deed of assignment of a life policy

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All you need to know about assigning life insurance policy.

The insured needs to either endorse the policy document or make a deed of assignment and register the same with the insurer.

• Conditional assignment: This is done when the insured wishes to pass benefits of the policy to a relative in case of early death or certain conditions. The rights of the policyholder are restored once the conditions are fulfilled.
• Absolute assignment: This is done as a part of consideration for a loan in favour of the lender/bank/lending institution. In such an assignment, the insured loses his rights in the policy and the absolute assignee can deal with it independently.
• Proof of income.
• Self attested copy of photo ID and address proof .
• Self attested copy of PAN card.

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• Length: 5 pages (1100 words)

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About this document

Use this deed to assign (transfer) a policy for life insurance or an endowment to another person. The reason could be any, but it should be a sale in which money changes hands.

We include reasonable warranties by the seller and undertakings by the buyer. It is clear and simple, but thorough and complete for an arm’s length transaction.

The transfer will be complete and valid only when the insurer has been formally notified.

As well as the deed document, we have included a template notice that the assignment has taken place. This may or may not be useful to you: your insurer may prefer you to use their own form, but sometimes other parties, like your bank, also need to know or appreciate being told.

We offer a  simpler version  if you are a trustee assigning the policy to a beneficiary.

If you are making or receiving a transfer as part of a divorce or separation, use this alternative document .

Completing this deed

For technical legal reasons , all assignments of life policies must be by deed and not by contract.

The main practical difference is that a deed requires a witness to the signatures. Unless it is more convenient to do otherwise, the same witness can verify the signatures of both parties.

Taxation of life assurance policies is complex and we recommend that you consult with a tax accountant. The effect of tax is also an important consideration in assessing the value to the assignee of the policy.

When to use this document

The deed can be used to assign a policy:

• from one individual to another, for payment or as a gift
• in a sale by the life assured to anyone or any company

Features and contents

The deed includes the following paragraphs:

• Warranties by the assignor
• The assignment
• Dispute resolution
• Severance and invalidity
• Notice of assignment to deliver to the insurer or bank

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How to Assign a Mortgage Life Insurance Policy

Home » Blog » How to Assign a Mortgage Life Insurance Policy

Table of Contents

If you’re on this here blog, I can assume a couple of things:

• you’ve either bought or are buying a house and
• you’ve either bought or are buying Mortgage Protection or Life Insurance because you have to.

I can also probably assume you’re a responsible adult – or at the very least, you’re very good at pretending, which as we all know: all the best people are.

Now, there is one thing you need to know.

This one thing is either coming to you too late, or just in the nick of time, depending on whether or not you now own a house.

The banks are great for mortgages, but they’re a rip off when it comes to Mortgage Protection Insurance in Ireland.

They’ll try to force you to buy their Mortgage Protection (a type of Life Insurance that will pay off the rest of your mortgage if you die) because:

• It makes it harder for you to switch your mortgage (if the bank even mentions the words “block policy”, you should dive out the nearest window)
• It’s more money for them, especially if they hoodwink you into adding Serious Illness Cover, which will go directly into their pockets even if you need it for medical bills!

You’re basically paying them so they can pay themselves if you die or get sick before you’re done paying off your mortgage.

Yes, it sucks.

No, there’s not a massive amount you can do about it except arm yourself with all the information you can.

Which is why I’m going to talk you through Mortgage Protection, buying it, and assigning it to your bank/lender.

How do you assign a mortgage life insurance policy?

• Arrange your policy (through a broker preferably – scroll down to find out why)
• Complete a Deed  of Assignment (it forms part of your legal pack that the bank sends to your solicitor)
• Send the completed Notice of Assignment and your policy schedule to the bank
• The bank sends the Notice of Assignment and the policy schedule to the insurer
• The nsurer assigns your policy to the bank and sends a confirmation letter to the bank

And that’s it, fairly straightforward, ignore the bank if they try to spook you by saying it causes delays if you don’t buy from them. It doesn’t.

What is mortgage protection/life insurance for a mortgage?

As I said above: it’s a type of insurance that pays off the rest of your mortgage if you die. You have to get it if you’re buying a house. You can buy it from the insurer directly, your bank/lender, or a broker who will usually work with all the insurers.

You also have the option of using existing Life Insurance cover (for example, if you already have a policy) as your cover.

To make that crystal clear, your options are:

Mortgage lender/your bank:

• Tied to the bank so they can only sell you their overpriced Mortgage Protection policy.
• Your premium forms part of your mortgage repayments so it’s hard to see how much you’re paying for your policy.
• It’s potentially a problem because: you should always shop around at all of the insurers to make sure you get a good deal.
• You know how bankers get slated all the time for being more concerned with lining their own pockets? Yes. That. Think about it.
• If you have a health issue and they can’t offer you cover, then you’re on your own.

Insurance brokers:

• Will advise on policies from all the  providers to recommend the best deal for you.
• You get all the information, so you actually know what you’re dealing with.
• Heavily discounted premiums compared to the banks
• If you have a health issue and one insurer can’t offer you cover, your broker can try elsewhere.
• A sound bunch of lads
• Can only sell their own policies, so you’re definitely not getting the best deal for you.
• Probably shouldn’t do. Known for being occasionally nefarious, but you do you, boo.

An existing policy:

• It’s a bit confusing but you can use an existing Life Insurance policy as your Mortgage Protection, presuming it’s equal to the value of your mortgage and runs for the same term – so if your mortgage is for 30 years and €200,000, your Life Insurance policy would need to match or exceed that (e.g. a 31 year, €201,000 policy works ; a 29 year, €199,000 policy doesn’t)
• You have to assign the policy to your lender, if this is the case. Essentially, it’s you saying, “yes, I want to use my Life Insurance policy to pay off my mortgage.”
• If there’s any moolah left over afterwards, it’ll go to your dependents.
• You’re better off having both Mortgage Protection and Life Insurance because it’s two pay-outs, but if you’re strapped for the cash, or have had some health issues since you took it out, assigning an existing policy can be a solid shout.

If you’ve already bought your policy and are wondering about how to actually assign it, I get round to that in a second.

By the way, you can’t use life insurance that you have through work (death in service benefit) for a mortgage.

Is Mortgage Protection/Life Insurance different?

Yes. Mortgage Protection is a type of Life Insurance that only covers your mortgage to your lender. Life Insurance leaves a tax-free lump sum to your dependents. They could use it to pay for literally anything they want.

A $2,500 human-sized replica mask of your cat, for example .

Is it confusing? 100 percent.

Is it confusing on purpose? 100 per cent.

My two cents? Get Life Insurance and Mortgage Protection. It’s two pay-outs. It won’t break the bank monthly, but it could mean an awful lot to your family down the line.

Think of it like this: A Mortgage Protection payout gives your family a mortgage-free home. A Life Insurance payout gives your family a replacement income. They need both, so you need both.

Can you change your Mortgage Protection policy?

Yes. Any time you want. It could totally be worth it for a better price or benefits, so seriously: look into it. A few euro in the difference might not seem like much, but take that €5 a month and multiply it out by 12 and then by the length of your actual mortgage (which could be up to 35 years) and you’d be surprised how much it’ll add up to.

Just look at that fiver go. €5 x 12 x 35 = €2,100.

And that’s before we go anywhere near the difference you could save if you wanted to switch your actual mortgage down the line.

And don’t mind your bank if they say that getting Mortgage Protection or assigning an existing Life Insurance policy will delay your mortgage or that they’ll look more favourably on your application if you do what they want.

Remember: It’s all a

They’re trying to scare you into buying their overpriced policy.

Tell them where to go.

Because you already know where you can get the  best mortgage protection quotes .

Why do you need to assign a policy to a bank?

To make it legal.

Otherwise, it’s a bit like two young fellas swearing loyalty by spitting into a handshake. You telling your bank about your existing policy is grand and all, but if anything happens, they want the legal papers to say they get any payout.

Otherwise, all they’ve got is a spitty handshake and no cover.

How do you assign a Life Insurance policy to a bank/your lender?

It’s a bit like giving your bank a gift. You take out the policy and pay the premiums. When you die (no ‘ifs’ here, pal), your bank gets any pay-out.

To assign the policy (or policies if you have taken two single life policies) you need to complete a deed of assignment for each policy,

The deed is a legal document that forms part of your legal pack. It’s written in legalese, which means it’s completely impenetrable to normal people.

You can try reading it, but honestly, you’ll have as much luck taking another crack at Finnegans Wake. At least then you can sound cultured if you pretend you read Joyce’s gibberish.

You have to sign the deed of assignment.

Listen, it’s a bit like Apple’s terms and conditions; everyone ticks the box and nobody has a clue what they agreed to. Have you just sold your soul to a factory wherever iPhones are manufactured? Possibly.

But you’re still gonna have to do it.

The bit you sign is called the Notice of Assignment. You sign it and send it back to your bank along with your mortgage protection certificate.

The bank then sends it to the insurer and the insurer notes the bank as the legal owner of your policy.

Now, because the assignment is in effect a legal transaction, the banks don’t let us get involved so it’s up to them to send the necessary documents in a timely fashion to the insurer.

Once it’s with the insurer, we can chase it and give the insurer a bit of a prod if you’re in a rush but until then, our hands are tied.

*That’s how it usually works but each bank may do things differently.

What happens when the insurer receives the notice of assignment?

The insurer will assign your policy to the bank, so the bank becomes the owner of your policy and gets any pay-out.

Who notifies your bank that the policy has been assigned?

The insurer will send a confirmation of the assignment letter to the bank stating:

“Thank you for your recent Notice of Assignment in respect of the above-numbered policy. We have noted your interest and confirm that we hold no prior charge on this policy.”

Once the bank has confirmation of the assignment, they’re happy to issue your mortgage cheque.

How do I assign two life of another mortgage protection policies?

If you’re buying as a couple we recommend two single life policies to reduce any potential inheritance tax.

Assigning two policies works in the same way as assigning a single policy only you will have to complete a Deed of Assignment for each policy.

Is there a fee payable to assign a policy?

And just like that, you’ve assigned your policy.

Your TL;DR of tips, once more:

• Don’t buy Mortgage Protection from your lender. You likely won’t be getting the best deal and it makes it a little trickier if you want to switch your mortgage down the line.
• You can use an existing Life Insurance policy as your Mortgage Protection. However, you’re probably better off keeping them separate, as two policies = two pay-outs and an easier life for your family.
• Mortgage Protection = covers your mortgage. Life Insurance = covers you.
• If you’re bringing your own policy to the table, you’ll need to legally assign it to your bank by following the steps in this article. It’s basically you, your solicitor, your bank and insurer formally saying that the policy will pay-out your mortgage if you die.
• Before you buy any policy, make sure you go with a reputable broker so that you know you’re actually getting the best deal.

That’s all, folks!

Over to you…

I hope that clears up how to assign a mortgage life insurance policy to a bank. It’s simple, no matter how difficult your bank may try to make it seem.

But if you have any questions, please complete the short form below and I’ll be right back or even better: call me

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Deed of assignment

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• Length: 4 pages (400 words)

If the document isn’t right for your circumstances for any reason, just tell us and we’ll refund you in full immediately.

We avoid legal terminology unless necessary. Plain English makes our documents easy to understand, easy to edit and more likely to be accepted.

You don’t need legal knowledge to use our documents. We explain what to edit and how in the guidance notes included at the end of the document.

Email us with questions about editing your document. Use our Lawyer Assist service if you’d like our legal team to check your document will do as you intend.

Our documents comply with the latest relevant law. Our lawyers regularly review how new law affects each document in our library.

About this deed of assignment for a life assurance policy

This deed of assignment transfers an endowment or other life insurance policy from trustees to beneficiary. It includes a template notice to the insurer that the policy has been transferred. The document is straight forward to complete.

This document is not suitable for a transfer for value. Instead, use Deed of assignment: life insurance policy or endowment policy .

Assigning a life policy using this document

For technical legal reasons, all assignments of life policies must be by deed and not by contract. The main practical difference is that a deed requires a witness to the signatures. Unless it is more convenient to do otherwise, the same witness can verify the signatures of both parties.

Document features and contents

The deed of assignment contains the following paragraphs:.

• The assignment;
• Undertakings by trustees;
• Form: Notice of Assignment to deliver to the insurer and bank.

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Deed of assignment

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• Detailed guidance notes

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• Unlimited support by email
• Review of your edited document by a lawyer

Document overview

• Length: 5 pages (1140 words)

If the document isn’t right for your circumstances for any reason, just tell us and we’ll refund you in full immediately.

We avoid legal terminology unless necessary. Plain English makes our documents easy to understand, easy to edit and more likely to be accepted.

You don’t need legal knowledge to use our documents. We explain what to edit and how in the guidance notes included at the end of the document.

Email us with questions about editing your document. Use our Lawyer Assist service if you’d like our legal team to check your document will do as you intend.

Our documents comply with the latest relevant law. Our lawyers regularly review how new law affects each document in our library.

About this deed of assignment for a life insurance policy

Use this deed of assignment to transfer a life insurance policy to another person. The reason for transfer might be as a gift, as settlement of a divorce or on separation, or in return for a payment.

The transfer will be complete and valid only when the insurer has been formally notified. As well as the deed document, we have included a template notice that the assignment has taken place. This may or may not be useful to you: your insurer may prefer you to use their own form, but sometimes other parties, like your bank, also need to know or appreciate being told.

Additionally, if the reason for transfer is divorce or separation, this document includes undertakings and promises so that either party cannot fail to cooperate.

The document is straightforward to complete and written in plain English.

Completing this deed of assignment

For technical legal reasons, all assignments of life policies must be by deed and not by contract. The main practical difference is that a deed requires a witness to the signatures.

Unless it is more convenient to do otherwise, the same witness can verify the signatures of both parties.

When to use this deed of assignment

The deed can be used to assign a policy:.

• From one individual to another, for payment or as a gift
• In a sale by the life assured to anyone or any company
• To or by the trustees of a trust for any reason
• For a transfer to a former spouse or life partner
• Use in all provinces of Canada

Document features and contents

The deed of assignment includes the following paragraphs:.

• Warranties by the assignor
• The assignment
• Limitation of liability
• Publicity: allows you to decide whether any part of the deal can be made public
• Dispute resolution
• Severance and invalidity
• All other legal paragraphs
• Form: Notice of Assignment to deliver to the insurer and bank

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• answering your questions about how to word a new clause or achieve an outcome
• checking that your use of defined terms is correct and consistent
• correcting spelling mistakes
• reformatting the document ready to sign

What other customers thought

• Practical Law

New: Deed of assignment

Practical law uk legal update 1-202-1081  (approx. 3 pages).

• The assignor is assigning the whole of the property demised by the lease.
• The property is not subject to any underlease(s).
• Where the assignee is paying a premium to the assignor or the assignor is paying a reverse premium to the assignee.
• Where the assignee gives an express indemnity covenant in respect of the rent and other obligations under the lease and/or in relation to matters contained in title documents affecting the property.
• Where the lease is being held over under the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954 and also where the assignor has commenced renewal proceedings.
• Where one party is paying, or making a contribution to, the legal (and surveyors') costs of the other.
• Considers in greater detail the various general issues affecting assignments of unregistered leases.
• Provides guidance on the legal, and drafting and negotiating, issues raised by each clause.

New Standard document and Drafting note

• Deed of assignment .
• Deed of assignment: drafting note .
• Landlord and Tenant

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Assignment Of Life Policy – Certificate Of Title (2009 Edition)

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• Representation

It has been brought to the attention of the Conveyancing Committee that some lending institutions have a requirement that solicitors attend to an assignment of life policy in connection with a residential mortgage loan. Solicitors will be aware from the form of undertaking in residential mortgage loan cases that paragraph 2(d) provides that the solicitor undertakes to have the lender’s standard form of life policy assignment executed by the borrower, if this is specified in the letter of offer, and provided that the standard form is furnished to the solicitor in the form in which it is to be signed prior to the drawdown of the loan.

The committee confirms that this means that solicitors are not required to insert the details of the policy in the assignment form and are merely required to attend to the execution of the life policy assignment itself. The attention of solicitors is directed to paragraph 15(a) and (b) of the Guidelines and Agreement (2009 Edition) agreed between the Law Society and the IBF in relation to residential mortgage loans, which confirms the position:

15(a) Some Lenders may furnish Borrower’s solicitors with deeds of assignment of life policy for execution at completion. Where this is done, the solicitor should ensure each relevant document is executed, witnessed and dated in order to comply with clause 2(d) of the Undertaking. (b) It is the responsibility of the Lender to furnish the Borrower’s solicitor prior to completion with the assignment of life policy in the form in which they wish to have it executed and with the relevant policy details inserted. Borrowers’ solicitors are not obliged to insert the details of the life policy in the schedule to the life policy assignment.

The committee further confirms that it has not been agreed with any lending institution that solicitors who attend to the execution of the life policy assignment will thereafter notify any life assurance company of the assignment itself. The committee believes that this is purely an administrative matter for a lending institution to attend to itself.

Copyright © 2024 Law Society of Ireland

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• Assign Policy to New Owner

Assign policy to new owner

An absolute Assignment is a transfer of ownership from the Assured (Assignor) to another person or institution (Assignee). The Assignee becomes the new owner of the policy and assumes full legal rights over the policy. All proceeds, including surrender, maturity and claims, will be payable to the Assignee.

You can assign the policy if

1. the policy

- is not using CPF/SRS monies for premium payments

- is not effected under trust

- is not used to be exempted from CPF Board's Home Protection Scheme (HPS)

- is allowed to be assigned under the plan

2. both Assignor and Assignee are

- of sound mind

- not bankrupt

- not under duress

3. The Assignor must be at least 18 years old. For policies issued on or after 1 March 2009, the Assignee must be at least 18 years old. For policies issued before 1 March 2009, the Assignee must be at least 21 years old.

Both the Assignor and Assignee must come to our Customer Service Centre at 1 Pickering Street, #01-01 Great Eastern Centre, with their NRIC.

If the assignment is done between spouses, or parent and child, or siblings, and relationship can be established by producing the marriage certificate or birth certificate, they need not be present at our Customer Service Centre.

Please complete the Absolute/Collateral Assignment form. Additional documents required are stated on the overleaf of the form.

Yes, you can assign to a company or institution.

Both the Assignor and Assignee must come to our Customer Service Centre at 1 Pickering Street, #01-01 Great Eastern Centre, with their NRIC (if the relationship between them is buyer and seller).

For an assignment to a company or institution, a company stamp is required on the assignment form.

No. Once absolutely assigned, the policy ownership will belong to the Assignee. However, the policy ownership can be transferred back to you provided the Assignee agrees to it. A new assignment will need to be done.

You can still assign the policy if the nomination made is a revocable nomination. The revocable nomination will be automatically revoked once the policy is assigned. If the policy has a trust nomination, the trust nomination will have to be revoked before you make an assignment.

Assignment: Ukiah- The many voices of Sheridan…

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Opinion Columnists

Assignment: ukiah- the many voices of sheridan malone.

Daughter Emily and I were happily engrossed in Oliver Twist, a kid-friendly play with plenty of sympathetic characters along with more than enough thugs, bullies and mean purveyors of Dirty Deeds, Done Dirt Cheap.  The worst of the nasties was Bill Sykes, a dark-hearted brute of such low breeding not even Charles Dickens could find a redeeming quality.

Sykes brought harsh terror into every room he entered, and most of the  rooms were filled with children.  Nice, innocent kids no different in age or sentiment than those in the audience, including of course dear daughter Emily.  It was a perfect setup, and the Ukiah Players executed it perfectly.

Halfway through the evening, the crowd had finally been granted relief from Bill Sykes’ scowls and threats.  He’d at long last stomped offstage amid snarls, growls, glares and waving fists, but promised to return and bring a heavy dose of mayhem when he did.

Whew!  Nothing made the playhouse theater kinder, gentler, lighter and safer than Bill Sykes departing it, hopefully forever.  The play resumed, the kids regrouped, the plot grew a shade more intricate.

The children in Oliver Twist are a balanced blend of rough teens and naive  youngsters; their plight draws us in, we empathize with their misfortunes and we yearn for the better world they deserve.

They knew the adult tormentors would grant no relief, and sought ways to  evade their ruthless tyrants.  Especially, they whispered, Bill Sykes.

“DEFY ME WILL YOU!?!” came a roaring bellow just inches, it seemed, from Emily and my ears, as if Bill Sykes had grabbed us by the collars and shouted a threat heard through all of Ukiah.  My heart seized and froze, Emily’s eyes popped open big as quarters, we both gasped, looked straight up, and…

…and Bill Sykes Himself!  He was standing no more than 10 feet above us!  Nearly invisible in the lightless theater, he stomped toward the stage on a narrow metal catwalk suspended from the playhouse ceiling.  Timbers shook, the dial hit 11 on the audience Shock-O-Meter, and I was grateful not to have wet myself.

Bill Sykes was a moving mountain of terror.  His heavy boots pounded through the building. Young audience voices shrieked as he approached and loomed above the stage.

Whatever else I remember from that play I’ve long forgotten.

Sheridan Malone played Bill Sykes that night and for him to utterly inhabit and bring to dreadful life such a creature is a huge tribute to his talents.   I’ve seen a number of New York  productions, and Angela Lansbury could have been a potted plant in Sweeney  Todd; whoever played Hamlet on Broadway left no impression.

Next time I saw Sheridan he was behind the counter at the auto parts store, an affable, friendly and helpful fellow utterly out of synch with his Oliver Twist onstage transformation.  Which makes me wonder what room in the house wife Linda kept Sheridan during the weeks he lived the Bill Sykes role.

Years later, at an early spring pickup softball game played on the diamond behind juvenile hall, we jogged to position, ready for Play Ball!  but before the first pitch Sheridan Malone took command.  He stood on home plate and unleashed a powerful performance of the National Anthem.

Malone’s voice is a surprisingly supple instrument, giving it the strength  to project all the way into Deerwood Estates, far across the freeway and perhaps into Lake County .  Hope they liked the “rockets red glare” part.

The singing that bellowed so effectively in Oliver Twist, and cascaded across the valley on the National Anthem, could also go soft and lilting.  One morning at the Ukiah Farmer’s Market I heard a voice like suede and velvet accompanied by a strumming guitar.

I looked about and saw Sheridan Malone crooning and caressing some wonderful old country songs in complete fealty to their beloved owners, authors and ancestors: Hank Williams (Sr., of course) George Jones, Sons of the Pioneers, Willie Nelson, Bob Dylan, Merle Haggard.   Sheridan Malone is a citywide treasure.

Months after seeing Oliver Twist I spotted Sheridan in downtown Ukiah, and I told my daughter I wanted to introduce them.  We took a few steps forward and I mentioned this was the man who played Bill Sykes at the playhouse; we then took a few steps backward.

Emily was silent, wide-eyed and ashen.  I picked her up to level out the height disparity, told Sheridan about our prior encounter, and he smiled and quietly apologized for any lingering animosity.

It must have been difficult for Emily to reconcile the two beings: the harsh and terrifying Bill Sykes with the gentle and soft-spoken Sheridan Malone.

When I see her next, I’ll ask if she’s still vaguely rattled, because I’m sure she still remembers.

TWK was a fairly young pup when Mr. Sykes terrorized the entire Playhouse, and Tom Hine cannot recall if his invisible assistant wrote about Oliver Twist in the old Mendocino Grapevine.

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