§ 44-1108 — Disclosure; requirements; rights of viator

(1) With each application for a viatical settlement, a viatical settlement provider or viatical settlement broker shall provide the viator with at least the disclosures required by this section no later than the time the application for the viatical settlement contract is signed by all parties. The disclosures shall be provided in a separate document that is signed by the viator and the viatical settlement provider or viatical settlement broker and shall provide the following information:
(a) Possible alternatives to viatical settlement contracts, including any accelerated death benefits or policy loans offered under the viator's life insurance policy;
(b) Some or all of the proceeds of the viatical settlement may be taxable under federal income tax laws and state franchise and income tax laws, and assistance should be sought from a professional tax advisor;
(c) Proceeds from the viatical settlement could be subject to the claims of creditors;
(d) Receipt of the proceeds from a viatical settlement may adversely effect the viator's eligibility for medicaid or other government benefits or entitlements, and advice should be obtained from the appropriate government agencies;
(e) A viatical settlement broker represents exclusively the viator, not the insurer or the viatical settlement provider, and owes a fiduciary duty to the viator, including a duty to act according to the viator's instructions and in the best interest of the viator;
(f) The viator has the right to rescind the viatical settlement contract before the earlier of sixty calendar days after the date on which the viatical settlement contract is executed by all parties or thirty calendar days after the viatical settlement proceeds have been paid to the viator as provided in subsection (3) of section 44-1109 . Rescission, if exercised by the viator, is effective only if both notice of the rescission is given and the viator repays all proceeds and any premiums, loans, and loan interest paid on account of the viatical settlement within the rescission period. If the insured dies during the rescission period, the viatical settlement contract shall be deemed to have been rescinded by the viator or the viator's estate. If a viatical settlement contract is rescinded, all viatical settlement proceeds and any premiums paid by the viatical settlement provider or purchaser shall be repaid to the viatical settlement provider or purchaser within sixty days of such rescission;
(g) Funds will be sent to the viator within three business days after the viatical settlement provider has received the insurer or group administrator's written acknowledgment that the ownership of the policy or interest in the certificate has been transferred and the beneficiary has been designated;
(h) Entering into a viatical settlement contract may cause other rights or benefits, including conversion rights and waiver of premium benefits, that may exist under the policy or certificate to be forfeited by the viator, and assistance should be sought from a financial advisor;
(i) A brochure describing the process of viatical settlements. The National Association of Insurance Commissioners' form for the brochure shall be used unless one is developed by the director; and
(j) Following the execution of a viatical settlement contract, the insured may be contacted for the purpose of determining the insured's health status and to confirm the insured's residential or business street address and telephone number, or as otherwise provided under the Viatical Settlements Act. This contact is limited to once every six months if the insured has a life expectancy of more than one year, and no more than once every three months if the insured has a life expectancy of one year or less. All such contacts shall be made only by a viatical settlement provider licensed in the state in which the viator resided at the time of the viatical settlement or by the authorized representative of the viatical settlement provider.
The disclosure document shall contain the following language: All medical, financial, or personal information solicited or obtained by a viatical settlement provider or viatical settlement broker about you, the insured, including your identity or the identity of family members, a spouse, or a significant other, may be disclosed as necessary to effect the viatical settlement between the viator and the viatical settlement provider. If you are asked to provide this information, you will be asked to consent to the disclosure. The information may be provided to someone who buys the policy or provides funds for the purchase. You may be asked to renew your permission to share information every two years.
(2) A viatical settlement provider shall provide the viator with at least the following disclosures no later than the date the viatical settlement contract is signed by all parties. The disclosures shall be conspicuously displayed in the viatical settlement contract or in a separate document signed by the viator and provide the following information:
(a) The affiliation, if any, between the viatical settlement provider and the issuer of the insurance policy to be viaticated;
(b) The name, business address, and telephone number of the viatical settlement provider;
(c) Any affiliations or contractual arrangements between the viatical settlement provider and the viatical settlement purchaser;
(d) If an insurance policy to be viaticated has been issued as a joint policy or involves family riders or any coverage of a life other than the insured under the policy to be viaticated, there is the possibility of a loss of coverage on the other lives under the policy, and consultation with an insurance producer or the insurer issuing the policy for advice on the proposed viatical settlement is advised;
(e) The dollar amount of the current death benefit payable to the viatical settlement provider under the policy or certificate and, if known, the availability of any additional guaranteed insurance benefits, the dollar amount of any accidental death and dismemberment benefits under the policy or certificate, and the extent to which the viator's interest in those benefits will be transferred as a result of the viatical settlement contract; and
(f) Whether the funds will be escrowed with an independent third party during the transfer process, and if so, provide the name, business address, and telephone number of the independent third-party escrow agent. The viator or owner may inspect or receive copies of the relevant escrow or trust agreements or documents.
(3) A viatical settlement broker shall provide the viator with at least the following disclosures no later than the date the viatical settlement contract is signed by all parties. The disclosures shall be conspicuously displayed in the viatical settlement contract or in a separate document signed by the viator and provide the following information:
(a) The name, business address, and telephone number of the viatical settlement broker;
(b) A full, complete, and accurate description of all offers, counter-offers, acceptances, and rejections relating to the proposed viatical settlement contract;
(c) A written disclosure of any affiliations or contractual arrangements between the viatical settlement broker and any person making an offer in connection with the proposed viatical settlement contracts;
(d) The amount and method of calculating the viatical settlement broker's compensation. Compensation includes anything of value paid or given to a viatical settlement broker for the placement of a policy; and
(e) If any portion of the viatical settlement broker's compensation is taken from a proposed viatical settlement offer, the viatical settlement broker shall disclose the total amount of the viatical settlement offer and the percentage of the viatical settlement offer comprised by the viatical settlement broker's compensation.
(4) If the viatical settlement provider transfers ownership or changes the beneficiary of the insurance policy, the provider shall communicate in writing the change in ownership or beneficiary to the insured within twenty days after the change.

Legislative History

Source: Laws 2001, LB 52, § 34; Laws 2008, LB853, § 8.