The National Association of Securities Dealers has come out with a third attempt to set sales practice standards and supervisory requirements for transactions involving deferred variable annuities.
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the agency that must approve efforts by the NASD, Washington, to implement the rule, has published the new draft today in the Federal Register.
The new draft, "Amendment Number 2″ to an original proposed rule released in December 2004, would create NASD Rule 2821, which would require deferred VA sellers to make sure that the products sold are suitable for the buyers, that the buyers understand the products, and that a company principal review the suitability of all sales.
The third version incorporates NASD responses to public comments on the original draft and a second draft that was exposed for public comment in July 2005.
The proposed rule has attracted about 1,500 comments, although the SEC notes that 1,300 of the comments are "virtually identical."
Many commenters have questioned the need for any new VA sales regulations, but "a recent joint review with the [SEC], NASD examinations and NASD enforcement actions indicate NASD's prior efforts have not been sufficiently effective at curbing problems in this area," SEC officials write in a discussion of the NASD proposed rule.
The proposed rule excludes immediate variable annuities. One commenter said the NASD ought to apply the proposed rule to immediate VA products as well as deferred VA products.
