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CrankWheel Enhances E-Signature Toolkit with New CMS Marketplace Forms Ahead of AEP

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Streamlining Compliance and Agency-Level Controls to Empower Health Insurance Agents for the 2026-2027 Enrollment Season

Key Takeaways

CrankWheel has expanded its e-signature toolkit by adding the CMS Model Consent Form and the CMS Model Eligibility Application Review Form, both available in English and Spanish.The addition brings CrankWheel’s total to seven e-signable form variants, enabling insurance agents to complete ACA, CMS Marketplace, and Medicare requirements during active screen-sharing sessions without app downloads.These tools help agents comply with documented consumer consent and eligibility review requirements established by CMS after the 2024 suspension of Marketplace Agreements due to unauthorized enrollments.The update supports the CMS Contract Year 2027 Final Rule, which streamlines sales cycles by removing the mandatory 48-hour wait period between a Scope of Appointment and plan-specific discussions.New administrative features allow agencies to automatically append producer details to CMS forms and manage agent access to specific forms through a per-form visibility toggle.

REYKJAVÍK, Iceland, Sept. 29, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — CrankWheel, the instant screen-sharing platform built for sales teams, today announced the addition of two new Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Marketplace forms to its e-signature toolkit, ahead of the Medicare Annual Enrollment Period (AEP), which begins October 15, 2026.

The new forms, the CMS Model Consent Form and the CMS Model Eligibility Application Review Form, are each available in English and Spanish, giving health insurance agents four new form variants they can send to clients for electronic signature and complete during a live CrankWheel screen-sharing call without leaving the session.

Both forms are built on the official federal template, CMS-10840, Appendix A (OMB control number 0938-1438, revised 07/2025), and join CrankWheel’s existing insurance lineup: the 2025 Affordable Care Act (ACA) Consent Form, the 2025 ACA Attestation Form, and the Medicare Scope of Appointment (SOA) form.

That brings CrankWheel’s total to seven e-signable form variants spanning ACA, CMS Marketplace, and Medicare requirements, which agents can complete during an active screen-sharing session without requiring customers to download an app or handle printed paperwork.

The release builds on a broader shift toward stronger enrollment documentation and consumer protections. Between June and July 2024, CMS suspended roughly 200 agent and broker Marketplace Agreements over unauthorized enrollments and plan-switching, prompting new requirements for documented consumer consent and confirmed eligibility review before submission. CMS accepts electronic signatures and text-based documentation to satisfy these requirements, a format CrankWheel was purpose-built to deliver.

The timing also lines up with CMS’s Contract Year 2027 Final Rule, which takes effect June 1, 2026, with new marketing and communication provisions taking effect October 1, shortly before AEP begins on October 15. The rule removes the 48-hour mandatory wait after a Scope of Appointment before a plan-specific discussion can occur, among other changes affecting how agents engage with consumers during the enrollment process.

For agents, these changes come during the industry’s busiest enrollment period, with AEP (October 15–December 7) flowing almost immediately into Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment (January 1–March 31) and overlapping ACA Open Enrollment windows.

“Insurance agents are under pressure to move quickly while also documenting every step of the enrollment process correctly,” said Jói Sigurdsson, CEO and Founder of CrankWheel. “We’re continuing to invest in CMS-specific tools because compliance shouldn’t create friction between an agent and a customer. With CrankWheel, agents can review the required information, send the right form by text, get it signed, and keep the conversation moving, all within the same call. Especially during AEP, that ability to stay compliant without breaking the flow of the sale can make a meaningful difference.”

This release also introduces two new capabilities for agencies: an “agency block” that automatically appends agency name, NPN (National Producer Number), owner, phone, and email to CMS forms, and a per-form visibility toggle that allows agencies to control which forms appear in each agent’s CrankWheel pop-up menu. Every signing session is tied to a recorded call, supporting the documentation trail regulators expect and CMS’s multi-year retention standards for consent and SOA records.

Frequently Asked Questions

What new CMS Marketplace forms did CrankWheel add to its e-signature toolkit?

CrankWheel added the CMS Model Consent Form and the CMS Model Eligibility Application Review Form. Each form is available in English and Spanish, giving health insurance agents four new form variants they can send, sign electronically, and submit during a live CrankWheel screen-sharing call.

How many e-signable form variants does CrankWheel now support?

CrankWheel now supports seven e-signable form variants. Its lineup includes ACA, CMS Marketplace, and Medicare forms completed during an active screen-share, including the 2025 ACA Consent Form, the 2025 ACA Attestation Form, and the Medicare Scope of Appointment form.

How long do insurance agents need to keep CMS consumer consent records?

CMS requires agents, brokers, and web-brokers subject to the Marketplace consent rules to retain documentation of consumer consent for at least 10 years and be able to produce it if CMS requests it as part of monitoring, audit, or enforcement activity.

What documentation do CMS Marketplace agents need before enrollment?

Agents generally need documented consumer consent and confirmation that the consumer reviewed their eligibility application before submission.

About CrankWheel

CrankWheel is a screen-sharing and sales engagement platform that lets agents share their screen with clients instantly, with no downloads or account creation required. Trusted by more than 50,000 users and rated 4.9 out of 5 on G2, GetApp, and Capterra, CrankWheel is widely used across the insurance industry to guide clients through plan comparisons, forms, and enrollment in real time. For more information, visit crankwheel.com.

Media Contact:
Birta Bjargardóttir, COO
CrankWheel
birta@crankwheel.com

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New Cornerstone Advisors Research Reveals Gap Between AI Adoption and Marketing Execution in Financial Services

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Study identifies speed to market as an emerging competitive advantage for financial institutions.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., Sept. 29, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Banks and credit unions are embracing generative artificial intelligence for marketing, but most have yet to address a more fundamental barrier to growth: the time it takes to turn customer signals into compliant action.

New research from Cornerstone Advisors finds that financial institutions often measure marketing performance by campaign results, engagement and personalization while overlooking speed to market. That disconnect can leave institutions unable to respond before a customer need, market opportunity or competitive opening has passed. 

Commissioned by Persado, the report, Speed Is a Revenue Strategy: How AI Agents Accelerate Bank Marketing, is based on a recent study of bank and credit union marketing leaders and examines how AI agents can help financial institutions reduce compliance bottlenecks, orchestrate customer journeys and act on market opportunities in real time. Unlike generative AI tools that primarily create content, AI agents can execute defined actions within approved controls and governance frameworks.

“The banking industry’s challenge isn’t a lack of marketing technology. It’s the inability to move fast enough to capitalize on opportunities,” said Elizabeth Gujral, a director at Cornerstone Advisors and co-author of the report. “AI agents can help institutions compress marketing timelines, engage customers at higher-intent moments and measure speed as a growth metric, not just an efficiency metric.” 

The research highlights a significant gap between financial institutions’ use of generative AI and their adoption of agentic AI:

Generative AI use is growing, but remains largely tactical. Sixty-three percent of bank and credit union marketing teams use generative AI for content creation, compared with 32% that use AI for analytics and decision support. 

Adoption of AI agents remains limited. Just 9% of respondents currently use AI agents capable of executing actions. Forty-seven percent consider agentic AI an experimental or emerging investment area, while only 5% identify it as a top strategic priority. 

Comfort with governed autonomy is increasing. Nearly two-thirds of respondents said that, within two years, they expect their organizations to be somewhat or very comfortable allowing AI agents to execute marketing actions within approved boundaries. 

Orchestration and recommendations offer the greatest perceived impact. Respondents identified campaign or journey orchestration at 27% and offer or product recommendations at 25% as the AI agent applications with the greatest potential business impact. 

“AI agents are not just another marketing tool. They are a way to compress the distance between customer signal and compliant action,” said Emmanuel Richard, chief revenue officer at Persado. “Institutions that can move from insight to outreach in hours instead of weeks will be better positioned to win deposits, loans, loyalty and wallet share while competitors are still waiting on approvals.” 

Compliance review is among the most significant obstacles to faster execution, the study found. Review cycles at some financial institutions can take four to six weeks, even as business opportunities emerge and disappear within days or hours. AI-powered compliance review can help shorten that timeline while maintaining regulatory oversight, defined controls and auditability. 

The report identifies four practical applications for AI agents in financial services marketing: integrated compliance review, intelligent customer journey orchestration, generative content optimization and real-time segmentation. These applications can help institutions validate content, trigger timely outreach, accelerate testing and keep customer segments current. 

The full report is available as a free download here. 

About Cornerstone Advisors

For more than 20 years, Cornerstone Advisors has delivered bold strategies, data-driven insights and practical solutions to banks, credit unions and fintech companies. Its services include technology system selection and implementation, contract negotiations, vendor management, performance improvement, strategic planning, merger integration and enterprise program management. For more information, visit https://www.crnrstone.com. 

About Persado

Persado provides AI-powered content compliance and performance solutions for marketing. Its Marketing Compliance AI platform combines regulatory compliance analysis, performance prediction scoring and brand-fit insights to help financial services marketing and legal teams identify compliance risks and shorten review cycles. For more information, visit https://www.persado.com/. 

Media Contact

Cate Pitts, Editorial Director
Cornerstone Advisors
423672@email4pr.com
480-425-5203

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Eqvista Tracks $9 Trillion in Private Company Value Across 65,000 U.S. Companies

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Eqvista establishes a $9 trillion baseline for the U.S. private-company market, creating a new benchmark for tracking changes in private market value over time.

SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 29, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Eqvista, a leading equity management and valuation platform for private companies, today announced that Eqvista Real-Time Company Valuation® now tracks and values 65,000 relevant U.S. private companies with a combined estimated valuation of $9 trillion.

Together, these companies represent approximately 95% of the relevant market value captured within Eqvista’s U.S. private-company dataset, establishing a baseline for tracking private company valuations over time.

Eqvista will monitor changes in the combined value of its private-company dataset monthly, creating an ongoing benchmark for how private market valuations move over time.

Private company valuation has traditionally been fragmented. Unlike public markets, where market capitalization and pricing can be observed continuously, private-company valuations are produced for individual businesses at specific points in time, making it difficult to see how the market as a whole is changing.

Eqvista is applying its valuation infrastructure across thousands of businesses to move beyond individual valuations and build a continuously evolving view of private market value.

“Private markets have never had the valuation visibility that public markets take for granted,” said Tomas Milar, Founder and CEO of Eqvista. “With approximately 65,000 companies representing $9 trillion in estimated value, we now have a baseline for measuring the private market at scale. By updating that view over time, we can show not just what individual companies are worth, but how the private market itself is moving.”

Powered by Eqvista Real-Time Company Valuation®, the system combines AI- and ML-powered valuation models with financial data, funding activity, market benchmarks, comparable-company data and valuation models with expert valuation oversight. Valuations evolve as company performance and market conditions change.

The September benchmark includes:

Approximately 65,000 relevant U.S. private companies$9 trillion in combined estimated company valuationApproximately 95% of relevant market value captured within Eqvista’s U.S. private-company datasetMonthly monitoring of changes in aggregate private market valueCompany and peer benchmarking across industries and market segments

The initiative expands Eqvista’s valuation infrastructure beyond individual company valuations to create a private market benchmark. Companies and investors can use Eqvista Real-Time Company Valuation® to monitor company value, compare performance with market peers, and track valuation changes over time through Eqvista’s web platform and mobile app.

About Eqvista

Eqvista is a valuation and equity management platform building valuation infrastructure for greater transparency across private markets. Trusted by more than 25,000 companies worldwide, Eqvista combines in-house valuation expertise with technology, AI-powered analysis, and equity management to help private companies understand and manage ownership and value throughout their lifecycle. Through Eqvista Real-Time Company Valuation®, Eqvista is expanding beyond traditional point-in-time valuations to provide a more connected and continuously evolving view of private company value.

Contact Information

Jakub Vele
Head of Marketing
423656@email4pr.com
+1 (415) 375-4963

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myKaarma and Universal Technical Institute Announce Pilot Program at UTI-Atlanta

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myKaarma’s digital multi-point inspection technology to be integrated into automotive technician training at no cost

LONG BEACH, Calif. and ATLANTA, Sept. 29, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — myKaarma, the leading customer interaction and payments platform for automotive dealerships, today announced a pilot with Universal Technical Institute, Inc., a national leader in workforce solutions for transportation, skilled trades, healthcare and dental education programs.

The pilot will integrate myKaarma’s digital multi-point inspection technology into the automotive technician training program at Universal Technical Institute’s new Atlanta campus. myKaarma is providing its software at no cost for the pilot.

“The strong demand for technicians continues to put pressure on dealerships, making it even more important that new technicians enter the workforce ready for the realities of the job,” said Ujj Nath, CEO of myKaarma. “Working with UTI-Atlanta brings our technology directly into the classroom and gives students experience with the digital processes that are now part of the technician’s job.”

“We continue to evolve our training programs to reflect the reality of today’s dealership service departments,” said John Dodson, Vice President of Business Alliances, Universal Technical Institute. “This pilot with myKaarma positions their technology alongside the technical instruction, so our students have more context about how the work they’re doing on the vehicle fits into the broader service process.”

The pilot will build on UTI-Atlanta’s technical training by adding more of the digital skills used every day in dealership service departments. Along with mechanical expertise, dealership technicians document inspections, explain recommended repairs to customers and use digital platforms throughout the service process. Students will be progressively introduced to the features of the myKaarma platform as they advance through their courses.

By the program’s capstone course, students will use myKaarma across a more complete service lane workflow, conducting full multi-point inspections, developing expanded repair recommendations, and preparing detailed parts and labor estimates. They will also begin using Invisible Service Videos to document vehicle conditions and communicate recommended services to customers.

About myKaarma 
myKaarma is a leading provider of cloud-based software solutions that transform the after-sales service experience at automotive dealerships. Its integrated platform includes communications, appointment scheduling, payments, video inspections, and analytics tools used by thousands of dealers to increase efficiency, customer satisfaction, and profitability. For more information, visit mykaarma.com.

About Universal Technical Institute 
Founded in 1965, Universal Technical Institute, Inc. (NYSE: UTI) is a national leader in workforce solutions for transportation, skilled trades, healthcare and dental education programs. The company’s industry-aligned programs are offered at 35 campuses nationwide and online under the brands Universal Technical Institute (UTI) and Concorde Career Colleges and include auto/diesel, aviation, welding, HVACR, electrical and energy, allied health, dental, nursing, patient care and diagnostic training. For more information, visit www.uti.edu or www.concorde.edu; LinkedIn at @UniversalTechnicalInstitute and @Concorde Career Colleges; or X at @news_UTI and @ConcordeCareer.

Media Contacts
Laurie Halter
Charisma! Communications
503-816-2474
423634@email4pr.com

Alanna Vitucci
Universal Technical Institute
423634@email4pr.com 

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