ACORD and PIA National Announce Program to Provide Forms Access to Member Insurance Agencies

PEARL RIVER, New York, Dec. 19 -- The National Association of Professional Insurance Agents issued the following news release:

The National Association of Professional Insurance Agents (PIA) and ACORD, the global standards-setting body for the insurance industry, announced a joint program to provide qualifying PIA member agencies with a complimentary license to use ACORD Forms.

PIA was founded in 1931 to educate and inform agents, promote cooperation among agents and carriers, and advocate for the independent agent community. Today it represents agents in all 50 states, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia.

ACORD, a not-for-profit industry organization, has been providing forms to the insurance industry since 1972. ACORD currently maintains a library of over 850 forms in a variety of formats, widely used throughout the global industry. Under this new agreement, PIA National will fund ACORD Form end user licenses for the majority of its member agencies who receive ACORD Forms through their agency management systems, allowing them to claim these licenses free of charge.

"PIA National is pleased to partner with ACORD to ensure that the majority of PIA member agencies can continue to access and use ACORD forms free of charge," said PIA National CEO Mike Becker.

All agents and brokers using ACORD Forms through an agency management system, or other software provided by third-party vendors, are required to obtain licenses directly from ACORD. Users who are not already members or subscribers of a qualifying ACORD program are able to purchase a stand-alone End User License from ACORD. Under this agreement, PIA members with annual group gross P&C revenue of under $50 million will be eligible for a license from ACORD, with no additional payment necessary.

Agencies with annual group gross revenue under $1 million can also obtain ACORD Forms directly from ACORD by subscribing to the Advantage Plus program. PIA members eligible for this program will be able to subscribe at a discounted rate.

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About PIA National

Founded in 1931, PIA is a national trade association that represents member insurance agents and their employees who sell and service all kinds of insurance, but specialize in coverage of automobiles, homes and businesses. PIA members are Local Agents Serving Main Street America SM.