Ohio Revised Code Search

...Within six months after the effective date of this section, the superintendent of insurance shall adopt rules in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code to carry out the purposes of sections 3915.21 to 3915.24 of the Revised Code. The rules shall include criteria for the payment of accelerated benefits, disclosure requirements, and actuarial standards.

... As used in this chapter: (A) "Advertising" means any written, electronic, or printed communication or any communication by means of recorded telephone messages or transmitted on radio, television, the internet, or similar communications media, including, but not limited to, film strips, motion pictures, and videos, that is published, disseminated, circulated, or placed directly or indirectly before the public in ...

... (A) Notwithstanding division (C) of this section, no person shall operate in this state as a viatical settlement provider or viatical settlement broker without first having obtained a license from the superintendent of insurance and, if the owner of the policy to be viaticated is not a resident of this state, from the comparable official of the state of residence of the owner if that state issues licen...

... (A) Except as provided in division (H) of this section, an applicant for a license as a viatical settlement provider or viatical settlement broker shall submit an application for the license in a manner prescribed by the superintendent of insurance. The application shall be accompanied by a fee established by the superintendent by rule adopted in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code. (B) A license issu...

...Any corporation, partnership, or other business that is licensed as a viatical settlement broker shall maintain at least one designated individual who is individually licensed as a viatical settlement broker to be responsible for the licensee's compliance with this chapter.

...Irrespective of the manner in which the viatical settlement broker is compensated, a viatical settlement broker is deemed to represent only the viator and owes a fiduciary duty to the viator to act according to the viator's instructions and in the best interest of the viator.

...(A) A person shall not use a viatical settlement contract form or provide a disclosure statement form to a viator in this state unless the viatical settlement contract form or the disclosure statement form is filed with and approved by the superintendent of insurance. The superintendent shall disapprove a viatical settlement contract form or a disclosure statement form if, in the superintendent's opinion, the viatica...

...(A)(1) With each application for a viatical settlement, a viatical settlement provider or viatical settlement broker shall disclose at least the following to a viator no later than the time all parties sign the application for the viatical settlement contract: (a) That there are possible alternatives to viatical settlement contracts, including any accelerated death benefits offered under the viator's policy; ...

... (A) A viatical settlement provider entering into a viatical settlement contract shall first obtain all of the following: (1) If the viator is the insured, a written statement from an attending physician, certified nurse-midwife, clinical nurse specialist, or certified nurse practitioner that the viator is of sound mind and under no constraint or undue influence to enter into a viatical settlement contract. As use...

...Each viatical settlement contract entered into in this state shall provide the viator with an unconditional right to rescind the contract for at least fifteen calendar days after the receipt of the viatical settlement proceeds. If the insured dies during the rescission period, the viatical settlement contract is deemed to have been rescinded, subject to repayment of all viatical settlement proceeds to the viatical se...

...(A) The viatical settlement provider shall instruct the viator to send the executed documents required to effect the change in ownership, assignment, or change in beneficiary directly to the escrow agent. Within three business days after the date the escrow agent receives the documents, or from the date the viatical settlement provider receives the documents if the viator erroneously provides the documents di...

...After a viatical settlement has occurred, contact with the insured for the purpose of determining the health status of the insured shall be made only by the viatical settlement provider, or the authorized representative of the viatical settlement provider. The viatical settlement provider, or authorized representative shall not contact the insured for the purpose of determining the insured's health s...

...(A)(1) A licensee under this chapter shall, for five years, retain copies of all of the following: (a) All proposed, offered, or executed contracts, purchase agreements, underwriting documents, policy forms, and applications from the date of the proposal, offer, or execution of the contract or purchase agreement, whichever is later; (b) All checks, drafts, or other evidence and documentation related to the paymen...

...(A) Each licensee under this chapter shall file with the superintendent of insurance, on or before the first day of March of each year, an annual statement verified under oath by two officers in the form prescribed by the superintendent. The annual statement for a viatical settlement provider shall include the following information about the viatical settlement provider's transactions: (1) Aggregate ...

...Except as otherwise permitted or required by law, a viatical settlement provider, viatical settlement broker, insurance company, insurance agent, insurance broker, information bureau, rating agency or company, or any other person with actual knowledge of a viator or an insured's identity, shall not disclose that identity, including the viator or insured's name and individual identification data, or the viator ...

...(A)(1) The superintendent of insurance may conduct an examination under this chapter of a licensee as often as the superintendent in the superintendent's sole discretion considers appropriate. The superintendent shall consider all of the following to determine the nature, scope, and frequency of examinations: (a) Consumer complaints; (b) The results of financial statement analyses and ratios; (c) Any changes in...

... (A) The superintendent of insurance may, except as provided in division (B) of this section, refuse to issue or may suspend, revoke, or refuse to renew the license of a viatical settlement provider or viatical settlement broker, if the superintendent finds that any of the following apply: (1) There was a material misrepresentation in the application for the license. (2) The applicant or licensee or any officer, ...

... (A)(1) It is a violation of this chapter for any person to enter into a viatical settlement contract prior to the application for or issuance of a policy that is the subject of the viatical settlement contract. (2) It is a violation of this chapter for any person to issue, solicit, market, or otherwise promote the purchase of a policy for the purpose of or with an emphasis on selling the policy. (B) It is a vio...

... (A) The general assembly hereby declares that the purpose of this section is to provide prospective viators with clear and unambiguous statements in the advertisement of viatical settlements and to assure the clear, truthful, and adequate disclosure of the benefits, risks, limitations, and exclusions of any viatical settlement contract. This purpose is intended to be accomplished by the establishment of guidelines a...

... (A) No person shall commit a fraudulent viatical settlement act. (B) All of the following acts are fraudulent viatical settlement acts when committed by any person who, knowingly and with intent to defraud and for the purpose of depriving another of property or for pecuniary gain, commits, or permits any of its employees or its agents to commit them: (1) Presenting, causing to be presented, or preparing with kno...

...Any contract, agreement, arrangement, or transaction including, but not limited to, any financing agreement or arrangement identified in section 1321.72 of the Revised Code entered into for the furtherance or aid of a stranger-originated life insurance act, practice, arrangement, or agreement is void and unenforceable.

...Trusts or other persons that are created to give the appearance of insurable interest and are used to initiate one or more policies for investors violate insurable interest laws and the prohibition against wagering on life.

...(A)(1) No person shall knowingly or intentionally interfere with the enforcement of the provisions of this chapter or investigations of suspected or actual violations of this chapter. (2) No person in the business of viatical settlements shall knowingly or intentionally permit any person convicted of a felony involving dishonesty or breach of trust to participate in the business of viatical settlements. (...

...(A) In addition to the penalties and other enforcement provisions contained in this chapter, if any person violates any provision of this chapter or any rule or regulation implementing any provision of this chapter, the superintendent of insurance may seek an injunction in a court of competent jurisdiction and may apply for any temporary or permanent order that the superintendent determines is necessary to restrain t...

...The superintendent of insurance may adopt rules in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code for purposes of implementing this chapter, including, but not limited to, rules that do the following: (A) Govern the relationship and responsibilities of insurers, viatical settlement providers, and viatical settlement brokers during the viatication of a policy. (B) Establish standards for evaluating the reasona...