Conn. Gen. Stat. § 38a-465

Current with legislation from the 2024 Regular and Special Sessions.

Section 38a-465 - Definitions

As used in sections 38a-465 to 38a-465q, inclusive, and subdivision (21) of section 38a-816:

(1) "Advertisement" means any written, electronic or printed communication or any communication by means of recorded telephone messages or transmitted on radio, television, the Internet or similar communications media, including, but not limited to, film strips, motion pictures and videos, published, disseminated, circulated or placed before the public, directly or indirectly, for the purpose of creating an interest in or inducing a person to purchase or sell, assign, devise, bequest or transfer the death benefit or ownership of a life insurance policy or an interest in a life insurance policy pursuant to a life settlement contract.

(2) "Broker" means a person who, on behalf of an owner and for a fee, commission or other valuable consideration, offers or attempts to negotiate life settlement contracts between an owner and one or more providers. "Broker" does not include an attorney, certified public accountant or financial planner accredited by a nationally recognized accreditation agency retained to represent the owner, whose compensation is not paid directly or indirectly by a provider or any other person except the owner.

(3) "Business of life settlements" means an activity involved in, but not limited to, offering to enter into, soliciting, negotiating, procuring, effectuating, monitoring or tracking of life settlement contracts.

(4) "Chronically ill" means:

(A) Being unable to perform at least two activities of daily living, including, but not limited to, eating, toileting, transferring, bathing, dressing or continence;

(B) requiring substantial supervision to protect from threats to health and safety due to severe cognitive impairment; or

(C) having a level of disability similar to that described in subparagraph (A) of this subdivision as determined by the federal Secretary of Health and Human Services.

(5) "Commissioner" means the Insurance Commissioner.

(6)

(A) "Financing entity" means an underwriter, placement agent, lender, purchaser of securities, purchaser of a policy or certificate from a provider, credit enhancer, or any entity that has a direct ownership in a policy or certificate that is the subject of a life settlement contract:

(i) Whose principal activity related to the transaction is providing funds to effect the life settlement contract or purchase of one or more policies; and

(ii) Who has an agreement in writing with one or more providers to finance the acquisition of life settlement contracts.

(B) "Financing entity" does not include a nonaccredited investor or a purchaser.

(7) "Financing transaction" means any transaction in which a provider obtains financing from a financing entity, including, but not limited to, any secured or unsecured financing, any securitization transaction or any securities offering which is registered or exempt from registration under federal or state securities law.

(8) "Insured" means the person covered under the policy being considered for sale in a life settlement contract.

(9) "Life expectancy" means the arithmetic mean of the number of months the insured under the life insurance policy to be settled can be expected to live as determined by a life expectancy company, life settlement company or investor considering medical records and experiential data.

(10) "Life insurance producer" means any person licensed in this state as a resident or nonresident insurance producer who has received qualification or authority for life insurance coverage or a life line coverage pursuant to chapter 702.

(11)

(A) "Life settlement contract" means:

(i) A written agreement entered into between a provider and an owner, establishing the terms under which compensation or anything of value will be paid, which compensation or thing of value is less than the expected death benefit of the insurance policy or certificate, in return for the owner's assignment, transfer, sale, devise or bequest of the death benefit or any portion of an insurance policy or certificate of insurance for compensation, provided the minimum value for a life settlement contract shall be greater than a cash surrender value or accelerated death benefit available at the time of an application for a life settlement contract;

(ii) The transfer for compensation or value of ownership or beneficial interest in a trust, or other entity that owns such policy, if the trust or other entity was formed or availed of for the principal purpose of acquiring one or more life insurance contracts, which life insurance contract insures the life of a person residing in this state;

(iii) A written agreement for a loan or other lending transaction, secured primarily by an individual or group life insurance policy; or

(iv) A premium finance loan made for a policy on or before the date of issuance of the policy where (I) the loan proceeds are not used solely to pay premiums for the policy and any costs or expenses incurred by the lender or the borrower in connection with the financing, (II) the owner receives, on the date of the premium finance loan, a guarantee of the future life settlement value of the policy, or (III) the owner agrees on the date of the premium finance loan to sell the policy, or any portion of its death benefit, on any date following the issuance of the policy.

(B) "Life settlement contract" does not include:

(i) A policy loan by a life insurance company pursuant to the terms of the life insurance policy or accelerated death provisions contained in the life insurance policy, whether issued with the original policy or as a rider;

(ii) A premium finance loan, as defined in subparagraph (A)(iv) of this subdivision, or any loan made by a bank or other licensed financial institution, provided neither default on such loan or the transfer of the policy, in connection with such default, is pursuant to an agreement or understanding with any other person for the purpose of evading regulation under this part;

(iii) A collateral assignment of a life insurance policy by an owner;

(iv) A loan made by a lender that does not violate sections 38a-162 to 38a-170, inclusive, provided such loan is not described in subparagraph (A) of this subdivision and is not otherwise within the definition of life settlement contract;

(v) An agreement where all the parties are closely related to the insured by blood or law or have a lawful substantial economic interest in the continued life, health and bodily safety of the person insured, or are trusts established primarily for the benefit of such parties;

(vi) Any designation, consent or agreement by an insured who is an employee of an employer in connection with the purchase by the employer, or trust established by the employer, of life insurance on the life of the employee;

(vii) A bona fide business succession planning arrangement:

(I) Between one or more shareholders in a corporation or between a corporation and one or more of its shareholders or one or more trusts established by its shareholders;

(II) between one or more partners in a partnership or between a partnership and one or more of its partners or one or more trusts established by its partners; or

(III) between one or more members in a limited liability company or between a limited liability company and one or more of its members or one or more trusts established by its members;

(viii) An agreement entered into by a service recipient or a trust established by the service recipient, and a service provider or a trust established by the service provider, that performs significant services for the service recipient's trade or business; or

(ix) Any other contract, transaction or arrangement from the definition of life settlement contract that the commissioner determines is not of the type intended to be regulated by this part.

(12) "Net death benefit" means the amount of the life insurance policy or certificate to be settled less any outstanding debts or liens.

(13) "Owner" means the owner of a life insurance policy or a certificate holder under a group policy, with or without a terminal illness, who enters or seeks to enter into a life settlement contract. For the purposes of this part, an owner shall not be limited to an owner of a life insurance policy or a certificate holder under a group policy that insures the life of an individual with a terminal or chronic illness or condition, except where specifically addressed. "Owner" does not include:

(A) Any provider or other licensee under this part;

(B) a qualified institutional buyer, as defined in Rule 144A of the federal Securities Act of 1933, as amended from time to time;

(C) a financing entity;

(D) a special purpose entity; or

(E) a related provider trust.

(14) "Patient identifying information" means an insured's address, telephone number, facsimile number, electronic mail address, photograph or likeness, employer, employment status, Social Security number or any other information that is likely to lead to the identification of the insured.

(15) "Person" means a natural person or a legal entity, including, but not limited to, an individual, partnership, limited liability company, association, trust or corporation.

(16) "Policy" means an individual or group policy, group certificate, contract or arrangement of life insurance owned by a resident of this state, regardless of whether delivered or issued for delivery in this state.

(17) "Premium finance loan" means a loan made primarily for the purposes of making premium payments on a life insurance policy, which loan is secured by an interest in such life insurance policy.

(18) "Provider" means a person, other than an owner, who enters into or effectuates a life settlement contract with an owner. "Provider" does not include:

(A) Any bank, savings bank, savings and loan association or credit union;

(B) A licensed lending institution, creditor or secured party pursuant to a premium finance loan agreement that takes an assignment of a life insurance policy or certificate issued pursuant to a group life insurance policy as collateral for a loan;

(C) The insurer of a life insurance policy or rider providing accelerated death benefits or riders pursuant to section 38a-457 or cash surrender value;

(D) A natural person who enters into or effectuates no more than one agreement in a calendar year for the transfer of a life insurance policy or certificate issued pursuant to a group life insurance policy, for compensation or any value less than the expected death benefit payable under the policy;

(E) A purchaser;

(F) An authorized or eligible insurer that provides stop loss coverage to a provider, purchaser, financing entity, special purpose entity or related provider trust;

(G) A financing entity;

(H) A special purpose entity;

(I) A related provider trust;

(J) A broker; or

(K) An accredited investor or a qualified institutional buyer, as defined in Rule 501 of Regulation D or Rule 144A, respectively, of the federal Securities Act of 1933, as amended from time to time, who purchases a life settlement policy from a provider.

(19) "Purchased policy" means a policy or group certificate that has been acquired by a provider pursuant to a life settlement contract.

(20) "Purchaser" means a person who pays compensation or anything of value as consideration for a beneficial interest in a trust that is vested with, or for the assignment, transfer or sale of, an ownership or other interest in a life insurance policy or a certificate issued pursuant to a group life insurance policy that is the subject of a life settlement contract.

(21) "Related provider trust" means a titling trust or other trust established by a licensed provider or a financing entity for the sole purpose of holding the ownership or beneficial interest in purchased policies in connection with a financing transaction.

(22) "Settled policy" means a life insurance policy or certificate that has been acquired by a provider pursuant to a life settlement contract.

(23) "Special purpose entity" means a corporation, partnership, trust, limited liability company or other similar entity formed solely to provide, either directly or indirectly, access to institutional capital markets (A) for a financing entity or provider, (B) in connection with a transaction in which the securities in the special purpose entity are acquired by the owner or by a qualified institutional buyer, as defined in Rule 144A of the federal Securities Act of 1933, as amended from time to time, or (C) the securities pay a fixed rate of return commensurate with established asset-backed institutional capital markets.

(24) "Stranger-originated life insurance" means an act, practice or arrangement to initiate a life insurance policy for the benefit of a third-party investor who, at the time of policy origination, has no insurable interest in the insured. Such practices include, but are not limited to, cases in which life insurance is purchased with resources or guarantees from or through a person or entity, who, at the time of policy inception, could not lawfully initiate the policy himself or itself, and where, at the time of inception, there is an arrangement or agreement, whether verbal or written, to directly or indirectly transfer the ownership of the policy or the policy benefits to a third-party. Trusts created to give the appearance of insurable interest and used to initiate policies for investors violate insurable interest laws and the prohibition against wagering on life. Stranger-originated life insurance arrangements do not include those practices set forth in subparagraph (B) of subdivision (11) of this section.

(25) "Terminally ill" means having an illness or sickness that can reasonably be expected to result in death in twenty-four months or less.

Conn. Gen. Stat. § 38a-465

( P.A. 97-202, S. 1, 18; P.A. 99-104, S. 1, 2; 99-145, S. 4, 23; P.A. 03-152, S. 1; P.A. 08-175, S. 1.)

Amended by P.A. 21-0093,S. 3 of the Connecticut Acts of the 2021 Regular Session, eff. 10/1/2021.