56-50-112 - Prohibited practices and conflicts of interest. - Tennessee Statutes

56-50-112 Prohibited practices and conflicts of interest.

(a)  With respect to any viatical settlement contract or insurance policy, no viatical settlement broker knowingly shall solicit an offer from, effectuate a viatical settlement with or make a sale to any viatical settlement provider, viatical settlement purchaser, viatical settlement investment agent, financing entity or related provider trust that is controlling, controlled by or under common control with such viatical settlement broker unless disclosed to the viator pursuant to this chapter.

(b)  With respect to any viatical settlement contract or insurance policy, no viatical settlement provider knowingly may enter into a viatical settlement contract with a viator, if, in connection with such viatical settlement contract, anything of value will be paid to a viatical settlement broker that is controlling, controlled by or under common control with such viatical settlement provider or the viatical settlement purchaser, viatical settlement investment agent, financing entity or related provider trust that is involved in such viatical settlement contract unless disclosed to the viator pursuant to this chapter.

(c)  A viatical settlement provider shall not enter into a premium finance agreement with any person or agency, or any person affiliated with such person or agency, pursuant to which such person or agency shall receive any proceeds, fees or other consideration, directly or indirectly, from the policy or owner of the policy or any other person with respect to the premium finance agreement or any viatical settlement contract or other transaction related to such policy that are in addition to the amounts required to pay the principal, interest and service charges related to policy premiums pursuant to the premium finance agreement or subsequent sale of such agreement. Any payments, charges, fees, normal insurance commissions or other amounts, in addition to the amounts required to pay the principal, interest, and service charges related to policy premiums paid under the premium finance agreement, 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 the overpayment.

(d)  A violation of subsection (a) or (b) shall be deemed a fraudulent viatical settlement act.

(e)  A person shall not issue, solicit, market or otherwise promote the purchase of an insurance policy for the sole purpose of or with a primary emphasis on settling the policy.

(f)  A person, including, without limitation, a viatical settlement provider providing premium financing, shall not receive any proceeds, fees or other consideration from the policy or owner of the policy that is 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 the event of a default, unless either the default on such 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, including, without limitation, a viatical settlement provider providing premium financing in violation of this subsection (f), 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.

(g)  In the solicitation, application for or issuance of a life insurance policy, a person shall not employ any device, scheme or artifice to create an insurable interest in the life of a person except as allowed by law.

(h)  No viatical settlement provider shall enter into a viatical settlement contract unless the viatical settlement promotional, advertising and marketing materials, as may be prescribed by regulation, have been filed with the commissioner. In no event shall any marketing materials expressly reference that the insurance is free for any period of time. The inclusion of any reference in the marketing materials that would cause a viator to reasonably believe that the insurance is free for any period of time shall be considered a violation of this chapter.

(i)  No life insurance producer, insurance company, viatical settlement broker, viatical settlement provider or viatical settlement investment agent shall 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.

[Acts 2009, ch. 604, § 13.]