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Regulatory Update on Financial Reform

    AICPA PFP
    11 Jan. 2011

   Prof. William H. Byrnes &
   Prof. Stephen Polak
   International Tax & Financial
   Services Graduate Program
wbyrnes@tjsl.edu Tel: (619) 374-6955
               spolak@tjsl.edu Tel: (802) 338-7009


               www.profwilliambyrnes.com

        Master of Science of Laws (non-lawyers)
                 Master of Laws (lawyers)
   Doctor of Science of Laws (lawyers and non-lawyers)

International Tax, Financial Services, Wealth Management,
              Compliance, Risk Management,
          Financial Instruments, Financial Crimes


                   www.advisorfyi.com
The Wall Street Reform Act
         Topics To Be Covered Today
1)   Ethical standards for investment advice given
     by broker-dealers
2)   "Accredited investor" standard for private
     placements
3)   Mandatory securities agreement arbitration
4)   Jurisdiction over investment advisors
5)   Regulation of hedge funds and private equity
     funds
6)   Performance-Based Fees
The Wall Street Reform Act
         Topics To Be Covered Today
7)  Deposit insurance
8)  Study of state and federal regulation of
    financial planners
9) Indexed annuities
10) Creation of the Federal Insurance Office
11) Surplus lines dealers
12) Performance-Based Fees
Introduction to the Dodd-Frank Wall Street
      Reform and Consumer Protection Act

The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer
Protection Act (Wall Street Reform Act), signed into
law by President Obama on July 21, 2010.

It was developed as a comprehensive response to
the financial crisis of 2007-2010.
What Did President Obama Say About the Act


President Obama summarized its purpose shortly
after signing, saying that:

“For years, our financial sector was governed by
antiquated and poorly enforced rules that allowed
some to game the system and take risks that
endangered the entire economy.”
Who Will Be Affected
All financial professionals—including:
  Insurance producers,
  Investment advisors,
  Broker-dealers, and
  Others
… will be forced by the Act to change the way they
do business. These changes a steep learning curve
and extract significant compliance costs for most
professionals.
New Rules, Studies, Reports


81 new studies will be conducted
93 new reports will be completed, and
520 rules will be created.
New Agencies
Federal Insurance Office
  subdivision of the Treasury Department;
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB),
 created by the Board of Governors of the Federal
 Reserve
  Office of Financial Protection for Older Americans
  Office of Financial Literacy,
Financial Stability Oversight Counsel
  monitor systemic risks to the economy.
Biggest Change For Financial Advisors


Shift of regulatory authority … from the SEC to the
 state governments.
Modification of the “accredited investor” standard
Mandatory securities arbitration clauses,
performance-based fees,
Bring most hedge fund (and other private fund)
 advisors under the SEC’s jurisdiction.
Biggest Change For Financial Advisors (cont.)


Broker-dealers and their registered representatives
 will be the Act’s grant of authority to the SEC to
 apply a fiduciary standard to broker-dealers.
1. Ethical standards for investment advice given
                by broker-dealers
The Act grants the SEC the power to impose a
 fiduciary standard on broker-dealers and their
 authorized representatives.
Under the fiduciary standard, broker- dealers
 would be required to put their client's interests
 ahead of their own interests, meaning that they
 would be required to act in their clients' best
 interests and disclose any conflicts of interest.
2. "Accredited investor" standard for private
                   placements
The Act requires the SEC to evaluate the definition
 of "accredited investor,“ as it applies to individuals,
 and modify it as necessary "for the protection of
 investors, in the public interest, and in light of the
 economy.“
 The SEC is given great latitude to define the term,
 except that the Act includes a specific provision
 requiring the SEC to revise the minimum net worth
 standard. This will reduce the number of investors
 who qualify as accredited investors.
3. Mandatory securities agreement arbitration
The Act permits the SEC to prohibit or restrict
mandatory securities arbitration agreements.
  – At present, contracts between brokers, dealers, and
    investment advisors and their clients often include
    arbitration clauses.
  – These arbitration clauses are typically upheld when
    challenged in the courts.
  – Pushing disputes out of arbitration and into the courts
    will drastically increase expenses for both sides of
    these disagreements.
4. Jurisdiction over investment advisors
States, and not the SEC, are given jurisdiction over
 investment advisors who manage between $25
 million & $100 million in assets.
But investment advisors who are registered in 15
 or more states are subject to SEC regulation
 regardless of the amount of their assets under
 management.
Prior to the Act, advisors with $25 million or more
 in assets under management were subject to SEC
 regulation.
5. Regulation of hedge funds and private equity
                     funds
Hedge funds and private equity firms with > $150
 million in assets under management have to
 register as investment advisors with the SEC
Private funds advisors that are exempted from
 registration by the SEC because they have < $150
 million in assets under management will still be
 subject to enhanced recordkeeping requirements.
These records must be kept open to inspection by
 the SEC.
6. Advisor disclosures
The SEC is required by the Act to study investor
 access to information about advisors’ professional
 backgrounds, including "disciplinary actions,
 regulatory, judicial, and arbitration proceedings,
 and other information."
The SEC is required to implement its
 recommendations within 18 months of completing
 the study.
7. Deposit insurance
The Act permanently extends the FDIC's $250,000
 guarantee for deposits at banks, thrifts, and credit
 unions.
The FDIC guarantee was previously $100,000 per
 institution, but the guarantee was temporarily
 raised to $250,000 during the financial crisis.
8. Study of state and federal regulation of
                financial planners
The GAO is required to study the adequacy of state
 and federal regulations designed to protect
 investors from persons who hold themselves out
 as financial planners "through the use of
 misleading titles, designations, or marketing
 materials.
9. Indexed annuities
The Act conclusively settles the question of
 whether indexed annuities are securities subject to
 the SEC's jurisdiction by excluding indexed
 annuities from the definition of "security."
10. Creation of the Federal Insurance Office
Insurance regulation has generally been left to the
 states; however, the Wall Street Reform Act may
 foreshadow future Federal oversight of the
 industry.
The Act creates the Federal Insurance Office within
 the Treasury.
  – The Office will monitor all components of the insurance
    industry excluding the health, crop, and long-term care
    sectors.
11. Surplus lines dealers
The Act streamlines the regulation of surplus lines
 insurance by making the insured's home state the
 sole regulator and tax collector in surplus lines
 transactions.
12. Performance-Based Fees
The Act reduces the pool of clients who can be
charged performance-based fees.
  – Currently, “qualified clients” can be charged
    performance fees if they have at least $750,000 in
    funds under management, or a net worth of over
    $1,500,000.
  – The Reform Act requires that the SEC adjust these
    funds under management and net worth threshold
    amounts to account for inflation starting on July 21.
    2011, and then index them for inflation every five
    years thereafter.
What You Don’t Know Yet Might Hurt You: A
Broker’s Duties Under the Financial Reform Act
Changing Standards
  – Broker-dealers are presently subject to a suitability
    standard under which a broker-dealer must
    reasonably believe that his or her advice is suitable to
    the client’s financial situation.
  – The Act permits the SEC to step-up broker-dealers’
    duties to their clients to a fiduciary standard on par
    with the standard applied to financial advisors. Under
    the fiduciary standard, broker-dealers would be
    required to put their client’s interests ahead of their
    own interests.
Fiduciary Duty Standard
 Current bifurcated standard IAs v. BDs
 BDs = suitability standard
 “reasonably believe” that advice is suitable to the financial
  situation
 “an adequate and reasonable basis” for recommendations
 “reasonable efforts” to obtain information about the
  financial status
 not required to disclose COI
Fiduciary Duty Standard

 universally apply IAs standard
   broker-dealers / reps
   Insurance agents caught
 act in clients’ best interests
 disclose any conflicts of interest
 not factor commissions into advice
 disclose if limited range of financial products
Consultants to Employee Benefits Plans to be
           Classified as Fiduciaries
The Department of Labor is looking to significantly
 broaden the definition of who is a fiduciary when
 giving investment advice to employee benefit
 plans and plan participants.
Many plan consultants who previously escaped
 classification as fiduciaries will soon be subject to
 the conflict of interest and self-dealing rules that
 are applied to plan fiduciaries, creating a
 compliance nightmare for those advisors.
The Proposed Regulations greatly expand the types of
     activities that can result in fiduciary status

Rendering advice, appraisals, or fairness opinions
 concerning the value of securities or other
 property;
Making recommendations as to the advisability of
 investing in, purchasing, holding, or selling
 securities or other property; or
Giving advice or recommendations as to the
 management of securities or other property.
Wall Street Reform Act Re-Defines
              “Accredited Investor”

The definition of “accredited investor” includes
 both high-net-worth individuals and institutional
 investors.
 Individuals are qualified as accredited investors if
 they satisfied either a yearly income standard or a
 net-worth standard.
The Wall Street Reform Act amends the net-worth
 standard, although it leaves the income standard
 alone.
"Accredited investor" standard for private
                  placements
1982 $1m standard of all assets = 1.87% of pop
$200/$300 married threshold will remain for now
2011-14: $1m asset threshold excluding home
Evaluate income threshold
2015: must raise asset threshold
> 2.5m? net investments (2006 proposal)
Investor pool will return to 1.3% of pop.
Wall Street Reform Act Re-Defines
         “Accredited Investor” (cont.)
The Act amends the net-worth standard, although
 it leaves the income standard alone.
Under the income standard an individual with:
  – Annual income of $200,000 in each of the two most
    recent years, or
  – Married couple with an annual income of $300,000 in
    each of the two most recent years, is an accredited
    investor.
  – Net worth rule excludes an investor’s principal
  – residence from the net worth calculation.
Fewer Clients Qualify for
             Performance-Based Fees

 The Wall Street Reform Act reduces the pool of clients
  who can be charged performance-based fees.
 The Act requires that the SEC adjust these funds under
  management and net worth threshold amounts to
  account for inflation starting on July 21. 2011, and
  then index them for inflation every five years
  thereafter.
 Any adjustment to the qualified clients test will
  reduce the pool of clients who can be charged
  performance-based fees.
“Qualified Clients" standard
           for performance based fees
1996: $750K managed or net worth $1.5M

July 21, 2011 must be adjusted for inflation
Minimum required adjustment - $100K
Probably $1M managed / $2M net worth

Every five years re-indexed for inflation
Mandatory Securities Arbitration Clauses
           on the Chopping Block

The Act expressly gives the SEC the power to
 prohibit or restrict mandatory securities
 arbitration agreements.
Although securities arbitration would still be
 permitted if the SEC decides to act, arbitration
 would likely be used only at the client’s option,
 effectively shifting the choice of whether to
 arbitrate from financial professionals to their
 clients.
Hedge Fund Must Now Register with the SEC
   Under the New Wall Street Reform Act
Who Must Register?
  – The Act requires advisors to hedge funds and private
    equity funds with > $150 million in assets under
    management to register as investment advisors with
    the SEC.
  – Managers with assets under management of between
    $25 million and $150 million will be required to register
    with state regulators.
  – Those with < $25 million in assets under management
    are exempt from the federal registration requirement,
    but may be subject to registration requirements under
    state law. Private Advisor Exemption Under the
    Advisors Act
Registration Exemptions
          Under the Wall Street Reform Act
1. Mid-Sized Private Fund Advisors—An advisor who acts solely
   as advisor to private funds and who has less than $150
   million in assets under management
2. Venture Capital Fund Advisors—Advisors who act as advisors
   only for venture capital funds
3. Foreign Private Advisors—Foreign private advisors, if they (1)
   do not have a place of business in the U.S., (2) have fewer
   than 15 U.S. clients and investors in private funds advised by
   the advisor, (3) have assets under management of less than
   $25 million (4) do not hold themselves out as an investment
   advisor in the U.S., and (5) do not act as advisors to any
   registered investment companies or business development
   companies
Registration Exemptions
        Under the Wall Street Reform Act
1. Family Offices—Advisors to family offices,
   although the term “family office” is left undefined
   by the Act
2. Commodity Trading Advisors—Advisors registered
   with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission,
   if they do not give advice about securities, and
3. Small Business Investment Company Advisors—
   Advisors who exclusively advise small business
   investment companies.
Registration Exemptions
    Under the Wall Street Reform Act (cont.)
These records must be kept open to inspection by
the SEC. Information required to be kept by private
advisors includes:

The amount of assets under management and use
 of leverage, including off-balance sheet leverage
Counterparty credit risk exposure
Trading and investment positions
Registration Exemptions
      Under the Wall Street Reform Act (cont.)
1.   Trading and investment positions
2.   Valuation policies and practices of the fund
3.   Types of assets held
4.   Side arrangements or side letters, whereby certain
     investors in a fund obtain more
5.   Favorable rights or entitlements than other investors
6.   Trading practices, and
7.   Other information that is appropriate in the public
     interest and for the protection of
8.   Investors and for the assessment of systemic risk.
Confidentiality Protections
Proprietary information provided by funds to the SEC
under the Act is not subject to Freedom of
Information Act requests. Proprietary information
includes non-public information about:
  – Investment and trading strategies;
  – Analytical and research methodologies;
  – Computer hardware and software that hold intellectual
    property; and
  – Other information deemed proprietary by the SEC.
Modernizing Mutual Fund Taxation: Registered
  Investment Company Modernization Act
Pass through of foreign tax credits and tax-exempt
 interest—The RICM Act permits qualified funds of
 funds to pass foreign tax credits and tax-exempt
 interest on to investors.
Eliminate preferential dividend rules—The RICM
 Act eliminates the preferential dividend rules for
 publically offered RICs. Note, however, that
 securities laws still govern when a publically
 offered RIC is allowed to pay preference dividends.
Modernizing Mutual Fund Taxation: Registered
  Investment Company Modernization Act
Repeal of the nine year limit on loss carry
 forwards—The RICM Act allows a RIC to carry its
 losses forward indefinitely.
Net capital losses excluded from earnings and
 profits—Under the RICM Act, earnings and profits
 of a registered investment company cannot be
 reduced by any amount that is not deductible for
 tax purposes.
Wall Street Reform Act Mandates Study of
           Financial Planning Industry
 The federal government is taking the first steps toward
  regulating financial planners.
 Advisors who are also Certified Financial Planners may
  ultimately face a second layer of federal regulation.
Wall Street Reform Act Mandates Study of
           Financial Planning Industry
FINRA Positions Itself to Oversee Advisers:
   – The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and
     Consumer Protection Act, passed earlier this
     year, mandates an SEC study of its investment
     advisor examinations and whether delegation of
     advisor regulation to an SRO would improve
     examinations.
New FINRA Rule Restricts Brokers’ Outside
             Business Activities
 Brokers will face new restrictions on outside businesses
  under FINRA Rule 3270, which is set to go into effect
  December 15, 2010.
 The rule will limit brokers’ investment advisory and
  insurance business by requiring brokers to provide their
  broker-dealers with prior written notice of their outside
  business activities.
New FINRA Rule Restricts Brokers’ Outside
             Business Activities
Under the new rule, once a broker-dealer receives notice of
a broker's outside business, the broker-dealer will be
required to determine whether the outside business activity
will:
   – Interfere with or otherwise compromise the registered
      person’s responsibilities to the member and/or the
      member’s customers, or
   – Viewed by customers or the public as part of the
      member’s business based upon, among other factors,
      the nature of the proposed activity and the manner in
      which it will be offered.
Enhanced Disclosures Requirements

The Wall Street Reform Act lays the groundwork for
increased advisor and broker-dealer disclosure
requirements:
   – The Act requires the SEC to conduct a study looking for
      ways to improve investor access to information about
      advisors’ professional backgrounds.
   – The Act gives the SEC broad powers to institute
      disclosure requirements for broker-dealers.
New York Life Insurance Commission
                  Disclosures

Beginning January 1, 2011 life insurance brokers in
the Big Apple will be disclosing commissions to
consumers. New York is one of the first states that
are mandating life insurance commission details to
be disclosed to clients.
New York Life Insurance Commission
                  Disclosures

Under New York Insurance law an insurance
producer selling or renewing an insurance contract
must disclose the following information to the
purchaser orally or in writing not later than
application for the insurance contract or the
renewal:
   – Whether the insurance producer represents the
     purchaser or the insurer for purposes of the sale
New York Life Insurance Commission
           Disclosures (cont.)
– The insurance producer will receive
  compensation from the selling insurer based on
  the insurance contract the producer sells;
– The compensation insurers pay to insurance
  producers may vary depending on a number of
  factors, including the insurance contract and the
  insurer that the purchaser selects, the volume of
  business the producer provides to the insurer or
  the profitability of the insurance contracts that
  the producer provides to the insurer; and
New York Life Insurance Commission
           Disclosures (cont.)
– The purchaser may obtain information about
  the compensation expected to be received by
  the producer for the sale and for any alternative
  quotes obtained by the producer by requesting
  such information from the producer.
New York Life Insurance Commission
           Disclosures (cont.)
If a purchaser of a life insurance contract
 requests more information about the producer’s
 compensation prior to the issuance of the
 insurance contract, the producer is required to
 disclose the following information to the
 purchaser in a prominent writing no later than
 the issuance of the insurance contract, (except
 that if time is of the essence to issue the
 insurance contract, then within five business
 days).
New York Life Insurance Commission
           Disclosures (cont.)
 A description of the nature, amount and source
 of any compensation to be received by the
 producer or any parent, subsidiary or affiliate
 based in whole or in part on the sale;
 A description of any alternative quotes
 obtained by the producer, including the
 coverage, premium and compensation that the
 insurance producer or any parent, subsidiary or
 affiliate would have received based in whole or
 in part on any such alternative quotes;
New York Life Insurance Commission
           Disclosures (cont.)
 A description of any material ownership
 interest the insurance producer or any parent,
 subsidiary or affiliate has in the insurer issuing
 the insurance contract or any parent, subsidiary
 or affiliate;
 A description of any material ownership
 interest the insurer issuing the insurance
 contract or any parent, subsidiary or affiliates
 has in the insurance producer or any parent,
subsidiary or affiliate; and
New York Life Insurance Commission
            Disclosures (cont.)
A statement whether the insurance producer is
 prohibited by law from altering the amount of
 compensation received from the insurer for the
 sale.

If the purchaser requests more information about the
producer’s compensation after issuance of the insurance
contract but less than three years after issuance, the
insurance producer shall disclose to the purchaser in a
prominent writing the information as discussed in the
above paragraph within thirty days.
The Department of Labor Releases Final
         401(k) Disclosure Rules
 They mandate that plans provide adequate disclosures
  about the plan and about investment options under the
  plan, including information about:
   – The plan’s identification and general operational
     characteristics,
   – Administrative expenses, and
  – Individual expenses.

  Disclosures must be made on the basis of the plan’s most
  recent, available information.
NCOIL Adopts Beneficiaries Bill of Rights as
     Retained Asset Accounts under Fire

The National Conference of Insurance Legislators
 (NCOIL) Executive Committee has adopted the
 model Beneficiaries’ Bill of Rights—which would
 restrict the insurance industry practice of using
 retained asset accounts (RAAs) to pay policy death
 benefits. The model would require “appropriate
 disclosure” when benefits will be issued through
 an RAA.
New York Court of Appeals Upholds STOLI
   Arrangement Under Pre-2010 Law

– In a big win for STOLI promoters, the Court of
  Appeals of New York—the state’s highest
  court—held that New York’s insurable interest
  law was not violated when an insured purchased
  a life insurance policy and immediately assigned
  the policy to a third party who did not have an
  insurable interest in the insured’s life.
2010 New York Statute Prohibiting STOLI

Although STOLI investors won the day in Kramer,
 New York is no longer a safe haven for such
 transactions. In 2009, the New York State
 Legislature passed life settlements legislation
 that prohibits STOLI policies like those at issue in
 this case. The New York statute that became
 effective May 18, 2010, would prohibit
 immediate policy assignments as described in
 the Kramer case.
Recent Delaware STOLI Case
           Is a Big Win for Insurers
An insurer recently won a major victory when the U.S.
 District Court for Delaware voided a life insurance
 policy that was purchased as part of a STOLI
 transaction. The case—Principal Life Insurance Co. v.
 Lawrence Rucker 2007 Insurance Trust—is significant
 because the court voided the policy for lack of an
 insurable interest based on the finding of insured’s
 intent to sell, even though the insured had not
 identified a particular purchaser for the policy at the
 time it was issued.
STOLI to STOA: First Drops
            in a Gathering Storm
Some STOA variants are simply avant-garde STOLI,
 replacing life insurance with annuity death benefits.
 In this breed of STOA, investors pay an individual to
 serve as annuitant on a variable annuity contract that
 includes a guaranteed minimum death benefit.
The annuitant is typically a person with a short life
 expectancy, such as the terminally ill.
On the death of the annuitant, the guaranteed
 minimum death benefit is paid to the investor.
NCOIL Adopts Model Act Requiring Insurers to
   Inform Consumers of Settlement Options

In a contentious move, the National Conference of
 Insurance Legislators (NCOIL) executive committee
 voted unanimously to adopt the Life Insurance
 Consumer Disclosure Model Act, (Model Act),
 which requires life insurance carriers to notify
 policy owners of settlement options when the
 policy owner is considering surrendering the policy
 or when the policy is set to lapse.
NCOIL Adopts Model Act Requiring Insurers to
   Inform Consumers of Settlement Options
 Not all policy owners have a right to disclosure about
  settlements under the Model Act. The disclosure
  requirement applies only where the insured is sixty years
  old or older or “is known by the insurer to be terminally ill
  or chronically ill” and
      The policy owner requests the surrender, in whole or
        in part, of a policy.
      The policy owner requests an accelerated death
        benefit under a policy.
      The insurer sends notice to the policy owner that the
        policy may lapse.
Indexed Annuities: Still Insurance

After a series of contradictory indicators from the
 SEC and the courts, Congress finally settled the
 question of whether fixed indexed annuities (FIAs)
 are securities or insurance products.
The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer
 Protection Act—signed into law by President
 Obama on July 21, 2010—conclusively excludes
 FIAs from regulation as securities by the Securities
 and Exchange Commission (SEC).
Classification of Annuities

There are clear examples of annuity products that fall on
each end of the spectrum.
      ― Variable annuities—which shift most or all of the
         investment risk to the purchaser and away from
         the insurance company—are the obvious case of a
         product that falls on the “investment” side of the
         spectrum.
      ― Fixed annuities—which guarantee the purchaser’s
         return, shifting almost all investment risk to the
         insurance company—are the clearest example of a
         product falling on the insurance side of the
         spectrum.
FDIC Guarantee Increased to $250,000

In order for an account to be treated as a trust account, it
has to satisfy the following requirements:
   ― The account title must include a designator signifying
      it’s held in a trust relationship. Payable on death
      (POD), in trust for (ITF), and as trustee for (ITF) satisfy
      this requirement.
   ― Beneficiaries must be named in either deposit
      account records or identified in the trust document, if
      any.
   ― To be eligible for the guarantee, a beneficiary must be
      either a living person or an IRS qualified charity or
      non-profit.
The Federal Insurance Office


The FIO is not a regulatory or supervisory body, but will
serve the following functions:
   1. Gathering information about the insurance industry,
       conducting studies on the industry, and generating
       reports for Congress and Executive Branch
   2. Locating regulatory gaps and other issues in the
       insurance industry that may contribute to systemic
       risk
   3. Administering the Terrorism Risk Insurance Program
   4. Monitoring minority and other underserved
       communities’ access to affordable insurance
The Federal Insurance Office


4. Make recommendations to the Financial Stability
   Oversight Committee (also created
5. by the Act) that particular insurers be supervised as a
   nonbank financial company by the Federal Reserve
6. Coordinate the Federal response to international
   insurance related matters, and
7. Negotiate international trade agreement that
   preempt inconsistent state regulations.
IRS Guidance Provides Safe Harbor for Policies
           Maturing After Age 100
The Service will not treat a policy as a MEC or otherwise
deny its tax status as a life insurance contract if the contract
satisfies the requirements of the safe harbor.

The Tax Code treats a contract as a life insurance policy if it
either:
   ― Satisfies the cash value accumulation test or
   ― Satisfies both the Code’s guideline premium
      requirements and falls within the Code’s cash value
      corridor.
Vigorous Debate over Qualified Appraisal
   Standard for Valuation of Donated Policies
MassMutual Financial Group representatives recently sent a
letter to Treasury Department officials proposing an
alternative to the valuation methods required for taxpayers
who want to take a charitable contribution deduction on
their income taxes for a donated life insurance policy. The
letter makes two proposals:
    ― That the qualified appraisal requirement for sizeable
       charitable donation be satisfied by an issuing carrier’s
       statement of the policy’s value, and
    ― That the Treasury apply existing IRS valuation safe
       harbors when valuing a policy for charitable donation
       purposes.
Can Term Life Coupled with a Mutual Fund
 Investment Replace a Variable Universal Life Policy?
 The first distinction between the mutual fund strategy
  and VUL is found in the insurance component of each
  option. Because term insurance provides coverage in the
  mutual fund strategy, the insurance coverage will be time
  limited to ten, fifteen, twenty, or thirty years.
 Unlike term insurance, VUL is permanent insurance,
  meaning that a VUL policy will stay in force until the
  policy matures—usually after the insured’s 100th
  birthday. Permanent vs. Term Insurance Fees Investment
  Options Income Tax Differences
More Consumers Buy
       Guaranteed Living Benefits Riders

Annuities customers purchased GLB riders
87 percent of the time when the riders were
available.
Questions

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US Financial Regulatory Update

  • 1. Regulatory Update on Financial Reform AICPA PFP 11 Jan. 2011 Prof. William H. Byrnes & Prof. Stephen Polak International Tax & Financial Services Graduate Program
  • 2. wbyrnes@tjsl.edu Tel: (619) 374-6955 spolak@tjsl.edu Tel: (802) 338-7009 www.profwilliambyrnes.com Master of Science of Laws (non-lawyers) Master of Laws (lawyers) Doctor of Science of Laws (lawyers and non-lawyers) International Tax, Financial Services, Wealth Management, Compliance, Risk Management, Financial Instruments, Financial Crimes www.advisorfyi.com
  • 3. The Wall Street Reform Act Topics To Be Covered Today 1) Ethical standards for investment advice given by broker-dealers 2) "Accredited investor" standard for private placements 3) Mandatory securities agreement arbitration 4) Jurisdiction over investment advisors 5) Regulation of hedge funds and private equity funds 6) Performance-Based Fees
  • 4. The Wall Street Reform Act Topics To Be Covered Today 7) Deposit insurance 8) Study of state and federal regulation of financial planners 9) Indexed annuities 10) Creation of the Federal Insurance Office 11) Surplus lines dealers 12) Performance-Based Fees
  • 5. Introduction to the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (Wall Street Reform Act), signed into law by President Obama on July 21, 2010. It was developed as a comprehensive response to the financial crisis of 2007-2010.
  • 6. What Did President Obama Say About the Act President Obama summarized its purpose shortly after signing, saying that: “For years, our financial sector was governed by antiquated and poorly enforced rules that allowed some to game the system and take risks that endangered the entire economy.”
  • 7. Who Will Be Affected All financial professionals—including: Insurance producers, Investment advisors, Broker-dealers, and Others … will be forced by the Act to change the way they do business. These changes a steep learning curve and extract significant compliance costs for most professionals.
  • 8. New Rules, Studies, Reports 81 new studies will be conducted 93 new reports will be completed, and 520 rules will be created.
  • 9. New Agencies Federal Insurance Office subdivision of the Treasury Department; Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), created by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve Office of Financial Protection for Older Americans Office of Financial Literacy, Financial Stability Oversight Counsel monitor systemic risks to the economy.
  • 10. Biggest Change For Financial Advisors Shift of regulatory authority … from the SEC to the state governments. Modification of the “accredited investor” standard Mandatory securities arbitration clauses, performance-based fees, Bring most hedge fund (and other private fund) advisors under the SEC’s jurisdiction.
  • 11. Biggest Change For Financial Advisors (cont.) Broker-dealers and their registered representatives will be the Act’s grant of authority to the SEC to apply a fiduciary standard to broker-dealers.
  • 12. 1. Ethical standards for investment advice given by broker-dealers The Act grants the SEC the power to impose a fiduciary standard on broker-dealers and their authorized representatives. Under the fiduciary standard, broker- dealers would be required to put their client's interests ahead of their own interests, meaning that they would be required to act in their clients' best interests and disclose any conflicts of interest.
  • 13. 2. "Accredited investor" standard for private placements The Act requires the SEC to evaluate the definition of "accredited investor,“ as it applies to individuals, and modify it as necessary "for the protection of investors, in the public interest, and in light of the economy.“  The SEC is given great latitude to define the term, except that the Act includes a specific provision requiring the SEC to revise the minimum net worth standard. This will reduce the number of investors who qualify as accredited investors.
  • 14. 3. Mandatory securities agreement arbitration The Act permits the SEC to prohibit or restrict mandatory securities arbitration agreements. – At present, contracts between brokers, dealers, and investment advisors and their clients often include arbitration clauses. – These arbitration clauses are typically upheld when challenged in the courts. – Pushing disputes out of arbitration and into the courts will drastically increase expenses for both sides of these disagreements.
  • 15. 4. Jurisdiction over investment advisors States, and not the SEC, are given jurisdiction over investment advisors who manage between $25 million & $100 million in assets. But investment advisors who are registered in 15 or more states are subject to SEC regulation regardless of the amount of their assets under management. Prior to the Act, advisors with $25 million or more in assets under management were subject to SEC regulation.
  • 16. 5. Regulation of hedge funds and private equity funds Hedge funds and private equity firms with > $150 million in assets under management have to register as investment advisors with the SEC Private funds advisors that are exempted from registration by the SEC because they have < $150 million in assets under management will still be subject to enhanced recordkeeping requirements. These records must be kept open to inspection by the SEC.
  • 17. 6. Advisor disclosures The SEC is required by the Act to study investor access to information about advisors’ professional backgrounds, including "disciplinary actions, regulatory, judicial, and arbitration proceedings, and other information." The SEC is required to implement its recommendations within 18 months of completing the study.
  • 18. 7. Deposit insurance The Act permanently extends the FDIC's $250,000 guarantee for deposits at banks, thrifts, and credit unions. The FDIC guarantee was previously $100,000 per institution, but the guarantee was temporarily raised to $250,000 during the financial crisis.
  • 19. 8. Study of state and federal regulation of financial planners The GAO is required to study the adequacy of state and federal regulations designed to protect investors from persons who hold themselves out as financial planners "through the use of misleading titles, designations, or marketing materials.
  • 20. 9. Indexed annuities The Act conclusively settles the question of whether indexed annuities are securities subject to the SEC's jurisdiction by excluding indexed annuities from the definition of "security."
  • 21. 10. Creation of the Federal Insurance Office Insurance regulation has generally been left to the states; however, the Wall Street Reform Act may foreshadow future Federal oversight of the industry. The Act creates the Federal Insurance Office within the Treasury. – The Office will monitor all components of the insurance industry excluding the health, crop, and long-term care sectors.
  • 22. 11. Surplus lines dealers The Act streamlines the regulation of surplus lines insurance by making the insured's home state the sole regulator and tax collector in surplus lines transactions.
  • 23. 12. Performance-Based Fees The Act reduces the pool of clients who can be charged performance-based fees. – Currently, “qualified clients” can be charged performance fees if they have at least $750,000 in funds under management, or a net worth of over $1,500,000. – The Reform Act requires that the SEC adjust these funds under management and net worth threshold amounts to account for inflation starting on July 21. 2011, and then index them for inflation every five years thereafter.
  • 24. What You Don’t Know Yet Might Hurt You: A Broker’s Duties Under the Financial Reform Act Changing Standards – Broker-dealers are presently subject to a suitability standard under which a broker-dealer must reasonably believe that his or her advice is suitable to the client’s financial situation. – The Act permits the SEC to step-up broker-dealers’ duties to their clients to a fiduciary standard on par with the standard applied to financial advisors. Under the fiduciary standard, broker-dealers would be required to put their client’s interests ahead of their own interests.
  • 25. Fiduciary Duty Standard  Current bifurcated standard IAs v. BDs  BDs = suitability standard  “reasonably believe” that advice is suitable to the financial situation  “an adequate and reasonable basis” for recommendations  “reasonable efforts” to obtain information about the financial status  not required to disclose COI
  • 26. Fiduciary Duty Standard  universally apply IAs standard  broker-dealers / reps  Insurance agents caught  act in clients’ best interests  disclose any conflicts of interest  not factor commissions into advice  disclose if limited range of financial products
  • 27. Consultants to Employee Benefits Plans to be Classified as Fiduciaries The Department of Labor is looking to significantly broaden the definition of who is a fiduciary when giving investment advice to employee benefit plans and plan participants. Many plan consultants who previously escaped classification as fiduciaries will soon be subject to the conflict of interest and self-dealing rules that are applied to plan fiduciaries, creating a compliance nightmare for those advisors.
  • 28. The Proposed Regulations greatly expand the types of activities that can result in fiduciary status Rendering advice, appraisals, or fairness opinions concerning the value of securities or other property; Making recommendations as to the advisability of investing in, purchasing, holding, or selling securities or other property; or Giving advice or recommendations as to the management of securities or other property.
  • 29. Wall Street Reform Act Re-Defines “Accredited Investor” The definition of “accredited investor” includes both high-net-worth individuals and institutional investors.  Individuals are qualified as accredited investors if they satisfied either a yearly income standard or a net-worth standard. The Wall Street Reform Act amends the net-worth standard, although it leaves the income standard alone.
  • 30. "Accredited investor" standard for private placements 1982 $1m standard of all assets = 1.87% of pop $200/$300 married threshold will remain for now 2011-14: $1m asset threshold excluding home Evaluate income threshold 2015: must raise asset threshold > 2.5m? net investments (2006 proposal) Investor pool will return to 1.3% of pop.
  • 31. Wall Street Reform Act Re-Defines “Accredited Investor” (cont.) The Act amends the net-worth standard, although it leaves the income standard alone. Under the income standard an individual with: – Annual income of $200,000 in each of the two most recent years, or – Married couple with an annual income of $300,000 in each of the two most recent years, is an accredited investor. – Net worth rule excludes an investor’s principal – residence from the net worth calculation.
  • 32. Fewer Clients Qualify for Performance-Based Fees  The Wall Street Reform Act reduces the pool of clients who can be charged performance-based fees.  The Act requires that the SEC adjust these funds under management and net worth threshold amounts to account for inflation starting on July 21. 2011, and then index them for inflation every five years thereafter.  Any adjustment to the qualified clients test will reduce the pool of clients who can be charged performance-based fees.
  • 33. “Qualified Clients" standard for performance based fees 1996: $750K managed or net worth $1.5M July 21, 2011 must be adjusted for inflation Minimum required adjustment - $100K Probably $1M managed / $2M net worth Every five years re-indexed for inflation
  • 34. Mandatory Securities Arbitration Clauses on the Chopping Block The Act expressly gives the SEC the power to prohibit or restrict mandatory securities arbitration agreements. Although securities arbitration would still be permitted if the SEC decides to act, arbitration would likely be used only at the client’s option, effectively shifting the choice of whether to arbitrate from financial professionals to their clients.
  • 35. Hedge Fund Must Now Register with the SEC Under the New Wall Street Reform Act Who Must Register? – The Act requires advisors to hedge funds and private equity funds with > $150 million in assets under management to register as investment advisors with the SEC. – Managers with assets under management of between $25 million and $150 million will be required to register with state regulators. – Those with < $25 million in assets under management are exempt from the federal registration requirement, but may be subject to registration requirements under state law. Private Advisor Exemption Under the Advisors Act
  • 36. Registration Exemptions Under the Wall Street Reform Act 1. Mid-Sized Private Fund Advisors—An advisor who acts solely as advisor to private funds and who has less than $150 million in assets under management 2. Venture Capital Fund Advisors—Advisors who act as advisors only for venture capital funds 3. Foreign Private Advisors—Foreign private advisors, if they (1) do not have a place of business in the U.S., (2) have fewer than 15 U.S. clients and investors in private funds advised by the advisor, (3) have assets under management of less than $25 million (4) do not hold themselves out as an investment advisor in the U.S., and (5) do not act as advisors to any registered investment companies or business development companies
  • 37. Registration Exemptions Under the Wall Street Reform Act 1. Family Offices—Advisors to family offices, although the term “family office” is left undefined by the Act 2. Commodity Trading Advisors—Advisors registered with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, if they do not give advice about securities, and 3. Small Business Investment Company Advisors— Advisors who exclusively advise small business investment companies.
  • 38. Registration Exemptions Under the Wall Street Reform Act (cont.) These records must be kept open to inspection by the SEC. Information required to be kept by private advisors includes: The amount of assets under management and use of leverage, including off-balance sheet leverage Counterparty credit risk exposure Trading and investment positions
  • 39. Registration Exemptions Under the Wall Street Reform Act (cont.) 1. Trading and investment positions 2. Valuation policies and practices of the fund 3. Types of assets held 4. Side arrangements or side letters, whereby certain investors in a fund obtain more 5. Favorable rights or entitlements than other investors 6. Trading practices, and 7. Other information that is appropriate in the public interest and for the protection of 8. Investors and for the assessment of systemic risk.
  • 40. Confidentiality Protections Proprietary information provided by funds to the SEC under the Act is not subject to Freedom of Information Act requests. Proprietary information includes non-public information about: – Investment and trading strategies; – Analytical and research methodologies; – Computer hardware and software that hold intellectual property; and – Other information deemed proprietary by the SEC.
  • 41. Modernizing Mutual Fund Taxation: Registered Investment Company Modernization Act Pass through of foreign tax credits and tax-exempt interest—The RICM Act permits qualified funds of funds to pass foreign tax credits and tax-exempt interest on to investors. Eliminate preferential dividend rules—The RICM Act eliminates the preferential dividend rules for publically offered RICs. Note, however, that securities laws still govern when a publically offered RIC is allowed to pay preference dividends.
  • 42. Modernizing Mutual Fund Taxation: Registered Investment Company Modernization Act Repeal of the nine year limit on loss carry forwards—The RICM Act allows a RIC to carry its losses forward indefinitely. Net capital losses excluded from earnings and profits—Under the RICM Act, earnings and profits of a registered investment company cannot be reduced by any amount that is not deductible for tax purposes.
  • 43. Wall Street Reform Act Mandates Study of Financial Planning Industry  The federal government is taking the first steps toward regulating financial planners.  Advisors who are also Certified Financial Planners may ultimately face a second layer of federal regulation.
  • 44. Wall Street Reform Act Mandates Study of Financial Planning Industry FINRA Positions Itself to Oversee Advisers: – The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, passed earlier this year, mandates an SEC study of its investment advisor examinations and whether delegation of advisor regulation to an SRO would improve examinations.
  • 45. New FINRA Rule Restricts Brokers’ Outside Business Activities  Brokers will face new restrictions on outside businesses under FINRA Rule 3270, which is set to go into effect December 15, 2010.  The rule will limit brokers’ investment advisory and insurance business by requiring brokers to provide their broker-dealers with prior written notice of their outside business activities.
  • 46. New FINRA Rule Restricts Brokers’ Outside Business Activities Under the new rule, once a broker-dealer receives notice of a broker's outside business, the broker-dealer will be required to determine whether the outside business activity will: – Interfere with or otherwise compromise the registered person’s responsibilities to the member and/or the member’s customers, or – Viewed by customers or the public as part of the member’s business based upon, among other factors, the nature of the proposed activity and the manner in which it will be offered.
  • 47. Enhanced Disclosures Requirements The Wall Street Reform Act lays the groundwork for increased advisor and broker-dealer disclosure requirements: – The Act requires the SEC to conduct a study looking for ways to improve investor access to information about advisors’ professional backgrounds. – The Act gives the SEC broad powers to institute disclosure requirements for broker-dealers.
  • 48. New York Life Insurance Commission Disclosures Beginning January 1, 2011 life insurance brokers in the Big Apple will be disclosing commissions to consumers. New York is one of the first states that are mandating life insurance commission details to be disclosed to clients.
  • 49. New York Life Insurance Commission Disclosures Under New York Insurance law an insurance producer selling or renewing an insurance contract must disclose the following information to the purchaser orally or in writing not later than application for the insurance contract or the renewal: – Whether the insurance producer represents the purchaser or the insurer for purposes of the sale
  • 50. New York Life Insurance Commission Disclosures (cont.) – The insurance producer will receive compensation from the selling insurer based on the insurance contract the producer sells; – The compensation insurers pay to insurance producers may vary depending on a number of factors, including the insurance contract and the insurer that the purchaser selects, the volume of business the producer provides to the insurer or the profitability of the insurance contracts that the producer provides to the insurer; and
  • 51. New York Life Insurance Commission Disclosures (cont.) – The purchaser may obtain information about the compensation expected to be received by the producer for the sale and for any alternative quotes obtained by the producer by requesting such information from the producer.
  • 52. New York Life Insurance Commission Disclosures (cont.) If a purchaser of a life insurance contract requests more information about the producer’s compensation prior to the issuance of the insurance contract, the producer is required to disclose the following information to the purchaser in a prominent writing no later than the issuance of the insurance contract, (except that if time is of the essence to issue the insurance contract, then within five business days).
  • 53. New York Life Insurance Commission Disclosures (cont.)  A description of the nature, amount and source of any compensation to be received by the producer or any parent, subsidiary or affiliate based in whole or in part on the sale;  A description of any alternative quotes obtained by the producer, including the coverage, premium and compensation that the insurance producer or any parent, subsidiary or affiliate would have received based in whole or in part on any such alternative quotes;
  • 54. New York Life Insurance Commission Disclosures (cont.)  A description of any material ownership interest the insurance producer or any parent, subsidiary or affiliate has in the insurer issuing the insurance contract or any parent, subsidiary or affiliate;  A description of any material ownership interest the insurer issuing the insurance contract or any parent, subsidiary or affiliates has in the insurance producer or any parent, subsidiary or affiliate; and
  • 55. New York Life Insurance Commission Disclosures (cont.) A statement whether the insurance producer is prohibited by law from altering the amount of compensation received from the insurer for the sale. If the purchaser requests more information about the producer’s compensation after issuance of the insurance contract but less than three years after issuance, the insurance producer shall disclose to the purchaser in a prominent writing the information as discussed in the above paragraph within thirty days.
  • 56. The Department of Labor Releases Final 401(k) Disclosure Rules  They mandate that plans provide adequate disclosures about the plan and about investment options under the plan, including information about: – The plan’s identification and general operational characteristics, – Administrative expenses, and – Individual expenses. Disclosures must be made on the basis of the plan’s most recent, available information.
  • 57. NCOIL Adopts Beneficiaries Bill of Rights as Retained Asset Accounts under Fire The National Conference of Insurance Legislators (NCOIL) Executive Committee has adopted the model Beneficiaries’ Bill of Rights—which would restrict the insurance industry practice of using retained asset accounts (RAAs) to pay policy death benefits. The model would require “appropriate disclosure” when benefits will be issued through an RAA.
  • 58. New York Court of Appeals Upholds STOLI Arrangement Under Pre-2010 Law – In a big win for STOLI promoters, the Court of Appeals of New York—the state’s highest court—held that New York’s insurable interest law was not violated when an insured purchased a life insurance policy and immediately assigned the policy to a third party who did not have an insurable interest in the insured’s life.
  • 59. 2010 New York Statute Prohibiting STOLI Although STOLI investors won the day in Kramer, New York is no longer a safe haven for such transactions. In 2009, the New York State Legislature passed life settlements legislation that prohibits STOLI policies like those at issue in this case. The New York statute that became effective May 18, 2010, would prohibit immediate policy assignments as described in the Kramer case.
  • 60. Recent Delaware STOLI Case Is a Big Win for Insurers An insurer recently won a major victory when the U.S. District Court for Delaware voided a life insurance policy that was purchased as part of a STOLI transaction. The case—Principal Life Insurance Co. v. Lawrence Rucker 2007 Insurance Trust—is significant because the court voided the policy for lack of an insurable interest based on the finding of insured’s intent to sell, even though the insured had not identified a particular purchaser for the policy at the time it was issued.
  • 61. STOLI to STOA: First Drops in a Gathering Storm Some STOA variants are simply avant-garde STOLI, replacing life insurance with annuity death benefits.  In this breed of STOA, investors pay an individual to serve as annuitant on a variable annuity contract that includes a guaranteed minimum death benefit. The annuitant is typically a person with a short life expectancy, such as the terminally ill. On the death of the annuitant, the guaranteed minimum death benefit is paid to the investor.
  • 62. NCOIL Adopts Model Act Requiring Insurers to Inform Consumers of Settlement Options In a contentious move, the National Conference of Insurance Legislators (NCOIL) executive committee voted unanimously to adopt the Life Insurance Consumer Disclosure Model Act, (Model Act), which requires life insurance carriers to notify policy owners of settlement options when the policy owner is considering surrendering the policy or when the policy is set to lapse.
  • 63. NCOIL Adopts Model Act Requiring Insurers to Inform Consumers of Settlement Options  Not all policy owners have a right to disclosure about settlements under the Model Act. The disclosure requirement applies only where the insured is sixty years old or older or “is known by the insurer to be terminally ill or chronically ill” and  The policy owner requests the surrender, in whole or in part, of a policy.  The policy owner requests an accelerated death benefit under a policy.  The insurer sends notice to the policy owner that the policy may lapse.
  • 64. Indexed Annuities: Still Insurance After a series of contradictory indicators from the SEC and the courts, Congress finally settled the question of whether fixed indexed annuities (FIAs) are securities or insurance products. The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act—signed into law by President Obama on July 21, 2010—conclusively excludes FIAs from regulation as securities by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
  • 65. Classification of Annuities There are clear examples of annuity products that fall on each end of the spectrum. ― Variable annuities—which shift most or all of the investment risk to the purchaser and away from the insurance company—are the obvious case of a product that falls on the “investment” side of the spectrum. ― Fixed annuities—which guarantee the purchaser’s return, shifting almost all investment risk to the insurance company—are the clearest example of a product falling on the insurance side of the spectrum.
  • 66. FDIC Guarantee Increased to $250,000 In order for an account to be treated as a trust account, it has to satisfy the following requirements: ― The account title must include a designator signifying it’s held in a trust relationship. Payable on death (POD), in trust for (ITF), and as trustee for (ITF) satisfy this requirement. ― Beneficiaries must be named in either deposit account records or identified in the trust document, if any. ― To be eligible for the guarantee, a beneficiary must be either a living person or an IRS qualified charity or non-profit.
  • 67. The Federal Insurance Office The FIO is not a regulatory or supervisory body, but will serve the following functions: 1. Gathering information about the insurance industry, conducting studies on the industry, and generating reports for Congress and Executive Branch 2. Locating regulatory gaps and other issues in the insurance industry that may contribute to systemic risk 3. Administering the Terrorism Risk Insurance Program 4. Monitoring minority and other underserved communities’ access to affordable insurance
  • 68. The Federal Insurance Office 4. Make recommendations to the Financial Stability Oversight Committee (also created 5. by the Act) that particular insurers be supervised as a nonbank financial company by the Federal Reserve 6. Coordinate the Federal response to international insurance related matters, and 7. Negotiate international trade agreement that preempt inconsistent state regulations.
  • 69. IRS Guidance Provides Safe Harbor for Policies Maturing After Age 100 The Service will not treat a policy as a MEC or otherwise deny its tax status as a life insurance contract if the contract satisfies the requirements of the safe harbor. The Tax Code treats a contract as a life insurance policy if it either: ― Satisfies the cash value accumulation test or ― Satisfies both the Code’s guideline premium requirements and falls within the Code’s cash value corridor.
  • 70. Vigorous Debate over Qualified Appraisal Standard for Valuation of Donated Policies MassMutual Financial Group representatives recently sent a letter to Treasury Department officials proposing an alternative to the valuation methods required for taxpayers who want to take a charitable contribution deduction on their income taxes for a donated life insurance policy. The letter makes two proposals: ― That the qualified appraisal requirement for sizeable charitable donation be satisfied by an issuing carrier’s statement of the policy’s value, and ― That the Treasury apply existing IRS valuation safe harbors when valuing a policy for charitable donation purposes.
  • 71. Can Term Life Coupled with a Mutual Fund Investment Replace a Variable Universal Life Policy?  The first distinction between the mutual fund strategy and VUL is found in the insurance component of each option. Because term insurance provides coverage in the mutual fund strategy, the insurance coverage will be time limited to ten, fifteen, twenty, or thirty years.  Unlike term insurance, VUL is permanent insurance, meaning that a VUL policy will stay in force until the policy matures—usually after the insured’s 100th birthday. Permanent vs. Term Insurance Fees Investment Options Income Tax Differences
  • 72. More Consumers Buy Guaranteed Living Benefits Riders Annuities customers purchased GLB riders 87 percent of the time when the riders were available.