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March 01, 2018 at 06:33 PM
Imposing poorly written sales standards solely on life and annuity sellers in New York state could hurt the state’s life and annuity market, and on the consumers who depend on that market, 10 life and annuity groups say.
Mary Griffin, president of the Life Insurance Council of New York (LICONY), and representatives from nine other financial services groups have teamed up to oppose the proposed changes. The industry group reps are asking Maria Vullo, the superintendent of the New York State Department of Financial Services (NYDFS), and other regulators to rewrite the state’s new sales suitability standard update draft.
“If this proposal were to be adopted as currently drafted, we are gravely concerned that it will have a detrimental impact on New York consumers and could negatively affect their access to affordable products and information about annuities and life insurance,” Griffin and the other industry group leaders write.
NYDFS officials proposed updating the state’s annuity sales suitability standard in response to the U.S. Department of Labor’s decision to put off enforcing its own retirement products fiduciary rule implementation guidelines.
(Related: New York State May Set Its Own Best-Interest Standard)
One major provision in the draft would apply a “best interest,” or a rule requiring the seller to act in the best interest of the client, to sales of life insurance as well as to sales of annuities.
Maria Vullo, the department superintendent, said in December, when the state’s draft sales standard update was released, that consumers who buy life insurance and annuity products deserve to have providers act in their best interest. “Given the key role insurance products play in providing financial security to middle class New Yorkers, it is essential that a provider adhere to a higher standard of care and only recommend insurance and annuity products that are in the consumer’s best interests,” Vullo said at the time.
