Code of Virginia — Title 38.2 (Insurance), Chapter 32 (STANDARD NONFORFEITURE PROVISIONS FOR LIFE INSURANCE)
§ 38.2-3209. Same; adjusted premiums for policies.
A. This section shall apply to all policies issued on or after the operative date as defined in this section. Except as provided in subsection G of this section, the adjusted premiums for any policy shall be calculated on an annual basis and shall be a uniform percentage of the respective premiums specified in the policy for each policy year, excluding amounts payable as extra premiums to cover impairments or special hazards and also excluding any uniform annual contract charge or policy fee specified in the policy in a statement of the method to be used in calculating the cash surrender values and paid-up nonforfeiture benefits, so that the present value at the date of issue of the policy of all adjusted premiums shall equal the sum of (i) the then present value of the future guaranteed benefits provided for by the policy; (ii) 1 percent of either the amount of insurance, if the insurance is uniform in amount, or the average amount of insurance at the beginning of each of the first 10 policy years; and (iii) 125 percent of the nonforfeiture net level premium as defined in subsection B of this section. However, in applying the percentage specified in (iii) of this subsection no nonforfeiture net level premium shall be deemed to exceed four percent of either the amount of insurance, if the insurance is uniform in amount, or the average amount of insurance at the beginning of each of the first ten policy years. The date of issue of a policy for the purpose of this section shall be the date as of which the rated age of the insured is determined.

B. The nonforfeiture net level premium shall equal the present value, at the date of issue of the policy, of the guaranteed benefits provided for by the policy divided by the present value, at the date of issue of the policy, of an annual annuity of one dollar payable on the date of issue of the policy and on each anniversary of the policy on which a premium falls due.

C. For a policy that provides, on a basis guaranteed in the policy, unscheduled changes in benefits or premiums, or both, or that provides an option for changes in benefits or premiums, or both, other than a change to a new policy, the adjusted premiums and present values shall initially be calculated on the assumption that future benefits and premiums do not change from those stipulated at the date of issue of the policy. At the time of any change in the benefits or premiums, the future adjusted premiums, nonforfeiture net level premiums and present values shall be recalculated on the assumption that future benefits and premiums do not change from those stipulated by the policy immediately after the change.

D. Except as otherwise provided in subsection G of this section, the recalculated future adjusted premiums for any policy referred to in subsection C of this section shall be a uniform percentage of the respective future premiums specified in the policy for each policy year, excluding amounts payable as extra premiums to cover impairments and special hazards, and also excluding any uniform annual contract charge or policy fee specified in the policy in a statement of the method to be used in calculating the cash surrender values and paid-up nonforfeiture benefits, so that the present value at the time of change to the newly defined benefits or premiums of all future adjusted premiums shall equal the excess of (1) over (2), where (1) is (i) the then present value of the then future guaranteed benefits provided for by the policy plus (ii) any additional expense allowance and (2) is the then cash surrender value, if any, or present value of any paid-up nonforfeiture benefit under the policy.

E. The additional expense allowance, at the time of the change to the newly defined benefits or premiums, shall be the sum of (i) 1 percent of the excess, if positive, of the average amount of insurance at the beginning of each of the first 10 policy years after the change over the average amount of insurance before the change at the beginning of each of the first 10 policy years after the time of the most recent previous change, or, if there has been no previous change, the date of issue of the policy and (ii) 125 percent of the increase, if positive, in the nonforfeiture net level premium.

F. The recalculated nonforfeiture net level premium shall equal (1) divided by (2), where (1) is the sum of (i) the nonforfeiture net level premium applicable before the change times the present value of an annual annuity of one dollar payable on each anniversary of the policy on or after the date of the change on which a premium would have fallen due had the change not occurred, and (ii) the present value of the increase in future guaranteed benefits provided by the policy, and (2) is the present value of an annual annuity of one dollar payable on each anniversary of the policy on or after the date of change on which a premium falls due.

G. Notwithstanding any other provisions of this section, for a policy issued on a substandard basis that provides reduced graded amounts of insurance so that, in each policy year, the policy has the same tabular mortality cost as an otherwise similar policy issued on the standard basis that provides higher uniform amounts of insurance, adjusted premiums and present values for the substandard policy may be calculated as if it were issued to provide the higher uniform amounts of insurance on the standard basis.

H. All adjusted premiums and present values referred to in §§ 38.2-3202 through 38.2-3213 shall for all policies of ordinary insurance be calculated on the basis of (i) the Commissioners 1980 Standard Ordinary Mortality Table or (ii) at the election of the insurer for any one or more specified plans of life insurance, the Commissioners 1980 Standard Ordinary Mortality Table with Ten-Year Select Mortality Factors. The premiums and values shall for all policies of industrial insurance be calculated on the basis of the Commissioners 1961 Standard Industrial Mortality Table. The premiums and values shall for all policies issued in a particular calendar year be calculated on the basis of a rate of interest not exceeding the nonforfeiture interest rate as defined in this section for policies issued in that calendar year, provided that:

1. At the insurer's option, calculations for all policies issued in a particular calendar year may be made on the basis of a rate of interest not exceeding the nonforfeiture interest rate, as defined in this section, for policies issued in the immediately preceding calendar year;

2. Under any paid-up nonforfeiture benefit, including any paid-up dividend additions, any cash surrender value available, whether or not required by § 38.2-3202, shall be calculated on the basis of the mortality table and rate of interest used in determining the amount of the paid-up nonforfeiture benefit and any paid-up dividend additions;

3. An insurer may calculate the amount of any guaranteed paid-up nonforfeiture benefit, including any paid-up additions, under the policy on the basis of an interest rate no lower than that specified in the policy for calculating cash surrender values;

4. In calculating the present value of any paid-up term insurance with any accompanying pure endowment offered as a nonforfeiture benefit, the rates of mortality assumed may be not more than those shown in the Commissioners 1980 Extended Term Insurance Table for policies of ordinary insurance and not more than the Commissioners 1961 Industrial Extended Term Insurance Table for policies of industrial insurance;

5. For insurance issued on a substandard basis, the calculation of any adjusted premiums and present values may be based on appropriate modifications of the tables referred to in this section;

6. For policies issued prior to the operative date of the valuation manual, any Commissioners Standard ordinary mortality tables adopted after 1980 by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) and approved by the Commission for use in determining the minimum nonforfeiture standard may be substituted for the Commissioners 1980 Standard Ordinary Mortality Table with or without Ten-Year Select Mortality Factors or for the Commissioners 1980 Extended Term Insurance Table. "Operative date of the valuation manual" means the January 1 of the first calendar year that the valuation manual as defined in § 38.2-1365 is effective.

For policies issued on or after the operative date of the valuation manual, the valuation manual shall provide the Commissioners Standard mortality table for use in determining the minimum nonforfeiture standard that may be substituted for the Commissioners 1980 Standard Ordinary Mortality Table with or without Ten-Year Select Mortality Factors or for the Commissioners 1980 Extended Term Insurance Table. If the Commission approves by regulation any Commissioners Standard ordinary mortality table adopted by the NAIC for use in determining the minimum nonforfeiture standard for policies issued on or after the operative date of the valuation manual, then that minimum nonforfeiture standard supersedes the minimum nonforfeiture standard provided by the valuation manual; and

7. For policies issued prior to the operative date of the valuation manual, any Commissioners Standard industrial mortality tables adopted after 1980 by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners and approved by the Commission for use in determining the minimum nonforfeiture standard may be substituted for the Commissioners 1961 Standard Industrial Mortality Table or the Commissioners 1961 Industrial Extended Term Insurance Table.

For policies issued on or after the operative date of the valuation manual, the valuation manual shall provide the Commissioners Standard mortality table for use in determining the minimum nonforfeiture standard that may be substituted for the Commissioners 1961 Standard Industrial Mortality Table or the Commissioners 1961 Industrial Extended Term Insurance Table. If the Commission approves by regulation any Commissioners Standard industrial mortality table adopted by the NAIC for use in determining the minimum nonforfeiture standard for policies issued on or after the operative date of the valuation manual, then that minimum nonforfeiture standard supersedes the minimum nonforfeiture standard provided by the valuation manual.

I. The nonforfeiture annual interest rate for any policy issued in a particular calendar year:

1. For policies issued prior to the operative date of the valuation manual, shall equal 125 percent of the calendar year statutory valuation interest rate for the policy as defined in Article 10 (§ 38.2-1365 et seq.) of Chapter 13, rounded to the nearest one-quarter percent, provided, however, that the nonforfeiture annual interest rate shall not be less than four percent; and

2. For policies issued on or after the operative date of the valuation manual, shall be provided by the valuation manual.

J. Any refiling of nonforfeiture values or their methods of computation for any previously approved policy form that involves only a change in the interest rate or mortality table used to compute nonforfeiture values shall not require refiling of any other provisions of that policy form.

K. After July 1, 1982, any insurer may file with the Commission a written notice of its election to comply with the provisions of this section after a specified date before January 1, 1989, which shall be the operative date of this section for that insurer. If an insurer makes no election, the operative date of this section for that insurer shall be January 1, 1989.

1982, c. 228, § 38.1-465.3; 1986, c. 562; 2014, c. 571.