(a) The interest rates used in determining the minimum standard for the valuation of the following shall be the calendar year statutory valuation interest rates as defined in this section:

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Terms Used In Alabama Code 27-36A-7

  • Annuity: A periodic (usually annual) payment of a fixed sum of money for either the life of the recipient or for a fixed number of years. A series of payments under a contract from an insurance company, a trust company, or an individual. Annuity payments are made at regular intervals over a period of more than one full year.
  • Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
  • following: means next after. See Alabama Code 1-1-1
  • Interest rate: The amount paid by a borrower to a lender in exchange for the use of the lender's money for a certain period of time. Interest is paid on loans or on debt instruments, such as notes or bonds, either at regular intervals or as part of a lump sum payment when the issue matures. Source: OCC
  • preceding: means next before. See Alabama Code 1-1-1
  • 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.
  • year: means a calendar year; but, whenever the word "year" is used in reference to any appropriations for the payment of money out of the treasury, it shall mean fiscal year. See Alabama Code 1-1-1
(1) Life insurance policies issued in a particular calendar year, on or after the operative date of Section 27-15-78.
(2) Individual annuity and pure endowment contracts issued in a particular calendar year on or after January 1, 1982.
(3) Annuities and pure endowments purchased in a particular calendar year on or after January 1, 1982, under group annuity and pure endowment contracts.
(4) The net increase, if any, in a particular calendar year after January 1, 1982, in amounts held under guaranteed interest contracts.
(b) Calendar year statutory valuation interest rates.

(1) The calendar year statutory valuation interest rates, I, shall be determined as follows and the results rounded to the nearest one-quarter of one percent (1/4 of 1%):

a. For life insurance:

I = .03 + W (R1 – .03) + W/2 (R2 – .09)

b. For single premium immediate annuities and for annuity benefits involving life contingencies arising from other annuities with cash settlement options and from guaranteed interest contracts with cash settlement options:

I = .03 + W (R – .03)

where R1 is the lesser of R and .09, R2 is the greater of R and .09, R is the reference interest rate defined in this section, and W is the weighting factor defined in this section.

c. For other annuities with cash settlement options and guaranteed interest contracts with cash settlement options, valued on an issue year basis, except as stated in paragraph b., the formula for life insurance stated in paragraph a. shall apply to annuities and guaranteed interest contracts with guarantee durations in excess of 10 years and the formula for single premium immediate annuities stated in paragraph b. shall apply to annuities and guaranteed interest contracts with guarantee duration of 10 years or less.
d. For other annuities with no cash settlement options and for guaranteed interest contracts with no cash settlement options, the formula for single premium immediate annuities stated in paragraph b. shall apply.
e. For other annuities with cash settlement options and guaranteed interest contracts with cash settlement options, valued on a change in fund basis, the formula for single premium immediate annuities stated in paragraph b. shall apply.
(2) However, if the calendar year statutory valuation interest rate for any life insurance policies issued in any calendar year determined without reference to this sentence differs from the corresponding actual rate for similar policies issued in the immediately preceding calendar year by less than one-half of one percent, the calendar year statutory valuation interest rate for the life insurance policies shall be equal to the corresponding actual rate for the immediately preceding calendar year. For purposes of applying the immediately preceding sentence, the calendar year statutory valuation interest rate for life insurance policies issued in a calendar year shall be determined for 1980, using the reference interest rate defined for 1979, and shall be determined for each subsequent calendar year regardless of when Section 27-15-78 becomes operative.
(c) Weighting factors.

(1) The weighting factors referred to in the formulas stated in subsection (b) are given in the following tables:

a.

1. Weighting Factors for Life Insurance:

Guarantee Duration Weighting
(Years) Factors
10 or less: .50
More than 10, but not more than 20: .45
More than 20: .35
2. For life insurance, the guarantee duration is the maximum number of years the life insurance can remain in force on a basis guaranteed in the policy or under options to convert to plans of life insurance with premium rates or nonforfeiture values or both which are guaranteed in the original policy.
b. Weighting factor for single premium immediate annuities and for annuity benefits involving life contingencies arising from other annuities with cash settlement options and guaranteed interest contracts with cash settlement options: .80
c. Weighting factors for other annuities and for guaranteed interest contracts, except as stated in paragraph b., shall be as specified in subparagraphs 1., 2., and 3., according to the rules and definitions in subparagraphs 4., 5., and 6.:

1. For annuities and guaranteed interest contracts valued on an issue year basis:

Guarantee Weighting Factor
Duration for Plan Type
(Years) A B C
5 or less: .80 .60 .50
More than 5, but not more than 10: .75 .60 .50
More than 10, but not more than 20: .65 .50 .45
More than 20: .45 .35 .35
2. For annuities and guaranteed interest contracts valued on a change in fund basis, the factors shown in paragraph 1. increased by:

Plan Type
A B C
.15 .25 .05
3. For annuities and guaranteed interest contracts valued on an issue year basis, other than those with no cash settlement options, which do not guarantee interest on considerations received more than one year after issue or purchase and for annuities and guaranteed interest contracts valued on a change in fund basis which do not guarantee interest rates on considerations received more than 12 months beyond the valuation date, the factors shown in subparagraph 1. or derived in subparagraph 2. increased by:

Plan Type
A B C
.05 .05 .05
4. For other annuities with cash settlement options and guaranteed interest contracts with cash settlement options, the guarantee duration is the number of years for which the contract guarantees interest rates in excess of the calendar year statutory valuation interest rate for life insurance policies with guarantee duration in excess of 20 years. For other annuities with no cash settlement options and for guaranteed interest contracts with no cash settlement options, the guarantee duration is the number of years from the date of issue or date of purchase to the date annuity benefits are scheduled to commence.
5. Plan type as used in the above tables is defined as follows:

Plan Type A: At any time policyholder may withdraw funds only (i) with an adjustment to reflect changes in interest rates or asset values since receipt of the funds by the company, or (ii) without the adjustment but in installments over five years or more, or (iii) as an immediate life annuity, or (iv) no withdrawal permitted.

Plan Type B: Before expiration of the interest rate guarantee, policyholder may withdraw funds only (i) with an adjustment to reflect changes in interest rates or asset values since receipt of the funds by the company, or (ii) without the adjustment but in installments over five years or more or (iii) no withdrawal permitted. At the end of interest rate guarantee, funds may be withdrawn without the adjustment in a single sum or installments over less than five years.

Plan Type C: Policyholder may withdraw funds before expiration of interest rate guarantee in a single sum or installments over less than five years either (i) without adjustment to reflect changes in interest rates or asset values since receipt of the funds by the company or (ii) subject only to a fixed surrender charge stipulated in the contract as a percentage of the fund.

6. A company may elect to value guaranteed interest contracts with cash settlement options and annuities with cash settlement options on either an issue year basis or on a change in fund basis. Guaranteed interest contracts with no cash settlement options and other annuities with no cash settlement options must be valued on an issue year basis. As used in this section, an issue year basis of valuation refers to a valuation basis under which the interest rate used to determine the minimum valuation standard for the entire duration of the annuity or guaranteed interest contract is the calendar year valuation interest rate for the year of issue or year of purchase of the annuity or guaranteed interest contract, and the change in fund basis of valuation refers to a valuation basis under which the interest rate used to determine the minimum valuation standard applicable to each change in the fund held under the annuity or guaranteed interest contract is the calendar year valuation interest rate for the year of the change in the fund.
(d) Reference interest rate. The reference interest rate referred to in subsection (b) shall be defined as follows:

(1) For life insurance, the lesser of the average over a period of 36 months and the average over a period of 12 months, ending on June 30 of the calendar year next preceding the year of issue, of the monthly average of the composite yield on seasoned corporate bonds, as published by Moody’s Investors Service, Inc.
(2) For single premium immediate annuities and for annuity benefits involving life contingencies arising from other annuities with cash settlement options and guaranteed interest contracts with cash settlement options, the average over a period of 12 months, ending on June 30 of the calendar year of issue or year of purchase, of the monthly average of the composite yield on seasoned corporate bonds, as published by Moody’s Investors Service, Inc.
(3) For other annuities with cash settlement options and guaranteed interest contracts with cash settlement options, valued on a year of issue basis, except as stated in subdivision (2), with guarantee duration in excess of 10 years, the lesser of the average over a period of 36 months and the average over a period of 12 months, ending on June 30 of the calendar year of issue or purchase, of the monthly average of the composite yield on seasoned corporate bonds, as published by Moody’s Investors Service, Inc.
(4) For other annuities with cash settlement options and guaranteed interest contracts with cash settlement options, valued on a year of issue basis, except as stated in subdivision (2), with guarantee duration of 10 years or less, the average over a period of 12 months, ending on June 30 of the calendar year of issue or purchase, of the monthly average of the composite yield on seasoned corporate bonds, as published by Moody’s Investors Service, Inc.
(5) For other annuities with no cash settlement options and for guaranteed interest contracts with no cash settlement options, the average over a period of 12 months, ending on June 30 of the calendar year of issue or purchase, of the monthly average of the composite yield on seasoned corporate bonds, as published by Moody’s Investors Service, Inc.
(6) For other annuities with cash settlement options and guaranteed interest contracts with cash settlement options, valued on a change in fund basis, except as stated in subdivision (2), the average over a period of 12 months, ending on June 30 of the calendar year of the change in fund, of the monthly average of the composite yield on seasoned corporate bonds, as published by Moody’s Investors Service, Inc.
(e) Alternative method for determining reference interest rates. In the event that the monthly average of the composite yield on seasoned corporate bonds is no longer published by Moody’s Investors Service, Inc., or in the event that the NAIC determines that the monthly average of the composite yield on seasoned corporate bonds, as published by Moody’s Investors Service, Inc., is no longer appropriate for the determination of the reference interest rate, then an alternative method for determination of the reference interest rate, adopted by the NAIC and approved by regulation promulgated by the commissioner, may be substituted.
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