Which form of authority arises from the agent's role or past practice rather than from a written grant?

• A. Implied authority
• B. Ex officio
• C. Express authority
• D. Apparent authority

Answer: (A)

Implied authority is the authority that comes from the agent’s role and the past practices of the relationship, not from a specific written grant. In life insurance practice, this means a licensed agent can perform typical duties necessary to carry out the agency’s function—like issuing standard policies, collecting premiums, or making routine endorsements—because those actions are reasonably inferred as part of the agent’s job, based on the role and prior conduct, even if there isn’t a separate written document explicitly granting each act. Express authority, by contrast, comes from a direct written or stated grant; apparent authority depends on third parties’ reasonable belief formed by the principal’s representations or conduct. Ex officio isn’t the form of authority usually described in this context.