Michigan Laws 500.4038 – “Policy cost factors” defined; initial disclosure; statement of policy information; delivery; extension of free-look period; furnishing statement at time of policy delivery
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(1) As used in this section, “policy cost factors” means those amounts that affect the price per thousand of life insurance coverage or other benefits. They include interest, mortality, expense charges, and fees, including any surrender or withdrawal charges, but not persistency assumptions.
(2) Unless a statement of policy information is provided pursuant to subsection (3), for initial disclosure in connection with any advertising, solicitation, or negotiation of a universal life insurance policy all of the following are required:
Terms Used In Michigan Laws 500.4038
- Cash surrender value: means the net cash surrender value plus any amounts outstanding as policy loans. See Michigan Laws 500.4001
- Commissioner: means the director. See Michigan Laws 500.102
- Insurer: means an individual, corporation, association, partnership, reciprocal exchange, inter-insurer, Lloyds organization, fraternal benefit society, or other legal entity, engaged or attempting to engage in the business of making insurance or surety contracts. See Michigan Laws 500.106
- 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
- Policy value: means the amount to which separately identified interest credits and mortality, expense, or other charges are made under a universal life insurance policy. See Michigan Laws 500.4001
- Rate: means the cost of insurance per payroll before adjustment for an individual insured's size, exposure, or loss experience. See Michigan Laws 500.2402
- Universal life insurance: means any individual or group life insurance policy under the policy provisions of which separately identified interest credits, other than in connection with dividend accumulations, premium deposit funds, or other supplementary accounts, and mortality and expense charges are made to the policy. See Michigan Laws 500.4001
(a) Any statement of policy cost factors or benefits shall contain all of the following:
(i) The corresponding guaranteed policy cost factors or benefits, clearly identified.
(ii) A statement explaining the nonguaranteed nature of any current interest rates, charges, or other fees applied to the policy, including the insurer‘s rights to alter any of these factors.
(iii) Any limitation on the crediting of interest, including identification of those portions of the policy to which a specified interest rate shall be credited.
(b) Any illustration of the policy value shall be accompanied by the corresponding net cash surrender value.
(c) Any statement regarding the crediting of a specific current interest rate shall also contain the frequency and timing by which that rate is determined.
(d) If any statement refers to the policy being interest-indexed, the index shall be described. In addition, a description shall be given of the frequency and timing of determining the interest rate and of any adjustments made to the index in arriving at the interest rate credited under the policy.
(e) Any illustrated benefits based upon nonguaranteed interest, mortality, or expense factors shall be accompanied by a statement indicating that these benefits are not guaranteed.
(f) If the guaranteed cost factors or initial policy cost factor assumptions would result in policy values becoming exhausted before the policy’s maturity date, that fact shall be disclosed, including notice that coverage will terminate under those circumstances.
(3) At the time the agent takes an application for a policy, except as provided in subsection (4), the agent shall furnish to the applicant a statement of policy information for the applicant in a format approved by the commissioner. The illustration of policy premium, death benefit, and cash value shall be shown for an interest rate no higher than the current interest rate actually being paid on the policy illustrated or to be issued and for the interest rate guaranteed in the policy. Interest rates higher than these shall not be illustrated. The commissioner shall issue guidelines for the statement of policy information.
(4) If the policy information for the applicant is not furnished at the time of application, it shall be delivered within 15 working days after the application is taken, but at least 5 days before delivery of the policy.
(5) If the policy is delivered sooner than 5 days after the policy information for the applicant, the free-look period shall be extended to 15 days. If the statement of policy information for applicant is not delivered at the time of application, the disclosure shall be accompanied by a statement that it is delivered for the express purpose of allowing comparison with other policies.
(6) For direct response solicitation methods, the statement of policy information for the applicant in compliance with the guidelines may be furnished at the time of delivery of the policy, if the purchaser is given an unconditional refund provision of at least 10 days.