Advocacy in action blog

NAIFA’s Online CEO Panel
Tuesday, May 12 at 1 PM EDT
Free to all financial professionals

NAIFA is bringing together CEOs from the insurance and financial services industry’s top associations to discuss our collaborative efforts during the COVlD-19 crisis to address financial security on Main Street USA. NAIFA CEO Kevin Mayeux will moderate a panel consisting of:

All eyes were on the Washington, D.C., Council on Tuesday morning. Included in its “Coronavirus Omnibus Emergency Amendment Act of 2020” was a proposal to essentially rewrite business income insurance policies and require the industry to pay for losses that were not covered. The Council ultimately agreed to withdraw the language before passing the omnibus bill. The business interruption insurance measure could have threatened the financial solvency of the District's insurance industry, so having it removed was a major win for insurers.

NAIFA along with five other organizations has sent a letter to Congress asking legislators to support the Insured Retirement Institute’s (IRI) five-point plan to help retirement savers recover from losses caused by the COVID-19 outbreak. NAIFA has worked with IRI to promote the plan and garner support in Congress.

Recent estimates suggest that the COVID-19 pandemic has cost more than 9 million Americans employer-provided health insurance, with projections indicating that those numbers will continue to rise. These individuals are generally granted the option to elect continued health coverage through the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA).

One part of the COVID 19 federal relief package known as the CARES Act is the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), which allows individuals and small businesses to obtain loans for the purpose of paying their employees during the crisis. Repayment of these loans may be forgiven if certain terms are met. If a securities firm obtains a PPP loan, must that fact be disclosed/reported to the firm’s clients?

In recently updated Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on its new Regulation Best Interest (Reg BI), the SEC offered some clarification on when it would be permissible for broker-dealers and their registered representatives to use the terms “advisor” and/or “adviser” as part of their name or title once Reg BI goes into effect on June 30, 2020.  The SEC, in Reg BI, did not specifically prohibit the use of these terms by broker-dealers and their reps, and the FAQs indicate that a broker-dealer can use these terms when acting as a municipal advisor, a commodity trading advisor or “in a role specifically defined by federal statute”.

NAIFA supports a rule proposed by the Department of Labor that would expand the ability of retirement plan sponsors to provide participants with required disclosures and notices electronically. In a letter to Russ Vought, acting director of the Office of Management and Budget, NAIFA and partner organizations urge the administration to finalize the rule as quickly as possible.

As governments look to offset financial business losses resulting from COVID-19, some state legislatures have explored further exploiting the insurance industry by introducing bills addressing business interruption coverage. Business interruption coverage typically applies only to losses resulting from physical damage to property, such as that caused by a natural disaster, and generally inapplicable to losses caused by viral or bacterial pandemics.

NAIFA has joined a group of organizations asking Congress to ensure that 180 million Americans who receive health care coverage through workplace plans are able to continue receiving private health benefits in light of economic difficulties and job losses caused by the COVID-19 outbreak. The groups, including America’s Health Insurance Plans, the National African American Insurance Association, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and 28 others, sent a letter to congressional leadership with five specific policy recommendations:

The NAIC recently adopted amendments to its Suitability in Annuity Transactions Model Regulation, which regulates producer and insurer recommendations for all annuities. The revised NAIC Model requires producers and insurers to act in the best interest of annuity purchasers and to not put their own financial interests ahead of the consumers’ interest. The amended Model, which aligns well with the SEC’s Regulation Best Interest, will raise the standard of care required of financial professionals while preserving consumers’ access to valuable financial advice, services and products. NAIFA was an active participant in the development of these revisions and supports the amended Model regulation. The adoption by the states of these amendments is a top advocacy priority for NAIFA.