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Industry Priorities Are Coming Into Focus
As summer ends and 2027 planning moves into sharper focus, Digital First for Annuities (DFA) priorities are becoming clearer.
Distributor input is giving the industry a stronger signal about where demand is building and where adoption can create the greatest impact. Rather than relying on one-off conversations or isolated requests, firms can now look across distributor feedback to better understand which capabilities are rising to the top.
That matters because DFA standards only deliver their full value when both sides are ready. A firm may be “production ready” to send standardized data, but progress slows if distributors, platforms, or solution providers are not ready to receive and use it.
The Insured Retirement Institute (IRI) encourages members to use this planning window to review the Distributor Priority Dashboard, visit the Library of Standards, and identify where DFA initiatives should move from discussion to roadmap to adoption.
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| Digital-First Specifications Version Release History
The version release history for the DFA Specifications is now tracked and published on a dedicated Release List. Going forward, every specification change resulting in an updated version, along with a summary of the changes, will be logged on the Release List. This will serve as the permanent, searchable archive of both current and historical specification versions. Notification of each new release, including a direct link to the release, will continue to be sent via email to the Strategy Implementation Committee and Technical Reviewers. |
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Standard Spotlight:
Paperless Replacements Phase Two
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| Building on the success of Paperless Replacements, Phase Two will focus on making NIGO statuses, exceptions, and carrier-to-carrier communication more automated and transparent.
The cross-industry working group will focus on creating a more consistent and connected experience when issues arise during the replacement process. By establishing common ways to communicate NIGO statuses and exceptions, the industry can reduce manual follow-up, improve visibility, and help replacements move forward faster. The working group will also develop shared reporting measures to help identify trends, uncover bottlenecks, and track improvements across the industry.
The Goal
Extend Paperless Replacements beyond digital submission to create a more automated, efficient, and transparent end-to-end process.
Want to Get Involved?
Contact mhendrickson@irionline.org and hpikus@irionline.org to learn more about the Phase Two working group, this group kicks off October 8. |
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| Strategy Implementation Committee Distributor Vice Chair |
| Please join us in welcoming Brylee Coleman, Annuity Operations Product Owner, Advisors Excel, as the new Distributor Vice Chair of the Strategy Implementation Committee.
Brylee joins our leadership team alongside Lana Nelson, Vice President, Insurance Operations, Athene, Michael Finnegan, Executive Director, Morgan Stanley Wealth Management, and Craig Fernicola, Corporate Vice President, New York Life, bringing a valuable distributor perspective.
As we look ahead to the end of the year, Lana and Michael will be rolling off their chair roles, and we’ll be looking for new leaders to step into those positions. We’ll share more information on those upcoming chair transitions later this year.
We’re excited to welcome Brylee and look forward to her leadership and perspective on the Committee. |
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Brylee Coleman
Annuity Operations
Product Owner
Advisors Excel
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Resources Available on IRI’s Website: Dashboard Update
IRI has added a new Outcomes Enabled section to the DFA Dashboard to help members connect adoption activity to real business results.
This section highlights reported outcomes from firms implementing DFA initiatives, including examples of faster processing, improved straight-through automation, reduced manual work, and more timely transaction handling. Rather than showing adoption status alone, the dashboard now helps members see what implementation can make possible.
As firms continue planning and prioritizing DFA work, these outcomes can help support internal business cases, roadmap decisions, and broader adoption conversations.
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| DFA1: 50,000 Paperless Replacement Transactions – Digital-First for Annuities is Working
DFA1 is IRI’s short-form video series highlighting the progress, insights, and real-world success stories emerging from the DFA initiative. In the latest edition, Katherine Dease, Chief Technology and Innovation Officer, IRI, hails a major program milestone: 50,000 paperless transactions for annuity exchanges, replacements and transfers. She explains how this success should trigger adoption of other DFA standards to eliminate more friction points, improve the process for more financial professionals, and help expedite annuities into consumers’ hands.
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Operations and Technology Important Dates
Digital First Steering Committee
October 14 | 4 p.m. ET
Strategy Implementation Committee
October 9 | 10 a.m. ET
Operations and Technology Committee
October 21 | 4 p.m. ET
Governance Subcommittee
Mondays | 11:30 a.m. ET
Business Champion Stand-up
Wednesdays | 10:30 a.m. ET
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