Marr. of Valli

Summary

The court held that a life insurance policy purchased during marriage with community funds remained community property, even though the husband placed title and beneficiary rights solely in the wife's name. Changing the policy's character to the wife's separate property would have required a written express declaration satisfying the statutory transmutation requirements, which was absent. The court reversed the Court of Appeal and remanded for consideration of the wife's unresolved arguments concerning the policy's allocation and beneficiary status.