What is 'churning' in the context of life insurance, and why is it prohibited?

Churning is an unethical and prohibited practice in which an agent persuades a policyowner to repeatedly replace existing life insurance — frequently by using the cash values of the existing policy to fund the new one — primarily to generate new commissions rather than to benefit the client. Churning exposes the consumer to new contestability periods, surrender charges, and other disadvantages while enriching the agent. It is a form of misconduct that can lead to license discipline. (It is related to but distinct from twisting, which involves misrepresentation to induce replacement.) Recognizing churning as prohibited, commission-driven replacement is important ethics-and-regulations content.