2018-24376: Updated Disclosure Requirements and Summary Prospectus for Variable Annuity and Variable Life Insurance Contracts

Summary

The Securities and Exchange Commission is proposing rule and form amendments that are intended to help investors make informed investment decisions regarding variable annuity and variable life insurance contracts. The proposal would modernize disclosures by using a layered disclosure approach designed to provide investors with key information relating to the contract's terms, benefits, and risks in a concise and more reader-friendly presentation, with access to more detailed information available online and electronically or in paper format on request. The proposed new rule would permit a person to satisfy its prospectus delivery obligations under the Securities Act of 1933 for a variable annuity or variable life insurance contract by sending or giving a summary prospectus to investors and making the statutory prospectus available online. The proposed rule also would consider a person to have met its prospectus delivery obligations for any portfolio companies associated with a variable annuity or variable life insurance contract if the portfolio company prospectuses are posted online. In addition, we are proposing amendments to the registration forms for variable annuity and variable life insurance contracts to update and enhance the disclosures to investors in these contracts, and to implement the proposed summary prospectus framework. We are further proposing to require variable contracts to use the Inline eXtensible Business Reporting Language ("Inline XBRL") format for the submission of certain required disclosures in the variable contract statutory prospectus. We are also proposing certain technical and conforming amendments to our rules and forms, including amendments to rules relating to variable life insurance contracts, as well as rescission of certain related rules and forms. Lastly, we are seeking comments regarding parallel amendments to rules governing mutual fund summary prospectuses and registration forms applicable to other types of registered investment companies.

The agency’s own summary, as published.

What this changes

Amends 6 parts of the Code of Federal Regulations — the standing rules this notice rewrites.

• 17 CFR 230 General Rules and Regulations, Securities Act of 1933
• 17 CFR 232 Regulation S-T—General Rules and Regulations for Electronic Filings
• 17 CFR 239 Forms Prescribed Under the Securities Act of 1933
• 17 CFR 240 General Rules and Regulations, Securities Exchange Act of 1934
• 17 CFR 270 Rules and Regulations, Investment Company Act of 1940
• 17 CFR 274 Forms Prescribed Under the Investment Company Act of 1940