This Week in XBRL: An Interview with Robert Farrell

In a continued effort to educate on the development of XBRL technology in industries such as financial services (and beyond), Merrill Corporation will share articles and columns published on the topic.

EDGAR Online's newly-named CEO, Robert Farrell was recently interviewed on all things XBRL and beyond. Click below to hear a recording of the interview and his insights:

Listen to internet radio with Neal Hannon on Blog Talk Radio

This Week in XBRL: Dodd-Frank and XBRL

In a continued effort to educate on the development of XBRL technology in industries such as financial services (and beyond), Merrill Corporation will share articles and columns published on the topic.

The Dodd-Frank legislation has received a great deal of recognition because of the role it is playing in the overhaul of many aspects of the financial services industry. Highlights of the legislation include:

• Consumer Protections with Authority and Independence
• Ends Too Big to Fail Bailouts
• Advance Warning System
• Transparency and Accountability for Exotic Instrument
• Executive Compensation and Corporate Governance
• Protects Investors: Provides tough new rules for transparency and accountability for credit rating agencies to protect investors and businesses.
• Enforces Regulations on the Books: Strengthens oversight and empowers regulators to aggressively pursue financial fraud, conflicts of interest and manipulation of the system that benefits special interests at the expense of American families and businesses.

Because of the range the legislation has, it was inevitable that XBRL best practices and tips were going to be connected to it. This week, two articles were published regarding the language as it relates to components of Dodd-Frank. including a review of the grace period for XBRL filings in case of unanticipated difficulties and rules behind fixing errors within XBRL.

While there wasn't a question of XBRL's continued importance in the financial industry, the fact that is has links and connections to legislation of this magnitude further cements its continued evolution has an important tool.

----- 

Merrill Corporation is proud to offer XBRL Complete, a suite of services that meets - and has options to exceed – the mandated requirements for XBRL for mutual funds. For more information, please click here or call 866-367-9110.

This Week in XBRL: Beaches, Shorts and XBRL. Welcome to Bermuda!

In a continued effort to educate on the development of XBRL technology in industries such as financial services (and beyond), Merrill Corporation will share articles and columns published on the topic.

Anyone that has visited Bermuda for relaxation purposes knows that the islands offer an outstanding atmosphere for forgetting about day-to-day business life. However, for those interested in learning new best practices for the use of XBRL, Bermuda just maybe the place to enhance your day-to-day business life.  

This week, the Bermuda Monetary Authority was recognized for helping to develop a new computer-based insurance reporting system using XBRL. The BMA was named as one of the first regulators in the world, "to adopt XBRL for insurance regulatory reporting and the standardized exchange of financial information between the Authority and Bermuda’s (re)insurance firms," according to the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) Foundation. This puts the monetary authority of the 20 square mile island on par with organizations like the European Banking Authority and China.

This is another example of the evolution of XBRL's capabilities. From insurance to mutual funds, the technology is not only being adapted throughout the financial industry, but throughout the world...even to our favorite vacation spots.

----- 

Merrill Corporation is proud to offer XBRL Complete, a suite of services that meets - and has options to exceed – the mandated requirements for XBRL for mutual funds. For more information, please click here or call 866-367-9110.

The IASA Conference (Leaving Booth 234)

This year’s IASA show was a huge success. Not only was the show filled with pertinent information and excellent keynote speakers, but our own products gained a lot of attention as well.

Things kicked off Monday morning at breakfast with entertainment provided by the Nashville High School Marching Band. VP of Chapters, Chuck Gunkle, sang along when the players kicked in to God Bless America. Former Vice President Al Gore speak about the floods and droughts ravaging the country, and the possibility of readjusting Social Security Actuarial Tables. Mr. Gore also covered the cost of higher education, suggesting that higher taxes could help fix many of the problems in that institution.

On Day 2, we attended the powerful motivational talk given by Afterburner Inc., a group of fighter pilots that discuss the importance of maintaining focus at all costs. It was a busy day for us because of the number of questions people had about our 48 hour standard production time, and our ability to print on the spine of the Annual Statement. Finally, we were able to give an iPad 2 away to Brett Brad, from AXIS U.S. Insurance Company.

One of our biggest takeaways was that the National IASA team is working very hard to help all of the local IASA Chapters succeed. Some of the ways they are doing this is by committing to handling all of the local chapter show and meeting registrations, collection of dues for shows and meetings, and providing the chapters with the “Meeting in a box” that contains all of the badges, lanyards and misc. items for their meetings and shows. There is a large group of volunteers that make the local and national chapters a success. They are a mixture that consists of people from the insurance industry and vendors like me who support the industry.

It was a great event this year with a number of new contacts made and information learned. Next year’s conference is at the San Diego Convention Center on June 3-6, and you can bet we will be there.

The IASA Conference (from our view at Booth 234)

For more than 80 years, the Insurance Accounting and Systems Association (IASA) National Conference has been one of the premiere events for those networking and learning within the insurance space, primarily because it includes companies that represent all insurance types (Property and Casualty, Life, Health, Fraternal, HMO and others). This year's event - starting June 5th in Nashville, Tennessee - should be no different.

As one of the few service providers in the insurance industry who execute the production and distribution of statutory reporting documents such as annual statements, quarterly statements, insurance expense exhibits and other supplements, Merrill Corporation looks forward to this conference as way to differentiate ourselves. This year expects to be particularly interesting, with keynotes from Vice President Al Gore and Social Media analyst Erik Qualman (which we are particularly interested in because of because of Merrill's active role in social media as a method of connecting with customers and colleagues. We will be very interested to hear what he has to add regarding the ongoing evolution of the medium).

So, we invite you to stop and visit us at Booth #234 (and if you can't, follow us on Twitter at @merrillconnect as we will be sharing thoughts on things we see and hear) if for no other reason than to register for a chance to win an Apple iPad2!!! Just like the conference theme, we at Merrill are “Energized” this year, and you will be to when you hear what we have to say.