SEC Company Response from FORTITUDE LIFE INSURANCE & ANNUITY CO (CIK 0000881453) — Apr 24, 2020
FORTITUDE LIFE INSURANCE & ANNUITY CO (CIK 0000881453)
Date: April 24, 2020 · CIK: 0000881453 · Accession: 0000881453-20-000023
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File numbers found in text: 333-236098, 333-236099, 811-05438
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CORRESP 1 filename1.htm FlexGuard S3 Correspondence Combined Document Richard H. Kirk Vice President, Corporate Counsel The Prudential Insurance Company of America 213 Washington Street, Newark, NJ 07102-2917 Tel 203-925-3707 richard.kirk@prudential.com April 24, 2020 VIA EDGAR Alberto H. Zapata, Esq. Senior Counsel Disclosure Review and Accounting Office Division of Investment Management Securities and Exchange Commission 100 F Street, N.E. Washington, DC 20549 Re: Response to SEC Staff Comments on Registration Statements Prudential Annuities Life Assurance Corporation Variable Account B Registration Statement on Form N-4, SEC File Nos. 333-236099 and 811-05438 Prudential Annuities Life Assurance Corporation Registration Statement on Form S-3, SEC File No. 333-236098 Dear Mr. Zapata: On behalf of the above-referenced Registrants, below are responses to Staff comments received orally on April 21, 2020 to the registration statements noted above. Included in this submission is a revised prospectus for the B Series contract which is marked to show the changes described below. Applicable comments will also be applied to the I Series prospectus. The staff’s comments and our responses are as follows: 1. Comment – Prospectus - Summary section (page 4) Please break out the third paragraph into separate paragraphs (potentially with sub-headings) each describing the features of the variable subaccounts and index strategies covered in the paragraph separately. Alternatively, please put the information in the paragraph in a chart with one section of the chart showing the features of the variable subaccounts and the other section of the chart showing the features of the index strategies. Alberto H. Zapata, Esq. April 24, 2020 Page 2 Response: We have revised the third paragraph as requested by breaking it into separate paragraphs, one paragraph describing features of the variable subaccounts and the other paragraph describing features of the index strategies. These changes are marked in the revised prospectus which is included with this submission. 2. Comment – Prospectus - Risk Factors – Effect of Interim Value (page 11) The last sentence of the “Effect of Interim Value” subsection reads as follows, “Withdrawals before an Index Strategy End Date could have adverse impacts even if the value of the Index has increased at the time of the calculation.” Please more fully describe the “adverse impacts” noted in the sentence. Response: We have added disclosure to the “Effect of Interim Value” subsection as follows: “Withdrawals before an Index Strategy End Date could have adverse impacts even if the value of the Index has increased at the time of the calculation because an early withdrawal will not allow you to participate in the Index Return for the Index Strategy Term with your entire Index Strategy Base. If you withdraw Account Value allocated to an Index Strategy, the withdrawal will cause an immediate reduction to your Index Strategy Base in a proportion equal to the reduction in your Interim Value. A proportional reduction may be larger than the dollar amount of your withdrawal even if the value of the Index has increased. See “Impact of Withdrawals” below for additional information.” 3. Comment – Prospectus – Interim Value of Index Strategies (page 24) In this section in two places, a component of the Interim Value calculation is described as “the pro-rata portion of the potential Index Credit.” Please explain “the pro-rata portion of the potential Index Credit” in plain English. Response: We have added disclosure as follows in this section in two places as applicable: “The pro-rata portion of the potential Index Credit. A calculation based on the Index Return to date, adjusted for the portion of time that you have been invested in the Index Strategy as compared to your Index Strategy Term, as outlined below.” Alberto H. Zapata, Esq. April 24, 2020 Page 3 If you have any questions, please call me at (203) 925-3707. Very truly yours, /s/Richard H. Kirk Richard H. Kirk Vice President, Corporate Counsel THE INFORMATION IN THE PROSPECTUS IS NOT COMPLETE AND MAY BE CHANGED. WE MAY NOT SELL THESE SECURITIES UNTIL THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT FILED WITH THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION IS EFFECTIVE. THIS PROSPECTUS IS NOT AN OFFER TO SELL THESE SECURITIES AND IS NOT SOLICITING AN OFFER TO BUY THESE SECURITIES IN ANY STATE WHERE THE OFFER OR SALE IS NOT PERMITTED. PRUDENTIAL ANNUITIES LIFE ASSURANCE CORPORATION A Prudential Financial Company One Corporate Drive, Shelton, CT 06484 PRUDENTIAL FLEXGUARD Flexible Premium Deferred Index-Linked and Variable Annuity (“B SERIES”) PROSPECTUS: _______, 2020 This prospectus describes the B Series of a flexible premium deferred index-linked and variable annuity (“Annuity”) offered by Prudential Annuities Life Assurance Corporation (“Prudential Annuities”, “PALAC”, “we”, “our”, or “us”). The Annuity provides for the potential accumulation of retirement savings and retirement income through annuitization. The Annuity is intended for retirement or other long-term investment purposes. This prospectus describes all material rights and obligations of Annuity purchasers under the Annuity contracts. This prospectus is being provided for informational or educational purposes only and does not take into account the investment objectives or financial situation of any client(s) or prospective client(s). The information is not intended as investment advice and is not a recommendation about managing or investing your retirement savings. Clients seeking information regarding their particular investment needs should contact a Financial Professional. The Annuity is offered as an individual annuity contract and has features and benefits that may be appropriate for you based on your financial situation, your age and how you intend to use the Annuity. The Annuity or certain of its Index Strategies, Variable Investment Subaccounts and/or features may not be available in all states. Financial Professionals may be compensated for the sale of the B Series. Selling broker-dealer firms through which the Annuity is sold may decline to recommend to their customers certain features, Index Strategies and Variable Investment Subaccounts offered generally under the Annuity or may impose restrictions (e.g., a lower maximum issue age for certain Annuity). Selling broker-dealer firms may not make available or may not recommend the B Series of the Annuity and/or benefits described in this prospectus. Please speak to your Financial Professional for further details. We hold the assets for each Variable Investment Subaccount in a corresponding Subaccount of PALAC Separate Account B. Each Subaccount, in turn, invests in one of the following Portfolios: MFS Value Series MFS International Growth Portfolio MFS Total Return Series MFS Total Return Bond Series PSF Government Money Market Portfolio We hold the assets for each Index Strategy in a non-insulated, non-unitized separate account we have established to support our obligations with respect to the Index Strategies. The Index Strategies currently available are: Point-to-Point with Cap Index Strategy Step Rate Plus Index Strategy Tiered Participation Rate Index Strategy 1-year S&P 500®, 10% Buffer 1-year MSCI EAFE, 10% Buffer 1-year S&P 500®, 100% Buffer 3-year S&P 500®, 10% Buffer 3-year MSCI EAFE, 10% Buffer 3-year S&P 500®, 20% Buffer 3-year MSCI EAFE, 20% Buffer 6-year S&P 500®, 20% Buffer 6-year MSCI EAFE, 20% Buffer 1-year S&P 500®, 5% Buffer 1-year MSCI EAFE, 5% Buffer 6-year S&P 500®, 10% Buffer 6-year MSCI EAFE, 10% Buffer The guarantees provided by the Annuity contracts and payments PALAC makes under the Annuity contracts are the obligations of, and subject to the creditworthiness and claims paying ability of, PALAC. Certain terms are capitalized in this prospectus. Those terms are defined either in the Special Terms section or in the context of the particular section. Flexible premium deferred index-linked and variable annuity contracts are complex insurance and investment vehicles. There is a risk of substantial loss of your principal. The risk of loss may be greater in the case of an early withdrawal due to any charges and adjustments applied to such withdrawals. These charges and adjustments may result in loss even when the value of an Index has increased. Refer to the Risk Factors section beginning on page 10 of this prospectus for more information. Investors should speak with a Financial Professional about the Annuity’s features, benefits, risks and fees, and whether the Annuity is appropriate for the investor based upon his or her financial situation and objectives. IMPORTANT INFORMATION Beginning on January 1, 2021, as permitted by regulations adopted by the Securities and Exchange Commission, paper copies of the annual and semi-annual shareholder reports for Portfolios available under your Annuity will no longer be sent by mail, unless you specifically request paper copies of the reports from us. Instead, the reports will be made available on a website, and you will be notified by mail each time a report is posted and provided with a website link to access the report. If you already elected to receive shareholder reports electronically, you will not be affected by this change and you need not take any action. You may elect to receive shareholder reports and other communications from us electronically anytime at our website www.prudential.com. You may elect to receive all future shareholder reports in paper free of charge by calling 1-888-778-2888. Your election to receive reports in paper will apply to all Portfolios available under your contract. PLEASE READ THIS PROSPECTUS This prospectus sets forth information about the Annuity that you should know before investing. Please read this prospectus and keep it for future reference. If you are purchasing the Annuity as a replacement for an existing variable annuity, variable life insurance policy, fixed annuity or fixed life insurance policy, you should consider any surrender or penalty charges you may incur and any benefits you may also be forfeiting when replacing your existing coverage and that the Annuity may be subject to a Contingent Deferred Sales Charge if you elect to surrender the Annuity or take a partial withdrawal. You should consider your need to access the Annuity’s Account Value and whether the Annuity’s liquidity features will satisfy that need. Please note that if you purchase the Annuity within a tax advantaged retirement plan, such as an IRA, SEP-IRA or Roth IRA, you will get no additional tax advantage through the Annuity itself. Because there is no additional tax advantage when an Annuity is purchased through one of these plans, the reasons for purchasing the Annuity inside a qualified plan are limited to the ability to allocate to the various Index Strategies and Variable Investment Subaccounts, and the opportunity to annuitize the contract, which might make the Annuity an appropriate investment for you. You should consult your tax and Financial Professional regarding such features and benefits prior to purchasing the Annuity for use with a tax-qualified plan. For currently available Index Strategies, please refer to our website at www.prudential.com. OTHER CONTRACTS We offer a variety of annuity contracts. They may offer features, including investment options, and have fees and charges, that are different from the Annuity offered by this prospectus. Not every annuity contract we issue is offered through every selling broker-dealer firm. Upon request, your Financial Professional can show you information regarding other PALAC annuity contracts that he or she sells. You can also contact us to find out more about the availability of any of the PALAC annuity contracts. You should work with your Financial Professional to decide whether the Annuity contract is appropriate for you based on a thorough analysis of your particular needs, financial objectives, investment goals, time horizons and risk tolerance. AVAILABLE INFORMATION We have also filed a Statement of Additional Information dated the same date as this prospectus that is available from us, without charge, upon your request. The contents of the Statement of Additional Information are described at the end of this prospectus – see Table of Contents. The Statement of Additional Information is incorporated by reference into this prospectus. This prospectus is part of the registration statement we filed with the SEC regarding this offering. Additional information on us and this offering is available in the registration statement and the exhibits thereto. You may review and obtain copies of these materials at no cost to you by contacting us. These documents, as well as documents incorporated by reference, which means it is legally part of this prospectus may also be obtained through the SEC’s Internet Website (www.sec.gov) for this registration statement as well as for other registrants that file electronically with the SEC. Please see “How to Contact Us” later in this prospectus for our Service Office address. In compliance with U.S. law, PALAC delivers this prospectus to current Owners that reside outside of the United States. However, we may not market or offer benefits, features or enhancements to prospective or current Owners while outside of the United States. The Annuity is NOT a deposit or obligation of, or issued, guaranteed or endorsed by, any bank, and is NOT insured or guaranteed by the U.S. government, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), the Federal Reserve Board or any other agency. An investment in an annuity involves investment risks, including possible loss of value, even with respect to amounts allocated to the PSF Government Money Market Subaccount. THESE SECURITIES HAVE NOT BEEN APPROVED OR DISAPPROVED BY THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION OR ANY STATE SECURITIES COMMISSION NOR HAS THE COMMISSION OR ANY STATE SECURITIES COMMISSION PASSED UPON THE ACCURACY OR ADEQUACY OF THIS PROSPECTUS. ANY REPRESENTATION TO THE CONTRARY IS A CRIMINAL OFFENSE. PRUDENTIAL, PRUDENTIAL FINANCIAL, PRUDENTIAL ANNUITIES AND THE ROCK LOGO ARE SERVICEMARKS OF THE PRUDENTIAL INSURANCE COMPANY OF AMERICA AND ITS AFFILIATES. OTHER PROPRIETARY PRUDENTIAL MARKS MAY BE DESIGNATED AS SUCH THROUGH USE OF THE SM OR ® SYMBOLS. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CALL: 1-888-PRU-2888 OR GO TO OUR WEBSITE AT WWW.PRUDENTIAL.COM Prospectus dated: ______, 2020 Statement of Additional Information dated: ______, 2020 TABLE OF CONTENTS SPECIAL TERMS 1 SUMMARY 4 Summary of Fees and Expenses 7 Expense Examples 9 Condensed Financial Information 10 RISK FACTORS 11 INDEX STRATEGIES 13 Indices 13 Buffers 13 Point-to-Point with Cap Index Strategy 14 Step Rate Plus Index Strategy 15 Tiered Participation Rate Index Strategy 15 VARIABLE INVESTMENT SUBACCOUNTS 17 INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSURANCE COMPANY AND SEPARATE ACCOUNTS 18 Prudential Annuities Life Assurance Corporation 18 Incorporation of Certain Documents by Reference 18 Financial Statements 18 The Separate Accounts 18 FEES, CHARGES AND DEDUCTIONS 20 Contingent Deferred Sales Charge 20 Tax Charge 21 Insurance Charge 22 Fees and Expenses Incurred by the Portfolios 22 Annuity Payment Option Charges 22 Exceptions/Reductions to Fees and Charges 22 VALUING YOUR INVESTMENT AND INTERIM VALUE OF INDEX STRATEGIES 23 Processing and Valuing Transactions 23 Valuing the Subaccounts 23 Interim Value of Index Strategies 23 PURCHASING YOUR ANNUITY 28 Designation of Owner, Annuitant, and Beneficiary 28 Age Restrictions 28 Requirements for Purchasing the Annuity 28 Allocation of Purchase Payments 29 Holding Account 29 Rate Hold 30 Additional Purchase Payments 30