OPTIONAL RESERVE COMPUTATIONS.

(a) Reserves for a policy or contract issued by a life insurance company before the date on which Chapter 1105 would apply to the policy or contract, as determined under Section 1105.002(a) or (b), may be computed, at the company's option, according to any standard that produces greater aggregate reserves for all those policies and contracts than the minimum reserves required by the laws applicable to those policies and contracts immediately before that date.

(b) Reserves for any category, as established by the commissioner, of policies, contracts, or benefits issued by a life insurance company on or after the date on which Chapter 1105 applies to policies, contracts, or benefits issued by the company, as determined under Section 1105.002(a) or (b), may be computed, at the company's option, according to any standard that produces greater aggregate reserves for the category than the minimum aggregate reserves computed according to the standard provided by this subchapter, but the interest rate or rates used for those policies and contracts, other than annuity and pure endowment contracts, may not be higher than the corresponding interest rate or rates used in computing any nonforfeiture benefits provided in those policies or contracts.

(c) An insurance company that has adopted a standard of valuation that produces greater minimum aggregate reserves than the aggregate reserves computed according to the standard provided by this subchapter may, with the commissioner's approval, adopt any lower standard of valuation that produces aggregate reserves at least equal to the minimum aggregate reserves computed according to the standard provided by this subchapter.

(d) For purposes of this section, the holding of additional reserves previously determined to be necessary to issue a favorable opinion under Section 425.054 may not be considered to be the adoption of a higher standard of valuation.