33-2-411. Commissioner's reserve valuation method. (1) Except as otherwise provided in 33-2-412(3) and (4), 33-2-417(2), and subsection (4) of this section, reserves according to the commissioner's reserve valuation method, for the life insurance and endowment benefits of policies providing for a uniform amount of insurance and requiring the payment of uniform premiums, must be the excess, if any, of the present value, at the date of valuation, of future guaranteed benefits provided for by the policies, over the then present value of any future modified net premiums. The modified net premiums for any policy must be the uniform percentage of the respective contract premiums for the benefits that the present value, at the date of issue of the policy, of all modified net premiums must be equal to the sum of the then present value of the benefits provided for by the policy and the excess of subsection (1)(a) over subsection (1)(b), as follows:

(a) a net level annual premium equal to the present value, at the date of issue, of benefits provided for after the first policy year, divided by the present value, at the date of issue of an annuity of one per annum payable on the first and each subsequent anniversary of the policy on which a premium falls due. However, the net level annual premium may not exceed the net level annual premium on the 19-year premium whole life plan for insurance of the same amount at an age 1 year higher than the age at issue of the policy.

(b) a net 1-year term premium for benefits provided for in the first policy year.

(2) (a) For each life insurance policy issued on or after January 1, 1987, for which the contract premium in the first policy year exceeds that of the second year, for which a comparable additional benefit is not provided in the first year for the excess, and that provides an endowment benefit, a cash surrender value, or a combination of both in an amount greater than the excess premium, the reserve according to the commissioner's reserve valuation method, as of any policy anniversary occurring on or before the assumed ending date as the first policy anniversary on which the sum of any endowment benefit and any cash surrender value then available is greater than the excess premium, is, except as otherwise provided in 33-2-412, the greater of the reserve as of the policy anniversary calculated as described in subsection (1) or the reserve as of the policy anniversary calculated as described in subsection (1) with the following exceptions:

(i) the value defined in subsection (1)(a) is reduced by 15% of the amount of the excess first-year premium;

(ii) all present values of benefits and premiums are determined without reference to premiums or benefits provided for in the policy after the assumed ending date;

(iii) the policy is assumed to mature on the assumed ending date as an endowment; and

(iv) the cash surrender value provided on the assumed ending date is considered an endowment benefit.

(b) In making the comparisons in subsection (2)(a), the mortality and interest bases stated in 33-2-409 and 33-2-413 must be used.

(3) Reserves according to the commissioner's reserve valuation method for the following must be calculated by a method consistent with the principles of this section, except that any extra premiums charged because of impairments or special hazards must be disregarded in the determination of modified net premiums:

(a) life insurance policies providing for a varying amount of insurance or requiring the payment of varying premiums;

(b) group annuity and pure endowment contracts purchased under a retirement plan or plan of deferred compensation, established or maintained by an employer, including a partnership or sole proprietorship, or by an employee organization, or by both, other than a plan providing individual retirement accounts or individual retirement annuities under section 408 of the Internal Revenue Code, as amended;

(c) disability and accidental death benefits in all policies and contracts; and

(d) all other benefits, except life insurance and endowment benefits in life insurance policies and benefits provided by all other annuity and pure endowment contracts.

(4) (a) Subsection (4)(b) applies to any annuity and pure endowment contracts other than group annuity and pure endowment contracts purchased under a retirement plan or plan of deferred compensation established or maintained by an employer, including a partnership or sole proprietorship, or by an employee organization, or by both, other than a plan providing individual retirement accounts or individual retirement annuities under section 408 of the Internal Revenue Code, as amended.

(b) Reserves according to the commissioner's annuity reserve method for benefits under annuity or pure endowment contracts, excluding any disability and accidental death benefits in the contracts, must be the greatest of the respective excesses of the present values, at the date of valuation, of the future guaranteed benefits, including guaranteed nonforfeiture benefits, provided for by the contracts at the end of each respective contract year, over the present value, at the date of valuation, of any future valuation considerations derived from future gross considerations required by the terms of the contract that become payable prior to the end of the respective contract year. The future guaranteed benefits must be determined by using the mortality table, if any, and the interest rate or rates specified in the contracts for determining guaranteed benefits. The valuation considerations are the portions of the respective gross considerations applied under the terms of the contracts to determine nonforfeiture values.

(c) The commissioner's reserve valuation method provided by this section is subject to the provisions of the valuation manual as adopted by the commissioner.

History: En. Sec. 92, Ch. 286, L. 1959; amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 61, L. 1961; amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 41, L. 1965; amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 341, L. 1973; R.C.M. 1947, 40-3011(part); amd. Sec. 3, Ch. 346, L. 1979; amd. Sec. 6, Ch. 520, L. 1983; amd. Sec. 15, Ch. 379, L. 1995; amd. Sec. 19, Ch. 370, L. 2015; Sec. 33-2-525, MCA 2013; redes. 33-2-411 by Sec. 40, Ch. 370, L. 2015.