§ 4976 Closed block of business for participating life policies.

18 DE Code § 4976 (2019) (N/A)
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(a) A plan that is adopted by a mutual company that is a life insurance company which issues participating life policies shall provide that participating life policies in force on the effective date of the conversion shall be operated by the converted stock company for dividend purposes as a closed block of participating business, except that any and all classes of group participating policies may be excluded from the closed block.

(b) The plan shall provide that sufficient assets of the mutual company shall be allocated for the benefit of the closed block of business so that the assets, together with the revenue from the closed block of business, are sufficient to support the closed block, including, but not limited to, the payment of claims, expenses, taxes, and any dividends that are provided for under the terms of the participating policies, with appropriate adjustments in the dividends for experience changes. The plan shall be accompanied by an opinion of a qualified actuary, or an appointed actuary, who meets the standards set forth in the insurance laws or regulations of this State for the submission of actuarial opinions as to the adequacy of reserves or assets. The opinion shall relate to the adequacy of the assets allocated in support of the closed block of business. The actuarial opinion shall be based on methods of analysis deemed appropriate for those purposes by the Actuarial Standards Board.

(c) The amount of assets allocated for the benefit of the closed block shall be based upon the mutual life insurance company’s last annual statement, updated to the last day of the quarter immediately preceding the effective date of the conversion.

(d) The converted stock company shall keep a separate accounting for the closed block and shall make and include in the annual statement to be filed with the Commissioner each year a separate statement showing the gains, losses, and expenses properly attributable to the closed block.

(e) The assets and liabilities allocated to the closed block may be periodically reviewed by the Commissioner or the Commissioner’s designee. The converted stock company shall bear the cost of any such review. If, as a result of such review, the Commissioner determines that the assets allocated to the closed block are insufficient to support the remaining policies in the closed block, the Commissioner may issue an order directing the converted stock company to allocate additional assets to the closed block sufficient to support the remaining policies in the closed block and the converted stock company shall comply with such order within 30 days of the date thereof. If, as a result of such review, or as a result of a review initiated by the converted stock company and accepted by the Commissioner, assets allocated to the closed block are in excess of the amount necessary to support the remaining policies, then upon application made to the Commissioner by the converted stock company, the Commissioner may issue an order permitting such excess assets in the closed block to revert to the benefit of the converted stock company.

(f) The Commissioner may waive the requirement for establishing a closed block of business if, in the Commissioner’s discretion, it is in the best interests of policyholders to do so. The Commissioner may waive from inclusion in the closed block of participating policies those participating policies for which there is no expectation of dividends being paid if, in the Commissioner’s discretion, it is fair and equitable to do so.

77 Del. Laws, c. 466, § 2.