Current through Register Vol. 48, No. 18,
September 15, 2023
(1) Unfair Trade
Practices on a Military Installation.
(A)
Untrue, Deceptive or Misleading Representations. The following acts or
practices in connection with the solicitation, offer to sell or sale to a
service member when committed on a military installation by an insurer or
insurance producer with respect to the in-person, face-to-face solicitation of
life insurance constitute a deceptive sales practice under section
375.144,
RSMo or an unfair trade practice under section
375.936(4),
RSMo:
1. Knowingly soliciting the purchase of
any life insurance product "door to door" or without first establishing a
specific appointment for each meeting with the prospective purchaser;
2. Soliciting service members in a group or
"mass" audience or in a "captive" audience where attendance is not
voluntary;
3. Knowingly making
appointments with or soliciting service members during their normally scheduled
duty hours;
4. Making appointments
with or soliciting service members in barracks, day rooms, unit areas, or
transient personnel housing or other areas where the installation commander has
prohibited solicitation;
5.
Soliciting the sale of life insurance without first obtaining permission from
the installation commander or the commander's designee;
6. Posting unauthorized bulletins, notices or
advertisements;
7. Failing to
present DD Form 2885, Personal Commercial Solicitation Evaluation, to service
members solicited or encouraging service members solicited not to complete or
submit a DD Form 2885; or
8.
Knowingly accepting an application for life insurance or issuing a policy of
life insurance on the life of an enlisted member of the United States Armed
Forces without first obtaining for the insurer's files a completed copy of any
required form which confirms that the applicant has received counseling or
fulfilled any other similar requirement for the sale of life insurance
established by regulations, directives or rules of the Department of Defense
(DoD) or any branch of the Armed Forces.
(B) Rebate or other Consideration or
Inducement not in Contract. The following acts or practices in connection with
the solicitation, offer to sell or sale to a service member when committed on a
military installation by an insurer or insurance producer constitute unfair
trade practices under section
375.936(9),
RSMo:
1. Using DoD personnel, directly or
indirectly, as a representative or agent in any official or business capacity
with or without compensation with respect to the solicitation or sale of life
insurance to service members; or
2.
Using an insurance producer to participate in any United States Armed Forces
sponsored education or orientation program.
(2) Unfair Trade Practices Regardless of
Location.
(A) Untrue, Deceptive or Misleading
Representations Concerning Banking. The following acts or practices in
connection with the solicitation, offer to sell or sale to a service member
constitute a deceptive sales practice under section
375.144,
RSMo or an unfair trade practice under section
375.936(4),
RSMo:
1. Submitting, processing or assisting
in the submission or processing of any allotment form or similar device used by
the United States Armed Forces to direct a service member's pay to a third
party for the purchase of life insurance. The foregoing includes, but is not
limited to, using or assisting in using a service member's "MyPay" account or
other similar Internet or electronic medium for such purposes. This subsection
does not prohibit assisting a service member by providing insurer or premium
information necessary to complete any allotment form;
2. Knowingly receiving funds from a service
member for the payment of premium from a depository institution with which the
service member has no formal banking relationship. For purposes of this
section, a formal banking relationship is established when the depository
institution:
A. Provides the service member a
deposit agreement and periodic statements and makes the disclosures required by
the Truth in Savings Act, 12 U.S.C. section 4301 et seq. and the regulations
promulgated thereunder; and
B.
Permits the service member to make deposits and withdrawals unrelated to the
payment or processing of insurance premiums;
3. Employing any device or method or entering
into any agreement whereby funds received from a service member by allotment
for the payment of insurance premiums are identified on the service member's
Leave and Earnings Statement or equivalent or successor form as "Savings" or
"Checking" and where the service member has no formal banking relationship as
defined in paragraph (2)(A)2.; or
4. Entering into any agreement with a
depository institution for the purpose of receiving funds from a service member
whereby the depository institution, with or without compensation, agrees to
accept direct deposits from a service member with whom it has no formal banking
relationship as defined in paragraph (2)(A)2.
(B) Rebate or other Consideration or
Inducement not in Contract. The following acts or practices in connection with
the solicitation, offer to sell or sale to a service member constitute a
deceptive sales practice under section
375.144,
RSMo or an unfair trade practice under section
375.936(9),
RSMo:
1. Using DoD personnel, directly or
indirectly, as a representative or agent in any official or unofficial capacity
with or without compensation with respect to the solicitation or sale of life
insurance to service members who are junior in rank or grade, or to the family
members of such personnel;
2.
Offering or giving anything of value, directly or indirectly, to DoD personnel
to procure their assistance in encouraging, assisting or facilitating the
solicitation or sale of life insurance to another service member;
3. Knowingly offering or giving anything of
value to a service member with a pay grade of E-4 or below for his or her
attendance to any event where an application for life insurance is solicited;
or
4. Advising a service member
with a pay grade of E-4 or below to change his or her income tax withholding or
state of legal residence for the sole purpose of increasing disposable income
to purchase life insurance.
(C) Untrue, Deceptive or Misleading
Representations Concerning Source, Sponsorship, Approval or Affiliation. The
following acts or practices in connection with the solicitation, offer to sell
or sale to a service member constitute a deceptive sales practice under section
375.144,
RSMo or an unfair trade practice under section
375.936(4),
RSMo:
1. Making any representation, or using
any device, title, descriptive name or identifier that has the tendency or
capacity to confuse or mislead a service member into believing that the
insurer, insurance producer or product offered is affiliated, connected or
associated with, endorsed, sponsored, sanctioned or recommended by the U.S.
Government, the United States Armed Forces, or any state or federal agency or
government entity. Examples of prohibited insurance producer titles include,
but are not limited to, "Battalion Insurance Counselor," "Unit Insurance
Advisor," "Servicemen's Group Life Insurance Conversion Consultant" or
"Veteran's Benefits Counselor." Nothing herein shall be construed to prohibit a
person from using a professional designation awarded after the successful
completion of a course of instruction in the business of insurance by an
accredited institution of higher learning. Such designations include, but are
not limited to, Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU), Chartered Financial
Consultant (ChFC), Certified Financial Planner (CFP), Master of Science In
Financial Services (MSFS), or Masters of Science Financial Planning (MS);
or
2. Soliciting the purchase of
any life insurance product through the use of or in conjunction with any third
party organization that promotes the welfare of or assists members of the
United States Armed Forces in a manner that has the tendency or capacity to
confuse or mislead a service member into believing that either the insurer,
insurance producer or insurance product is affiliated, connected or associated
with, endorsed, sponsored, sanctioned or recommended by the U.S. Government, or
the United States Armed Forces.
(D) Untrue, Deceptive or Misleading
Representations Concerning Premiums, Costs or Investment Returns. The following
acts or practices in connection with the solicitation, offer to sell or sale to
a service member constitute a deceptive sales practice under section
375.144,
RSMo or an unfair trade practice under section
375.936(4),
RSMo:
1. Using or describing the credited
interest rate on a life insurance policy in a manner that implies that the
credited interest rate is a net return on premium paid; or
2. Excluding individually issued annuities,
misrepresenting the mortality costs of a life insurance product, including
stating or implying that the product "costs nothing" or is "free."
(E) Untrue, Deceptive or
Misleading Representations Concerning Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance
(SGLI) or Veterans' Group Life Insurance (VGLI). The following acts or
practices in connection with the solicitation, offer to sell or sale to a
service member constitute a deceptive sales practice under section
375.144,
RSMo or an unfair trade practice under section
375.936(4),
RSMo:
1. Making any representation regarding
the availability, suitability, amount, cost, exclusions or limitations to
coverage provided to a service member or dependents by SGLI or VGLI, which is
false, misleading or deceptive;
2.
Making any representation regarding conversion requirements, including the
costs of coverage, or exclusions or limitations to coverage of SGLI or VGLI to
private insurers which is false, misleading or deceptive; or
3. Suggesting, recommending or encouraging a
service member to cancel or terminate his or her SGLI policy or issuing a life
insurance policy which replaces an existing SGLI policy unless the replacement
shall take effect upon or after the service member's separation from the United
States Armed Forces.
(F)
Omission of Material Disclosures. The following acts or practices in connection
with the solicitation, offer to sell or sale to a service member constitute a
deceptive sales practice under section
375.144,
RSMo or an unfair trade practice under section
375.936(4),
RSMo:
1. Deploying, using or contracting for
any lead generating materials designed exclusively for use with service members
that do not clearly and conspicuously disclose that the recipient will be
contacted by an insurance producer, if that is the case, for the purpose of
soliciting the purchase of life insurance;
2. Failing to disclose that a solicitation
for the sale of life insurance will be made when establishing a specific
appointment for an in-person, face-to-face meeting with a prospective
purchaser;
3. Excluding
individually issued annuities, failing to clearly and conspicuously disclose
the fact that the product being sold is life insurance;
4. Failing to make, at the time of sale or
offer to an individual known to be a service member, the written disclosures
required by Section 10 of the "Military Personnel Financial Services Protection
Act,"
Pub.
L. No. 109-290, p.16; or
5. Excluding individually issued annuities,
when the sale is conducted in-person face-to-face with an individual known to
be a service member, failing to provide the applicant at the time the
application is taken:
A. An explanation of
any free look period with instructions on how to cancel if a policy is issued;
and
B. Either a copy of the
application or a written disclosure. The copy of the application or the written
disclosure shall clearly and concisely set out the type of life insurance, the
death benefit applied for and its expected first year cost. A basic
illustration that meets the requirements of sections
375.1500
to
375.1527,
RSMo shall be deemed sufficient to meet this requirement for a written
disclosure.
(G) Omission of Facts Concerning Suitability.
The following acts or practices in connection with the solicitation, offer to
sell or sale to a service member constitute a deceptive sales practice under
section
375.144,
RSMo or an unfair trade practice under section
375.936(4),
RSMo:
1. Excluding individually issued
annuities, recommending the purchase of any life insurance product which
includes a side fund to a service member in pay grades E-4 and below unless the
insurer has reasonable grounds for believing that the life insurance death
benefit, standing alone, is suitable;
2. Offering for sale or selling a life
insurance product which includes a side fund to a service member in pay grades
E-4 and below who is currently enrolled in SGLI, is presumed unsuitable unless,
after the completion of a needs assessment, the insurer demonstrates that the
applicant's SGLI death benefit, together with any other military survivor
benefits, savings and investments, survivor income, and other life insurance
are insufficient to meet the applicant's insurable needs for life
insurance;
3. Excluding
individually issued annuities, offering for sale or selling any life insurance
contract which includes a side fund:
A.
Unless interest credited accrues from the date of deposit to the date of
withdrawal and permits withdrawals without limit or penalty;
B. Unless the applicant has been provided
with a schedule of effective rates of return based upon cash flows of the
combined product. For this disclosure, the effective rate of return will
consider all premiums and cash contributions made by the policyholder and all
cash accumulations and cash surrender values available to the policyholder in
addition to life insurance coverage. This schedule will be provided for at
least each policy year from one to ten (1-10) and for every fifth policy year
thereafter ending at age one hundred (100), policy maturity or final
expiration; and
C. Which by default
diverts or transfers funds accumulated in the side fund to pay, reduce or
offset any premiums due;
4. Excluding individually issued annuities,
offering for sale or selling any life insurance contract which after
considering all policy benefits, including but not limited to endowment, return
of premium or persistency, does not comply with standard nonforfeiture law for
life insurance; or
5. Selling any
life insurance product to an individual known to be a service member that
excludes coverage if the insured's death is related to war, declared or
undeclared, or any act related to military service except for an accidental
death coverage, e.g., double indemnity, which may be excluded.
AUTHORITY: sections
374.045,
375.934,
and
375.936,
RSMo 2000 and section
375.144,
RSMo Supp. 2007.* Original rule filed Nov. 9, 2007, effective June 30, 2008.
*Original authority: 374.045, RSMo 1967, amended 1993,
1995; 375.934, RSMo 1959, amended 1978, 1991; 375.936, RSMo 1959, amended 1967,
1969, 1971, 1976, 1978, 1983, 1991; and 375.144, RSMo
2005.