(a) At any time after the premiums for the first policy year have been paid and earned and before default in payment of any subsequent premium, and upon the execution of a loan agreement satisfactory to the Secretary, the United States will lend to the insured on the security of his or her National Service Life Insurance policy, any amount of the policy reserve, and any indebtedness on the policy shall be deducted from the amount advanced on such loan. At any time before default in the payment of the premium, the loan may be repaid in full or in amounts of $5 or more. Failure to pay either the amount of the loan or the interest thereon shall not make the policy voidable unless the total indebtedness shall equal or exceed the cash value. When the amount of the indebtedness equals or exceeds the cash value, the policy shall become voidable. On loans applied for before the effective date of this regulation (November 2, 1987) and not exchanged pursuant to paragraph (b) of this section, the policy loan interest rate in effect when the loan was applied for shall not be increased for the term of the loan.

(b) Loans applied for or exchanged on and after the effective date of this regulation (November 2, 1987) shall bear interest at a rate which may be varied during the term of the loan, not more frequently than once a year, as provided by paragraphs (c) and (d) of this section. After October 1, 1988, the policy loan rate shall not be varied more frequently than once a year. Notification of the initial rate of interest on new loans will be forwarded at the time the loan is made. Policyholders with existing variable rate loans will be forwarded reasonable advance notice of any increase in the rate. Reasonable advance notice of any change in the variable loan rate will be published in the Federal Register. A notice pertaining to variable loans which is sent to the policyholder's last address of record will constitute sufficient evidence of notice.

(c) Subject to the provisions of paragraph (d) of this section, loan rates established pursuant to paragraph (b) of this section shall equal the yield on the Ten-Year Constant Maturities Index for U.S. Treasury Securities for the month of June of the year of calculation rounded down to the next whole percentage. Such loan rate shall be effective on the date on or after the first day of October on which the rate change is made in the insurance automatic data processing system, and shall remain in effect for not less than one year after the date of establishment. The prevailing variable loan rate shall apply to all loans granted under paragraph (b) of this section.

(d) Notwithstanding any other provisions of this section, the variable loan rate shall not exceed 12 percent or be lower than 5 percent per annum. For policyholders with an existing fixed-rate loan who subsequently apply for an additional loan on the same policy, the existing fixed-rate loan shall be refinanced into the new variable-rate loan at the prevailing variable rate at the time of the new loan application.

(e) For VALife, the United States shall only issue policy loans if the Secretary determines that offering loans is administratively and actuarially sound.