Ubezpieczenia o charakterze oszczędnościowym w świetle nowych regulacji
impact of new regulatory measures on savings-oriented life policies

Summary/Abstract: nit-linked life policies proved to be a successful business venture in Poland. Nevertheless, a remark- able early-lapse rate is observed, as a result of which customers suffer from high surrender chargesthat absorb a significant portion of assets in their unit accounts. For several years, insurers had been blamed for market misconduct and this has provoked the regulator to respond. The paper examines a bundle of regulatory measures issued in the latest amendments to the Insurance Act 2015 and the Regulation on Insurance Accounting 2016. The analysis starts with consideration of specific features of unit-linked life insurance policies, which will facilitate the understanding of their vulnerability to early surrender. Incidental data and research findings on early-lapse behaviour are analysed to conclude that many customers are driven by a need for ‘emergency funding’ rather than long-term purposes. This strategic miscalculation may be partially attributed to the mis-seling behaviour of intermediaries.Three groups of regulatory instruments are scrutinized with respect to possible improvements and potential distortions: (1) measures enhancing the contract’s transparency, (2) upper limits on initial acquisition costs eligible for intertemporal adjustment, (3) a 4% ceiling put on surrender charge regardless of termination period.

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