26-6-206. Computation of minimum standard for annuities; computation of minimum standard valuation by calendar year of issue.

(a) Except as provided in subsection (b) of this section the minimum standard of valuation for individual annuity and pure endowment contracts issued on or after the operative date of this section as defined in subsection (b) of this section, and for annuities and pure endowments purchased on or after that operative date under group annuity and pure endowment contracts, shall be the commissioners' reserve valuation method defined in W.S. 26-6-205(c), (d) and (e) and the following tables and interest rates:

(i) For individual annuity and pure endowment contracts issued:

(A) Prior to May 20, 1981, excluding any disability and accidental death benefits in those contracts, the 1971 individual annuity mortality table, or any modification of this table the commissioner approves, with six percent (6%) interest for single premium immediate annuity contracts and four percent (4%) interest for all other individual annuity and pure endowment contracts;

(B) On or after May 20, 1981, excluding any disability and accidental death benefits in those contracts, the 1971 individual annuity mortality table or any individual annuity mortality table the National Association of Insurance Commissioners adopts after 1980 and is approved by regulation the commissioner promulgates for use in determining the minimum standard of valuation for those contracts, or any modification of these tables the commissioner approves, and seven and one-half percent (7 1/2%) interest for single premium immediate annuity contracts, five and one-half percent (5 1/2%) interest for single premium deferred annuity and pure endowment contracts and four and one-half percent (4 1/2%) interest for all other individual annuity and pure endowment contracts.

(ii) For annuities and pure endowments purchased:

(A) Prior to May 20, 1981 under group annuity and pure endowment contracts, excluding any disability and accidental death benefits purchased under those contracts, the 1971 group annuity mortality table, or any modification of this table the commissioner approves, and six percent (6%) interest;

(B) On or after May 20, 1981 under group annuity and pure endowment contracts, excluding any disability and accidental death benefits purchased under those contracts, the 1971 group annuity mortality table or any group annuity mortality table the National Association of Insurance Commissioners adopts after 1980 and the commissioner approves for use in determining the minimum standard of valuation for those annuities and pure endowments, or any modification of these tables the commissioner approves, and seven and one-half percent (7 1/2%) interest.

(b)(i) The interest rates used in determining the minimum standard for the valuation of:

(A) Life insurance policies issued in a particular calendar year, on or after the operative date of W.S. 26-16-209;

(B) Individual annuity and pure endowment contracts issued in a particular calendar year on or after January 1, 1995;

(C) Annuities and pure endowments purchased in a particular calendar year on or after January 1, 1995, under group annuity and pure endowment contracts; and

(D) The net increase, if any, in a particular calendar year after January 1, 1995, in amounts held under guaranteed interest contracts shall be the calendar year statutory valuation interest rates as defined in this subsection.

(ii) The calendar year statutory valuation interest rates, I, shall be determined as follows and the results rounded to the nearer one-fourth percent (1/4%):

(A) For Life Insurance,

I = .03 + W (R1 - .03) + W (R2 - .09);

(B) For single premium immediate annuities and for annuity benefits involving life contingencies arising from other annuities with cash settlement options and from guaranteed interest contracts with cash settlement options;

I = .03 + W (R - .03)

Where R1 is the lesser of R and .09, R2 is the greater of R and .09, R is the reference interest rate defined in this subsection, and W is the weighting factor defined in this subsection;

(C) For other annuities with cash settlement options and guaranteed interest contracts with cash settlement options, valued on an issue year basis, except as stated in subparagraph (B) of this paragraph, the formula for life insurance stated in subparagraph (A) of this paragraph shall apply to annuities and guaranteed interest contracts with guarantee durations in excess of ten (10) years and the formula for single premium immediate annuities stated in subparagraph (B) of this paragraph shall apply to annuities and guaranteed interest contracts with guarantee duration of ten (10) years or less;

(D) For other annuities with no cash settlement options and for guaranteed interest contracts with no cash settlement options, the formula for single premium immediate annuities stated in subparagraph (B) of this paragraph shall apply;

(E) For other annuities with cash settlement options and guaranteed interest contracts with cash settlement options, valued on a change in fund basis, the formula for single premium immediate annuities stated in subparagraph (B) of this paragraph shall apply.

(iii) However, if the calendar year statutory valuation interest rate for any life insurance policies issued in any calendar year determined without reference to this sentence differs from the corresponding actual rate for similar policies issued in the immediately preceding calendar year by less than one-half percent (1/2%), the calendar year statutory valuation interest rate for such life insurance policies shall be equal to the corresponding actual rate for the immediately preceding calendar year. For purposes of applying the immediately preceding sentence, the calendar year statutory valuation interest rate for life insurance policies issued in a calendar year shall be determined for 1980 (using the reference interest rate defined for 1979) and shall be determined for each subsequent calendar year regardless of when W.S. 26-16-209 becomes operative;

(iv) The weighting factors referred to in the formulas stated above are given in the following tables:

(A) Weighting factors for life insurance:

GUARANTEE WEIGHTING

DURATION FACTORS

(YEARS)

10 or less .50

More than 10, but not more than 20 .45

More than 20 .35

For life insurance, the guarantee duration is the maximum number of years the life insurance can remain in force on a basis guaranteed in the policy or under options to convert to plans of life insurance with premium rates or nonforfeiture values or both which are guaranteed in the original policy;

(B) Weighting factor for single premium immediate annuities and for annuity benefits involving life contingencies arising from other annuities with cash settlement options and guaranteed interest contracts with cash settlement options:

.80

(C) Weighting factors for other annuities and for guaranteed interest contracts, except as stated in subparagraph (B) of this paragraph, shall be as specified in tables (I), (II) and (III) of this subparagraph, according to the rules and definitions in subdivisions (IV), (V) and (VI) of this subparagraph:

(I) For annuities and guaranteed interest contracts valued on an issue year basis:

GUARANTEE WEIGHTING FACTOR

DURATION FOR PLAN TYPE

(YEARS) A B C

5 or less: .80 .60 .50

More than 5, but not more than 10: .75 .60 .50

More than 10, but not more than 20: .65 .50 .45

More than 20: .45 .35 .35

(II) PLAN TYPE

A B C

For annuities and guaranteed interest

contracts valued on a change in fund

basis, the factors shown in

subdivision (I) of this subparagraph

increased by: .15 .25 .05

(III) PLAN TYPE

A B C

For annuities and guaranteed interest

contracts valued on an issue year basis

(other than those with no cash settlement

options) which do not guarantee interest

on considerations received more than one

(1) year after issue or purchase and

for annuities and guaranteed interest

contracts valued on a change in fund

basis which do not guarantee interest

rates on considerations received more

than twelve (12) months beyond the valuation

date, the factors shown in subdivision (I)

of this subparagraph or derived in

subdivision (II) of this subparagraph

increased by: .05 .05 .05

(IV) For other annuities with cash settlement options and guaranteed interest contracts with cash settlement options, the guarantee duration is the number of years for which the contract guarantees interest rates in excess of the calendar year statutory valuation interest rate for life insurance policies with guarantee duration in excess of twenty (20) years. For other annuities with no cash settlement options and for guaranteed interest contracts with no cash settlement options, the guarantee duration is the number of years from the date of issue or date of purchase to the date annuity benefits are scheduled to commence;

(V) Plan type as used in the tables in this subparagraph is defined as follows:

Plan Type A: At any time policyholder may withdraw funds only (1) with an adjustment to reflect changes in interest rates or asset values since receipt of the funds by the insurance company, or (2) without such adjustment but in installments over five (5) years or more, or (3) as an immediate life annuity, or (4) no withdrawal permitted.

Plan Type B: Before expiration of the interest rate guarantee, policyholder may withdraw funds only (1) with an adjustment to reflect changes in interest rates or assets values since receipt of the funds by the insurance company, or (2) without such adjustment but in installments over five (5) years or more, or (3) no withdrawal permitted. At the end of interest rate guarantee, funds may be withdrawn without such adjustment in a single sum or installments over less than five (5) years.

Plan Type C: Policyholder may withdraw funds before expiration of interest rate guarantee in a single sum or installments over less than five (5) years either without adjustment to reflect changes in interest rates or asset values since receipt of the funds by the insurance company, or subject only to a fixed surrender charge stipulated in the contract as a percentage of the fund.

(VI) A company may elect to value guaranteed interest contracts with cash settlement options and annuities with cash settlement options on either an issue year basis or on a change in fund basis. Guaranteed interest contracts with no cash settlement options and other annuities with no cash settlement options must be valued on an issue year basis. As used in this subsection, an issue year basis of valuation refers to a valuation basis under which the interest rate used to determine the minimum valuation standard for the entire duration of the annuity or guaranteed interest contract is the calendar year valuation interest rate for the year of issue or year of purchase of the annuity or guaranteed interest contract, and the change in fund basis of valuation refers to a valuation basis under which the interest rate used to determine the minimum valuation standard applicable to each change in the fund held under the annuity or guaranteed interest contract is the calendar year valuation interest rate for the year of the change in the fund.

(v) The reference interest rate referred to in paragraphs (ii) and (iii) of this subsection shall be defined as follows:

(A) For life insurance, the lesser of the average over a period of thirty-six (36) months and the average over a period of twelve (12) months, ending on June 30 of the calendar year next preceding the year of issue, of the monthly average of the composite yield on seasoned corporate bonds, as published by Moody's Investors Service, Inc.;

(B) For single premium immediate annuities and for annuity benefits involving life contingencies arising from other annuities with cash settlement options and guaranteed interest contracts with cash settlement options, the average over a period of twelve (12) months, ending on June 30 of the calendar year of issue or year of purchase, of the monthly average of the composite yield on seasoned corporate bonds, as published by Moody's Investors Service, Inc.;

(C) For other annuities with cash settlement options and guaranteed interest contracts with cash settlement options, valued on a year of issue basis, except as stated in subparagraph (B) of this paragraph, with guarantee duration in excess of ten (10) years, the lesser of the average over a period of thirty-six (36) months and the average over a period of twelve (12) months, ending on June 30 of the calendar year of issue or purchase, of the monthly average of the composite yield on seasoned corporate bonds, as published by Moody's Investors Service, Inc.;

(D) For other annuities with cash settlement options and guaranteed interest contracts with cash settlement options, valued on a year of issue basis, except as stated in subparagraph (B) of this paragraph, with guarantee duration of ten (10) years or less, the average over a period of twelve (12) months, ending on June 30 of the calendar year of issue or purchase, of the monthly average of the composite yield on seasoned corporate bonds, as published by Moody's Investors Service, Inc.;

(E) For other annuities with no cash settlement options and for guaranteed interest contracts with no cash settlement options, the average over a period of twelve (12) months, ending on June 30 of the calendar year of issue or purchase, of the monthly average of the composite yield on seasoned corporate bonds, as published by Moody's Investors Service, Inc.;

(F) For other annuities with cash settlement options and guaranteed interest contracts with cash settlement options, valued on a change in fund basis, except as stated in subparagraph (B) of this paragraph, the average over a period of twelve (12) months, ending on June 30 of the calendar year of the change in the fund, of the monthly average of the composite yield on seasoned corporate bonds, as published by Moody's Investors Service, Inc.

(vi) If the monthly average of the composite yield on seasoned corporate bonds is no longer published by Moody's Investor's Service, Inc., or if the National Association of Insurance Commissioners determines that the monthly average of the composite yield on seasoned corporate bonds as published by Moody's Investors Service, Inc. is no longer appropriate for the determination of the reference interest rate, then an alternative method for determination of the reference interest rate, which is adopted by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners and approved by regulation promulgated by the commissioner, may be substituted.

(c) Any insurer may file with the commissioner a written notice of its election to comply with this section after a specified date before January 1, 1979, which is the operative date of this section for that insurer. An insurer may elect a different operative date for individual annuity and pure endowment contracts from that elected for group annuity and pure endowment contracts. If an insurer makes no election, the operative date of this section for that insurer is January 1, 1979.