Under CIC Section 10113.72, before an individual life insurance policy may lapse or be terminated for nonpayment of premium, the insurer must give notice at least how many days before the effective date of the lapse?

Why D is correct

CIC Section 10113.72 requires at least 30 days' prior notice before an individual life policy lapses or is terminated for nonpayment of premium. The notice must be sent by first-class mail within 30 days after a premium is due and unpaid, and it must go to the policyowner and to any person the applicant designated to receive lapse notices. California also gives applicants the right to designate a third person, in addition to themselves, to receive these notices, providing an extra safeguard against an unintentional lapse.

Why the other options are wrong

• A) 10 days is the minimum free-look floor under Section 10127.9, not the pre-lapse notice period required by Section 10113.72.
• B) 60 days is the California grace period for life insurance policies, which is a different protection from the pre-lapse notice requirement.
• C) No statutory pre-lapse notice period runs 90 days; the correct figure is 30 days under Section 10113.72.

Memory hook

30 days of notice before the policy dies — and a designated friend gets the memo too.