§ 20-3211 — Contract requirements; execution; rescission; definition

Arizona § 20-3211

• Jurisdiction: Arizona
• Title 20: Arizona Revised Statutes
• Ch. 22: LIFE SETTLEMENTS
• Art. 1: General Provisions

Text

A. A provider entering into a life settlement contract with any owner of a policy in which the insured is terminally ill shall first obtain the following:

1. If the owner is the insured, a written statement from a licensed attending physician that the owner is of sound mind and under no constraint or undue influence to enter into a settlement contract.

2. A document in which the insured consents to the release of the insured's medical records to a provider, settlement broker or insurance producer and, if the policy was issued less than two years from the date of application for a settlement contract, to the insurance company that issued the policy.

B. The insurer shall respond to a request for verification of coverage submitted by a provider, settlement broker or life insurance producer not later than thirty calendar days from the date the request is received. The request for verification of coverage must be made on a form approved by the director. The insurer shall complete and issue the verification of coverage or indicate in which respects it is unable to respond. In the insurer's response, the insurer shall indicate whether, based on the medical evidence and documents provided, the insurer intends to pursue an investigation at this time regarding the validity of the insurance contract.

C. Before or at the time of execution of the settlement contract, the provider shall obtain a witnessed document in which the owner consents to the settlement contract, represents that the owner has a full and complete understanding of the settlement contract and a full and complete understanding of the benefits of the policy, acknowledges that the owner is entering into the settlement contract freely and voluntarily and, for persons with a chronic illness or terminal illness or condition, acknowledges that the insured has a chronic illness or a terminal illness or condition and that the chronic illness or the terminal illness or condition was diagnosed after the policy was issued.

D. The insurer shall not unreasonably delay effecting change of ownership or beneficiary with any life settlement contract lawfully entered into in this state or with a resident of this state.

E. If a life settlement broker or life insurance producer performs any of these activities required of the provider, the provider is deemed to have fulfilled the requirements of this section.

F. If a broker performs the verification of coverage activities required of the provider, the provider is deemed to have fulfilled the requirements of this section.

G. Within twenty days after an owner executes the life settlement contract, the provider shall give written notice to the insurer that issued the insurance policy that the policy is subject to a life settlement contract. The notice shall be accompanied by the documents required by section 20-3204, subsection C.

H. All medical information solicited or obtained by any licensee is subject to any applicable law relating to confidentiality of medical information.

I. All life settlement contracts entered into in this state shall provide that the owner may rescind the contract on or before fifteen days after the date it is executed by all parties and the owner has received all required disclosures. Rescission, if exercised by the owner, is effective only if both notice of the rescission is given and the owner repays all proceeds and any premiums, loans and loan interest paid on account of the provider within the rescission period. If the insured dies during the rescission period, the contract shall be deemed to have been rescinded subject to repayment by the owner or the owner's estate of all proceeds and any premiums, loans and loan interest to the provider.

J. Within three business days after receipt from the owner of documents to effect the transfer of the insurance policy, the provider shall pay the proceeds of the settlement to an escrow or trust account managed by a trustee or escrow agent in a state or federally chartered financial institution pending acknowledgment of the transfer by the issuer of the policy. The trustee or escrow agent shall transfer the proceeds due to the owner within three business days after acknowledgment of the transfer from the insurer.

K. Failure to tender the life settlement contract proceeds to the owner by the date disclosed to the owner renders the contract voidable by the owner for lack of consideration until the time the proceeds are tendered to and accepted by the owner. The failure to give written notice of the right of rescission tolls the right of rescission until thirty days after the written notice of the right of rescission has been given.

L. Any fee paid by a provider, party, individual or owner to a broker in exchange for services provided to the owner pertaining to a life settlement contract shall be computed as a percentage of the offer obtained and not the face value of the policy. This section does not prohibit a broker from reducing the broker's fee below this percentage if the broker so chooses.

M. The broker shall disclose to the owner anything of value paid or given to a broker that relates to a life settlement contract.

N. At any time before or at the time of the application for or issuance of a policy or during a two-year period commencing with the date of issuance of the policy, a person shall not enter into a life settlement regardless of the date the compensation is to be provided and regardless of the date the assignment, transfer, sale, devise, bequest or surrender of the policy is to occur. This prohibition does not apply if:

1. The owner certifies to the provider that the policy was issued on the owner's exercise of conversion rights arising out of a group or individual policy if the total of the time covered under the conversion policy plus the time covered under the prior policy is at least twenty-four months. The time covered under a group policy must be calculated without regard to a change in insurance carriers if the coverage has been continuous and under the same group sponsorship.

2. The owner submits independent evidence to the provider that one or more of the following conditions have been met within the two-year period:

(a) The owner or insured is terminally ill.

(b) The owner or insured disposes of ownership interests in a closely held corporation pursuant to the terms of a buyout or other similar agreement in effect at the time the insurance policy was initially issued.

(c) The owner's spouse dies.

(d) The owner divorces the owner's spouse.

(e) The owner retires from full-time employment.

(f) The owner becomes a person with a physical or mental disability and a physician determines that the disability prevents the owner from maintaining full-time employment.

(g) On the application of a creditor of the owner, a court of competent jurisdiction enters a final order, judgment or decree adjudicating the owner bankrupt or insolvent, or approving a petition seeking reorganization of the owner or appointing a receiver, trustee or liquidator to all or a substantial part of the owner's assets.

O. The provider shall submit copies of the independent evidence required by subsection N, paragraph 2 of this section when the provider submits a request to the insurer for verification of coverage. The copies shall be accompanied by a letter of attestation from the provider that the copies are true and correct copies of the documents received by the provider. This section does not prohibit an insurer from exercising its right to contest the validity of any policy.

P. If the provider submits to the insurer a copy of independent evidence as provided in subsection N, paragraph 2, subdivision (a) of this section when the provider submits a request to the insurer to effect the transfer of the policy to the provider, the copy shall be deemed to establish that the settlement contract satisfies the requirements of this section.

Q. An insurer shall not:

1. Engage in any transaction, act or practice that restricts, limits or impairs the lawful transfer of ownership, change of beneficiary or assignment of a policy.

2. Make any false or misleading statement for the purpose of dissuading an owner or insured from a lawful life settlement contract.

R. If there is more than one owner on a single policy and the owners are residents of different states, the life settlement contract shall be governed by the law of the state in which the owner having the largest percentage ownership resides or, if the owners hold equal ownership, the state of residence of one owner agreed on in writing by all of the owners of the policy. The law of the state of the insured shall govern in the event that equal owners fail to agree in writing on a state of residence for jurisdictional purposes.

S. A provider from this state who enters into a life settlement contract with an owner who is a resident of another state that has enacted statutes or adopted rules governing life settlement contracts shall be governed in the effectuation of that life settlement contract by the statutes and rules of the owner's state of residence. If the state in which the owner is a resident has not enacted statutes or rules governing life settlement contracts, the provider shall give the owner notice that neither state regulates the transaction on which the owner is entering. For transactions in those states, the provider shall maintain all records required if the transactions were executed in the state of residence. The forms used in those states need not be approved by the department.

T. If there is a conflict in the laws that apply to an owner and a purchaser in any individual transaction, the laws of the state that apply to the owner shall take precedence and the provider shall comply with those laws.

U. It is a fraudulent life settlement act and a violation of this chapter for any person to do any of the following or any of the acts listed in subsection X of this section:

1. Enter into a life settlement contract if a person knows or reasonably should have known that the life insurance policy was obtained by means of a false, deceptive or misleading application for the policy.

2. Engage in any transaction, practice or course of business if a person knows or reasonably should have known that the intent was to avoid the notice requirements of this section.

3. Engage in any fraudulent act or practice in connection with any transaction relating to any settlement involving an owner who is a resident of this state.

4. Fail to provide the disclosures or file the required reports with the director as required by this chapter.

5. Issue, solicit or market the purchase of a new life insurance policy for the sole purpose of, or with a primary emphasis on, settling the policy.

6. With respect to any settlement contract or insurance policy and a broker, knowingly solicit an offer from, effectuate a life settlement contract with or make a sale to any provider, financing entity or related provider trust that is controlling, controlled by or under common control with a broker, unless the relationship has been fully disclosed to the owner.

7. With respect to any life settlement contract or insurance policy and a provider, knowingly enter into a life settlement contract with an owner if, in connection with a life settlement contract, anything of value will be paid to a broker that is controlling, controlled by or under common control with a provider or the financing entity or related provider trust that is involved in a settlement contract, unless the relationship has been fully disclosed to the owner.

8. With respect to a provider, enter into a life settlement contract unless the life settlement promotional, advertising and marketing materials, have been filed with the director as may be prescribed by rule. The marketing materials shall not expressly reference that the insurance is free for any period of time. The inclusion of any reference in the marketing materials that would cause an owner to reasonably believe that the insurance is free for any period of time is a violation of this chapter.

9. With respect to any life insurance producer, insurance company, broker or provider, make any statement or representation to the applicant or policyholder in connection with the sale or financing of a life insurance policy to the effect that the insurance is free or without cost to the policyholder for any period of time unless provided in the policy.

V. Life settlement contracts and applications for life settlement contracts, regardless of the form of transmission, shall contain the following statement or a substantially similar statement:

Any person who knowingly presents false information in an application for insurance or for a life settlement contract may be subject to criminal or civil liability.

W. The lack of a statement as required by subsection V of this section does not constitute a defense in any prosecution for a fraudulent life settlement act.

X. For the purposes of this section, "fraudulent life settlement act" includes all of the following:

1. Acts or omissions committed by any person who, for the purpose of depriving another of property or for pecuniary gain, commits or permits his employees or agents to engage in acts, including the following:

(a) Presenting, causing to be presented or preparing with knowledge and belief that it will be presented to or by a provider, premium finance lender, broker, insurer or insurance producer or any other person, false material information, or concealing material information as part of, in support of or concerning a fact material to one or more of the following:

(i) An application for the issuance of a life settlement contract or insurance policy.

(ii) The underwriting of a life settlement contract or insurance policy.

(iii) A claim for payment or benefit pursuant to a life settlement contract or insurance policy.

(iv) Premiums paid on an insurance policy.

(v) Payments and changes in ownership or beneficiary made according to the terms of a life settlement contract or insurance policy.

(vi) The reinstatement or conversion of an insurance policy.

(vii) The solicitation, offer to enter into or effectuation of a life settlement contract or insurance policy.

(viii) The issuance of written evidence of life settlement contracts or insurance and any application for or the existence of or any payments related to a loan secured directly or indirectly by any interest in a life insurance policy.

(b) Employing any device, scheme or artifice to defraud in the business of life settlements.

(c) Entering into any intentional practice or plan that involves stranger originated life insurance as prescribed in section 20-443.02.

(d) Employing any device, scheme or artifice in violation of section 20-1104.

(e) If providing premium financing, receiving any proceeds, fees or other consideration from the policy or owner of the policy that are in addition to the amounts required to pay principal, interest and any costs or expenses incurred by the lender or borrower in connection with the premium finance agreement, except for a default, unless the default on such a loan or transfer of the policy occurs pursuant to an agreement or understanding with any other person for the purpose of evading regulation under this chapter. Any payments, charges, fees or other amounts received by a person providing premium financing in violation of this subdivision shall be remitted to the original owner of the policy or to the original owner's estate if the original owner is not living at the time of the determination of overpayment.

2. If a person does any of the following or permits the person's employees or agents to do any of the following, in the furtherance of a fraud or to prevent the detection of a fraud:

(a) Remove, conceal, alter, destroy or sequester from the director the assets or records of a licensee or other person engaged in the business of life settlements.

(b) Misrepresent or conceal the financial condition of a licensee, financing entity, insurer or other person.

(c) Transact the business of life settlements in violation of any law requiring a license, certificate of authority or other legal authority for the transaction of the business of life settlements.

(d) File with the director or the chief insurance regulatory official of another jurisdiction a document containing false information or otherwise conceal information about a material fact from the director.

(e) Engage in embezzlement, theft, misappropriation or conversion of moneys, funds, premiums, credits or other property of a provider, insurer, insured, owner, insurance policy owner or any other person engaged in the business of life settlements or insurance.

(f) Enter into, broker or otherwise deal in a life settlement contract that was obtained by presenting false information concerning any fact material to the policy or by concealing, for the purpose of misleading another, information requested concerning any fact material to the policy where the owner or the owner's agent intended to defraud the policy's issuer.

(g) Attempt to commit, assist, aid or abet in the commission of, or conspiracy to commit the acts or omissions specified in this paragraph.

(h) Misrepresent the state of residence of an owner to be a state or jurisdiction that does not have a law substantially similar to this chapter for the purpose of evading or avoiding the provisions of this chapter.