to growing and differentiating our offering,” said Leslie Ayers, Chief Supervision Officer at Advisor Group. “iPipeline’s digital solutions and platforms will help us provide even more effective supervision and regulatory compliance for our financial professionals, while at the same time, making it so much easier for them to do business on the annuities side.”

About iPipeline

iPipeline is building a comprehensive digitized ecosystem for the life insurance and wealth management industries, which will enable millions of those who are uninsured or under-insured to secure their financial futures as part of a holistic financial planning experience. The firm is working to optimize all application and processing workflows—from quote to commission—and consolidating them within one of the most expansive straight-through processing platforms, significantly reducing paper, saving time, and increasing premiums and placements for insurance agents. iPipeline is also committed to offering premier subscription-based tools to help financial institutions and advisors automate and digitize financial transactions, comply with regulations, and seamlessly incorporate life insurance and annuities into client accounts.

The iPipeline digital ecosystem incorporates one of the industry’s largest data sets to enable advisors and agents to optimize their businesses. Since its establishment in 1995, iPipeline has facilitated 1.5 billion quote responses, $32 billion in savings on printing and mailing costs, the collection of 55 billion premiums, and the protection of 25 million lives. iPipeline operates as a unit of Roper Technologies (NYSE: ROP), a constituent of the S&P 500® and Fortune 500® indices. For more information, please visit https://www.ipipeline.com/.

About Advisor Group

Advisor Group, Inc., a portfolio company of Reverence Capital Partners, is the nation’s largest network of independent wealth management firms, serving approximately 10,000 financial professionals. The firm is mission-driven to support the strategic role that financial professionals can play in the lives of their clients. Cultivating a spirit of entrepreneurship and independence, Advisor Group champions the enduring value of financial professionals and is committed to being in their corner every step of the way. For more information visit https://www.advisorgroup.com.

Securities and investment advisory services are offered through the firms: FSC Securities Corporation, Royal Alliance Associates, Inc., SagePoint Financial, Inc., Triad Advisors, LLC, Infinex Investments, Inc., and Woodbury Financial Services, Inc., broker-dealers, registered investment advisers, and members of FINRA and SIPC. Securities are offered through Securities America, Inc., American Portfolios Financial Services, Inc., and Ladenburg Thalmann & Co., broker-dealers and member of FINRA and SIPC. Advisory services are offered through Arbor Point Advisors, LLC, American Portfolios Advisors, Inc., Ladenburg Thalmann Asset Management, Inc., Securities America Advisors, Inc., and Triad Hybrid Solutions, LLC, registered investment advisers. Advisory programs offered by FSC Securities Corporation, Royal Alliance Associates, Inc., SagePoint Financial, Inc., Securities America Advisors, Inc., Triad Advisors, LLC., and Woodbury Financial Services, Inc., are sponsored by VISION2020 Wealth Management Corp., an affiliated registered investment adviser.

Media Contacts:

Laura Simpson
JConnelly for iPipeline
973-713-8834
ipipelinepr@jconnelly.com

Joseph Kuo / Donald Cutler
Haven Tower Group for Advisor Group
424-317-4851 or 424-317-4864
jduo@haventower.com
dcutler@haventower.com

iPipeline Integrates AlphaTrust e-Sign into the AFFIRM Order Entry Platform

Written by iPipeline on . Posted in Press & News.

e-Sign Enables Advisors to Remotely Execute 1035 Exchanges in Wake of the COVID-19 Pandemic

EXTON, PA (July 14, 2020) – iPipeline® – a leading provider of cloud-based software solutions for the life insurance and financial services industry – today announced the integration of AlphaTrust® e-Sign into the AFFIRM® order entry system used by the nation’s most respected financial institutions and their advisors. The integration enables advisors to overcome remote selling obstacles and rapidly secure electronic signatures to accelerate 1035 exchanges and other transactions in today’s COVID-19 selling environment. The integration is immediately available for purchase by all AFFIRM customers.

“The impact from the COVID-19 pandemic has rippled throughout the entire financial services industry. Advisors have been challenged in this contactless environment to execute their 1035 exchanges and other transactions, all of which require client signatures. Advisors are particularly in need of technologies that simplify and improve the customer experience,” said Larry Berran, CEO, iPipeline. “At the onset of the pandemic, we rallied to bring e-Signature and e-Delivery to all of our customers to enable them to continue their business cadence. We are pleased to offer our AFFIRM customers the AlphaTrust e-Sign integration to remove obstacles and increase customer satisfaction.”

“Business priorities have clearly shifted. Top executives are less focused on speed-to-market initiatives and more on recovery as they are concerned about sustainability. According to a recent Novarica survey, 65% of life insurers have been forced to prioritize digital initiatives to optimize business performance because of stay-at-home measures. e-Signature is a critical component in a well-thought out digital strategy,” said Tom Benton, Vice President Research and Consulting, Novarica. “While cost reductions are on the list of priorities, we are not seeing large budget cuts as they pertain to technologies. Technology providers who are integrating capabilities such as e-Signature into their products are positioned appropriately at this time to enable customers to reap the benefits of digitization.”

AlphaTrust e-Sign is a fully brandable, highly secure e-Signature product. It enables advisors using AFFIRM for Annuities to remotely secure signatures to expedite 1035 exchanges and other financial transactions while satisfying client expectations for a contactless experience. For more information about the AlphaTrust e-Sign and AFFIRM integration, contact your assigned sales representative, sales@ipipeline.com, or call 1-800-758-0824, option 2.

About iPipeline
iPipeline is a leading provider of cloud-based software solutions for the life insurance and financial services industry. Through our SSG Digital, end-to-end platform, we accelerate and simplify sales, compliance, operations and support. We provide process automation and seamless integration between every participant in our ecosystem including carriers, agents, general agencies, advisors, broker-dealers, RIAs, banks, securities/mutual fund firms, and their consumers on a global basis. Our innovative solutions include pre-sales support, new business and underwriting, policy administration, point-of-sale execution of applications, post-sale support, data analysis, reporting, user-driven configuration, consumer delivery and self-service, and agency and firm management.

iPipeline’s platform is used by approximately 150 carriers, 1,400 distributors and financial institutions, and their agents and licensed advisors in a cloud-based environment. With headquarters in Exton, Pennsylvania, iPipeline has locations in Bromley (UK), Burlington (Canada), Cheltenham (UK), Dallas, Fort Lauderdale, Huntersville, Ontario (CA), Philadelphia, Pleasanton, and Salt Lake City. Visit www.ipipeline.com.

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For iPipeline:
Lisa Shea
Marketing
lshea@ipipeline.com
484 870 6234

iPipeline Partners with FIDx to Provide AFFIRM Order Entry Capabilities to Users of Insurance Exchange (Ix)

Written by iPipeline on . Posted in Press & News.

EXTON, PA – September 25, 2019 – iPipeline®, a leading provider of cloud-based software solutions for the life insurance and financial services industry, today announced a partnership with Fiduciary Exchange, LLC (FIDx) that integrates AFFIRM for Annuities order entry product with e-Signature onto their platform. Used by the nation’s top financial institutions, AFFIRM for Annuities supports customized workflows to help address compliance and suitability concerns.

“iPipeline is pleased to announce our new partnership with FIDx and the integration of AFFIRM for Annuities with e-Signature into the Insurance Exchange. Our partnership with FIDx will simplify workflows, streamline suitability reviews, and accelerate the overall order entry process for advisors,” said Larry Berran, CEO, iPipeline. “iPipeline’s next-generation products are designed to optimize advisor sales performance and enhance the consumer experience. We are dedicated to the success of our new partnership and look forward to extending it to include our AFFIRM for Life product to support insurance sales.”

AFFIRM for Annuities is a compliance and order management system designed to integrate a carrier’s complex product rules with a distributor’s compliance processing requirements (customized workflows and suitability reviews) to generate transactions that are “in good order.” The partnership with FIDx will ensure annuity applications are electronically submitted to carriers for processing after successfully passing all supervisory reviews, providing advisors with streamlined order entry.

“The addition of iPipeline’s AFFIRM for Annuities to our FIDx platform provides advisors accessing the Insurance Exchange with an automated order entry tool to help address compliance concerns,” said Richard Romano, CTO, FIDx. “We are committed to continually expanding our platform offerings, integrating top insurance carriers, and offering technology innovators, like iPipeline. We strive to ensure advisors have access to annuity products that help solve for their clients’ needs for guaranteed income and provide a consolidated set of tools to meet their individual needs. Digital transformation and a seamless advisory experience are a key focus for FIDx, and iPipeline’s AFFIRM for Annuities product offers the necessary capabilities to support this important initiative.”

FIDx officially launched the Insurance Exchange (Ix) in June 2019, to fill a much-needed gap in the annuity and financial services space. As a product-agnostic exchange, the company acts as the middleman, seamlessly connecting advisors to leading insurance carriers and annuity products. Founded by notable industry problem solvers, FIDx puts annuity sales on par with mutual funds, exchange-traded funds, and separately managed accounts. FIDx is also the first annuity products platform provider supporting Envestnet’s Insurance Exchange.

For assistance in reimagining how your organization does business and achieving a competitive advantage, contact sales@ipipeline.com or call 1-800-758-0824, option 2.

About Fiduciary Exchange, LLC (FIDx)
Fiduciary Exchange, LLC (FIDx) is a technology-empowered network that seamlessly integrates the brokerage, insurance and advisory ecosystems to offer best-in-class annuities and insurance solutions from the industry’s leading carriers. Motivated by its mission to expand the frontiers of the wealth management space and provide holistic solutions to address investors’ changing needs, FIDx enables advisors to offer guaranteed income and downside protection as core components of their clients’ portfolios—integrated within the same wealth management platforms they already use every day. An independent technology firm led by seasoned industry veterans and built from the ground up as an integrated platform, FIDx is providing a modern solution to bridge advisory firms to insurance carriers so advisors can truly deliver comprehensive advice, enabling their clients to achieve retirement security. For more information on FIDx, visit www.fid-x.com.

About iPipeline

iPipeline is a leading provider of cloud-based software solutions for the life insurance and financial services industry. Through our SSG Digital, end-to-end platform, we accelerate and simplify sales, compliance, operations and support. We provide process automation and seamless integration between every participant in our ecosystem including carriers, agents, general agencies, advisors, broker-dealers, RIAs, banks, securities/mutual fund firms, and their consumers on a global basis. Our innovative solutions include pre-sales support, new business and underwriting, policy administration, point-of-sale execution of applications, post-sale support, data analysis, reporting, user-driven configuration, consumer delivery and self-service, and agency and firm management.

iPipeline’s platform is used by approximately 150 carriers, 1,400 distributors and financial institutions, and their agents and licensed advisors in a cloud-based environment. With headquarters in Exton, Pennsylvania, iPipeline has locations in Bromley (UK), Burlington (Canada), Cheltenham (UK), Dallas, Fort Lauderdale, Huntersville, Ontario (CA), Philadelphia, Pleasanton, and Salt Lake City. Visit www.ipipeline.com.

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For iPipeline:

Lisa Shea
Marketing
lshea@ipipeline.com
484 870 6234

For FIDx:
FiComm Partners
Jessica Torchia
Jessica.Torchia@FiCommPartners.com
908.872.7319

iPipeline Reports $31 Billion in Annuity Transactions Processing for 2018

Written by iPipeline on . Posted in Press & News.

EXTON, PA (January 15, 2019) – iPipeline® – a leading provider of cloud-based software solutions for the life insurance and financial services industry – today announced a record increase in the number of annuity transactions processed using their AFFIRM for Annuities product in 2018. AFFIRM® for Annuities is used by the nation’s largest financial institutions and their 35,000 advisors to execute order entries for variable and fixed indexed annuities.

AFFIRM for Annuities streamlines and accelerates the order-entry process by supporting customized workflows and suitability reviews, enabling financial institutions to meet their stringent requirements for FINRA, SEC and state compliance.

“A review of our 2018 processing data indicates advisor use of our AFFIRM order entry solution has continued to trend upwards. The total number of annuity transactions processed through AFFIRM has grown to over 240,000 with total deposits in 2018 reaching $31 billion,” said Tim Wallace, CEO, iPipeline. “This uptick is, in part, a testimony to the increasing value being derived by institutional clients and their advisors through our investments in improving the versatility and usability of AFFIRM.”

“AFFIRM has become the software of choice among top-tier financial institutions. Our ability to combine complex carrier product rules with the institutions’ compliance processing needs has enabled us to positively influence how advisors do their daily jobs, while ensuring that only 100% ‘in Good Order’ transactions are processed,” added Wallace. “Fixed indexed annuity sales and variable annuity assets hit record quarterly highs according to the Insured Retirement Institute (IRI).According to the IRI, industry-wide annuity sales hit $54.9 billion in the third quarter of 2018 with the fourth quarter results expected to be strong. The demise of the DOL fiduciary rule last spring, changing economic conditions, and the broadening acceptance of our next-generation order-entry solution account for much of the increase in transactions and total deposits.”

iPipeline’s Connections 2019 User Meeting & Conference will be held at the Aria Resort & Casino in Las Vegas from March 17-19. To hear outstanding keynote speakers, explore products in demonstrations, and attend the more than 70 in-depth workshops with top executives from the Life Insurance and Financial Services industry, register today.

iPipeline’s solutions are designed to enable the life insurance and financial services industry to automate and simplify all new business, administration, and in force management tasks to achieve desirable business outcomes. For assistance in reimagining how your organization does business and achieving a competitive advantage, contact sales@ipipeline.com or call 1-800-758-0824, option 2.


About iPipeline

iPipeline is a leading provider of cloud-based software solutions for the life insurance and financial services industry. Through our SaaS-based new business acquisition platform, we accelerate and simplify sales, compliance, operations and support. We provide process automation and seamless integration between every participant in the financial services industry including carriers, agents, general agencies, advisors, broker-dealers, RIAs, banks, securities/mutual fund firms, and their consumers. Our innovative solutions enable automated processing for pre-sales, new business and underwriting, policy administration, point-of-sale execution of applications, post-sale support, data analysis, reporting, consumer delivery and self-service, and agency and firm management.

iPipeline provides the process automation and seamless integration needed on a global basis to make a sale by aggregating more than 130 carriers, 1,300 distributors and financial institutions, and their agents and licensed advisors in a cloud-based environment. With headquarters in Exton, Pennsylvania, iPipeline has locations in Bromley (UK), Cheltenham (UK), Dallas, Fort Lauderdale, Huntersville, Ontario (CA), Philadelphia, Pleasanton, and Salt Lake City. Visit www.ipipeline.com.

For iPipeline:
Lisa Shea
Marketing
lshea@ipipeline.com
 484 870 6234

BCS Insurance Agency to Offer Annuities through Four Seasons Financial Using iPipeline’s Multicarrier Platform

Written by iPipeline on . Posted in Press & News.

EXTON, PA (September 11, 2018) – iPipeline® – a leading provider of cloud-based software solutions for the life insurance and financial services industry – today announced BCS Insurance Agency (BCSIA) will offer fixed and fixed indexed annuity products through Four Seasons Financial Group using SimplyAnnuityTM powered by iPipeline’s multicarrier AFFIRM® for Annuities order entry module.

AFFIRM for Annuities is a compliance and order management system designed to integrate a carrier’s complex product rules with a distributor’s compliance processing requirements (customized workflows and suitability reviews) to generate transactions that are “in good order.” Compliant annuity applications are electronically submitted to carriers for processing after successfully passing all supervisory reviews.

“BCSIA’s value-added approach to selling makes perfect sense to agents looking to offer their clients diversified financial services. Customer loyalty hinges on the buyer’s perception of value and service delivery,” said Tim Wallace, CEO, iPipeline. “With Four Seasons Financial providing BCSIA access to iPipeline’s advanced AFFIRM for Annuities platform, BCSIA will be better positioned to meet its mission of providing a full portfolio of products to its distribution partners.”

“While our partners have traditionally sold health insurance products, we made the strategic decision to break the mold, automate the process using SimplyAnnuityTM, and offer fixed and fixed indexed annuities to our partners,” said Dave Burghard, President, BCSIA. “Our philosophy is simple: insurance and financial products should be easy to purchase and simple to understand. Our decision to offer these annuities is just another part of our expanding capability to provide families what they need now and in the future.”

“While we have historically partnered with key financial services organizations – banks, broker-dealers, credit unions – we are now marketing to insurers to strategically expand their product offerings of life insurance and annuity products, automate the selling and buying process, and grow their revenue. BCSIA represents the future of one-stop selling and purchasing of diversified products,” said Jim Sorebo, CEO, Four Seasons Financial. “Given the right tools and support, there is a huge, untapped opportunity to sell these simple annuity products. SimplyAnnuityTM, powered by AFFIRM, has proven to be a powerful tool to streamline our business processes, and we are confident BCSIA will have the same experience.”

About BCSIA

BCS Insurance Agency (BCSIA) is a wholly owned subsidiary of BCS Financial Corporation (BCS). For over 70 years, BCS has provided innovative financial and insurance solutions through its partners and distributors. BCS has insurance licenses in all 50 states and is rated A- (Excellent) by A.M. Best. To learn more about BCS or BCSIA please visit our website at http://bcsins.com/.

About Four Seasons Financial Group Inc.

Four Seasons Financial Group Inc., founded in 1993, is a national wholesale provider of insurance and investments products and the technology solutions to streamline selling and buying processes to the institutional markets. FSFG works with over 250 banks and broker-dealers and over 5,000 financial advisors. Visit: www.fsfginc.com.

About iPipeline

iPipeline is a leading provider of cloud-based software solutions for the life insurance and financial services industry. Through our SaaS-based new business acquisition platform, we accelerate and simplify sales, compliance, operations and support. We provide process automation and seamless integration between every participant in the financial services industry including carriers, agents, general agencies, advisors, broker-dealers, RIAs, banks, securities/mutual fund firms, and their consumers. Our innovative solutions enable automated processing for pre-sales, new business and underwriting, policy administration, point-of-sale execution of applications, post-sale support, data analysis, reporting, consumer delivery and self-service, and agency and firm management.

iPipeline provides the process automation and seamless integration needed on a global basis to make a sale by aggregating more than 130 carriers, 1,300 distributors and financial institutions, and their agents and licensed advisors in a cloud-based environment. With headquarters in Exton, Pennsylvania, iPipeline has locations in Bromley (UK), Cheltenham (UK), Dallas, Fort Lauderdale, Huntersville, Ontario (CA), Philadelphia, Pleasanton, and Salt Lake City. Visit www.ipipeline.com.

iPipeline Reports AFFIRM Platform Processed 200,000 Annuity Transactions in 2016

Written by iPipeline on . Posted in Press & News.

Exton, PA (January 19, 2017) – iPipeline® – a leading provider of cloud-based software solutions for the life insurance and annuity industry– today reported its AFFIRM® Order Entry Platform processed approximately 200,000 annuity transactions in 2016. The AFFIRM Platform is an order entry system used by the nation’s largest and most respected financial institutions to extend the digital buying and selling journey for advisers. AFFIRM is a deeply integrated platform that enables and supports customized workflows and suitability reviews to ensure FINRA, SEC and state compliance.

“In 2016, we continued to invest heavily in R&D to enhance the AFFIRM Platform and ensure its reliability and success for our current and future customers. We recognize the industry is changing and that we need to evolve the platform to address current technology and security demands,” said Tim Wallace, CEO, iPipeline. “In 2016, we enhanced the architecture, migrated our servers, and continued efforts to modernize the platform by upgrading to the latest version of ACORD to support Department of Labor (DOL) data standards for Product Profiles for Annuities (PPfAs) and industry standard data. We also continued to provide distributors additional self-service functionality and additional tools to craft a deeply integrated and customized user experience.” 

“While reliability is key to transaction execution, maintenance of secure platforms is top-of-mind for our customers, so we also invested an additional $2 million in 2016 to protect clients against potentially harmful threats,” added Wallace. “All of the ‘bells and whistles’ in the world are meaningless if transactions cannot be executed by advisers with high confidence. Our investments will continue to improve what we believe is the best-in-class platform within the industry.”

AFFIRM provides the functionality of a wizard-based user interface with uniformity across all insurer products to optimize an adviser’s daily experience and productivity. AFFIRM supports the selling and processing of annuity and life products and is easily configured to support the unique workflows required by many of the nation’s leading financial institutions.

Core capabilities and distinguishing features include:

  • Wizard (not forms-based) user experience
  • Multi-carrier order entry for annuities and life
  • Fully configurable suitability and compliance options
  • Integration with comparison tools
  • Configurable distributor screens and questions
  • Service-enabled to integrate with adviser’s existing desktop experience
  • Driven by industry standard-based PPfA product definitions
  • Pre-built DTCC™ connectivity to carriers


To learn how you can implement iPipeline’s AFFIRM solution to support your selling and processing needs for annuity and life products, visit us here and contact sales@ipipeline.com or call 1-800-758-0824, option 2.

About iPipeline

iPipeline is a leading provider of cloud-based software solutions for the life insurance industry. Through our SaaS solutions, we accelerate and simplify insurance sales, compliance, operations and support. We provide process automation and seamless integration between every participant in the life insurance industry including carriers, agents (such as financial advisors and independent insurance agents), distributors (such as banks, broker-dealers and general agencies) and consumers. Our innovative solutions enable automated processing for pre-sales, point-of-sale execution of applications, post-sale support, reporting, consumer delivery and agency management.

iPipeline provides the process automation and seamless integration needed on a global basis to make a sale by aggregating more than 120 carriers, 875 distributors and financial institutions, and their producers and licensed advisors in a cloud-based environment. With headquarters in Exton, Pennsylvania, iPipeline has locations in Cheltenham (UK), Fort Lauderdale, Huntersville, Philadelphia, Salt Lake City, and Vancouver. Save the date for iPipeline’s Connections 2017 User Meeting & Conference on March 15-17 at the ARIA in Las Vegas. Visit www.ipipeline.com.

For iPipeline:
Lisa Shea
Marketing
lshea@ipipeline.com
484-870-6234