A. Except as otherwise expressly provided by law, no person shall:

1. Knowingly permit, offer, or make any insurance or annuity contract or agreement which is not plainly expressed in the contract issued;

2. Pay, allow or give, or offer to pay, allow or give, directly or indirectly, as inducement to any insurance or annuity contract, any rebate of premium payable on the contract, any special favor or advantage in the dividends or other benefits on the contract, any valuable consideration or inducement not specified in the contract, except in accordance with an applicable rating plan authorized for use in this Commonwealth;

3. Give, sell, purchase, or offer to give, sell or purchase as inducement to insurance, or annuity contracts, or in connection with such contracts, any stocks, bonds, or other securities of any company, any dividends or profits accrued on any stocks, bonds or other securities of any company, or anything of value not specified in the contract; or

4. Receive or accept as inducement to insurance, or annuity contracts, any rebate of premium payable on the contract, any special favor or advantage in the dividends or other benefit to accrue on the contract, or any valuable consideration or inducement not specified in the contract.

B. Nothing in § 38.2-508 or in this section shall be construed to include within the definition of discrimination or rebates any of the following practices:

1. In the case of any life insurance or annuity contract, paying bonuses to policyholders or otherwise abating their premiums in whole or in part out of surplus accumulated from nonparticipating insurance if the bonuses or abatement of premiums are fair and equitable to policyholders and in the best interests of the insurer and its policyholders;

2. In the case of life or accident and sickness insurance policies issued on the industrial debit plan, making allowance to policyholders who, for a specified period, have continuously made premium payments directly to an office of the insurer in an amount that fairly represents the savings in collection expense;

3. Readjustment of the rate of premium for a group insurance policy based on the loss or expense experience under the policy, at the end of the first or any subsequent policy year of insurance;

4. In the case of insurers, allowing their bona fide employees to receive a reduction on the premiums paid by them on policies or contracts on their own lives and property, and on the lives and property of their spouses and dependent children;

5. Issuing life or accident and sickness policies or annuity contracts on a salary savings or payroll deduction plan at a reduced rate consistent with the savings made by the use of such plan;

6. Paying commissions or other compensation to duly licensed agents or brokers; or

7. Allowing or returning to participating policyholders, members or subscribers, dividends, savings or unabsorbed premium payments.

Code 1950, § 38.1-52; 1952, c. 317, § 38.1-52.8; 1977, c. 529; 1978, c. 441; 1979, c. 324; 1980, c. 404; 1986, c. 562.