(1) “Financing entity” means an underwriter, placement agent, lender, purchaser of securities, or purchaser of a policy or certificate from a viatical settlement provider, credit enhancer, or any entity that has direct ownership in a policy or certificate that is the subject of a viatical settlement contract, but whose principal activity related to the transaction is providing funds or credit enhancement to effect the viatical settlement or the purchase of one or more viaticated policies and who has an agreement in writing with one or more licensed viatical settlement providers to finance the acquisition of viatical settlement contracts. The term does not include a nonaccredited investor or other natural person. A financing entity may not enter into a viatical settlement contract.

(2) “Fraudulent viatical settlement act” means an act or omission committed by a person who knowingly, or with intent to defraud for the purpose of depriving another of property or for pecuniary gain, commits or allows an employee or agent to commit any of the following acts:

(a) Presenting, causing to be presented, or preparing with the knowledge or belief that it will be presented to or by another person, false or concealed material information as part of, in support of, or concerning a fact material to:

1. An application for the issuance of a viatical settlement contract or a life insurance policy;

2. The underwriting of a viatical settlement contract or a life insurance policy;

3. A claim for payment or benefit pursuant to a viatical settlement contract or a life insurance policy;

4. Premiums paid on a life insurance policy;

5. Payments and changes in ownership or beneficiary made in accordance with the terms of a viatical settlement contract or a life insurance policy;

6. The reinstatement or conversion of a life insurance policy;

7. The solicitation, offer, effectuation, or sale of a viatical settlement contract or a life insurance policy;

8. The issuance of written evidence of a viatical settlement contract or a life insurance policy; or

9. A financing transaction for a viatical settlement contract or life insurance policy.

(b) Employing a plan, financial structure, device, scheme, or artifice relating to viaticated policies for the purpose of perpetrating fraud.

(c) Engaging in a stranger-originated life insurance practice.

(d) Failing to disclose, upon request by an insurer, that the prospective insured has undergone a life expectancy evaluation by a person other than the insurer or its authorized representatives in connection with the issuance of the life insurance policy.

(e) Perpetuating a fraud or preventing the detection of a fraud by:

1. Removing, concealing, altering, destroying, or sequestering from the office the assets or records of a licensee or other person engaged in the business of viatical settlements;

2. Misrepresenting or concealing the financial condition of a licensee, financing entity, insurer, or other person;

3. Transacting in the business of viatical settlements in violation of laws requiring a license, certificate of authority, or other legal authority to transact such business; or

4. Filing with the office or the equivalent chief insurance regulatory official of another jurisdiction a document that contains false information or conceals information about a material fact from the office or other regulatory official.

(f) Embezzlement, theft, misappropriation, or conversion of moneys, funds, premiums, credits, or other property of a viatical settlement provider, insurer, insured, viator, insurance policyowner, or other person engaged in the business of viatical settlements or life insurance.

(g) Entering into, negotiating, brokering, or otherwise dealing in a viatical settlement contract, the subject of which is a life insurance policy that was obtained based on information that was falsified or concealed for the purpose of defrauding the policy’s issuer, viatical settlement provider, or viator.

(h) Facilitating the viator’s change of residency state to avoid the provisions of this act.

(i) Facilitating or causing the creation of a trust with a non-Florida or other nonresident entity for the purpose of owning a life insurance policy covering a Florida resident to avoid the provisions of this act.

(j) Facilitating or causing the transfer of the ownership of an insurance policy covering a Florida resident to a trust with a situs outside this state or to another nonresident entity to avoid the provisions of this act.

(k) Applying for or obtaining a loan that is secured directly or indirectly by an interest in a life insurance policy with intent to defraud, for the purpose of depriving another of property or for pecuniary gain.

(l) Attempting to commit, assisting, aiding, or abetting in the commission of, or conspiring to commit, an act or omission specified in this subsection.

(3) “Independent third-party trustee or escrow agent” means an attorney, certified public accountant, financial institution, or other person providing escrow services under the authority of a regulatory body. The term does not include any person associated, affiliated, or under common control with a viatical settlement provider or viatical settlement broker.

(4) “Life expectancy” means an opinion or evaluation as to how long a particular person is to live, or relating to such person’s expected demise.

(5) “Life expectancy provider” means a person who determines, or holds himself or herself out as determining, life expectancies or mortality ratings used to determine life expectancies:

(a) On behalf of a viatical settlement provider, viatical settlement broker, life agent, or person engaged in the business of viatical settlements;

(b) In connection with a viatical settlement investment, pursuant to s. 517.021(24); or

(c) On residents of this state in connection with a viatical settlement contract or viatical settlement investment.

(6) “Person” has the meaning specified in s. 1.01.

(7) “Related form” means any form, created by or on behalf of a licensee, which a viator is required to sign or initial. The forms include, but are not limited to, a power of attorney, a release of medical information form, a suitability questionnaire, a disclosure document, or any addendum, schedule, or amendment to a viatical settlement contract considered necessary by a provider to effectuate a viatical settlement transaction.

(8) “Related provider trust” means a titling trust or other trust established by a licensed viatical settlement provider or financing entity for the sole purpose of holding the ownership or beneficial interest in purchased policies in connection with a financing transaction. The trust must have a written agreement with a licensed viatical settlement provider or financing entity under which the licensed viatical settlement provider or financing entity is responsible for insuring compliance with all statutory and regulatory requirements and under which the trust agrees to make all records and files relating to viatical settlement transactions available to the office as if those records and files were maintained directly by the licensed viatical settlement provider. This term does not include an independent third-party trustee or escrow agent or a trust that does not enter into agreements with a viator. A related provider trust shall be subject to all provisions of this act that apply to the viatical settlement provider who established the related provider trust, except s. 626.9912, which shall not be applicable. A viatical settlement provider may establish no more than one related provider trust, and the sole trustee of such related provider trust shall be the viatical settlement provider licensed under s. 626.9912. The name of the licensed viatical settlement provider shall be included within the name of the related provider trust.

(9) “Stranger-originated life insurance practice” means an act, practice, arrangement, or agreement to initiate a life insurance policy for the benefit of a third-party investor who, at the time of policy origination, has no insurable interest in the insured. Stranger-originated life insurance practices include, but are not limited to:

(a) The purchase of a life insurance policy with resources or guarantees from or through a person who, at the time of such policy’s inception, could not lawfully initiate the policy and the execution of a verbal or written arrangement or agreement to directly or indirectly transfer the ownership of such policy or policy benefits to a third party.

(b) The creation of a trust or other entity that has the appearance of an insurable interest in order to initiate policies for investors, in violation of insurable interest laws and the prohibition against wagering on life.

(10) “Special purpose entity” means an entity established by a licensed viatical settlement provider or by a financing entity, which may be a corporation, partnership, trust, limited liability company, or other similar entity formed solely to provide, either directly or indirectly, access to institutional capital markets to a viatical settlement provider or financing entity. A special purpose entity may not obtain capital from any natural person or entity with less than $50 million in assets and may not enter into a viatical settlement contract.

(11) “Viatical settlement broker” means a person who, on behalf of a viator and for a fee, commission, or other valuable consideration, offers or attempts to negotiate viatical settlement contracts between a viator resident in this state and one or more viatical settlement providers. Notwithstanding the manner in which the viatical settlement broker is compensated, a viatical settlement broker is deemed to represent only the viator and owes a fiduciary duty to the viator to act according to the viator’s instructions and in the best interest of the viator. The term does not include an attorney, licensed Certified Public Accountant, or investment adviser lawfully registered under chapter 517, who is retained to represent the viator and whose compensation is paid directly by or at the direction and on behalf of the viator.

(12) “Viatical settlement contract” means a written agreement entered into between a viatical settlement provider, or its related provider trust, and a viator. The viatical settlement contract includes an agreement to transfer ownership or change the beneficiary designation of a life insurance policy at a later date, regardless of the date that compensation is paid to the viator. The agreement must establish the terms under which the viatical settlement provider will pay compensation or anything of value, which compensation or value is less than the expected death benefit of the insurance policy or certificate, in return for the viator’s assignment, transfer, sale, devise, or bequest of the death benefit or ownership of all or a portion of the insurance policy or certificate of insurance to the viatical settlement provider. A viatical settlement contract also includes a contract for a loan or other financial transaction secured primarily by an individual or group life insurance policy, other than a loan by a life insurance company pursuant to the terms of the life insurance contract, or a loan secured by the cash value of a policy.

(13) “Viatical settlement investment” has the same meaning as specified in s. 517.021.

(14) “Viatical settlement provider” means a person who, in this state, from this state, or with a resident of this state, effectuates a viatical settlement contract. The term does not include:

(a) Any bank, savings bank, savings and loan association, credit union, or other licensed lending institution that takes an assignment of a life insurance policy as collateral for a loan.

(b) A life and health insurer that has lawfully issued a life insurance policy that provides accelerated benefits to terminally ill policyholders or certificateholders.

(c) Any natural person who enters into no more than one viatical settlement contract with a viator in 1 calendar year, unless such natural person has previously been licensed under this act or is currently licensed under this act.

(d) A trust that meets the definition of a “related provider trust.”

(e) A viator in this state.

(f) A financing entity.

(15) “Viaticated policy” means a life insurance policy, or a certificate under a group policy, which is the subject of a viatical settlement contract.

(16) “Viator” means the owner of a life insurance policy or a certificateholder under a group policy, which policy is not a previously viaticated policy, who enters or seeks to enter into a viatical settlement contract. This term does not include a viatical settlement provider or any person acquiring a policy or interest in a policy from a viatical settlement provider, nor does it include an independent third-party trustee or escrow agent.

History.—s. 2, ch. 96-336; s. 22, ch. 97-93; s. 1, ch. 98-164; s. 1, ch. 99-212; s. 1, ch. 2000-344; s. 52, ch. 2001-63; s. 1, ch. 2001-207; s. 1, ch. 2001-247; s. 1044, ch. 2003-261; s. 14, ch. 2005-237; s. 86, ch. 2006-1; s. 7, ch. 2015-171; s. 5, ch. 2017-178.