SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PROCESSING DATA RELATED TO A LIFE INSURANCE POLICY HAVING A SECONDARY GUARANTEE

• US 20130018676A1
• Filed: 07/13/2011
• Published: 01/17/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/13/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Prudential Insurance Company of America (Prudential Financial Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Hartford Fire Insurance Company (The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc.)
• Inventors: Fischer, Paul M., Niedzielski, Andrew, VanHorn, Gerald G.
• Application Number:
  US13/181,963
• Publication Number:
  US 20130018676A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/4
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance

Abstract

A computer system for processing data related to an universal life insurance policy issued by an issuer to an owner and having a death benefit payable to a beneficiary on death of an insured, includes a data storage device storing data indicative of rates and formulas applicable to the policy, and a processor in communication with the data storage device. The processor is configured to: receive data indicative of, for an universal life insurance policy to be illustrated, an age of an insured, a death benefit amount, and timing of payment of premiums; determine an amount of premiums required for the policy by determining whether a policy protection account will have a minimum balance at a selected future date, the policy protection account balance being calculated by crediting to the policy protection account balance amounts of premiums, reduced by a first tier premium charge at a first rate up to a break point amount of premiums, and a second tier premium charge at a second rate above the break point amount of premiums.

Claims

1. A computer system for processing data related to an universal life insurance policy issued by an issuer to an owner and having a death benefit payable to a beneficiary on death of an insured, comprising:

a data storage device storing data indicative of rates and formulas applicable to the policy; and

a processor in communication with the data storage device, the processor configured to;

receive data indicative of, for an universal life insurance policy to be illustrated, an age of an insured, a death benefit amount, and timing of payment of premiums;

determine an amount of premiums required for the policy by determining whether a policy protection account will have a minimum balance at a selected future date at least 5 years after policy issue, the policy protection account balance being calculated by crediting to the policy protection account balance amounts of premiums, reduced by a first tier premium charge at a first rate up to a break point amount of premiums, and a second tier premium charge at a second rate above the break point amount of premiums, periodically crediting to the policy protection account an interest credit based on a policy protection account balance and an interest rate, and periodically deducting from the policy protection account balance cost of insurance charges based on death benefit amount;

generate an illustration for the policy including the determined amount of premiums, face value amount, and insured information, and

transmit via a data connection data indicative of the illustration.

2. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the timing of payments of premiums is a single premium payment for the policy.

3. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the timing of payments of premiums is in the nature of periodic level payments over a time period.

4. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the break point is based on cumulative payments over the life of the policy.

5. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the breakpoint is based on payments over a period of not more than five years.

6. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the second rate is dependent on a time of receipt of premium.

7. The computer system of claim 6, wherein the second rate is different from the first rate for premiums received in the first two to five years of the policy, and equal to the second rate for premiums received thereafter.

8. The computer system of claim 1, further comprising a policy issue computer system in communication with the processor, the policy issue computer system being configured to generate one or more policy documents consistent with the illustration for delivery to an insured to cause the policy to be issued.

9. The computer system of claim 1, further comprising an administrator computer system in communication with the data storage device, the administrator computer system configured to change data stored in the data storage device indicative of the second rate.

10. The computer system of claim 9, wherein the administrator computer system is configured to change the data stored in the data storage device indicative of the second rate automatically on a periodic basis.

11. The computer system of claim 9, wherein the administrator computer system is configured to change the data stored in the data storage device indicative of the second rate responsive to user input of a changed second rate.

12. A computer-implemented method for processing data related to an universal life insurance policy having a death benefit payable to a beneficiary on death of an insured, comprising:

receiving by a processor via a network data indicative of, for an universal life insurance policy to be illustrated, an age of an insured, a death benefit amount, and timing of payment of premiums;

accessing by the processor from a data storage device in communication with the processor data indicative of values of rates;

determining an amount of premiums required for the policy by determining whether a policy protection account will have a minimum balance at a selected future date at least 5 years after policy issue, the policy protection account balance being calculated by crediting to the policy protection account balance amounts of premiums, reduced by a first tier premium charge at a first rate up to a break point amount of premiums, and a second tier premium charge at a second rate above the break point amount of premiums, periodically crediting to the policy protection account an interest credit based on a policy protection account balance and an interest rate, and periodically deducting from the policy protection account balance cost of insurance charges based on death benefit amount;

generating by the processor an illustration for the policy including the determined amount of premiums, face value amount, and insured information, and

transmitting by the processor via a data connection data indicative of the illustration.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 12, further comprising displaying the illustration on a user-accessible device.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 12, wherein the user-accessible device is a smartphone for receiving the data indicative of the illustration via wireless communication.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 12, further comprising a second break point corresponding to a value of premiums greater than the break point, and a third rate applicable to premiums above the second break point.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 12, wherein the timing of payments is a single premium payment payable upon issue of the policy.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 12, further comprising receiving data indicative of user selection of one or more riders, wherein the policy protection account balance is determined based on deducting a charge corresponding to each selected rider.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 12, further comprising generating by a policy issue computer system in communication with the processor one or more policy documents consistent with the illustration for delivery to an insured to cause the policy to be issued.

19. The computer-implemented method of claim 12, further comprising changing, by an administrator computer system in communication with the data storage device, data stored in the data storage device indicative of the second rate.

20. The computer-implemented method of claim 19, wherein the changing is performed by the administrator computer system automatically on a periodic basis.

21. The computer system of claim 19, wherein the changing is performed by the administrator computer system responsive to user input of a changed second rate.

22. A computer system for processing data related to an universal life insurance policy having a death benefit, comprising:

a data storage device storing data indicative of a policy owner, an insured under the policy, a death benefit amount, payable under the policy to a beneficiary upon death of the insured, a schedule of premium payments, a formula for calculating a policy protection account balance, and values for use in the formula; and

a processor in communication with the data storage device, the processor configured to;

receive data indicative of an amount of a premium payment received with respect to the policy;

access from the data storage device a break point and at least a first rate for a first tier premium charge;

determine whether a second tier premium charge at a second rate is applicable to the premium payment;

responsive to determining that the second tier premium charge is applicable, determine a charge using the second rate for premium amounts above the break point, and

store the calculated credit to the policy protection account in the memory storage device.

23. The computer system of claim 22, wherein the break point is based on cumulative premium payments over the life of the policy.

24. The computer system of claim 22, wherein the break point is based on premium payments over a period of not more than five years.

25. The computer system of claim 22, wherein the second rate is dependent on a time of receipt of premium.

26. The computer system of claim 22, further comprising a policy issue computer system in communication with the processor, the policy issue computer system being configured to generate one or more policy documents associated with the policy for delivery to the policy owner.

27. The computer system of claim 22, further comprising an administrator computer system in communication with the data storage device, the administrator computer system configured to change data stored in the data storage device indicative of the second rate.

28. A computer-implemented method for processing data related to a universal life insurance policy, comprising:

receiving by a processor data indicative of an amount of a premium payment received with respect to the policy;

accessing by the processor from a data storage device in communication with the processor a break point and at least a first rate for a first tier premium charge;

determining by the processor whether a second tier premium charge at a second rate is applicable to the premium payment;

responsive to determining that the second tier premium charge is applicable, determining by the processor a charge using the second rate for premium amounts above the break point, and

storing by the processor the calculated credit to the policy protection account in the memory storage device.

29. The computer-implemented method of claim 28, wherein the break point is based on cumulative premium payments over the life of the policy.

30. The computer-implemented method of claim 28, wherein the breakpoint is based on payments over a period of not more than five years.

31. The computer-implemented method of claim 28, further comprising generating by a policy issue computer system in communication with the processor one or more policy documents associated with the policy for delivery to the policy owner.

32. The computer-implemented method of claim 28, further comprising changing, by an administrator computer system in communication with the data storage device, data stored in the data storage device indicative of the second rate.