Revised Code of Washington
Chapter 48.74 - Standard Valuation Law.
48.74.030 - Minimum standard for valuation.

RCW 48.74.030
Minimum standard for valuation.

(1) Except as provided in subsections (2) and (3) of this section, or in RCW 48.74.090, the minimum standard for the valuation of all such policies and contracts issued prior to July 10, 1982, shall be that provided by the laws in effect immediately prior to such date. Except as otherwise provided in subsections (2) and (3) of this section, or in RCW 48.74.090, the minimum standard for the valuation of all such policies and contracts issued on or after July 10, 1982, shall be the commissioner's reserve valuation methods defined in RCW 48.74.040, 48.74.070, and 48.74.090, three and one-half percent interest, or in the case of life insurance policies and contracts, other than annuity and pure endowment contracts, issued on or after July 16, 1973, four percent interest for such policies issued prior to September 1, 1979, five and one-half percent interest for single premium life insurance policies and four and one-half percent interest for all other such policies issued on and after September 1, 1979, and the following tables:
(a) For ordinary policies of life insurance issued on the standard basis, excluding any disability and accidental death benefits in such policies—the commissioner's 1941 standard ordinary mortality table for such policies issued prior to the operative date of RCW 48.76.050(5) and the commissioner's 1958 standard ordinary mortality table for such policies issued on or after such operative date and prior to the operative date of RCW 48.76.050(5), except that for any category of such policies issued on female risks, all modified net premiums and present values referred to in this chapter may be calculated according to an age not more than six years younger than the actual age of the insured; and for such policies issued on or after the operative date of RCW 48.76.050(7):
(i) The commissioner's 1980 standard ordinary mortality table;
(ii) At the election of the company for any one or more specified plans of life insurance, the commissioner's 1980 standard ordinary mortality table with ten-year select mortality factors; or
(iii) Any ordinary mortality table, adopted after 1980 by the national association of insurance commissioners, that is approved by regulation promulgated by the commissioner for use in determining the minimum standard of valuation for such policies.
(b) For all industrial life insurance policies issued on the standard basis, excluding any disability and accidental death benefits in such policies—the 1941 standard industrial mortality table for such policies issued prior to the operative date of RCW 48.76.050(6), and for such policies issued on or after such operative date of RCW 48.76.050(6), the commissioner's 1961 standard industrial mortality table or any industrial mortality table, adopted after 1980 by the national association of insurance commissioners, that is approved by rule of the commissioner for use in determining the minimum standard of valuation for such policies.
(c) For individual annuity and pure endowment contracts, excluding any disability and accidental death benefits in such policies—the 1937 standard annuity mortality table or, at the option of the company, the annuity mortality table for 1949, ultimate, or any modification of either of these tables approved by the commissioner.
(d) For group annuity and pure endowment contracts, excluding any disability and accidental death benefits in such policies—the group annuity mortality table for 1951, any modification of such table approved by the commissioner, or, at the option of the company, any of the tables or modifications of tables specified for individual annuity and pure endowment contracts.
(e) For total and permanent disability benefits in or supplementary to ordinary policies or contracts—for policies or contracts issued on or after January 1, 1966, the tables of period 2 disablement rates and the 1930 to 1950 termination rates of the 1952 disability study of the Society of Actuaries, with due regard to the type of benefit or any tables of disablement rates and termination rates, adopted after 1980 by the national association of insurance commissioners, that are approved by regulation promulgated by the commissioner for use in determining the minimum standard of valuation for such policies; for policies or contracts issued on or after January 1, 1961, and prior to January 1, 1966, either such tables or, at the option of the company, the class (3) disability table (1926); and for policies issued prior to January 1, 1961, the class (3) disability table (1926). Any such table shall, for active lives, be combined with a mortality table permitted for calculating the reserves for life insurance policies.
(f) For accidental death benefits in or supplementary to policies—for policies issued on or after January 1, 1966, the 1959 accidental death benefits table or any accidental death benefits table, adopted after 1980 by the national association of insurance commissioners, that is approved by regulation promulgated by the commissioner for use in determining the minimum standard of valuation for such policies; for policies issued on or after January 1, 1961, and prior to January 1, 1966, either such table or, at the option of the company, the intercompany double indemnity mortality table; and for policies issued prior to January 1, 1961, the intercompany double indemnity mortality table. Either table shall be combined with a mortality table permitted for calculating the reserves for life insurance policies.
(g) For group life insurance, life insurance issued on the substandard basis and other special benefits—such tables as may be approved by the commissioner.
(2) Except as provided in subsection (3) of this section, the minimum standard valuation for individual annuity and pure endowment contracts issued on or after July 10, 1982, and for all annuities and pure endowments purchased on or after such effective date under group annuity and pure endowment contracts, shall be the commissioner's reserve valuation methods defined in RCW 48.74.040 and the following tables and interest rates:
(a) For individual annuity and pure endowment contracts issued before September 1, 1979, excluding any disability and accidental death benefit in such contracts—the 1971 individual annuity mortality table, or any modification of this table approved by the commissioner, and six percent interest for single premium immediate annuity contracts, and four percent interest for all other individual annuity and pure endowment contracts.
(b) For individual single premium immediate annuity contracts issued on or after September 1, 1979, excluding any disability and accidental death benefits in such contracts—the 1971 individual annuity mortality table or any individual annuity mortality table, adopted after 1980 by the national association of insurance commissioners, that is approved by regulation promulgated by the commissioner for use in determining the minimum standard of valuation for such contracts, or any modification of these tables approved by the commissioner, and seven and one-half percent interest.
(c) For individual annuity and pure endowment contracts issued on or after September 1, 1979, other than single premium immediate annuity contracts, excluding any disability and accidental death benefits in such contracts—the 1971 individual annuity mortality table or any individual annuity mortality table, adopted after 1980 by the national association of insurance commissioners, that is approved by regulation promulgated by the commissioner for use in determining the minimum standard of valuation for such contracts, or any modification of these tables approved by the commissioner, and five and one-half percent interest for single premium deferred annuity and pure endowment contracts and four and one-half percent interest for all other such individual annuity and pure endowment contracts.
(d) For all annuities and pure endowments purchased prior to September 1, 1979, under group annuity and pure endowment contracts, excluding any disability and accidental death benefits purchased under such contracts—the 1971 group annuity mortality table, or any modification of this table approved by the commissioner, and six percent interest.
(e) For all annuities and pure endowments purchased on or after September 1, 1979, under group annuity and pure endowment contracts, excluding any disability and accidental death benefits purchased under such contracts—the 1971 group annuity mortality table or any group annuity mortality table, adopted after 1980 by the national association of insurance commissioners, that is approved by regulation promulgated by the commissioner for use in determining the minimum standard of valuation for such annuities and pure endowments, or any modification of these tables approved by the commissioner, and seven and one-half percent interest.
After July 16, 1973, any company may file with the commissioner a written notice of its election to comply with the provisions of this section after a specified date before January 1, 1979, which shall be the operative date of this section for such company. If a company makes no such election, the operative date of this section for such company shall be January 1, 1979.
(3)(a) The interest rates used in determining the minimum standard for the valuation of:
(i) Life insurance policies issued in a particular calendar year, on or after the operative date of RCW 48.76.050(7);
(ii) Individual annuity and pure endowment contracts issued in a particular calendar year on or after January 1, 1982;
(iii) Annuities and pure endowments purchased in a particular calendar year on or after January 1, 1982, under group annuity and pure endowment contracts; and
(iv) The net increase, if any, in a particular calendar year after January 1, 1982, in amounts held under guaranteed interest contracts shall be the calendar year statutory valuation interest rates as defined in this section.
(b) The calendar year statutory valuation interest rates, I, shall be determined as follows and the results rounded to the nearer one-quarter of one percent:
(i) For life insurance:
I = .03 + W (R1 - .03) + W/2 (R2 - .09);
(ii) For single premium immediate annuities and for annuity benefits involving life contingencies arising from other annuities with cash settlement options and from guaranteed interest contracts with cash settlement options:
I = .03 + W (R - .03)
where R1 is the lesser of R and .09,
R2 is the greater of R and .09,
R is the reference interest rate defined in this section, and
W is the weighting factor defined in this section;
(iii) For other annuities with cash settlement options and guaranteed interest contracts with cash settlement options, valued on an issue year basis, except as stated in (b)(ii) of this subsection, the formula for life insurance stated in (b)(i) of this subsection shall apply to annuities and guaranteed interest contracts with guarantee durations in excess of ten years and the formula for single premium immediate annuities stated in (b)(ii) of this subsection shall apply to annuities and guaranteed interest contracts with guarantee duration of ten years or less;
(iv) For other annuities with no cash settlement options and for guaranteed interest contracts with no cash settlement options, the formula for single premium immediate annuities stated in (b)(ii) of this subsection shall apply;
(v) For other annuities with cash settlement options and guaranteed interest contracts with cash settlement options, valued on a change in fund basis, the formula for single premium immediate annuities stated in (b)(ii) of this subsection shall apply.
(c) However, if the calendar year statutory valuation interest rate for any life insurance policies issued in any calendar year determined without reference to this sentence differs from the corresponding actual rate for similar policies issued in the immediately preceding calendar year by less than one-half of one percent, the calendar year statutory valuation interest rate for such life insurance policies shall be equal to the corresponding actual rate for the immediately preceding calendar year. For purposes of applying the immediately preceding sentence, the calendar year statutory valuation interest rate for life insurance policies issued in a calendar year shall be determined for 1983 using the reference interest rate defined for 1982 and shall be determined for each subsequent calendar year regardless of when RCW 48.76.050(7) becomes operative.
(d) The weighting factors referred to in the formulas stated in (b) of this subsection are given in the following tables:
(i) Weighting Factors for Life Insurance:

Guarantee Duration
Weighting
(Years)
Factors
10 or less
.50
More than 10, but not more than 20
.45
More than 20
.35

For life insurance, the guarantee duration is the maximum number of years the life insurance can remain in force on a basis guaranteed in the policy or under options to convert to plans of life insurance with premium rates or nonforfeiture values or both which are guaranteed in the original policy;
(ii) Weighting factor for single premium immediate annuities and for annuity benefits involving life contingencies arising from other annuities with cash settlement options and guaranteed interest contracts with cash settlement options: .80;
(iii) Weighting factors for other annuities and for guaranteed interest contracts, except as stated in (d)(ii) of this subsection, shall be as specified in (d)(iii)(A), (B), and (C) of this subsection, according to the rules and definitions in (d)(iii)(D), (E), and (F) of this subsection:
(A) For annuities and guaranteed interest contracts valued on an issue year basis:

Weighting Factor
Guarantee Duration
for Plan Type
(Years)
A
B
C
5 or less:

.80
.60
.50
More than 5, but not more than 10:
.75
.60
.50
More than 10, but not more than 20:
.65
.50
.45
More than 20:
.45
.35
.35

(B) For annuities and guaranteed interest contracts valued on a change in fund basis, the factors shown in (d)(iii)(A) of this subsection increased by:

Plan Type
A
B
C
.15
.25
.05

(C) For annuities and guaranteed interest contracts valued on an issue year basis other than those with no cash settlement options which do not guarantee interest on considerations received more than one year after issue or purchase and for annuities and guaranteed interest contracts valued on a change in fund basis which do not guarantee interest rates on considerations received more than twelve months beyond the valuation date, the factors shown in (d)(iii)(A) of this subsection or derived in (d)(iii)(B) of this subsection increased by:

Plan Type
A
B
C
.05
.05
.05

(D) For other annuities with cash settlement options and guaranteed interest contracts with cash settlement options, the guarantee duration is the number of years for which the contract guarantees interest rates in excess of the calendar year statutory valuation interest rate for life insurance policies with guarantee duration in excess of twenty years. For other annuities with no cash settlement options and for guaranteed interest contracts with no cash settlement options, the guarantee duration is the number of years from the date of issue or date of purchase to the date annuity benefits are scheduled to commence.
(E) Plan type as used in the tables in (d)(iii)(A), (B), and (C) of this subsection is defined as follows:
Plan Type A: At any time a policyholder may withdraw funds only: (1) With an adjustment to reflect changes in interest rates or asset values since receipt of the funds by the insurance company; or (2) without such adjustment but in installments over five years or more; or (3) as an immediate life annuity; or (4) no withdrawal permitted.
Plan Type B: Before expiration of the interest rate guarantee, a policyholder may withdraw funds only: (1) With adjustment to reflect changes in interest rates or asset values since receipt of the funds by the insurance company; or (2) without such adjustment but in installments over five years or more; or (3) no withdrawal permitted. At the end of the interest rate guarantee, funds may be withdrawn without such adjustment in a single sum or installments over less than five years.
Plan Type C: A policyholder may withdraw funds before expiration of the interest rate guarantee in a single sum or installments over less than five years either: (1) Without adjustment to reflect changes in interest rates or asset values since receipt of the funds by the insurance company; or (2) subject only to a fixed surrender charge stipulated in the contract as a percentage of the fund.
(F) A company may elect to value guaranteed interest contracts with cash settlement options and annuities with cash settlement options on either an issue year basis or on a change in fund basis. Guaranteed interest contracts with no cash settlement options and other annuities with no cash settlement options must be valued on an issue year basis. As used in this section, an issue year basis of valuation refers to a valuation basis under which the interest rate used to determine the minimum valuation standard for the entire duration of the annuity or guaranteed interest contract is the calendar year valuation interest rate for the year of issue or year of purchase of the annuity or guaranteed interest contract. The change in fund basis of valuation refers to a valuation basis under which the interest rate used to determine the minimum valuation standard applicable to each change in the fund held under the annuity or guaranteed interest contract is the calendar year valuation interest rate for the year of the change in the fund.
(e) The reference interest rate referred to in (b) and (c) of this subsection is defined as follows:
(i) For life insurance, the lesser of the average over a period of thirty-six months and the average over a period of twelve months, ending on June 30th of the calendar year next preceding the year of issue, of the composite yield on seasoned corporate bonds, as published by Moody's Investors Service, Inc.
(ii) For single premium immediate annuities and for annuity benefits involving life contingencies arising from other annuities with cash settlement options and guaranteed interest contracts with cash settlement options, the average over a period of twelve months, ending on June 30th of the calendar year of issue or year of purchase of the composite yield on seasoned corporate bonds, as published by Moody's Investors Service, Inc.
(iii) For other annuities with cash settlement options and guaranteed interest contracts with cash settlement options, valued on a year of issue basis, except as stated in (e)(ii) of this subsection, with guarantee duration in excess of ten years, the lesser of the average over a period of thirty-six months and the average over a period of twelve months, ending on June 30th of the calendar year of issue or purchase, of the monthly average of the composite yield on seasoned corporate bonds, as published by Moody's Investors Service, Inc.
(iv) For other annuities with cash settlement options and guaranteed interest contracts with cash settlement options, valued on a year of issue basis, except as stated in (e)(ii) of this subsection, with guarantee duration of ten years or less, the average over a period of twelve months, ending on June 30th of the calendar year of issue or purchase, of the monthly average of the composite yield on seasoned corporate bonds, as published by Moody's Investors Service, Inc.
(v) For other annuities with no cash settlement options and for guaranteed interest contracts with no cash settlement options, the average over a period of twelve months, ending on June 30th of the calendar year of issue or purchase, of the monthly average of the composite yield on seasoned corporate bonds, as published by Moody's Investors Service, Inc.
(vi) For other annuities with cash settlement options and guaranteed interest contracts with cash settlement options, valued on a change in fund basis, except as stated in (e)(ii) of this subsection, the average over a period of twelve months, ending on June 30th of the calendar year of the change in the fund, of the monthly average of the composite yield on seasoned corporate bonds, as published by Moody's Investors Service, Inc.
(f) If the monthly average of the composite yield on seasoned corporate bonds is no longer published by Moody's Investors Service, Inc., or if the national association of insurance commissioners determines that the monthly average of the composite yield on seasoned corporate bonds as published by Moody's Investors Service, Inc. is no longer appropriate for the determination of the reference interest rate, then an alternative method for determination of the reference interest rate, which is adopted by the national association of insurance commissioners and approved by rule adopted by the commissioner, may be substituted.

[ 2016 c 142 § 8; 1993 c 462 § 86; 1982 1st ex.s. c 9 § 3.]
NOTES:

Effective date—2016 c 142: See note following RCW 48.74.010.