West Virginia Code 33-13C-5 – Approval of viatical settlement contracts and disclosure statements
(a) A person shall not use a viatical settlement contract form or provide a disclosure statement form to a viator in this state unless it has been filed with and approved by the commissioner. The commissioner shall disapprove a viatical settlement contract form, disclosure statement form or any provision contained therein if, in the commissioner's opinion, the contract, disclosure form or any provision contained therein fail to meet the requirements of section eight, ten, thirteen or fourteen of this article, is unreasonable, is contrary to the interests of the public or is otherwise misleading or unfair to the viator. At the commissioner's discretion, the commissioner may require the submission of advertising material.
Terms Used In West Virginia Code 33-13C-5
- Advertising: means any written, electronic or printed communication or any communication by means of recorded telephone messages or transmitted on radio, television, the Internet or similar communications media, including film strips, motion pictures and videos, published, disseminated, circulated or placed, directly or indirectly, before the public in this state for the purpose of creating an interest in or inducing a person to sell, assign, devise, bequest or transfer the death benefit or ownership of a life insurance policy pursuant to a viatical settlement contract. See West Virginia Code 33-13C-2
- Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
- Person: means a natural person or a legal entity, including, without limitation, an individual, partnership, limited liability company, association, trust or corporation. See West Virginia Code 33-13C-2
- Settlement: Parties to a lawsuit resolve their difference without having a trial. Settlements often involve the payment of compensation by one party in satisfaction of the other party's claims.
- State: when applied to a part of the United States and not restricted by the context, includes the District of Columbia and the several territories, and the words "United States" also include the said district and territories. See West Virginia Code 2-2-10
- Viatical settlement contract: means any of the following:
(A) A written agreement between a viator and a viatical settlement provider or any affiliate of the viatical settlement provider establishing the terms under which compensation or anything of value is or will be paid, which compensation or value is less than the expected death benefits of the policy, in return for the viator'. See West Virginia Code 33-13C-2
- Viator: means the owner of a life insurance policy or a certificate holder under a group policy who resides in this state and enters or seeks to enter into a viatical settlement contract. See West Virginia Code 33-13C-2
(b) Forms required to be filed are subject to the provisions of section eight, article six of this chapter and shall be deemed "forms for noncommercial insurance". The commissioner shall establish fees for form filings by rule, including emergency rule.