New York Laws
Article 32 - Insurance Contracts - Life, Accident and Health, Annuities
3209 - Life Insurance, Annuities and Funding Agreements Disclosure Requirements.

(b) (1) No policy of life insurance shall be delivered or issued for
delivery in this state after the applicable effective date, as set forth
in subsection (n) of this section, unless the prospective purchaser has
been provided with the following:
(A) a copy of the most recent buyer's guide and the preliminary
information required by subsection (d) of this section, at or prior to
the time an application is taken. When sales solicitations are made by
mail, without the involvement of an agent or broker, each initial
solicitation must include a copy of the buyer's guide unless the policy
for which application is made provides for a period of at least thirty
days within which the applicant may return the policy for an
unconditional refund of the premiums paid, in which event the buyer's
guide must be delivered with the policy or prior to delivery of the
policy; in addition, such solicitation must alert the prospective
purchaser of the right to receive, upon request, a buyer's guide and a
policy summary prior to delivery of the policy; and
(B) a policy summary upon delivery of the policy.
(2) No annuity contract or life insurance policy or certificate with
an equity index account shall be delivered or issued for delivery in
this state unless, no later than at the time of application, the
prospective purchaser has been provided with a disclosure statement
containing the following:
(A) a statement in bold type to the effect that the equity index
account provides benefits linked to an external equity index and does
not participate directly in the equity market;
(B) a statement identifying the equity index used in the equity index
formula, together with a description of any alternate index should the
initial index no longer be publicly available;
(C) a statement indicating whether paid dividends are included in
changes in the equity index, together with a description of how such
dividends, or lack thereof, would affect the changes in the equity
index; the statement must provide the average dividend rate over the
lesser of ten years or the calculable life of the index;
(D) a statement fully describing the equity index formula;
(E) a statement explaining and illustrating the equity index formula
including any features of the equity index formula subject to change
after issuance of the contract, policy or certificate;
(F) a statement identifying the initial minimum guaranteed interest
rate for the minimum accumulation value of an equity index account and
any withdrawal charge;
(G) a statement identifying the initial current and the minimum
specified participation rate, i.e., how much of the increase in the
index will be used to calculate the indexed linked interest rate, if
any;
(H) a statement identifying the initial current and the minimum upper
limit or cap on the indexed linked interest rate, if any;
(I) for a life insurance policy crediting additional amounts in
accordance with an equity index less frequently than annually, a
statement to the effect that: if the policyholder requests a full
surrender of a policy prior to the expiration of the equity index
crediting period, no additional interest based on the equity index will
be credited and that only the guaranteed interest will be credited to
the account; and the policyholder is advised to consider alternatives to
a full surrender of the policy prior to the expiration of the equity
index crediting period, such as a policy loan or, if available, a
partial withdrawal of the policy; and
(J) other disclosure information the superintendent deems appropriate.
(3) No participating dividend-paying paid-up deferred annuity contract
shall be delivered or issued for delivery in this state unless a
prospective purchaser is provided with a disclosure statement, no later
than at the time of application, containing the following:
(A) a statement indicating that dividends are not guaranteed under the
participating dividend-paying paid-up deferred annuity contract and the
income is therefore not guaranteed to increase from the dollar amount
set at the time of issue; and
(B) a statement indicating that the initial income under a
participating dividend-paying paid-up deferred annuity contract may be
lower than the initial income under a fully guaranteed paid-up deferred
annuity contract.
(c) Every insurer must provide, to any policyholder who so requests, a
policy summary for each in-force premium-paying policy for which no
policy summary has ever been furnished. The insurer may charge the
policyholder a reasonable fee for preparation of this summary, subject
to guidelines specified in rules promulgated by the superintendent.
(d) The preliminary information shall be in writing and include, to
the extent applicable, the following:
(1) the name and address of the insurance agent or broker or, if no
agent or broker is involved, a statement of the procedure to be followed
in order to receive responses to inquiries concerning the preliminary
information;
(2) the full name and home office, administrative office or branch or
agency office address of the company in whose name the life insurance
policy is to be written;
(3) the date of the preliminary information and the generic name, the
initial amount of insurance and the initial annual premium for the basic
policy;
(4) the total guaranteed cash surrender values for the basic policy,
at the end of the tenth and twentieth policy years or at the end of the
premium-paying period if earlier. These values may be shown on a per
thousand or per unit basis;
(5) the effective policy loan annual percentage interest rate, if the
policy would contain this provision, and whether this rate is applied in
advance or in arrears, adjustable or fixed;
(6) for the life insurance policies described in paragraph one of
subsection (n) of this section, life insurance cost indexes and the
equivalent level annual dividend for the basic policy for ten and twenty
years, but in no case beyond the premium-paying period;
(7) in addition, the applicant shall be advised that, when the policy
is issued, a complete policy summary, including cost data, based on the
benefits, premiums and dividends of the policy as issued, will be
furnished; and that, following the receipt of the policy and policy
summary, there will be a period of not less than ten days within which
the applicant may return the policy for an unconditional refund of the
premiums paid; and
(8) notwithstanding the foregoing, no applicant for life insurance
shall be prevented or delayed in effecting or applying for coverage by
the requirements of this section. In such cases where prior to
application it is impractical to provide any items prescribed by this
section, such items may be estimated in good faith or furnished as soon
thereafter as practical prior to delivery of policy.
(e) A policy summary shall include the following:
(1) a prominently placed title as follows:
"STATEMENT OF POLICY COST AND BENEFIT INFORMATION";
(2) the name and address of the insurance agent or broker, or, if no
agent or broker is involved, a statement of the procedure to be followed
in order to receive responses to inquiries regarding the policy summary;
(3) the full name and home office, administrative office or branch or
agency office address of the company in whose name the life insurance
policy is to be or has been written;
(4) the generic name of the basic policy and each rider;
(5) for the life insurance policies described in paragraph one of
subsection (n) of this section, the following amounts, where applicable,
for the first five policy years and representative policy years
thereafter sufficient to clearly illustrate the premium and benefit
patterns, including the years for which life insurance cost indexes are
displayed and at least one age from sixty through sixty-five or
maturity, whichever is earlier:
(A) the annual premium for the basic policy;
(B) the annual premium for each optional rider;
(C) guaranteed amount payable upon death at the beginning of the
policy year regardless of the cause of death, other than suicide or
other specifically enumerated exclusions, which is provided by the basic
policy and each optional rider, with benefits provided under the basic
policy and each rider shown separately;
(D) total guaranteed cash surrender values at the end of the year with
values shown separately for the basic policy and each rider;
(E) cash dividends payable at the end of the year with values shown
separately for the basic policy and each rider. Dividends need not be
displayed beyond the twentieth policy year; and
(F) guaranteed endowment amounts payable under the policy which are
not included in guaranteed cash surrender values above;
(6) the effective policy loan annual percentage interest rate if the
policy contains this provision, specifying whether this rate is applied
in advance or in arrears. If the policy provides for an adjustable loan
interest rate, the policy summary shall so state, shall set forth the
frequency at which the rate is to be determined for that policy, and
shall describe the index upon which the maximum rate is based at the
time the policy is issued;
(7) for the life insurance policies described in paragraph one of
subsection (n) of this section:
(A) life insurance cost indexes for ten and twenty years but in no
case beyond the premium-paying period. Separate indexes are to be
displayed for the basic policy and for each optional term life insurance
rider. Such indexes need not be included for optional riders which are
limited to benefits such as accidental death benefits, disability waiver

of premium, preliminary term life insurance coverage of less than twelve
months and guaranteed insurability benefits, nor for basic policies or
optional riders covering more than one life;
(B) the equivalent level annual dividend, in the case of participating
policies and participating optional term life insurance riders, under
the same circumstances and for the same durations at which life
insurance cost indexes are displayed;
(8) a policy summary which includes dividends shall also include a
statement that dividends are based on the company's current dividend
scale and are not guaranteed; in addition, the summary shall, for the
life insurance policies described in paragraph one of subsection (n) of
this section, include a statement in close proximity to the equivalent
level annual dividend as follows: "An explanation of the intended use of
the equivalent level annual dividend is included in the buyer's guide";
(9) a statement in close proximity to the life insurance cost indexes
as follows:
"AN EXPLANATION OF THE INTENDED USE OF THESE INDEXES IS PROVIDED IN
THE BUYER'S GUIDE"; and
(10) the date on which the policy summary is prepared.
(f) The policy summary must be a separate document. All information
required to be disclosed must be set out in such a manner as not to
minimize or render any portion thereof obscure. Any amounts which remain
level for two or more years of the policy may be represented by a single
number if it is clearly indicated what amounts are applicable for each
policy year. Amounts in paragraph five of subsection (e) of this section
shall be listed in total, not on a per thousand or per unit basis. If
more than one insured is covered under one policy or rider, guaranteed
death benefits shall be displayed separately for each insured or for
each class of insureds if death benefits do not differ within the class.
Zero amounts shall be displayed as zero and shall not be displayed as a
blank space.
(g) Every insurer shall maintain, at its home office or principal
office, a complete file containing one copy of each policy summary form
authorized by the insurer for use pursuant to this section.
(h) An agent or broker shall inform a prospective purchaser, prior to
commencing a life insurance sales presentation, that he is acting as a
life insurance agent or broker, and inform the prospective purchaser of
the full name of the insurer which he is representing. In sale
situations in which an agent or broker is not involved, the insurer
shall identify its full name.
(i) As used in this section, "buyer's guide" means a separate document
published and disseminated by insurers. The language therein shall be
promulgated by the superintendent, and shall, to the extent practicable
and in the public interest as determined by the superintendent, be
consistent with the latest version of a buyer's guide as adopted by the
national association of insurance commissioners.
(j) For life insurance policies, except term life insurance policies,
which are to be issued to qualify for special tax treatment under
subsection (b) of section four hundred three of the Internal Revenue
Code of 1986, as amended, a written notice shall be delivered to the
proposed insured in a manner satisfactory to the superintendent at or
prior to the time an application is taken and shall read as follows:
"The purchase of a life insurance policy with cash value, which
qualifies for special tax treatment under section 403(b) of the Internal
Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, may not be appropriate for individuals
seeking to maximize the accumulation of funds for retirement or for
individuals seeking life insurance coverage primarily to provide a
survivorship benefit for the spouse in the event of death prior to

retirement. If an individual needs coverage to continue after
retirement, current tax laws require the commencement of taxable
distributions under the tax sheltered annuity plan (TSA) no later than
age seventy and one-half which may necessitate some adjustment in the
cash value life insurance policy or may result in increased insurance
costs in future policy years. You should consult with your tax advisor
before purchasing life insurance with cash value as part of a tax
sheltered annuity (TSA)."
(k) The superintendent shall promulgate by regulation the contents and
allowable format of the preliminary information and the information to
appear in the policy summary. The superintendent shall also promulgate
by regulation standards governing the content, format and use of
illustrations of individual life insurance policies and certain group
life insurance policies and certificates, life insurance policies
subject to section four thousand two hundred thirty-two of this chapter,
variable life insurance policies under which the death benefits and cash
values vary in accordance with the unit values of investments held in a
separate account and individual annuities, individual funding
agreements, variable annuities, and group annuity contracts if any
certificate is issued to which paragraph two of subsection (b) of
section four thousand two hundred twenty-three of this chapter applies.
The illustration regulation shall be consistent, to the greatest extent
practicable and in the public interest as determined by the
superintendent, with the illustration regulations as adopted by the
national association of insurance commissioners. The superintendent in
developing regulations to govern the content and format of the
preliminary information, policy summary and illustrations shall ensure
that such forms are presented in an easy, concise and meaningful way to
enable consumers to understand the operation of the policy or contract.
(l) An insurer of any life insurance policy or annuity contract
subject to this section shall notify the superintendent whether its
policies or contract forms have been or will be marketed with or without
an illustration. For those policies and contracts marketed with an
illustration which complies with the regulations promulgated pursuant to
subsection (k) of this section, no preliminary information or policy
summary shall be required. For those policies which are not marketed
with an illustration, the preliminary information and policy summary
shall be provided pursuant to the provisions of this section.
(m) The superintendent, by regulation, shall determine the
applicability of the illustration regulation promulgated pursuant to
subsection (k) of this section to group life insurance policies and
group annuities and funding agreements. Such determination shall be
consistent, to the greatest extent practicable and in the public
interest, with the illustration regulations as adopted by the national
association of insurance commissioners.
(n) The effective dates of this section as applied to policies of life
insurance, annuity contracts, and funding agreements shall be as
follows:
(1) for individual life insurance policies, certain group life
insurance policies and certificates and life insurance policies subject
to section four thousand two hundred thirty-two of this chapter, January
first, nineteen hundred ninety-eight;
(2) for annuities and funding agreements, the date of promulgation of
regulations by the superintendent pursuant to subsection (k) of this
section but not later than June thirty, nineteen hundred ninety-eight;
(3) for variable life insurance policies and variable annuities, the
date of promulgation of regulations by the superintendent but not later
than January first, nineteen hundred ninety-nine.

No less than three months prior to promulgating the regulations
required to implement subsection (k) of this section pursuant to
paragraphs two and three of this subsection, the superintendent shall
hold public hearings on such regulations.

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