Title 48 — Title 48 INSURANCE

This chapter applies to contracts of life insurance and annuities other than group life insurance, group annuities, and, except for RCW 48.23.260, 48.23.270, and 48.23.340, other than industrial life insurance. However, Title 48 RCW does not apply to charitable gift annuities iss…

(1) This section applies to any sale or recommendation of an annuity.(2) For the purposes of this section:(a) "Annuity" means a fixed annuity or variable annuity that is individually solicited, whether the product is classified as an individual or group annuity.(b) "Cash compensa…

(1) No policy of life insurance other than industrial, group and pure endowments with or without return of premiums or of premiums and interest, shall be delivered or issued for delivery in this state unless it contains in substance all of the provisions required by RCW 48.23.030…

*** CHANGE IN 2026 *** (SEE 2428-S.SL) ***There shall be a provision that the insured is entitled to a grace period of one month, but not less than thirty days, within which the payment of any premium after the first may be made, subject at the option of the insurer to an interes…

In all such policies other than those containing a clause making the policy incontestable from date of issue, there shall be a provision that the policy and the application therefor, if a copy thereof has been endorsed upon or attached to the policy at issue and made a part there…

There shall be a provision that the policy shall be incontestable after it has been in force during the lifetime of the insured for a period of two years from its date of issue, except for nonpayment of premiums and except, at the option of the insurer, as to provisions relative …

There shall be a provision that if it is found that the age of the insured (or the age of any other individual considered in determining the premium) has been misstated, the amount payable under the policy shall be such as the premium would have purchased at the correct age or ag…

(1) In all policies which provide for participation in the insurer's surplus, there shall be a provision that the policy shall so participate annually in the insurer's divisible surplus as apportioned by the insurer, beginning not later than the end of the third policy year. Any …

(1) Life insurance and annuity policy forms of the following types shall be defined and designated as participating forms of insurance only if they contain a provision for participation in the insurer's surplus, and shall be defined and designated as nonparticipating forms if the…

(1) There shall be a provision that after three full years' premiums have been paid thereon, the insurer at any time, while the policy is in force, will advance, on proper assignment or pledge of the policy and on the sole security thereof, at a rate of interest provided in this …

(1) As used in this section, "published monthly average" means:(a) The "Moody's Corporate Bond Yield Average - Monthly Average Corporates" as published by Moody's Investors Service, Incorporated or any successor thereto; or(b) If the "Moody's Corporate Bond Yield Average - Monthl…

There shall be a table showing in figures the loan value, if any, and any options available under the policy each year upon default in premium payments, during at least the first twenty years of the policy, or for its life if maturity or expiry occurs in less than twenty years.[1…

There shall be a provision specifying the option to which the policyholder is automatically entitled in the absence of the election of other nonforfeiture options upon default in premium payment after nonforfeiture values become available.[1947 c 79 s .23.10; Rem. Supp. 1947 s 45…

If the policy provides for payment of its proceeds in installments or as an annuity, a table showing the amount and period of such installments or annuity shall be included in the policy. Except, that if in the judgment of the commissioner it is not practical to include certain t…

There shall be a provision that the policy may be reinstated at any time within three years after the date of default in the payment of any premium, unless the policy has been surrendered for its cash value, or the period of any extended insurance provided by the policy has expir…

There shall be a provision that when a policy becomes a claim by the death of the insured, settlement shall be made upon receipt of due proof of death and surrender of the policy.[1947 c 79 s .23.13; Rem. Supp. 1947 s 45.23.13.]

No annuity or pure endowment contract, other than reversionary annuities, or survivorship annuities, or group annuities, shall be delivered or issued for delivery in this state unless it contains in substance each of the provisions specified in RCW 48.23.150 to 48.23.210 inclusiv…

In such contracts, there shall be a provision that there shall be a period of grace of one month, but not less than thirty days, within which any stipulated payment to the insurer falling due after the first may be made, subject at the option of the insurer, to an interest charge…

If any statements, other than those relating to age, sex, and identity, are required as a condition to issuing such an annuity or pure endowment contract, and subject to RCW 48.23.180, there shall be a provision that the contract shall be incontestable after it has been in force …

In such contracts there shall be a provision that the contract shall constitute the entire contract between the parties, or, if a copy of the application is endorsed upon or attached to the contract when issued, a provision that the contract and the application therefor shall con…

In such contracts there shall be a provision that if the age or sex of the person or persons upon whose life or lives the contract is made, or if any of them has been misstated, the amount payable or benefit accruing under the contract shall be such as the stipulated payment or p…

If such contract is participating, there shall be a provision that the insurer shall annually ascertain and apportion any divisible surplus accruing on the contract.[1947 c 79 s .23.19; Rem. Supp. 1947 s 45.23.19.]

Such contracts issued after the operative date of RCW 48.23.360 and individual deferred annuities issued before the operative date of RCW 48.23.420 through * 48.23.520 shall contain:(1) A provision that in the event of default in any stipulated payment, the insurer will grant a p…

In such contracts there shall be a provision that the contract may be reinstated at any time within one year from the date of default in making stipulated payments to the insurer, unless the cash surrender value has been paid, but all overdue stipulated payments and any indebtedn…

No contract for a reversionary annuity shall be delivered or issued for delivery in this state unless it contains in substance each of the provisions specified in RCW 48.23.230 and 48.23.240. Any of such provisions not applicable to single premium annuities shall not, to that ext…

Any such reversionary annuity contract shall contain the provisions specified in RCW 48.23.150 to 48.23.190, inclusive, except that under RCW 48.23.150 the insurer may at its option provide for an equitable reduction of the amount of the annuity payments in settlement of an overd…

In such reversionary annuity contracts there shall be a provision that the contract may be reinstated at any time within three years from the date of default in making stipulated payments to the insurer, upon production of evidence of insurability satisfactory to the insurer, and…

The commissioner may make reasonable rules and regulations concerning the conditions in provisions granting additional benefits in event of the insured's accidental death, or in event the insured becomes totally and permanently disabled, which are a part of or supplemental to lif…

(1) The insurer may in any life insurance policy or annuity or pure endowment contract limit its liability to a determinable amount not less than the full reserve of the policy and of dividend additions thereto in event only of death occurring:(a) As a result of war, or any act o…

The reinstatement of any policy of life insurance or contract of annuity hereafter delivered or issued for delivery in this state may be contestable on account of fraud or misrepresentation of facts material to the reinstatement only for the same period following reinstatement as…

(1) A life insurer may, under such policy provisions or agreements as have been approved by the commissioner consistent with this section, contract for and accept premium deposits in addition to the regular premiums specified in the policy, for the purpose of paying future premiu…

Any life insurer shall have the power to hold under agreement the proceeds of any policy issued by it, upon such terms and restrictions as to revocation by the policyholder and control by beneficiaries, and with such exemptions from the claims of creditors of beneficiaries other …

In determining the amount due under any life insurance policy heretofore or hereafter issued, deduction may be made of(1) any unpaid premiums or installments thereof for the current policy year due under the terms of the policy, and of(2) the amount of principal and accrued inter…

Upon the death of the insured and except as is otherwise expressly provided by the policy or premium deposit agreement, a life insurer may pay to the surviving spouse, children, beneficiary, or other person other than the insured's estate, appearing to the insurer to be equitably…

No life insurer nor any of its representatives, agents, or affiliates, shall buy, take by assignment other than in connection with policy loans, or otherwise deal or traffic in any rights to dividends existing under participating life insurance policies issued by the insurer.[194…

No life insurer shall hereafter issue for delivery or deliver in this state any life insurance policy:(1) Issued under any plan for the segregation of policyholders into mathematical groups and providing benefits for a surviving policyholder of a group arising out of the death of…

Life insurers shall develop and implement underwriting standards and procedures designed to detect and prevent the purchase of juvenile life insurance for speculative or fraudulent purposes. These standards and procedures shall be made available for review by the commissioner.Lif…

(1) Nonforfeiture benefits: Any paid-up nonforfeiture benefit available under any annuity or pure endowment contract pursuant to RCW 48.23.200, in the event of default in a consideration due on any contract anniversary shall be such that its present value as of such anniversary s…

(1) A life insurer issuing both participating and nonparticipating policies shall maintain records which segregate the participating from the nonparticipating business and clearly show the profits and losses upon each such category of business.(2) For the purposes of such account…

(1) Every individual life insurance policy issued after September 1, 1977, shall have printed on its face or attached thereto a notice stating in substance that the policy owner shall be permitted to return the policy within ten days after it is received by the policy owner and t…

RCW 48.23.420 through * 48.23.520 shall be known as the standard nonforfeiture law for individual deferred annuities.[ 1982 1st ex.s. c 9 s 21.]Notes:*Reviser's note: RCW 48.23.520 was decodified pursuant to 2017 3rd sp.s. c 25 s 13.

RCW 48.23.420 through * 48.23.520 do not apply to any reinsurance; group annuity purchased under a retirement plan or plan of deferred compensation established or maintained by an employer (including a partnership or sole proprietorship) or by an employee organization, or by both…

In the case of contracts issued on or after the operative date of this section as defined in *RCW 48.23.520, no contract of annuity, except as stated in RCW 48.23.420, may be delivered or issued for delivery in this state unless it contains in substance the following provisions, …

The minimum values as specified in RCW 48.23.450, 48.23.460, 48.23.470, 48.23.480, and 48.23.500 of any paid-up annuity, cash surrender, or death benefits available under an annuity contract shall be based upon minimum nonforfeiture amounts as defined in this section.(1) The mini…

Any paid-up annuity benefit available under a contract shall be such that its present value on the date annuity payments are to commence is at least equal to the minimum nonforfeiture amount on that date. Such present value shall be computed using the mortality table, if any, and…

For contracts which provide cash surrender benefits, such cash surrender benefits available before maturity shall not be less than the present value as of the date of surrender of that portion of the maturity value of the paid-up annuity benefit which would be provided under the …

For contracts which do not provide cash surrender benefits, the present value of any paid-up annuity benefit available as a nonforfeiture option at any time prior to maturity shall not be less than the present value of that portion of the maturity value of the paid-up annuity ben…

For the purpose of determining the benefits calculated under RCW 48.23.460 and 48.23.470, in the case of annuity contracts under which an election may be made to have annuity payments commence at optional maturity dates, the maturity date shall be deemed to be the latest date for…

Any contract which does not provide cash surrender benefits or does not provide death benefits at least equal to the minimum nonforfeiture amount prior to the commencement of any annuity payments shall include a statement in a prominent place in the contract that such benefits ar…

Any paid-up annuity, cash surrender, or death benefits available at any time, other than on the contract anniversary under any contract with fixed scheduled considerations, shall be calculated with allowance for the lapse of time and the payment of any scheduled considerations be…