(a) A domestic company issuing variable annuities shall establish one or more separate accounts pursuant to W.S. § 26-16-502, subject to the following provisions: - (i) Except as may be provided with respect to reserves for guaranteed benefits and funds referred to in subsection (a)(ii):
- (A) Amounts allocated to a separate account and its accumulations may be invested and reinvested without regard to any requirements or limitations prescribed by the laws of this state governing the investments of life insurance companies; and
- (B) The investments in the separate account or accounts shall not be taken into account in applying the investment limitations otherwise applicable to the investments of the company.
- (ii) Reserves for benefits guaranteed as to dollar amount and duration and funds guaranteed as to principal amount or stated rate of interest may be maintained in a separate account if a portion of the assets of the separate account at least equal to the reserve liability is invested in accordance with the laws and regulations of this state governing the investments of life insurance companies. That portion of the assets also shall not be taken into account in applying the investment limitations otherwise applicable to the investments of the company.
- (iii) With respect to seventy-five percent (75%) of the market value of the total assets in a separate account a company shall not purchase or otherwise acquire the securities of an issuer, other than securities issued or guaranteed as to principal or interest by the United States, if immediately after the purchase or acquisition the market value of the investment, together with prior investments of the separate account in the security taken at market, would exceed ten percent (10%) of the market value of the assets of the separate account. The commissioner, may waive this limitation if, in the opinion of the commissioner, the waiver will not render the operation of the separate account hazardous to the public or policyholders in this state.
- (iv) Unless otherwise permitted by law or approved by the commissioner, a company shall not purchase or otherwise acquire for its separate accounts the voting securities of an issuer if, as a result of the acquisition, the insurance company and its separate accounts, in the aggregate, will own more than ten percent (10%) of the total issued and outstanding voting securities of the issuer. This shall not apply with respect to securities held in separate accounts where the voting rights are exercisable only in accordance with instructions from persons having interest in the accounts.
- (v) The limitations provided in Paragraphs (iii) and (iv) of this subsection shall not apply to investments with respect to a separate account in the securities of an investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, if the investments of the investment company comply in substance with Paragraphs (iii) and (iv).
(b) Unless otherwise approved by the commissioner, assets allocated to a separate account shall be valued at their market value on the date of valuation, or if there is no readily available market, then as provided under the terms of the contract or the rules or other written agreement applicable to the separate account. Unless otherwise approved by the commissioner, the portion, if any, of the assets of the separate account equal to the company's reserve liability with regard to the benefits and funds referred to in Subsection a(ii) shall be valued in accordance with the rules otherwise applicable to the company's assets.
(c) To the extent provided under the applicable contracts, that portion of the assets of a separate account equal to the reserves and other contract liabilities with respect to the account shall not be chargeable with liabilities arising out of any other business the company may conduct.
(d) Notwithstanding any other provisions of law, a company may: - (i) With respect to a separate account registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission as a unit investment trust, exercise voting rights in connection with securities of a regulated investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940 and held in such separate accounts in accordance with instructions from persons having interests in such accounts ratably as determined by the company; or
- (ii) With respect to a separate account registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission as a management investment company, establish for the account a committee, board or other body, whose members may or may not be otherwise affiliated with the company and may be elected to membership by the vote of persons having interests in the account ratably as determined by the company. The committee, board or other body may have the power, exercisable alone or in conjunction with others, to manage the separate account and the investment of its assets.
- (iii) A company, committee, board or other body may make other provisions in respect to a separate account as may be deemed appropriate to facilitate compliance with requirements of any federal or state law now or hereafter in effect if the commissioner approves the provisions as not hazardous to the public or the company's policyholders in this state.
(e) No sale, exchange or other transfer of assets may be made by a company between any of its separate accounts or between any other investment account and one or more of its separate accounts unless, in the case of a transfer into a separate account, the transfer is made solely to establish the account or to support the operation of the contracts with respect to the separate account to which the transfer is made, and unless the transfer, whether into or from a separate account, is made: - (i) By a transfer of cash; or
- (ii) By a transfer of securities having a valuation which could be readily determined in the marketplace, if that transfer of securities is approved by the commissioner.
- (iii) The commissioner may authorize other transfers among such accounts, if, in his opinion, such transfers would not be inequitable.
(f) The company shall maintain in each such separate account assets with a value at least equal to the reserves and other contract liabilities with respect to the account, except as may otherwise be approved by the commissioner.
(g) Rules under any provision of the insurance laws of this state or any regulation applicable to the officers and directors of insurance companies with respect to conflict of interest shall also apply to members of a separate accounts committee, board or other similar body. No officer or director of the company nor a member of the committee, board or body of a separate account shall receive directly or indirectly any commission or any other compensation with respect to the purchase or sale of assets of the separate account.
044-66 Wyo. Code R. § 66-4