On February 24th, the NAIC Life Insurance and Annuity (A) Committee (A Committee) adopted amendments to Actuarial Guideline (AG) 49-A to address a concern raised by state insurance regulators regarding the use of...more
On October 12th, the NAIC Life Insurance and Annuity (A) Committee’s Indexed Universal Life (IUL) Illustration (A) Subgroup (IUL Subgroup) exposed for comment four options to amend Actuarial Guideline (AG) 49-A to address a...more
On August 15th, the NAIC’s Life Actuarial (A) Task Force (LATF) re-exposed for comment four options to address a concern raised by state insurance regulators regarding the use of illustrations for indexed universal...more
As anticipated, 2020 has seen a number of fiduciary and best interest advice regulations advance at both the federal and state levels. Firms subject to these regulations face challenges in dealing with rules that impose a...more
4/17/2020
/ Best Interest Standard ,
Broker-Dealer ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
Fiduciary ,
Fiduciary Duty ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Insurance Industry ,
Investment Adviser ,
Retail Investors ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
State Securities Regulators
On March 27, 2020, President Trump signed into law the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (the CARES Act). The CARES Act provides emergency financial relief to individuals, businesses and specific industries...more
The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) held its 2019 Fall National Meeting from December 7 through 10 in Austin, Texas. Notable developments from the Fall National Meeting include:
..Bermuda, Japan and...more
12/27/2019
/ Artificial Intelligence ,
Casualty Insurance ,
Flood Insurance ,
Innovation ,
Insurance Industry ,
Life Insurance ,
Liquidity ,
NAIC ,
Property Insurance ,
Regulatory Standards ,
Reinsurance ,
Stress Tests ,
Technology ,
Terrorism Insurance
The SEC’s new Regulation Best Interest imposes additional recordkeeping requirements on broker-dealers. These additional recordkeeping requirements will need to capture all information collected from and provided to retail...more
As anticipated, this year has seen a number of fiduciary and best interest investment advice regulations advance at both the federal and state levels. Firms subject to these regulations will face challenges in dealing with...more
By all accounts, 2019 will see a number of fiduciary and best interest investment advice regulations advance at both the federal and state levels. Firms subject to these regulations will face challenges in dealing with rules...more
5/21/2019
/ Best Interest Standard ,
Broker-Dealer ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
Fiduciary Duty ,
Fiduciary Rule ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Insurance Industry ,
Investment Adviser ,
Proposed Regulation ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
By all accounts, 2019 will see the advancement of a number of fiduciary and best interest investment advice regulations at both the federal and state levels. Firms subject to these regulations will face challenges in dealing...more
4/2/2019
/ Best Interest Standard ,
Broker-Dealer ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
Fiduciary Duty ,
Fiduciary Rule ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Insurance Industry ,
Investment Adviser ,
Proposed Regulation ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
On December 27, 2017, the New York Department of Financial Services (NYS-DFS), the regulatory authority for the insurance industry in New York, published a proposal (New York Proposal) to add a “best interest” standard to...more
2015 saw approximately one-third of U.S. states join the first state, Maryland, in issuing guidance to property and casualty insurers with respect to price optimization; action by the National Association of Insurance...more
Nearly one-third of the U.S. states have now issued directives on the use of price optimization to determine insurance rates and, to date, most states have taken a skeptical view of the practice. Meanwhile, at the national...more
Regulatory activity on price optimization appears to be coming to a head. The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) Casualty Actuarial and Statistical (C) Task Force is continuing to gather input, with all...more
“Price optimization,” a practice that uses predictive modeling and data analytics in pricing insurance products, continues to draw the attention of state regulators, consumer advocates, and class action plaintiffs. ...more
On January 23, 2015, the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA) released a new white paper outlining the unique and varied challenges broker-dealers face when complying with state unclaimed property...more
Confirming that auditor independence continues to be a regulatory priority, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC or Commission) and the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) issued orders on December 8,...more
On December 1, 2014, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority’s (FINRA) Consolidated Supervision Rules will take effect. The Consolidated Supervision Rules, which were approved by the U.S. Securities and Exchange...more
The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) met for its Fall National Meeting in Washington, D.C. from November 14th through November 19th. As with prior meetings, competition among state, Federal and...more
To ensure that broker-dealers (BDs) do not inadvertently facilitate an unlawful distribution of securities, the Securities and Exchange Commission has long required BDs to conduct a “reasonable inquiry” into the circumstances...more
Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) Member Firms have new language to include in their settlement and confidentiality agreements. On October 9, FINRA released Regulatory Notice (RN) 14-40, warning that firms are...more
The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) met for its Summer National Meeting in Louisville, Kentucky, August 14-19. International regulatory standards were a prime focus of the meeting, as the International...more
Under current Florida insurance laws, branch offices of broker-dealers selling insurance products in Florida are required to either “license” or “register” as agency branches (in addition to satisfying insurance producer...more
On July 30, 2014, the U.S. Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (“FinCEN”) issued proposed rules (the “Proposed Rules”) to clarify and strengthen customer due diligence requirements for banks, securities...more
On July 22, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) approved the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority’s (FINRA) proposed Rule 2081, which prevents firms or associated persons from conditioning settlement or...more