Correspondence 0001193125-22-289065 from Variable Account AA (CIK 0001932768)
Variable Account AA (CIK 0001932768)
Date: Nov. 18, 2022 · CIK: 0001932768 · Accession: 0001193125-22-289065
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File numbers found in text: 333-266909
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CORRESP 1 filename1.htm Variable Account AA 1290 Avenue of the Americas New York, NY 10104 Julie Collett Senior Director and Counsel Julie.collett@equitable.com (303) 902-9135 November 18, 2022 VIA EDGAR Elisabeth Bentzinger, Esq. United States Securities and Exchange Commission Office of Insurance Products Division of Investment Management Mail Stop 8629 Washington, DC 20549-8629 Re: Variable Account AA Equitable Financial Life Insurance Company of America Initial Registration Statement on Form N-4 File No. 333-266909 Dear Ms. Bentzinger: The purpose of this letter is to provide a response to the supplemental comments you provided with respect to the above-referenced filing for Equitable Financial Life Insurance Company of America (the “Company”). The Company has made the revisions to the EQUI-VEST® Strategies (Series 902) Prospectus as requested. Please see the revised Statutory Prospectus and Initial Summary Prospectus filed herewith. We would like to have EQUI-VEST® Strategies (Series 902) effective on or before December 19, 2022. We will file a Pre-Effective Amendment that will address any Staff comments to the prospectus. Also, we will provide any additional exhibits (including contract forms) that might be necessary. I trust that the responses provided in this letter address your comments adequately. If you have any questions regarding these responses, please contact the undersigned at (303) 902-9135. Thank you very much for your assistance with this filing. Best regards, /s/ Julie Collett Julie Collett EQUI-VEST® Strategies (Series 902) A variable and index-linked flexible premium deferred annuity contract Prospectus dated December 19, 2022 Equitable Financial Life Insurance Company of America Variable Account AA Please read and keep this prospectus for future reference. It contains important information that you should know before purchasing or taking any other action under your contract. You should read the prospectuses for each Trust which contain important information about the portfolios. What is EQUI-VEST® Strategies? EQUI-VEST® Strategies is a variable and index-linked flexible premium deferred annuity contract (“contract”) issued by Equitable Financial Life Insurance Company of America. Either the plan trustee or the employer will be the EQUI-VEST® Strategies contract holder. Certain rights may be exercised by employees covered under an employer’s plan (the “participants”). These rights will be summarized in this prospectus and a participation certificate (“certificate”) provided to each participant. EQUI-VEST® Strategies provides for the accumulation of retirement savings and for income. The contract also offers death benefit protection and a number of payout options. This prospectus is a disclosure document and describes all of the certificate’s material features, benefits, rights and obligations, as well as other information. The description of the certificate’s material provisions in this prospectus is current as of the date of this prospectus. If certain material provisions under the certificate are changed after the date of this prospectus in accordance with the certificate, those changes will be described in a supplement to this prospectus. You should carefully read this prospectus in conjunction with any applicable supplements. The certificate should also be read carefully. You have the right to cancel your certificate within a certain number of days after receipt of the certificate. Types of contracts. We offer the EQUI-VEST® Strategies contract to fund two types of “plans”: Section 403(b) (also referred to as Tax-sheltered annuity arrangements (“TSA”) plans or contracts) or governmental employer Section 457(b) plans (also referred to as Employee Deferred Compensation (“EDC”) plans or contracts) (together “plans”). The EQUI-VEST® Strategies contract is available to plans that meet our requirements, which may include requirements regarding plan vesting provisions. The contract may not be available in all states or for both types of plans. You invest to accumulate value on a tax-deferred basis in one or more of our variable investment options, our guaranteed interest option or the Segments of the Structured Investment Option (“SIO”) (collectively, the “investment options”). See Appendix “Portfolio Companies available under the contract” in the prospectus. The SIO gives you the opportunity to earn interest that we will credit based, in part, on the performance of an external index over a set period of time, although you could also experience a negative return and a significant loss of principal and previously credited interest. Participants should carefully read the accompanying SIO prospectus. Index-linked investment options are complex insurance and investment vehicles and you should speak with a financial professional about the features, benefits, risks, and fees and whether the SIO is appropriate for you based on your financial situation and objectives. We reserve the right to stop accepting any application or contribution from you at any time, including after you purchase the contract. If we exercise our right to discontinue the acceptance of, and/or place additional limitations on, contributions to the contract, you may no longer be able to fund your guaranteed death benefit(s). This also means that you may no longer be able to increase your guaranteed death benefits through contributions and transfers. If you are a new investor in the contract, you may cancel your contract within 10 days of receiving it without paying fees or penalties. In some states, this cancellation period may be longer. Upon cancellation, you will receive either a full refund of the amount you paid with your application or your account value. You should review this prospectus, or consult with your financial professional, for additional information about the specific cancellation terms that apply. EV Strategies 902 (IF/NB) #317382 The Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) has not approved or disapproved these securities or determined if this prospectus is accurate or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense. The contracts are not insured by the FDIC or any other agency. They are not deposits or other obligations of any bank and are not bank guaranteed. They are subject to investment risks and possible loss of principal. Additional information about certain investment products, including variable annuities, has been prepared by the SEC’s staff and is available at Investor.gov. Contents of this Prospectus Definitions of key terms 4 Important information you should consider about the contract 6 Overview of the contract 9 Fee table 10 The Company 13 How to reach us 14 1. Purchasing the Contract 17 How you can contribute to your certificate 17 How EQUI-VEST® Strategies is available 19 How contributions can be made 19 What are your investment options under the contract? 20 Portfolios of the Trusts 21 ERISA considerations for employers 23 Allocating your contributions 23 Unallocated account 22 Your right to cancel within a certain number of days 23 2. Benefits available under the contract 24 Summary of benefits 24 Death benefits 25 About Death benefits 25 Enhanced death benefit 25 Payment of Death benefit 25 Your beneficiary and payment of benefit 25 How death benefit payment is made 26 Beneficiary continuation option 26 Other benefits 27 Automatic transfer options 27 Rebalancing your account value 27 Optional Semester Strategies program 28 When we address the reader of this prospectus with words such as “you” and “your,” we mean the person who has the right or responsibility that the prospectus is discussing at that point. This is the participant. When we use the word “contract” we mean the group contract issued to the plan trustee or employer (“contract holder,”). When we use the word “certificate,” we mean the participation certificate that summarizes the rights of each participant covered under the group contract. 2 3. Principal risks of investing in the contract 30 Risks associated with variable investment options 30 Insurance company risk 30 Possible fees on access to total account value 30 Possible adverse tax consequences 30 Not a short-term investment 30 Risk of loss 30 Cybersecurity risks and catastrophic events 30 COVID-19 31 4. Determining your certificate’s value 32 Your account value and cash value 32 Your certificate’s value in the variable investment options 32 Your certificate’s value in the guaranteed interest option 32 Insufficient account value 32 5. Transferring your money among investment options 33 Transferring your account value 33 Disruptive transfer activity 33 6. Accessing your money 35 Withdrawing your account value 35 How withdrawals are taken from your account value 37 Loans 37 Termination of participation 38 When to expect payments 38 Your annuity payout options 38 7. Charges and expenses 41 Charges under the contracts 41 Charges that the Trusts deduct 44 Variations in charges 44 8. Tax information 45 Cares Act 45 Tax information and ERISA matters 45 Choosing a contract to fund a retirement arrangement 45 Special rules for tax-favored retirement plans 45 Additional “Saver’s Credit” for salary reduction contributions to certain plans 46 Tax-sheltered annuity arrangements (TSAs) 46 Distributions from TSAs 48 Public employee deferred compensation plans (EDC Plans) 52 ERISA matters 56 Certain rules applicable to plans designed to comply with Section 404(c) of ERISA 57 Tax withholding and information reporting 57 Federal income tax withholding on periodic annuity payments 58 Federal income tax withholding on non-periodic annuity payments (withdrawals) which are not eligible rollover distributions 58 Mandatory withholding eligible rollover distributions 58 Impact of taxes to the Company 58 9. More information 59 The Separate Account 59 About the Trusts 59 About the general account 60 Dates and prices at which certificate events occur 60 About your voting rights 60 Statutory compliance 61 About legal proceedings 61 Financial statements 61 Transfers of ownership, collateral assignments, loans, and borrowing 61 Funding changes 61 Distribution of the contracts 61 Appendices Portfolio Companies available under the contract 64 Death benefit example 67 State contract availability and/or variations of certain features and benefits 68 3 Definitions of key terms Account value — Is the total of the values you have allocated to (i) the variable investment options; (ii) the guaranteed interest option; (iii) the amount of any outstanding loan balances and (iv) Segments in the SIO and Segment Type Holding Accounts in the SIO. For more information about the account value in the SIO, please see the SIO Prospectus. These amounts are also subject to certain fees and charges discussed in “Charges and expenses” in this prospectus. Annuitant — Is the person who is the measuring life for determining contract benefits. Business day — Our “business day” is generally any day the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) is open for regular trading and generally ends at 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time (or as of an earlier close of regular trading). If the SEC determines the existence of emergency conditions on any day, and consequently, the NYSE does not open, then that day is not a business day. Cash value — The contract’s cash value is equal to the account value, less: (i) any applicable withdrawal charges, (ii) the total amount or a pro rata portion of the annual administrative charge and (iii) the amount of any outstanding loan. Company — Refers to Equitable Financial Life Insurance Company of America (“Equitable America”). The terms “we”, “us”, and “our” are also used to identify the issuing Company. Equitable America does not do business or issue contracts in the state of New York. Contributions — The employer sponsoring the Plan makes payments to us that we call “contributions.” We can refuse to accept any application or contribution from you or your employer at any time, including after you purchase the contract. Guaranteed interest option — The guaranteed interest option is part of our general account and pays interest at guaranteed rates. We assign an interest rate to each amount allocated to the guaranteed interest option. This rate is guaranteed for a specified period. Therefore, different interest rates may apply to different amounts in the guaranteed interest option. Maturity date — The certificate’s “maturity date” is generally the participation date anniversary that follows the participant’s 95th birthday. Participation date — The “participation date” is the effective date of the certificate. This usually is the business day we receive the properly completed and signed application, along with any other required documents, and your initial contribution. Your participation date will be shown in your certificate. Participation date anniversary — The end of each 12-month period is your “participation date anniversary.” For example, if your participation date is May 1st, your participation date anniversary is April 30th. Participation year — The “participation year” is the 12-month period beginning on your participation date and each 12-month period after that date. Separate Account — Variable Account AA is a separate account of Equitable Financial Life Insurance Company of America under Arizona Insurance Law. Structured Investment Option — The Structured Investment Option or “SIO” permits you to invest in one or more “Segments”, each of which provides performance tied to the performance of an Index, and participate in the performance of that Index. 4 To make this prospectus easier to read, we sometimes use different words than in the contract or supplemental materials. This is illustrated below. Although we do use different words, they have the same meaning in this prospectus as in the contract or supplemental materials. Your financial professional can provide further explanation about your contract. Prospectus Contract or Supplemental Materials account value Annuity account value unit Accumulation unit unit value Accumulation unit value 5 Important information you should consider about the contract FEES AND EXPENSES Charges for Early Withdrawals If you surrender your contract, apply your cash value to a non-life contingent annuity payment option, or withdraw money from the contract within 10 years following your last contribution, or during the first ten participation years depending on your plan, you will be assessed a withdrawal charge of up to 6% of account value withdrawn or contributions withdrawn. For example, if you make a withdrawal in the first year, you could pay a withdrawal charge of up to $6,000 on a $100,000 investment. There is an interim value adjustment for amounts withdrawn from a Segment of the SIO before Segment maturity which could result in up to a 90% loss of the Segment Investment. See the SIO prospectus for more information. For additional information about the charges for surrenders and early withdrawals see “Withdrawal charge” in “Charges under the contracts” under “Charges and expenses” in the prospectus. Transaction Charges In addition to withdrawal charges, you may also be charged for other transactions (including loans and for special requests such as wire transfers, express mail, duplicate contracts, preparing checks, or third-party transfers or exchanges). For additional information about transaction charges see “Charges under the contracts” in “Charges and expenses” later in the prospectus. Ongoing Fees and Expenses (annual charges) The contra