EDSF studies electronic delivery
of regulated financial information Document foundation makes report
available to printers at no cost
A new report from EDSF (the Electronic
Document Systems Foundation), an international,
non-profit organization dedicated to the document management and graphic
communications industries, investigates the use of electronic document
systems in the distribution of regulated financial information.
Titled “Electronic Delivery of Regulated Financial
Information,” the report is available now as a free download at
www.edsf.org.
The report results from an EDSF research grant
and mentor program. An EDSF grant was awarded to the Department of Industry
and Technology at Millersville University, Lancaster, Pennsylvania,
where faculty member Mark Snyder, Ph.D., and students collaborated to
conduct the research.
“Our study explores the potential for
the use of electronic document systems in the distribution of regulated
financial information, such as shareholder reports and prospectuses
within the United States,” Snyder said. “We conclude that
the vast amounts of information that have traditionally been printed
and delivered by mail to shareholders will be predominately delivered
as electronic documents within the next two to five years. The Securities
and Exchange Commission has established rules to promote this change,
and e-delivery is expected to reduce costs for financial service providers.
Another advantage of such a change would be a tremendous reduction of
waste. The biggest factor to how quickly this change takes place is
the rate at which investors opt-in for e-delivery.”
- Here are some key findings from the report:
- Electronic delivery of regulated financial
information will have a significant impact on future reporting
practices of investment management firms. In the first round survey,
62.5 percent of participants believe that most shareholders would
currently prefer electronic delivery of regulated financial information.
They also project that 75 percent of shareholders would use electronic
delivery within 10 years.
- Respondents generally concur that electronic
delivery will be the preferred method for shareholders to receive
information in the foreseeable future, however, they unanimously
agree that printed documents would not be completely eliminated
from the process.
- When asked what percentage of documents
will be provided as printed media five years from now, the average
answer from respondents was 27.8 percent.
- The majority of the respondents, 72 percent,
felt it would be less time consuming, easier to create and deliver
electronic versions than printed versions.
- 76 percent of respondents felt that there
would be little change in the amount of errors made in the preparation
of the documents for online delivery methods.
To download a free PDF of this report, visit
www.edsf.org and click “Research and Publications” for the
EDSF Industry Library. The report is listed under “EDSF White
Papers.”
About Millersville University
Millersville University is a vibrant public liberal arts university
located in Lancaster County, a vital economic region of Pennsylvania.
Millersville has earned its place among US News & World Report’s
top public universities in the northeastern United States.
About EDSF
EDSF is a charitable foundation dedicated to preparing the next generation
of professionals for the document management and communications marketplace.
EDSF supports the industry’s future by granting scholarships to
students in support of their academic careers, by providing research
grants to colleges and universities, by building awareness about industry
careers, and by recognizing innovative educators and educational programs.
EDSF serves vendors and users who design and implement document solutions
for business applications. For more information, visit www.edsf.org.
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