N.C. Gen. Stat. § 58-7-31 — NC Code / Chapter 58 / Section 58-7-31
§ 58-7-31. Life and health reinsurance agreements
Status: in_force

(a) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Article, this section applies to every domestic life and accident and health insurer, to every other licensed life and accident and health insurer that is not subject to a substantially similar statute or administrative rule in its domiciliary state, and to every licensed property and casualty insurer with respect to its accident and health business. This section does not apply to assumption reinsurance, yearly renewable term reinsurance, nor to certain nonproportional reinsurance, such as stop loss or catastrophe reinsurance.

(b) No insurer shall, for reinsurance ceded, reduce any liability or establish any asset in any financial statement filed with the Commissioner if, by the terms of the reinsurance agreement, in substance or effect, any of the following conditions exist:

(1) Renewal expense allowances provided or to be provided to the ceding insurer by the reinsurer in any accounting period, are not sufficient to cover anticipated allocable renewal expenses of the ceding insurer on the portion of the business reinsured, unless a liability is established for the present value of the shortfall, using assumptions equal to the applicable statutory reserve basis on the business reinsured. Those expenses include commissions, premium taxes, and direct expenses including, but not limited to, billing, valuation, claims, and maintenance expected by the company at the time the business is reinsured.

(2) The ceding insurer can be deprived of surplus or assets at the reinsurer's option or automatically upon the occurrence of some event, such as the insolvency of the ceding insurer; except that termination of the reinsurance agreement by the reinsurer for nonpayment of reinsurance premiums or other amounts due, such as modified coinsurance reserve adjustments, interest, and adjustments on funds withheld, and tax reimbursements, are not a deprivation of surplus or assets.

(3) The ceding insurer is required to reimburse the reinsurer for negative experience under the reinsurance agreement; except that neither offsetting experience refunds against current and prior years' losses under the reinsurance agreement nor payment by the ceding insurer of an amount equal to the current and prior years' losses under the reinsurance agreement upon voluntary termination of in-force reinsurance by the ceding insurer are a reimbursement to the reinsurer for negative experience. Voluntary termination does not include situations where termination occurs because of unreasonable provisions that allow the reinsurer to reduce its risk under the reinsurance agreement.

(4) The ceding insurer must, at specific points in time scheduled in the reinsurance agreement, terminate or automatically recapture all or part of the reinsurance ceded.

(5) The reinsurance agreement involves the possible payment by the ceding insurer to the reinsurer of amounts other than from income realized from the reinsured policies. No ceding company shall pay reinsurance premiums or other fees or charges to a reinsurer that are greater than the direct premiums collected by the ceding company.

(6) The treaty does not transfer all of the significant risk inherent in the business being reinsured. The following table identifies for a representative sampling of products or type of business, the risks that are considered to be significant. For products not specifically included, the risks determined to be significant shall be consistent with this table.

Risk Categories:

a. = Morbidity.

b. = Mortality.

c. = Lapse. (This is the risk that a policy will voluntarily terminate before the recoupment of a statutory surplus strain experienced at issue of the policy.)

d. = Credit Quality (C1). (This is the risk that invested assets supporting the reinsured business will decrease in value. The main hazards are that assets will default or that there will be a decrease in earning power. It excludes market value declines due to changes in interest rate.)

e. = Reinvestment (C3). (This is the risk that interest rates will fall and funds reinvested [coupon payments or monies received upon asset maturity or call] will therefore earn less than expected. If asset durations are less than liability durations, the mismatch will increase.)

f. = Disintermediation (C3). (This is the risk that interest rates will rise and policy loans and surrenders increase or maturing contracts do not renew at anticipated rates of renewal. If asset durations are greater than the liability durations, the mismatch will increase. Policyholders will move their funds into new products offering higher rates. The company may have to sell assets at a loss to provide for these withdrawals.)

+= Significant 0 = Insignificant

RISK CATEGORY

a

b

c

d

e

f

Health Insurance--other than LTC/LTD *

+

0

+

0

0

0

Health Insurance--LTC/LTD *

+

0

+

+

+

0

Immediate Annuities

0

+

0

+

+

0

Single Premium Deferred Annuities

0

0

+

+

+

+

Flexible Premium Deferred Annuities

0

0

+

+

+

+

Guaranteed Interest Contracts

0

0

0

+

+

+

Other Annuity Deposit Business

0

0

+

+

+

+

Single Premium Whole Life

0

+

+

+

+

+

Traditional Non-Par Permanent

0

+

+

+

+

+

Traditional Non-Par Term

0

+

+

0

0

0

Traditional Par Permanent

0

+

+

+

+

+

Traditional Par Term

0

+

+

0

0

0

Adjustable Premium Permanent

0

+

+

+

+

+

Indeterminate Premium Permanent

0

+

+

+

+

+

Universal Life Flexible Premium

0

+

+

+

+

+

Universal Life Fixed Premium

0

+

+

+

+

+

Universal Life Fixed Premium

0

+

+

+

+

+

(dump-in premiums allowed)

*LTC = Long-Term Care Insurance

*LTD = Long-Term Disability Insurance

(7) a. The credit quality, reinvestment, or disintermediation risk is significant for the business reinsured and the ceding company does not (other than for the classes of business excepted in subdivision (7)b. of this section) either transfer the underlying assets to the reinsurer or legally segregate such assets in a trust or escrow account or otherwise establish a mechanism satisfactory to the Commissioner that legally segregates, by contract or contractual provisions, the underlying assets.

b. Notwithstanding the requirements of subdivision (7)a. of this section, the assets supporting the reserves for the following classes of business and any classes of business that do not have a significant credit quality, reinvestment, or disintermediation risk may be held by the ceding company without segregation of those assets:

--Health Insurance--LTC/LTD

--Traditional Non-Par Permanent

--Traditional Par Permanent

--Adjustable Premium Permanent

--Indeterminate Premium Permanent

--Universal Life Fixed Premium

(no dump-in premiums allowed)

The associated formula for determining the reserve interest rate adjustment must use a formula that reflects the ceding company's investment earnings and incorporates all realized and unrealized gains and losses reflected in the statutory statement. The following is an acceptable formula:

Rate

=

2 (I + CG)

X

+

Y -- I -- CG

Where: I is the net investment income.

CG is capital gains less capital losses.

X is the current year cash and invested assets plus investment income due and accrued less borrowed money.

Y is the same as X but for the prior year.

(8) Settlements are made less frequently than quarterly or payments due from the reinsurer are not made in cash within 90 days after the settlement date.

(9) The ceding insurer is required to make representations or warranties not reasonably related to the business being reinsured.

(10) The ceding insurer is required to make representations or warranties about future performance of the business being reinsured.

(11) The reinsurance agreement is entered into for the principal purpose of producing significant surplus aid for the ceding insurer, typically on a temporary basis, while not transferring all of the significant risks inherent in the business reinsured and, in substance or effect, the expected potential liability to the ceding insurer remains basically unchanged.

(c) Notwithstanding subsection (b) of this section, an insurer may, with the prior approval of the Commissioner, take such reserve credit or establish such asset as the Commissioner deems to be consistent with the insurance laws or rules of this State, including actuarial interpretations or standards adopted by the Commissioner.

(d)(1) Reinsurance agreements entered into after October 1, 1993, that involve the reinsurance of business issued prior to the effective date of the reinsurance agreements, along with any subsequent amendments thereto, shall be filed by the ceding company with the Commissioner within 30 days after its date of execution. Each filing shall include data detailing the financial impact of the transaction. The ceding insurer's actuary who signs the financial statement actuarial opinion with respect to valuation of reserves shall consider this statute and any applicable actuarial standards of practice when determining the proper credit in financial statements filed with the Commissioner. The actuary should maintain adequate documentation and be prepared upon request to describe the actuarial work performed for inclusion in the financial statements and to demonstrate that such work conforms to this statute.

(2) Any increase in surplus net of federal income tax resulting from arrangements described in subdivision (d)(1) of this section shall be identified separately on the insurer's statutory financial statement as a surplus item (aggregate write-ins for gains and losses in surplus in the Capital and Surplus Account, page 4 of the Annual Statement) and recognition of the surplus increase as income shall be reflected on a net of tax basis in the “Reinsurance Ceded” line, page 4 of the Annual Statement as earnings emerge from the business reinsured.

(e) No reinsurance agreement or amendment to any reinsurance agreement may be used to reduce any liability or to establish any asset in any financial statement filed with the Commissioner, unless the reinsurance agreement, amendment, or a binding letter of intent has been duly executed by both parties no later than the “as of date” of the financial statement.

(f) In the case of a letter of intent, a reinsurance agreement or an amendment to a reinsurance agreement must be executed within a reasonable period of time, not exceeding 90 days after the execution date of the letter of intent, in order for credit to be granted for the reinsurance ceded.

(g) The reinsurance agreement shall contain provisions that provide that:

(1) The reinsurance agreement shall constitute the entire reinsurance agreement between the parties with respect to the business being reinsured thereunder and that there are no understandings between the parties other than as expressed in the reinsurance agreement; and

(2) Any change or modification to the reinsurance agreement shall be null and void unless made by amendment to the reinsurance agreement and signed by both parties.

(h) Insurers subject to this section shall reduce to zero by December 31, 1994, any reserve credits or assets established with respect to reinsurance agreements entered into prior to October 1, 1993, that, under the provisions of this section, would not be entitled to recognition of such reserve credits or assets; provided, however, that such reinsurance agreements shall have been in compliance with laws or regulations in existence immediately preceding October 1, 1993.