(a)  Without limiting the ability of an insurer from assessing the insurability of a policy applicant and determining whether or not to issue the policy, and in addition to other questions an insurance carrier may lawfully pose to a life insurance applicant, insurance carriers may inquire in the application for insurance whether the proposed owner intends to pay premiums with the assistance of financing from a lender that will use the policy as collateral to support the financing.

(1)  If, as described in this chapter, the loan provides funds that can be used for a purpose other than paying for the premiums, costs, and expenses associated with obtaining and maintaining the life insurance policy and loan, the application shall be rejected as a violation of the prohibited practices in §?27-72-13.

(2)  If the financing does not violate §?27-72-13, the insurance carrier:

(i)  May make disclosures, including but not limited to such as the following, to the applicant and the insured, either on the application or an amendment to the application to be completed no later than the delivery of the policy:

“If you have entered into a loan arrangement where the policy is used as collateral, and the policy does change ownership at some point in the future in satisfaction of the loan, the following may be true:

(A)  A change of ownership could lead to a stranger owning an interest in the insured’s life;

(B)  A change of ownership could in the future limit your ability to purchase future insurance on the insured’s life because there is a limit to how much coverage insurers will issue on one life;

(C)  Should there be a change of ownership and you wish to obtain more insurance coverage on the insured’s life in the future, the insured’s higher issue age, a change in health status, and/or other factors may reduce the ability to obtain coverage and/or may result in significantly higher premiums;

(D)  You should consult a professional advisor, since a change in ownership in satisfaction of the loan may result in tax consequences to the owner, depending on the structure of the loan”; and

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Terms Used In Rhode Island General Laws 27-72-10

  • Amendment: A proposal to alter the text of a pending bill or other measure by striking out some of it, by inserting new language, or both. Before an amendment becomes part of the measure, thelegislature must agree to it.
  • Insured: means the person covered under the policy being considered for sale in a life settlement contract. See Rhode Island General Laws 27-72-2
  • Owner: means the owner of a life insurance policy or a certificate holder under a group policy, with or without a terminal illness, who enters or seeks to enter into a life settlement contract. See Rhode Island General Laws 27-72-2
  • Policy: means an individual or group policy, group certificate, contract, or arrangement of life insurance owned by a resident of this state, regardless of whether delivered or issued for delivery in this state. See Rhode Island General Laws 27-72-2

(b)  May require certifications, such as the following, from the applicant and/or the insured:

(1)  “I have not entered into any agreement or arrangement providing for the future sale of this life insurance policy”;

(2)  “My loan arrangement for this policy provides funds sufficient to pay for some or all of the premiums, costs, and expenses associated with obtaining and maintaining my life insurance policy, but I have not entered into any agreement by which I am to receive consideration in exchange for procuring this policy”; and

(3)  “The borrower has an insurable interest in the insured.”

History of Section.
P.L. 2009, ch. 195, § 1; P.L. 2009, ch. 262, § 1.