An insurance company appoints a North Carolina producer, and the producer submits the first application through that appointment. Within what period must the insurer file the notice of appointment?

Why B is correct

Under G.S. 58-33-40(b), an insurer must file a notice of appointment within 15 days after the date the first insurance application is submitted by the producer. The appointment then continues as long as both the producer and the insurer remain licensed, and either party may cancel it; renewal appointment fees are remitted before April 1 of each year. The filing deadline is keyed to the first application, not to licensure or policy delivery.

Why the other options are wrong

• A) Thirty days is the period for notifying the Commissioner of a producer termination under G.S. 58-33-56, not the appointment filing deadline.
• C) There is no 10-business-day, policy-delivery trigger for appointments; G.S. 58-33-40(b) keys the 15-day clock to the first application.
• D) There is no quarterly filing window; the statutory deadline in G.S. 58-33-40(b) runs 15 days from the first application, while April 1 concerns renewal fee remittances.

Memory hook

First application in, 15 days to file the appointment.

Why D is correct

Under G.S. 58-33-40(b), the insurer must file the notice of appointment within 15 days after the date the producer submits the first insurance application. The appointment then continues as long as both the producer and the insurer remain licensed, and renewal appointment fees are remitted before April 1 each year.

Why the other options are wrong

• A) Forty-five days is the outside limit in the notice-before-forfeiture mailing rule, not the appointment filing deadline.
• B) Thirty days is the deadline for notifying the Commissioner of a producer termination under G.S. 58-33-56, not for filing an appointment.
• C) Ten days is the standard free-look period for individual life and annuity policies, unrelated to appointment filings.

Memory hook

First application filed? The insurer has fifteen days to appoint you.

Why B is correct

G.S. 58-33-40(b) requires the insurer to file notice of appointment within 15 days after the date the first insurance application is submitted by the appointed producer. Once effective, the appointment continues as long as both the producer and the insurer remain licensed, unless either party cancels it, and renewal appointment fees are remitted before April 1 each year.

Why the other options are wrong

• A) 5 days matches no appointment filing deadline in Article 33.
• C) 30 days is the insurer's deadline for notifying the Commissioner after terminating a producer under G.S. 58-33-56, not for filing an appointment.
• D) 45 days is the outside limit in the premium-forfeiture notice rules and has no role in appointment filings.

Memory hook

First application in? Clock starts — appointment filed in 15 days.

Why B is correct

Under G.S. 58-33-40(b), an insurer must file a notice of appointment within 15 days after the date the first insurance application is submitted by the producer. Once filed, the appointment continues as long as both the producer and the insurer remain licensed, unless either party files a cancellation notice.

Why the other options are wrong

• A) 5 business days is the replacement notice deadline to existing insurers under 11 NCAC 12 .0612(a)(2), not the appointment filing deadline.
• C) The trigger is the producer's first insurance application, not the license issuance date, and the limit is 15 days under G.S. 58-33-40(b).
• D) April 1 is the date by which renewal appointment fees must be remitted under G.S. 58-33-40, not the initial appointment filing deadline.

Memory hook

First application in? The insurer has 15 days to appoint.

Why D is correct

G.S. 58-33-40(b) requires the insurer to file a notice of appointment within 15 days after the date the first insurance application is submitted. The appointment then continues as long as both the producer and the insurer remain licensed, and renewal appointment fees must be remitted before April 1 each year under G.S. 58-33-40(e) and (f).

Why the other options are wrong

• A) The 15-day clock in G.S. 58-33-40(b) runs from the date the first application is submitted, not from the date the producer's license is issued.
• B) Continuing education compliance is unrelated to the appointment-filing deadline in G.S. 58-33-40(b).
• C) Sixty days is the filing window for a relocating nonresident's new home-state license and address change under G.S. 58-33-30(h)(2); appointments are filed within 15 days.

Memory hook

First application today — appointment filed inside 15 days.

Why B is correct

Under G.S. 58-33-40(b), the insurer must file the notice of appointment within 15 days after the date the first insurance application is submitted by the producer. The appointment then continues as long as both the producer and the insurer remain licensed, unless either party cancels it, and renewal appointment fees are remitted before April 1 of each year.

Why the other options are wrong

• A) Five business days is the replacement-rule notice period and is not the appointment filing deadline.
• C) The trigger is the submission of the first application, not the delivery of a policy, and the period is 15 days rather than 30.
• D) A 90-day window appears nowhere in the appointment statute; the deadline is 15 days from the first application.

Memory hook

Appointment paperwork: 15 days after the first application goes in.

Why B is correct

Under G.S. 58-33-40(b), the insurer must file the notice of appointment within 15 days after the date the first insurance application is submitted by or through the producer. The appointment then continues as long as both the producer and the insurer remain licensed, and renewal appointment fees are remitted before April 1 each year under G.S. 58-33-40(e),(f).

Why the other options are wrong

• A) 10 days is the standard free-look period for individual life and annuity policies under 11 NCAC 12 .0447, not an appointment deadline.
• C) 30 days is the deadline for notifying the Commissioner after terminating a producer under G.S. 58-33-56.
• D) 45 days is the outer bound of the notice-before-forfeiture mailing range under G.S. 58-58-120, unrelated to appointments.

Memory hook

First application in, appointment filed in 15 days.