Virginia Law

The following words and terms when used in this chapter shall have the following meanings, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:

"Agent," "insurance agent," "producer," or "insurance producer," when used without qualification, means an individual or business entity that sells, solicits, or negotiates contracts of insurance or annuity in this Commonwealth.

"Annuity" means a fixed, variable, or modified guaranteed annuity that is individually solicited, whether the product is classified as an individual or group annuity.

"Board" means the Virginia Insurance Continuing Education Board established pursuant to § 38.2-1867 of the Code of Virginia.

"Cash compensation" means any discount, concession, fee, service fee, commission, sales charge, loan, override, or cash benefit received by an agent in connection with the recommendation or sale of an annuity from an insurer, intermediary, or directly from the consumer.

"Commission" means the State Corporation Commission.

"Consumer profile information" means information that is reasonably appropriate to determine whether a recommendation addresses the consumer's financial situation, insurance needs, and financial objectives, including, at a minimum, the following:

1. Age;

2. Annual income;

3. Financial situation and needs, including debts and other obligations;

4. Financial experience;

5. Insurance needs;

6. Financial objectives;

7. Intended use of the annuity;

8. Financial time horizon;

9. Existing assets or financial products, including investment, annuity, and insurance holdings;

10. Liquidity needs;

11. Liquid net worth;

12. Risk tolerance, including willingness to accept non-guaranteed elements in the annuity;

13. Financial resources used to fund the annuity; and

14. Tax status.

"Continuing education credit" or "CE credit" means one continuing education credit as defined in § 38.2-1867 of the Code of Virginia.

"Continuing education provider" or "CE provider" means an individual or entity that is approved to offer continuing education courses pursuant to § 38.2-1867 of the Code of Virginia.

"FINRA" means the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority or a succeeding agency.

"Insurer" means an insurance company required to be licensed under the laws of this Commonwealth to provide insurance products, including annuities.

"Intermediary" means an entity contracted directly with an insurer or with another entity contracted with an insurer to facilitate the sale of the insurer's annuities by agents.

"Material conflict of interest" means a financial interest of the agent in the sale of an annuity that a reasonable person would expect to influence the impartiality of a recommendation. "Material conflict of interest" does not include cash compensation or non-cash compensation.

"Non-cash compensation" means any form of compensation that is not cash compensation, including health insurance, office rent, office support, and retirement benefits.

"Nonguaranteed elements" means the premiums, credited interest rates (including any bonus), benefits, values, dividends, non-interest based credits, charges, or elements of formulas used to determine any of these that are subject to company discretion and are not guaranteed at issue. An element is considered nonguaranteed if any of the underlying nonguaranteed elements are used in its calculation.

"Recommendation" means advice provided by an agent to an individual consumer that was intended to result or does result in a purchase, exchange, replacement, or surrender of an annuity in accordance with that advice. Recommendation does not include general communication to the public, generalized customer services assistance or administrative support, general educational information and tools, prospectuses, or other product and sales material.

"Replacement" means a transaction in which a new annuity is to be purchased, and it is known or should be known to the proposing agent, or to the proposing insurer whether or not an agent is involved, that by reason of the transaction, an existing annuity or other insurance policy has been or is to be any of the following:

1. Lapsed, forfeited, surrendered or partially surrendered, assigned to the replacing insurer, or otherwise terminated;

2. Converted to reduced paid-up insurance, continued as extended term insurance, or otherwise reduced in value by the use of nonforfeiture benefits or other policy values;

3. Amended so as to effect either a reduction in benefits or in the term for which coverage would otherwise remain in force or for which benefits would be paid;

4. Reissued with any reduction in cash value; or

5. Used in a financed purchase.

"SEC" means the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

"Virginia Securities Act" means § 13.1-501 et seq. of the Code of Virginia.