Can You Sell a Resolution Life Term Life Policy? (2026)

Read the signature block, then work from the form number

Everything downstream depends on identifying the issuing company and the policy form. Open the contract to the cover page and the last page. The company named there is the one contractually obligated to you, and the form number printed near the bottom is what governs your conversion rights.

This matters more on an acquired block than anywhere else, because the administrator handles many different companies’ forms with different provisions. A request that says “I have a Resolution Life term policy” will get a slower and vaguer answer than one that says “I hold policy number X, issued by ReliaStar Life Insurance Company on form number Y, and I am requesting a written statement of the conversion expiration date and the permanent plans available under that form.”

If the paperwork is long gone, that is normal on blocks this old and it does not affect your rights. Request a duplicate contract in writing. Our guide on how to find out if a policy still exists covers the search, and our page on an orphaned policy with no agent explains how to work directly with an administrator when the original agent and agency are gone — which, on a run-off block, they almost always are.

One more note for completeness: Resolution’s U.S. history includes other companies it has held and later sold on, so if your policy carries a name you associate with Resolution but the administrator says otherwise, ask who services the block today rather than assuming. Blocks move. Obligations follow them.

Why buyers care about conversion and nothing else

A life settlement is the sale of an in-force policy to a licensed institutional buyer for more than the surrender value and less than the death benefit. The buyer assumes the premiums and receives the benefit at the insured’s death. For that to work, the policy has to be capable of surviving until the claim.

Term insurance is built not to. It is cheap precisely because it is priced on the expectation of expiring unpaid. So a plain term certificate offers a buyer nothing to value — there is no cash value and, absent conversion, no death benefit that will realistically be collected.

The conversion provision changes the object entirely. Exercise it, and you hold permanent coverage that will pay whenever the insured dies, priced at the health class assigned when the policy was underwritten rather than the insured’s health today. For someone who has developed a serious condition since issue, that is the valuable part: it produces permanent coverage that new underwriting would price punitively or decline outright. The economics are covered on our page about how to sell a term life policy, and the mechanics on what a term conversion rider is.

There is one exception that bypasses conversion. If the insured has become terminally or chronically ill and the projected claim falls inside the remaining level period, a viatical settlement can sometimes be done on the term policy as it stands. That route depends on medical documentation and moves on a compressed timeline.

The closed-block problem: convert into what?

Here is the wrinkle specific to a run-off insurer. A conversion provision typically promises the right to exchange the term policy for a permanent plan “then being issued by the company” or for a plan the company designates for conversions. At an active carrier, that means the current retail portfolio. At a company that has stopped writing new business, it means whatever plan the insurer has designated for that purpose.

Practically, you may find any of the following, and the answer varies by form and by company:

• A single designated conversion product, often a traditional whole life or a fixed universal life form kept available specifically to satisfy conversion obligations. It may be priced above what a competitive retail product would cost.
• A menu limited to a small number of legacy plans, with restrictions on issue ages or minimum face amounts.
• A conversion obligation the administrator has to work out case by case, which is where written requests and patience matter.

None of this eliminates your right. The obligation transferred with the block and the company must honor it. What it changes is the price of exercising it, and price is a direct input into whether a settlement is worth doing at all. A converted premium that consumes most of the policy’s economic value produces no offers, regardless of health.

So ask the question explicitly and in writing: which permanent plans are available for conversion under this form, what is the premium at the full face amount and at half of it, and is partial conversion permitted with what minimum? Get the numbers before you commit to anything.

What you are looking at	What it means for a sale	What to do next
Cover page says ReliaStar, Security Life of Denver, ING, or Voya	Normal for a Resolution-administered block	Quote that name and the form number in every written request
Conversion right open, face $250K+, insured 70+ with health changes	Worth pursuing	Get the converted premium quoted before converting anything
Only one designated conversion plan, priced high	May kill the economics	Compare the converted premium against the face amount before deciding
Conversion window already expired	No market	Check for return-of-premium or accelerated benefit riders
Face amount under $100,000	Below most buyers’ minimum	Focus on premium relief rather than a sale
Administrator slow to respond	Common on run-off blocks	Follow up in writing; start well before any deadline

Locating the deadline, and the phrase that traps people

Conversion terms live in the contract, not on your premium notice. Find the provision headed “Conversion Privilege,” “Conversion Option,” or “Right to Exchange” and extract two facts.

The last eligible date is the first. Contracts express it as a count of policy years, as an attained age, or — most often, and this is where people lose — as the earlier of the two. Under that construction, a 20-year level term issued at 52 might be convertible only through policy year 10 or age 62, whichever arrives first. The premium stays level and comfortable for another decade while the most valuable feature of the contract has already lapsed, unannounced.

The second fact is whether partial conversion is allowed and at what minimum. Converting part of the face amount is frequently the right structure, since it keeps the permanent premium manageable while preserving coverage a family may still need.

Get both in writing. A phone call where a representative says the policy “looks convertible” is not a document and nobody evaluating the file will accept it as one. On a run-off block, allow several weeks for a written response and follow up. Our page on a term conversion deadline approaching covers what remains possible in the final months.

The order that protects your money

If the window is open and the face amount is meaningful, sequence matters more than speed.

1. Written conversion terms. Exact expiration date, available plans, partial conversion availability, minimum amount.
2. Converted premium quoted before converting. On a closed block this step is not optional. The designated plan may be expensive, and that number determines whether anything downstream makes sense.
3. Review while it is still term. A qualified read of the conversion language, the face amount, the converted premium, and the general health picture will tell you whether buyers are likely to engage at all — before you commit to permanent premiums out of pocket.
4. Convert only what the math supports. Partial conversion is often correct, especially where the household still needs some coverage.
5. Then market the converted policy. Independent life expectancy underwriting, competing bids, escrow, closing, and a rescission window fixed by the law of your state, in that order.

Skipping step three is the expensive mistake. Converting first and shopping second means paying real premiums to create an asset that may attract no interest. Our page on converting term and then selling works the sequence with numbers.

Also note which state’s law applies. Colorado supervises Security Life of Denver as its domiciliary regulator, and Minnesota supervises ReliaStar, but neither governs your transaction. Life settlements are regulated where the policy owner resides, and your state sets the disclosures, the licensing standard for everyone involved, and the rescission period after you sign.

When the honest answer is no

Said directly, because it saves months.

• The conversion window has closed. Final. Carriers do not reopen expired conversion rights and no broker can restore one. A claim to the contrary is a red flag.
• The designated conversion plan is priced punitively. This is the closed-block-specific failure mode. If carrying the converted policy would consume most of its economic value, buyers will not engage.
• The face amount is under roughly $100,000. Institutional buyers apply a working minimum because their fixed per-file costs — independent life expectancy reports, legal review, escrow, and years of premium administration — do not scale down. See our page on the minimum policy size for a life settlement.
• The insured is under 65 and healthy. A long projected life expectancy produces a low present value, which usually means no offer rather than a low one.
• The coverage is still needed. A surviving spouse without pension income, a dependent adult child, a mortgage that outlives the borrower. Selling protection the household relies on is not a win.

Where a sale is off the table, check what you already own. Some term forms include a return-of-premium provision. Many include an accelerated death benefit rider that pays part of the face amount during a qualifying terminal or chronic illness at no additional premium. Neither generates a commission for anyone, which is exactly why they go unmentioned.

What to send, and how long to allow

Three documents make a first conversation productive: the policy cover page, showing the original issuing company, the insured, the policy number, the form number, the issue date, the face amount, and the level premium period; the most recent premium notice or annual statement; and the conversion provision itself if you can locate it.

From those, a reviewer can determine how much level period remains, whether the conversion right appears open under your specific form, which administrator to approach, and whether the size clears the market’s working minimum. Where the language is ambiguous — and on thirty-year-old forms it frequently is — the next step is a written request to the administrator, not an inference.

Budget more time than you would at an active carrier. Requests that take days elsewhere routinely take weeks on a block that has changed hands twice. Put everything in writing so there is a dated record of when you asked, and start before a deadline rather than after one.

What nobody should be asking for at this stage: your Social Security number, bank details, or a complete medical file. Being pressed for those in a first conversation is a warning sign, as is any request for an upfront fee to evaluate a policy. Legitimate reviews are free. Pine Lake Life Solutions provides education and a free policy review, does not purchase policies, is not licensed in every state, and does not give legal, tax, or investment advice. If your Resolution-administered contract turns out to be an indexed universal life policy rather than term, our page on selling a Resolution Life indexed universal life policy covers that. Call (305) 209-7183 with the cover page in front of you.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why does Resolution Life service my policy when I bought it elsewhere?

Resolution Life acquires in-force blocks rather than writing new business. Its U.S. platform includes Security Life of Denver Insurance Company and Midwestern United Life, acquired from Voya Financial on January 4, 2021, and that portfolio traces back through ING’s U.S. life operations. Your contract terms transferred unchanged, so use the original issuing company name and form number in correspondence.

Can I still convert a term policy at a company that stopped selling insurance?

Yes. The conversion obligation is contractual and transferred with the block, so the company must honor it. What changes is the menu. Instead of a current retail lineup you may be offered a single designated conversion plan or a small set of legacy forms, sometimes at a higher premium. Ask in writing which plans are available under your specific form number.

How do I find my conversion deadline?

It is in the contract, under a heading like Conversion Privilege or Right to Exchange, not on your premium notice. Contracts state it as policy years, an attained age, or the earlier of the two, and the earlier-of construction is what catches people. Request a written statement of the exact expiration date from the administrator, along with a duplicate contract if you cannot find yours.

Should I convert first and then look for offers?

No. Have the file reviewed while it is still term, because a review can tell you whether buyers are likely to engage before you commit to permanent premiums. On a closed block this is even more important, since the designated conversion product may be expensive enough to eliminate the economics entirely. Get the converted premium quoted first, then decide.

Does the change of ownership to Nippon Life affect my policy?

No. Nippon Life completed its acquisition of Resolution Life on October 30, 2025, in a deal announced in December 2024, and Resolution became a wholly owned subsidiary. Corporate transactions transfer obligations exactly as written. Your face amount, guaranteed premium schedule, risk class, and conversion rider are unchanged, though servicing addresses and contact numbers sometimes are updated.

How long should I expect the administrator to take?

Longer than an active carrier. Written requests for duplicate contracts, conversion statements, and quotes on blocks that have changed hands routinely take several weeks rather than days. Submit everything in writing so there is a dated record, include the policy and form numbers, and begin the process well before any premium or conversion deadline rather than after one.

Related Reading

• Sell Term Life Policy
• What Is A Term Conversion Rider
• Term Conversion Deadline Approaching
• Convert Term Then Sell
• How To Find Out If A Policy Still Exists
• Orphaned Policy No Agent
• Minimum Policy Size For A Life Settlement
• Sell My Resolution Life Indexed Universal Policy

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Pine Lake Life Solutions does not purchase life insurance policies and does not provide legal, tax, or investment advice. Information provided is for educational purposes only. Eligibility for any option, including life settlements, is not guaranteed and depends on individual circumstances, policy terms, underwriting, and market conditions. Consult independent legal, tax, or financial professionals before making decisions regarding a life insurance policy.