2023 West Virginia Code › Chapter 33. Insurance › Article 13A. Variable Contracts › §33-13A-1. Establishment of Separate Accounts

A domestic life insurer may establish one or more separate accounts, and may allocate thereto amounts, including without limitation proceeds applied under optional modes of settlement or under dividend options, to provide for life insurance or annuities and benefits incidental thereto, payable in fixed or variable amounts or both, subject to the following:
(a) The income, gains and losses, realized or unrealized, from assets allocated to a separate account shall be credited to or charged against the account, without regard to other income, gains or losses of the company.
(b) Except as may be provided with respect to reserves for guaranteed benefits and funds referred to in subdivision (c) of this section, (i) amounts allocated to any separate account and accumulations thereon may be invested and reinvested without regard to any requirements or limitations prescribed by the laws of this state governing the investments of life insurance companies and (ii) the investments in such separate account or accounts shall not be taken into account in applying the investment limitations otherwise applicable to the investments of the company.
(c) Except with the approval of the commissioner and under such conditions as to investments and other matters as he may prescribe, which shall recognize the guaranteed nature of the benefits provided, reserves for (i) benefits guaranteed as to dollar amount and duration and (ii) funds guaranteed as to principal amount or stated rate of interest shall not be maintained in a separate account.
(d) Unless otherwise approved by the commissioner, assets allocated to a separate account shall be valued at their market value on the date of valuation, or if there is no readily available market, then as provided under the terms of the contract or the rules or other written agreement applicable to such separate account: Provided, That unless otherwise approved by the commissioner, the portion if any of the assets of such separate account equal to the company's reserve liability with regard to the guaranteed benefits and funds referred to in subdivision (c) of this section shall be valued in accordance with the rules otherwise applicable to the company's assets.
(e) Amounts allocated to a separate account in the exercise of the power granted by this article shall be owned by the company, and the company shall not be, nor hold itself out to be, a trustee with respect to such amounts. If and to the extent so provided under the applicable contracts, that portion of the assets of any such separate account equal to the reserves and other contract liabilities with respect to such account shall not be chargeable with liabilities arising out of any other business the company may conduct.
(f) No sale, exchange or other transfer of assets may be made by a company between any of its separate accounts or between any other investment account and one or more of its separate accounts unless, in case of a transfer into a separate account, such transfer is made solely to establish the account or to support the operation of the contracts with respect to the separate account to which the transfer is made, and unless such transfer, whether into or from a separate account, is made (i) by a transfer of cash, or (ii) by a transfer of securities having a readily determinable market value, provided that such transfer of securities is approved by the commissioner. The commissioner may approve other transfers among such accounts if, in his opinion, such transfers would not be inequitable.
(g) To the extent such company deems it necessary to comply with any applicable federal or state laws, such company, with respect to any separate account, including without limitation any separate account which is a management investment company or a unit investment trust, may provide for persons having an interest therein appropriate voting and other rights and special procedures for the conduct of the business of such account, including without limitation special rights and procedures relating to investment policy, investment advisory services, selection of independent public accountants, and the selection of a committee, the members of which need not be otherwise affiliated with such company, to manage the business of such account.