System and method for administration of costs related to annuities

• US 8,265,962 B2
• Filed: 10/13/2008
• Issued: 09/11/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Talcott Resolution Life Insurance Co. (DSG)
• Original Assignee: Hartford Fire Insurance Company (The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc.)
• Inventors: Michalowski, Philip W., Golembiewski, Keith E., Weiss, Joseph M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kalinowski, Alexander
• Assistant Examiner(s): Preston, John
• Application Number:
  US12/250,132
• Publication Number:
  US 20100094660A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,429 Days
• Field of Search: 705/4, 705/37, 327/158
• US Class Current: 705/4
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/02 Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance credit or loans G06Q40/03
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance

Abstract

A system for administration of an insurance annuity account has a processor and a memory. The processor receives a net asset value of the account at a commencement of a first period and a charge applicable to the account based on a fraction of the net asset value of the account; on a basis of a second period, shorter than the first period, throughout the first period: the processor calculates a fractional charge based on the net asset value of the account, and updates the net asset value by decrementing the net asset value in the amount of the fractional charge. At the end of the first period, the processor compares a charge for the first period based on the net asset value of the account on one day during the first period to a sum of the fractional charges for the first period, and increases the net asset value by the difference if the first period charge is less than the sum of the fractional charges.

Claims

1. A system for administration of a variable annuity account issued to a customer by an insurance company and having a premium invested in funds selected by the customer, comprising:

a processor;

a memory in communication with the processor;

the processor being configured to;

receive data including a net asset value of the account at a commencement of an annual period;

receive data including an amount of a performance-independent management fee for payment to advisors of the customer-selected funds applicable to the account and based on a fraction of the net asset value of the account;

on a daily basis throughout the annual period;

calculate a fractional daily charge based on the net asset value of the account on each day during the period, the amount of the management fee and the number of days in the annual period;

on a daily basis, update the net asset value by decrementing the net asset value in the amount of the daily charge;

store the daily updated net asset value in memory; and

store each of the daily charges in memory;

at the end of the annual period;

calculate an annual charge based on the net asset value of the account on one day during the annual period and the amount of the management fee;

calculate a sum of the daily charges for the annual period;

calculate a difference between the annual charge and the sum of the daily charges;

if the annual charge is less than the sum of the daily charges, calculate an annually updated net asset value equal to the sum of the daily updated net asset value for the day of calculation and the difference between the annual charge and the sum of the daily charges;

if the annual charge is equal to or greater than the sum of the daily charges, make no change to the net asset value; and

provide an output signal having data indicative of the annually updated net asset value and the difference between the annual charge and the sum of the daily charges.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a web server for receiving a user request for account information, wherein the web server displays the difference between the annual charge and the sum of the daily charges.

3. A system for administration of an insurance annuity account issued to a customer by an insurance company and having a premium invested in funds selected by the customer, comprising:

a processor;

a memory in communication with the processor;

the processor being adapted to;

receive data including a net asset value of the account at a commencement of a first period;

receive data including a performance-independent charge applicable to the account in the nature of a charge related to compensation of advisors of the customer- selected funds and based on a fraction of the net asset value of the account;

on a basis of a second period, shorter than the first period, throughout the first period;

calculate a fractional charge based on the net asset value of the account on the basis of the second period, the value of the charge and the number of second periods in the first period;

update the net asset value on the basis of the second period by decrementing the net asset value in the amount of the fractional charge;

store the updated net asset value in memory; and

store each of the fractional charges in memory;

at the end of the first period;

calculate a charge for the first period based on the net asset value of the account on one day during the first period and the value of the charge;

calculate a sum of the fractional charges for the first period;

calculate a difference between the first period charge and the sum of the fractional charges;

if the first period charge is less than the sum of the fractional charges, calculate an updated net asset value equal to the sum of the updated net asset value for the day of calculation and the difference between the first period charge and the sum of the fractional charges; and

provide an output signal having data indicative of the net asset value and, if the net asset value was increased by the difference between the first period charge and the sum of the fraction charges, indicative of the difference between the first period charge and the sum of the fractional charges.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the charge comprises fund management fees.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the charge comprises rider fees.

6. The system of claim 3, wherein the charge is an average fund management expense.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the fund management expense is predetermined and independent of a user fund selection.

8. The system of claim 3, wherein the processor is further adapted to provide instructions for printing of a document bearing the difference between the first period charge and the sum of the fractional charges.

9. The system of claim 3, wherein the processor is further adapted to, if the first period charge is less than the sum of the fractional charges, calculate a return on the difference between the first period charge and the sum of the fractional charges, and increase the net asset value based on the calculated amount of the return.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the processor is further adapted to calculate the return by applying a percentage increase in the net asset value over the first period to the difference between the first period charge and the sum of the fractional charges.

11. The system of claim 3, wherein, in response to an instruction for a withdrawal from the account, the processor is adapted to determine an amount payable, and provide an output signal, and the system further comprises:

a payment determination system having a processor for;

receiving the output signal, determining of a payor account and a payment method;

storing of the determined payor account information and the determined payment method in a memory of the payment determination system;

outputting of a digital signal indicative of the stored payor account information, the stored payment method, amount information and payee information; and

a payment fulfillment system for receiving the digital signal from the payment determination system and for fulfillment of payment in accordance with the information conveyed by the digital signal from the processor of the payment determination system.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the payment fulfillment system is a check printing and mailing system for printing and mailing a check drawn on the payor account in an amount and to a payee as determined by the information conveyed by the digital signal from the processor of the payment determination system.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the payment fulfillment system is a system for generating electronic funds transfer requests for providing of an instruction to a bank determined by the payor account information to provide an electronic funds transfer from the payor account to a payee account in an amount determined by the information conveyed by the digital signal from the processor of the payment determination system.

14. A computer-implemented method for administration of a variable annuity account issued to a customer by an insurance company and having a premium invested in funds selected by the customer, comprising the steps of:

receiving by a processor data including a net asset value of the account at a commencement of a first period;

receiving by the processor data including a performance-independent charge in the nature of a charge related to compensation of advisors of the customer-selected funds applicable to the account and based on a fraction of the net asset value of the account;

on a basis of a second period, shorter than the first period, throughout the first period;

calculating by the processor of a fractional charge based on the net asset value of the account on the basis of the second period, the value of the charge and the number of second periods in the first period;

storing the fractional charge in memory;

updating the net asset value by decrementing the net asset value in the amount of the fractional charge;

storing the updated net asset value in memory; and

storing each of the fractional charges in memory;

at the end of the first period;

calculating a first period charge for the first period based on the net asset value of the account on one day during the first period and the rate of the charge;

calculating a sum of the fractional charges for the first period;

calculating a difference between the first period charge and the sum of the fractional charges for the first period;

if the first period charge is less than the sum of the fractional charges, calculating an updated net asset value equal to the sum of the updated net asset value for the day of calculation and the difference between the first period charge and the sum of the fractional charges; and

providing an output signal having data indicative of the net asset value and, if the net asset value was increased by the difference between the first period charge and the sum of the fraction charges, indicative of the difference between the first period charge and the sum of the fractional charges.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the first period is a year, and the second period is a day.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the charge comprises fund management fees.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the charge comprises rider fees.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the charge is an average fund management expense.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the fund management expense is predetermined and independent of a user fund selection.

20. The method of claim 14, further comprising providing by the processor of instructions for printing of a document bearing the difference between the first period charge and the sum of the fractional charges.

21. The method of claim 14, further comprising, if the first period charge is less than the sum of the fractional charges, calculating by the processor a return on the difference between the first period charge and the sum of the fractional charges, the return being a fraction of the percentage increase in the net asset value over the first period, and increasing the net asset value based on the calculated amount of the return.

22. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having a plurality of instructions thereon which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform the steps of:

receiving data including a net asset value of a variable annuity account issued to a customer by an insurance company and having a premium invested in funds selected by the customer at a commencement of a first period;

receiving data including a performance-independent charge in the nature of a charge related to compensation of advisors of the customer-selected funds applicable to the account and based on a fraction of the net asset value of the account;

on a basis of a second period, shorter than the first period, throughout the first period;

calculating a fractional charge based on the net asset value of the account on the basis of the second period, the value of the charge and the number of second periods in the first period;

updating the net asset value by decrementing the net asset value in the amount of the fractional charge;

storing the updated net asset value in memory; and

storing each of the fractional charges in memory;

at the end of the first period;

calculating a first period charge for the first period based on the net asset value of the account on one day during the first period and the rate of the charge;

calculating a sum of the fractional charges for the first period;

calculating a difference between the first period charge and the sum of the fractional charges for the first period;

if the first period charge is less than the sum of the fractional charges, calculating an updated net asset value equal to the sum of the updated net asset value for the day of calculation and the difference between the first period charge and the sum of the fractional charges; and

providing an output signal having data indicative of the net asset value and, if the net asset value was increased by the difference between the first period charge and the sum of the fraction charges, indicative of the difference between the first period charge and the sum of the fractional charges.

23. The computer-readable medium of claim 22, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to associate data indicative of the difference between the first period charge and the sum of the fractional charges with an xml tag.

24. The computer-readable medium of claim 22, wherein the charge applicable to the account comprises fund management fees.