There are two types of assignment: contract assignment and assignment of rights. Contract assignment is when the assignor assigns the rights, responsibilities and obligations of a contract to the assignee. Assignment of rights is when the assignor only transfers the rights of the contract to the assignee.
Unlike a conditional assignment, which may have specific conditions attached, an absolute assignment represents an unqualified transfer of ownership. Absolute assignment can be used not only in the context of life insurance but also for transferring ownership of other valuable assets such as real estate and securities.
Assignment of the policy refers to the transfer of rights, title, and policy ownership from the policyholder to another person or entity. The person involved in assigning/transferring the policy is called assignor, and the person/institution to which it is assigned is called the assignee.
This form permanently transfers ownership of your FEGLI insurance to another individual, trustee, or corporation (however, premiums continue to be withheld from your salary/annuity). An assignment is irrevocable, and cannot be changed later.
For the most part, there are two types of life insurance plans - either term or permanent plans or some combination of the two. Life insurers offer various forms of term plans and traditional life policies as well as "interest sensitive" products which have become more prevalent since the 1980's .
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.