As index universal life (IUL) and index annuity product innovation sprints ahead, regulators, running to catch up, are considering whether changes are needed to the NAIC’s Actuarial Guideline 49 and to its Annuity Disclosure...more
At the NAIC Fall 2018 National Meeting, various groups within the NAIC discussed a cornucopia of topics that impact the life and annuity industry. ...more
At the NAIC Fall 2018 National Meeting, state regulators continued plowing through the Suitability in Annuity Transactions Model Regulation (Model 275) (Suitability Model)....more
On October 22 and 23, the NAIC Annuity Suitability (A) Working Group (Suitability WG) held an interim meeting to review comments received on the Suitability in Annuity Transactions Model Regulation (Model 275) (Suitability...more
10/29/2018
/ Annuities ,
Best Interest Standard ,
Conflicts of Interest ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Employee Benefits ,
Fiduciary Duty ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Insurance Investment Products ,
Insurance Regulations ,
Life Insurance ,
NAIC ,
Securities Transactions ,
Suitability Requirements
In response to the accelerating pace of change, the NAIC’s Summer National Meeting in Boston focused on innovation and insurtech....more
At the 2018 NAIC Summer National Meeting, regulators continued their efforts to define the standard of care that applies to recommendations. This subject was discussed at both the Annuity Suitability (A) Working Group...more
10/4/2018
/ Annuities ,
Conflicts of Interest ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Insurance Industry ,
Insurance Investment Products ,
Insurance Regulations ,
Life Insurance ,
NAIC ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Suitability Rule
On July 18, New York's Department of Financial Services (the "NY DFS") issued the final version of its Suitability and Best Interests in Life Insurance and Annuity Transactions Regulation (the "Suitability and Best Interest...more
New York Pushes Mutual Fund Active Share Disclosure -
New York’s Attorney General issued a report on its recent investigation of fees charged by actively managed equity mutual funds and a metric known as “Active Share.”...more
7/23/2018
/ Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) ,
Administrative Proceedings ,
Annuities ,
Broker-Dealer ,
Churning ,
Class Action ,
COI Rates ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
Data Security ,
Filing Requirements ,
Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Insurance Investment Products ,
Investment Companies ,
Life Insurance ,
Lucia v SEC ,
MassMutual ,
Mutual Funds ,
NAIC ,
Policy Terms ,
Preemption ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
SLUSA ,
Unclaimed Property
The NAIC and the State of New York continue racing as each is revising its suitability regulation to incorporate enhanced standards of care. Only time will tell which version will gallop to victory....more
On May 31 and June 1, several teams competed over proposed revisions to the Suitability in Annuity Transactions Model Regulation (#275) (Suitability Model) at the in-person meeting of the National Association of Insurance...more
On April 27, New York's Department of Financial Services (NY DFS) issued its updated proposed First Amendment (Updated First Amendment) to New York's Suitability in Annuity Transactions, 11 NYCR 224 (the Annuity Suitability...more
Annuity Illustration Standard Changes: On March 2, the Annuity Disclosure (A) Working Group of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners agreed to recommend the adoption of a revision to the NAIC’s Annuity...more
In response to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners’ (NAIC) Annuity Suitability Working Group’s (Suitability WG) proposed revisions to the "Suitability and Best Interest Standard of Conduct in Annuity...more
EXPECTFOCUS is a quarterly review of developments in the insurance and financial services industry, provided on a complimentary basis to clients and friends of Carlton Fields Jorden Burt, P.A.
...more
1/18/2018
/ Annuities ,
Consumer Financial Products ,
Fiduciary Rule ,
Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Innovation ,
Insurance Industry ,
Investment Management ,
Life Insurance ,
NAIC ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
SEC Examination Priorities ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Whistleblower Awards ,
Whistleblowers
As reported in our November 28 client alert, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners’ (NAIC) Annuity Suitability Working Group (Suitability WG) circulated the proposed Suitability and Best Interest Standard of...more
1/15/2018
/ Annuities ,
Best Interest Contract Exemptions ,
Consumer Financial Products ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
Fiduciary Duty ,
Fiduciary Rule ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Individual Retirement Account (IRA) ,
Insurance Industry ,
Investment Adviser ,
Investment Management ,
Life Insurance ,
Popular ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Retirement Plan
New York’s Department of Financial Services decided to bid farewell to 2017 and ring-in the new year by proposing to amend Suitability in Annuity Transactions, 11 NYCR 224 (the Annuity Suitability Rule). On December 27, 2017,...more
1/2/2018
/ Annuities ,
Best Interest Contract Exemptions ,
Consumer Financial Products ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Fiduciary Rule ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Insurance Industry ,
Investment Management ,
Life Insurance ,
NAIC ,
NYDFS ,
Proposed Amendments ,
Regulatory Standards ,
Suitability Requirements ,
Suitability Rule
On November 24, while everyone was recuperating from their Thanksgiving feast, the NAIC's Annuity Suitability Working Group circulated the Working Group Chair's draft of proposed revisions to the Suitability in Annuity...more
Various NAIC groups have planted seeds for a number of regulatory initiatives that impact life insurers.
The Cybersecurity Task Force has been tilling the ground in preparation for a third draft of the NAIC Cybersecurity...more
On December 15, the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation (OIR) issued an Informational Memorandum, OIR-15-08M (Memorandum) regarding the extension of annuity contracts maturity dates beyond their original date. The...more
During its October 31 conference call, the NAIC's Contingent Deferred Annuity (CDA) Working Group startled issuers and those considering issuing CDAs by reawakening a discussion on whether CDAs should contain nonforfeiture or...more
On October 1, the Florida Department of Financial Services (DFS) amended Florida Administrative Code Rule 69B-162.011, "Suitability and Disclosures in Annuity Contracts – Forms Required" (the Suitability Rule). This amendment...more
During the 2014 Summer National Meeting, contingent deferred annuities led the way with the most NAIC groups considering the regulation of CDAs.
- At the head of the pack was the CDA (A) Working Group, which received...more
On September 15, Iowa Insurance Commissioner Nick Gerhart issued Bulletin 14-02 regarding Insurance Marketing Organizations (IMOs). Bulletin 14-02 sets forth Iowa Insurance Division (IID) concerns with the following index...more
On September 4, the Florida Department of Financial Services (the "Department") published a Notice of Rule Development for Proposed Rule 69B-215.090, Florida Administrative Code (the "Proposed Rule") setting out disclosure...more
The Life Actuarial Task Force's Index-Linked Variable Annuities (A) Subgroup (the "ILVA Subgroup") began a fresh look at the regulatory framework for annuity products. On February 6, it held a call to review its January 15,...more