No. 37862 (Amendment): Rule R590-227. Submission of Annuity Filings

(Amendment)

DAR File No.: 37862
Filed: 07/18/2013 04:24:12 PM

RULE ANALYSIS

Purpose of the rule or reason for the change:

The changes to this rule are being made to come into compliance with the Government Records Access and Management Act (GRAMA).

Summary of the rule or change:

A new Section R590-227-10 has been added to the rule. It adds GRAMA requirements that allow insurance companies who file documents with the department to designate when they are protected from public access. This can be done as the company files their documents electronically. Documents can only be considered protected if they are a trade secret or commercial information, as defined in the law. Due to a new Section R590-227-10, the numbering of subsequent sections has been updated.

State statutory or constitutional authorization for this rule:

• Section 31A-2-201.1
• Subsection 31A-2-201(3)
• Subsection 31A-2-202(2)

Anticipated cost or savings to:

the state budget:

Until now the department has determined which company-filed documents are to be protected, as per the code. That responsibility is being turned over to the insurance company. They will mark the files to be protected when they file them electronically with the department. No programming changes will be needed or additional work required of the department in order to make this change.

local governments:

This rule has no effect on local governments since it deals solely with the relationship between the department and its licensees.

small businesses:

No small businesses will be affected by this rule. The rule only affects insurance companies, which are large businesses.

persons other than small businesses, businesses, or local governmental entities:

This rule affects all licensed annuity companies. It will have no fiscal impact on them since the changes simply allow them to determine which of the filed documents they send to the department are to be protected. It will have no fiscal impact on individual insureds.

Compliance costs for affected persons:

This rule affects all licensed annuity companies. It will have no fiscal impact on them since the changes simply allow them to determine which of the filed documents they send to the department are to be protected. It will have no fiscal impact on individual insureds.

Comments by the department head on the fiscal impact the rule may have on businesses:

The changes to this rule merely make the annuity company responsible for marking their own documents as protected when they file them with the department instead of having the department do it for them. This will have no fiscal impact on insurers.

Todd E. Kiser, Commissioner

The full text of this rule may be inspected, during regular business hours, at the Division of Administrative Rules, or at:

Insurance
Administration
Room 3110 STATE OFFICE BLDG
450 N MAIN ST
SALT LAKE CITY, UT 84114-1201

Direct questions regarding this rule to:

• Jilene Whitby at the above address, by phone at 801-538-3803, by FAX at 801-538-3829, or by Internet E-mail at [e-mail]

Interested persons may present their views on this rule by submitting written comments to the address above no later than 5:00 p.m. on:

09/16/2013

This rule may become effective on:

09/23/2013

Authorized by:

Todd Kiser, Commissioner

RULE TEXT

R590. Insurance, Administration.

R590-227. Submission of Annuity Filings.

R590-227-5. Filing Submission Requirements.

(1) All filings must be submitted as an electronic filing.

(a) All filers must use SERFF to submit a filing.

(b) All filings must comply with The "NAIC Uniform Life, Accident and Health, Annuity, and Credit Coding Matrix," dated January 1, 20[09]12, and incorporated by reference. This form is available on the department's website, www.insurance.utah.gov.

(2) A filings must be submitted by market type and type of insurance.

(3) A filing may not include more than one type of insurance, or request filing for more than one licensee.

(4) SERFF Filings.

(a) Filing Description. Do not submit a cover letter. On the General Information tab, complete the Filing Description section with the following information, presented in the order shown below.

(i) Certification.

A. The filer must certify that a filing has been properly completed AND is in compliance with Utah laws and rules.

B. The following statement must be included in the filing description: "BY SUBMITTING THIS FILING I CERTIFY THAT THE ATTACHED FILING HAS BEEN COMPLETED IN ACCORANCE WITH UTAH ADMINISTRATIVE RULE R590-266 AND IS IN COMPLIANCE WITH APPLICABLE UTAH LAWS AND RULES".

C. The "Utah Life Insurance Filing Certification for Individual" or the "Utah Life Insurance Filing Certification for Group" must be properly completed, signed, and attached to the Supporting Documentation tab.

D. A filing will be rejected if the certification is false, missing, or incomplete.

E. A false certification may subject the licensee to administrative action.

[(i)](ii) Provide a description of the filing including:

(A) the intent of the filing; and

(B) the purpose of each document within the filing.

[(ii)](iii) Indicate if the filing:

(A) is new;

(B) has been submitted with the Interstate Insurance Product Regulation Commission (IIPRC);

[(B)](C) is replacing or modifying a previous submission; if so, describe the changes made, if previously rejected or withdrawn, the reasons for rejection or withdrawal, and the previous Utah Filed Date or the IIPRC Date;

[(C)](D) includes documents for informational purposes; if so, provide the Utah Filed Date; or

[(D)](E) does not include the base policy; if so, provide the Utah Filed Date of the base policy and describe the effect on the base policy.

[(iii)](iv) Identify if any of the provisions are unusual, controversial, or have been previously objected to, or prohibited, and explain why the provision is included in the filing.

[(iv)](v) Explain any change in benefits or premiums that may occur while the contract is in force.

[(v)](vi) List the issue ages, which means the range of minimum and maximum ages for which a policy will be issued.

[(vi)](vii) List the minimum initial premium.

[(vii)](viii) Identify the intended market for the filing, such as senior citizens, nonprofit organizations, association members, corporate owned, bank owned, etc.

[ (b) Certification. The filer must certify that a filing has been properly completed AND is in compliance with Utah laws and rules. The "Utah Annuity Filing Certification" must be properly completed, signed, and attached to the Supporting Documentation tab. A false certification may subject the licensee to administrative action.

] [(c)](b) Domiciliary Approval and Filing Status Information. All filings for a foreign licensee must include on the Supporting Documentation tab:

(i) copy of domicile approval for the exact same filing; or

(ii) filing status information which includes:

(A) a list of the states to which the filing was submitted;

(B) the date submitted; and

(C) summary of the states' actions and their responses; or

(iii) if the filing is specific to Utah and only filed in Utah, then state, "UTAH SPECIFIC - NOT SUBMITTED TO ANY OTHER STATE."

[(d)](c) Group Questionnaire or Discretionary Group Authorization Letter. A group filing must attach to the Supporting Documentation tab either a:

(i) signed and fully completed "Utah Life and Annuity Group Questionnaire"; or

(ii) copy of the Utah Life and Annuity Discretionary Group Authorization letter.

[(e)](d) Letter of Authorization.

(i) When the filer is not the licensee, a letter of authorization from the licensee must be attached to the Supporting Documentation tab.

(ii) The licensee remains responsible for the filing being in compliance with Utah laws and rules.

[(f)](e) Statement of Variability.

(i) A statement of variability must be attached to the Supporting Documentation tab and certify:

(A) the final form will not contain brackets denoting variable data;

(B) the use of variable data will be administered in a uniform and non-discriminatory manner and will not result in unfair discrimination;

(C) the variable data included in this statement will be used on the referenced forms;

(D) any changes to variable data will be submitted prior to implementation.

(ii) Variable data are denoted in brackets and are defined, either by imbedding in the form, or by a separate form identified by its own form number and edition date. Variable data submitted as a separate form must be in a manner that follows the construction of the form, by page and paragraph, or page and footnote.

(iii) Variable data must be reasonable, appropriate and compliant.

(iv) Use of unauthorized variable data is prohibited.

[(g)](f) Annuity Report. All annuity filings must include a sample annuity annual report.

[(h)](g) Items being submitted for filing.

(i) All forms must be attached to the Form Schedule tab.

(ii) All rating documentation, including actuarial memorandums and rate schedules, must be attached to the Rate/Rule Schedule tab.

(iii) Actuarial Memorandum, Demonstration, and Certification of Compliance. An actuarial memorandum, demonstration of compliance, and a certification of compliance with Utah law are required in individual and group life insurance filings. The memorandum must be currently dated and signed by the actuary. The memorandum must include:

(A) description of the coverage in detail;

(B) demonstration of compliance with applicable nonforfeiture and valuation laws; and

(C) a certification of compliance with Utah law.

(5) Refer to each applicable Section of this rule for additional procedures on how to submit forms and reports.

 

R590-227-8. Additional Procedures for Group Annuity Filings.

(1) A filer submitting group annuity filings are advised to review the following code sections and rules prior to submitting a filing:

(a) Section 31A-21 Part III, "Specific Clauses in Contracts;"

(b) Section 31A-22 Part IV, "Life Insurance and Annuities;"

(c) Section 31A-22 Part V, "Group Life Insurance;" and

(d) R590-191, "Unfair Life Insurance Claims Settlement Practice."

(2) A group contract must be included with each certificate filing along with the master application and enrollment form.

(3) Actuarial Memorandum. An actuarial memorandum must be included in all group annuity filing describing the features of the contract and certifying compliance with applicable laws and rules.

(4) Eligible Groups. A filing for an eligible group must include a completed "Utah Life and Annuity Group Questionnaire."

(a) A questionnaire must be completed for each eligible group under Sections 31A-22-502 through 508.

(b) When a filing applies to multiple employer-employee groups under Section 31A-22-502, only one questionnaire is required to be completed.

(5) Discretionary Group. If a group is not an eligible group, then specific discretionary group authorization must be obtained prior to submitting the filing. If a filing is submitted without discretionary group authorization, the filing will be rejected.

(a) To obtain discretionary group authorization a "Utah Life and Annuity Request For Discretionary Group Authorization" must be submitted and include all required information.

(b) Evidence or proof of the following items is[are some factors] considered in determining acceptability of a discretionary group:

(i) existence of a verifiable group;

(ii) that granting permission is not contrary to public policy;

(iii) the proposed group would be actuarially sound;

(iv) the group would result in economies of acquisition and administration which justify a group rate; and

(v) the group would not present hazards of adverse selection.

(c) Discretionary group filings that do not provide authorization documentation will be rejected.

(d) Any changes to an authorized discretionary group must be submitted to the department, such as; change of name, trustee, domicile state, within 30 days of the change.

(e) The commissioner may periodically re-evaluate the group's authorization.

 

R590-226-10. Classification of Documents.

( 1) In accordance with Section 63G-2-305, the only information the commissioner may classify as protected is:

(a) information deemed to be a trade secret. Trade secret means information, including a formula, pattern, compilation, program, device, method, technique, or process, that:

(i) derives independent economic value, actual or potential, from not being generally known to, and not being readily ascertainable by proper means by, other persons who can obtain economic value from its disclosure or use; and

(ii) is the subject of efforts that are reasonable under the circumstances to maintain its secrecy; or

(b) commercial information and non-individual financial information obtained from a person if:

(i) disclosure of the information could reasonably be expected to result in unfair competitive injury to the person submitting the information or would impair the ability of the commissioner to obtain necessary information in the future ; and

(ii) the person submitting the information has a greater interest in prohibiting access than the public in obtaining access.

(2) The person submitting the information under Subsection (1)(a) or (b) and claiming that such is or should be protected shall provide the commissioner with the information in Section 63G-2-309(1)(a)(i).

(a) The filer shall request which specific document the filer believes qualifies under Subsections 63G-2-305(1) or (2) when the filing is submitted; and

(b) the request shall include a written statement of reasons supporting the request that the information should be classified as protected.

(3) Once the filing has been received, the commissioner will review the documents the filer has requested to be classified as protected to determine if the request meets the requirements of Subsections 63G-2-305(1) or (2).

(a) If all the information in the document meets the requirements for being classified as protected and the required statement is included, the document will be classified as protected and the information will not be available to the public.

(b) If all the information in the document does not meet the requirements for being classified as protected, the commissioner will notify the filer of the denial, the reasons for the denial, and the filer's right to appeal the denial. The filer has 30 days to appeal the denial as allowed by Section 63G-2-401.

(c)(i) Despite the denial of classifying the information as protected, the commissioner shall treat the information as if it had been classified as protected until:

(A) the 30 day time limit for an appeal to the commissioner has expired; or

(B) the filer has exhausted all appeals available under Title 63G, Chapter 2, Part 4 and the document has been found to be a public document.

(ii) During the 30 day time limit to appeal or the appeal process, the filer may withdraw:

(A) the filing; or

(B) the request for designation as protected.

(d) If the filer combines in a document, information it wishes to be classified as protected with information that is public, the document will be classified as public.

 

R590-227-[10]11. Correspondence and Status Checks.

(1) Correspondence. When corresponding with the department, provide sufficient information to identify the original filing:

(a) type of insurance;

(b) date of filing;

(c) form numbers; and

(d) SERFF tracking number[.]

(2) Status Checks.

(a) A complete filing is usually processed within 45 days of receipt.

(b) A filer can request the status of its filing 60 days after the date of submission. A response will not be provided to a status request prior to 60 days.

 

R590-227-[11]12. Responses.

(1) Response to a Filing Objection Letter. When responding to a Filing Objection Letter a filer must:

(a) provide an explanation identifying all changes made;

(b) include an underline and strikeout version for each revised document;

(c) a final version of revised documents that incorporate all changes; and

(d) for filing submitted in SERFF, attached the documents in Subsections R590-227-11(1)(b)(c) to appropriate Form Schedule or Rate/Rule Schedule tab.

(2) Response to an Order to Prohibit Use.

(a) An Order to Prohibit Use becomes final 15 days after the date of the Order.

(b) Use of the filing must be discontinued no later than the date specified in the Order.

(c) To contest an Order to Prohibit Use, the commissioner must receive a written request for a hearing no later than 15 days after the date of the Order.

(d) A new filing is required if the licensee chooses to make the requested changes addressed in the Filing Objection Letter. The new filing must reference the previously prohibited filing.

 

R590-227-[12]13. Penalties.

Persons found, to be in violation of this rule shall be subject to penalties as provided under Section 31A-2-308.

 

R590-227-[13]14. Enforcement Date.

The commissioner will begin enforcing the revised provisions of this rule 15 days from the effective date of this rule.

 

R590-227-[14]15. Severability.

If any provision of this rule or its application to any person or situation is held to be invalid, that invalidity shall not affect any other provision or application of this rule which can be given effect without the invalid provision or application, and to this end the provisions of this rule are declared to be severable.

 

KEY: annuity insurance filings

Date of Enactment or Last Substantive Amendment: [November 19, 2009]2013

Notice of Continuation: March 26, 2009

Authorizing, and Implemented or Interpreted Law: 31A-2-201; 31A-2-201.1; 31A-2-202

 

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