IRI VISION: FINAL RULES, OPEN QUESTIONS – IRI’S COMPLIANCE & IMPLEMENTATION PROGRAM

A new rule or regulation is finalized. Comment periods close, statements are issued, and the policy conversation moves on. But that’s not where the story ends for our member companies. Each company is left on its own to figure out what the rule actually requires and how to operationalize it.

At IRI, that’s where our work continues.

A Program Built for the Next Step
IRI’s Compliance & Implementation program exists to help our members answer the question that matters most once a rule is final: what must we do now?

Through a standing committee and issue-specific working groups, we bring together compliance professionals and subject matter experts, giving members a direct line to compare notes and collaborate.

Members use that collaboration to stay ahead of implementation questions, drawing on what peers across the industry are working through to inform how they handle the specifics that matter most to their own company.

The Bridge Between Advocacy and Operations
New rules have far-reaching impacts across an organization’s processes, procedures, and operational systems that may not have been considered when drafting the rule. Our program bridges that gap in two ways.

First, it includes compliance, legal, and operations early in the advocacy process while proposals are still being developed. This gives IRI a unique voice that highlights real-world implementation challenges regulators may not have anticipated.

Second, compliance advises on our operations and technology initiatives, such as Digital First for Annuities, to help address potential regulatory issues from the start rather than fixing compliance gaps after the fact.

That two-way connection is by design. It means members get compliance support that’s informed by what’s happening in both policy development and day-to-day operations, rather than in a vacuum.

Turning Insight into Resources
Our two annual reports help members prepare strategically across their companies for potential examinations and upcoming implementation deadlines. One tracks IRI’s advocacy efforts, and the other focuses on regulatory examination priorities.

Member surveys also provide a real-time read on where compliance practices align, where they diverge, and where members need more clarity.

Beyond the Rules
Regulatory changes rarely come with clear implementation instructions. Requirements are often principles-based, timelines are tight, and interpretations can vary widely across companies. Left alone, each company fills those gaps differently.

That’s what sets our program apart. Rather than a single company deciphering a new rule on its own, IRI brings together the compliance experts who understand these issues best to analyze what’s changed, name the problems to be solved, and work through them collaboratively.

The result is what advocacy alone can’t deliver: an implementation plan, shaped by advocacy, compliance, and operations professionals working together.