In life insurance policies, what event triggers the insurer's obligation to pay benefits?

The insurer's obligation to pay benefits in life insurance policies is triggered by the occurrence of a loss, which typically refers to the insured individual's death. Life insurance is designed to provide financial support to the beneficiaries when the insured passes away. Therefore, the fundamental event that activates the insurer's duty to disburse the death benefit is the insured's death.

While the change of policy ownership, collection of premiums, and filing of a claim are all relevant aspects of the life insurance process, they do not directly trigger the payment of benefits. These elements fall within the administrative procedures surrounding the insurance policy, but the actual trigger for payment is the loss itself—specifically, the death of the policyholder.