[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 127 (Monday, July 3, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 34568-34570]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-16211]



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SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
[Rel. No. IC-21164; 812-9508]


Kansas City Life Insurance Company, et al.

June 26, 1995.
AGENCY: Securities and Exchange Commission (``SEC'').

ACTION: Notice of application for exemption under the Investment 
Company Act of 1940 (the ``Act'').

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APPLICANTS: Kansas City Life Insurance Company (``Kansas City Life''), 
Kansas City Life Variable Annuity Separate Account (the ``Separate 
Account''), and Sunset Financial Services, Inc. (``Sunset Financial'').

RELEVANT ACT SECTIONS: Order requested under section 6(c) of the Act 
that would exempt applicants from sections 26(a)(2)(C) and 27(c)(2) of 
the Act.

SUMMARY OF APPLICATION: Applicants request an order to permit them to 
deduct a mortality and expense risk charge from the assets of the 
Separate Account or any other separate account (``Other Accounts'') 
that Kansas City Life may establish in the future to support certain 
individual flexible premium payment deferred variable annuity contracts 
(``Contracts'') as well as other variable annuity contracts offered in 
the future that are similar in all material respects to the Contracts 
(``Future Contracts'').

FILING DATES: The application was filed on March 3, 1995, and amended 
on June 8, 1995.

HEARING OR NOTIFICATION OF HEARING: An order granting the application 
will be issued unless the SEC orders a hearing.
    Interested persons may request a hearing by writing to the SEC's 
Secretary and serving applicants with a copy of the request, personally 
or by mail. Hearing requests should be received by the SEC by 5:30 p.m. 
on July 18, 1995 and should be accompanied by proof of service on 
applicants, in the form of an affidavit or, for lawyers, a certificate 
of service. Hearing requests should state the nature of the writer's 
interest, the reason for the request, and the issues contested. Persons 
may request notification of a hearing by writing to the SEC's 
Secretary.

ADDRESSES: Secretary, SEC, 450 5th Street NW., Washington, D.C. 20549. 
Applicants, Kansas City Life Insurance 

[[Page 34569]]
Company, Kansas City Life Variable Annuity Separate Account, 3520 
Broadway, Kansas City, Missouri 64141-6139, Sunset Financial Services, 
Inc. 3200 Capital Boulevard South, Olympia, Washington 98501-3396.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Sarah A. Buescher, Staff Attorney, at 
(202) 942-0573, or C. David Messman, Branch Chief, at (202) 942-0564 
(Division of Investment Management, Office of Investment Company 
Regulation).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The following is a summary of the 
application. The complete application may be obtained for a fee at the 
SEC's Public Reference Branch.

Applicants' Representations

    1. Kansas City Life is a stock life insurance company organized in 
Missouri and licensed to do business in 45 states and the District of 
Columbia.
    2. The Separate Account is a separate investment account 
established by Kansas City Life to fund variable annuity contracts. 
Kansas City Life is the depositor and sponsor of the Separate Account. 
The Separate Account is registered as a unit investment trust under the 
Act. Units of interest in the Separate Account will be registered under 
the Securities Act of 1933. The Separate Account is currently divided 
into eleven subaccounts. Each subaccount will invest exclusively in the 
shares of an investment portfolio of one of three registered investment 
companies.
    3. Sunset Financial, an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of Kansas 
City Life, will serve as the distributor and principal underwriter for 
the Contracts. Sunset Financial is registered under the Securities 
Exchange Act of 1934 as a broker-dealer and is a member of the National 
Association of Securities Dealers, Inc.
    4. The Contracts are individual flexible premium deferred variable 
annuity contracts. They may be purchased on a non-tax qualified basis 
or in connection with retirement plans entitled to special federal 
income tax treatment. The Contracts require a minimum initial premium 
of $5,000 or annualized payments of $600. The minimum subsequent 
premium payment is $50. Contract owners may allocate premium payments 
to one or more subaccounts of the Separate Account and to the Fixed 
Account, which is part of Kansas City Life's General Account. Premium 
payments allocated to the Fixed Account will be credited with a 
predetermined rate of interest. The value of a Contract (``Contract 
Value'') is the sum of the value of the Contract's investments in the 
Separate Account and the Fixed Account.
    5. The Contracts provide for a death benefit if the annuitant dies 
before the maturity date. The death benefit is equal to the greater of: 
(i) the guaranteed death benefit less any indebtedness; and (ii) the 
Contract Value less any indebtedness on the date applicants receive 
proof of the annuitant's death. The guaranteed death benefit is equal 
to the initial premium payment plus any subsequent premium payments. 
Any partial surrender will decrease the guaranteed death benefit by the 
same percentage that the surrender decreases the Contract Value.
    6. Before the maturity date, the owner may request a transfer of 
all or part of the amount in a subaccount or the Fixed Account to 
another subaccount or to the Fixed Account. The total amount 
transferred each time must be at least $250, or the entire amount in 
the subaccount or the Fixed Account, if less than $250. Only one 
transfer from the Fixed Account may be made in each 12-month period 
beginning on the date the Contract is issued (``Contract Year''), and 
that transfer may not be for more than 25% of the unloaned value of the 
Fixed Account. The first six transfers each Contract Year are free. 
Kansas City Life will assess a $25 transfer processing fee for 
subsequent transfers. Kansas City Life does not expect a profit from 
this fee, which is guaranteed and cannot be increased. Applicants rely 
on rule 26a-1 to deduct this fee.\1\

    \1\ Rule 26a-1 allows for payment of a fee for bookkeeping and 
other administrative expenses provided that the fee is no greater 
than the cost of the services provided, without profit.
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    7. Applicants will charge a contingent deferred sales charge 
(``Surrender Charge'') for certain withdrawals. The amount of the 
Surrender Charge is as follows:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                              Charge as 
                                                              percentage
          Contract year in which surrender occurs             of amount 
                                                             surrendered
------------------------------------------------------------------------
1..........................................................           7 
2..........................................................           7 
3..........................................................           7 
4..........................................................           6 
5..........................................................           5 
6..........................................................           4 
7..........................................................           2 
8 and after................................................           0 
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    If the owner surrenders the entire Contract, the Surrender Charge 
will be deducted from the Contract Value. If the owner surrenders part 
to the Contract, the Surrender Charge will be deducted from the amount 
surrendered or from the remaining Contract Value, according to the 
owner's instructions.
    8. An owner may participate in a systemic partial surrender plan 
whereby the owner instructs Kansas City Life to surrender a requested 
dollar amount on a periodic basis. If an owner does not participate in 
the plan, the first partial surrender during a Contract Year will not 
be subject to a Surrender Charge if it does not exceed 10% of the 
Contract Value at the time of the surrender. This free partial 
surrender is limited to the first partial surrender of the Contract 
Year, even if the amount surrendered is less than 10% of the Contract 
Value. Upon a full surrender, if the owner has not elected to 
participate in the systemic partial surrender plan and has not received 
any partial surrenders during a Contract Year, only 90% of the Contract 
Value will be subject to a Surrender Charge. If the owner participates 
in the systemic partial surrender plan, up to 10% of the Contract Value 
may be surrendered each Contract Year without a Surrender Charge. Once 
the amount of the surrender exceeds the 10% limit, the applicable 
Surrender Charge will be deducted from the remaining Contract Value.
    9. An annual administration fee of $30 will be deducted from the 
Contract Value for administrative expenses at the beginning of each 
Contract Year. Applicants will waive this fee for Contracts with 
Contract Values of $50,000 or more at the beginning of the Contract 
Year. No annual administration fee is payable after the maturity date 
of the Contract. Prior to the maturity date of a Contract, Kansas City 
Life also will deduct a daily asset-based administration charge from 
the assets of the Separate Account at an annual rate of .15%. 
Applicants represent that the annual administration fee and the asset-
based administration charge are guaranteed and will not increase. In 
addition, applicants represent that they do not expect to make a profit 
from these charges. Applicants will rely on rule 26a-1 to deduct these 
fees.
    10. Prior to the maturity date, Kansas City Life proposes to deduct 
a daily mortality and expense risk charge from the assets of the 
Separate Account. The aggregate mortality and expense risk charge will 
be equal to an annual rate of 1.25%. Of that amount, approximately .70% 
is for mortality risk and .55% is for expense risk. Kansas City Life 
assumes the mortality risk that annuitants may live for a longer period 
than estimated when the guarantees in the Contract were established, 
thus 

[[Page 34570]]
requiring Kansas City Life to pay out more in annuity income than it 
had planned. Kansas City Life also assumes a mortality risk in that it 
may be obligated to pay a death benefit in excess of the Contract 
Value. The expense risk assumed by Kansas City Life is that the other 
fees may be insufficient to cover actual expenses.
    11. If the mortality and expense risk charge is insufficient to 
cover the actual cost of the risks, Kansas City Life will bear the 
shortfall. Conversely, if the charge is more than sufficient, the 
excess will be profit to Kansas City Life and will be available for any 
proper corporate purpose.
    12. If premium taxes are applicable to a Contract, they will be 
deducted upon surrender of the Contract or upon application of the 
Contract proceeds to an annuity payment option or lump sum payment at 
the maturity date.

Applicants' Legal Analysis

    1. Applicants request an exemption pursuant to section 6(c) from 
sections 26(a)(2)(C) and 27(c)(2) to the extent necessary to permit the 
deduction from the Separate Account and Other Accounts that Kansas City 
Life may establish in the future of the 1.25% Mortality and Expense 
Risk Charge. Sections 26(a)(2)(C) and 27(c)(2) of the Act, in relevant 
part, prohibit a registered unit investment trust, its depositor or 
principal underwriter, from selling periodic payment plan certificates 
unless the proceeds of all payments, other than sales loads, are 
deposited with a qualified bank and held under arrangements which 
prohibit any payment to the depositor or principal underwriter except a 
reasonable fee, as the Commission may prescribe, for performing 
bookkeeping and other administrative duties normally performed by the 
bank itself.
    2. Section 6(c) of the Act authorizes the Commission to exempt any 
person from any provision of the Act or any rule or regulation 
thereunder, if and to the extent that such exemption is necessary or 
appropriate in the public interest and consistent with the protection 
of investors and the purposes fairly intended by the policy and 
provisions of the Act.
    3. Applicants also request relief with respect to Future Contracts 
that may be issued from the Separate Account and Other Accounts. 
Applicants represent that the terms of the relief requested with 
respect to any Future Contracts are consistent with the standards of 
section 6(c) of the Act. Without the requested relief, applicants 
represent that they would have to request and obtain exemptive relief 
for Future Contracts and any Other Account. Applicants represent that 
these additional requests for exemptive relief would present no issues 
under the Act not already addressed in this application, and that 
investors would not receive any benefit or additional protections 
thereby.
    4. Applicants represent that the requested relief is appropriate in 
the public interest, because it would promote competitiveness in the 
variable annuity contract market by eliminating the need for applicants 
to file redundant exemptive applications, thereby reducing their 
administrative expenses and maximizing the efficient use of resources. 
Elimination of the delay and expense involved in repeatedly seeking 
exemptive relief would enhance applicants' ability effectively to take 
advantage of business opportunities as they arise. Applicants further 
represent that their requested relief is consistent with the protection 
of investors and the purposes fairly intended by the policy and 
provisions of the Act.
    5. Applicants represent that the 1.25% per annum mortality and 
expense risk charge is within the range of industry practice for 
comparable variable annuity contracts. This representation is based on 
an analysis of publicly available information regarding similar 
contracts of other companies, taking into consideration such features 
as current charge levels, death benefit guarantees, and investment 
options under the Contracts. Kansas City Life will maintain at its home 
office, and make available to the SEC upon request, a memorandum 
setting forth in detail the products analyzed and the methodology and 
results of applicants' comparative review.
    6. Prior to relying on any exemptive relief granted herein with 
respect to Future Contracts issued by the Separate Account or Other 
Accounts, applicants will determine that the mortality and expense risk 
charge will be within the range of industry practice for comparable 
contracts. Kansas City Life will maintain at its home office a 
memorandum, available to the Commission upon request, setting forth the 
methodology used in making these determinations.
    7. Kansas City Life acknowledges that distribution expenses may be 
paid from profits derived from the mortality and expense risk charges. 
Kansas City Life has concluded that there is a reasonable likelihood 
that the proposed distribution financing arrangement will benefit the 
Separate Account and the Contract owners. Kansas City Life will 
maintain and make available to the Commission upon request a memorandum 
at its home office setting forth the basis of such conclusion.
    8. Prior to relying on any exemptive relief granted herein with 
respect to Future Contracts issued by the Separate Account or Other 
Accounts, applicants will determine that there is a reasonable 
likelihood that the distribution financing arrangement will benefit the 
Separate Account, Other Accounts, and their investors. Kansas City Life 
will maintain and make available to the Commission upon request a 
memorandum at its home office setting forth the basis of such 
conclusion.
    9. The Separate Account will invest in a management investment 
company that has adopted a plan pursuant to rule 12b-1 under the Act 
only if that company has undertaken to have such plan formulated and 
approved by its board of directors, a majority of whom are not 
``interested persons'' of the company within the meaning of section 
2(a)(19) of the Act.

    For the Commission, by the Division of Investment Management, 
pursuant to delegated authority.
Margaret H. McFarland,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 95-16211 Filed 6-30-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8010-01-M