If the GULs get rated up or declined or if one of them has a stroke during underwriting the SIWL becomes the final solution.
For that reason, term wouldn't work.[/QU
IMO only if they hard 10 to 20 year concerns where they needed more coverage than a SIWL product could provide.
They could of been looking at GUL for that and a what the heck if we live beyond that term, we can give it away to the kids or charity. Just depends on the need whether to place easy term or whole life while waiting in certain cases. Whole life would probably be chosen more often IMO from my experience. I'm also talking in general VS. this one specific case you mentioned.
To be clear, I don't think it is written in stone "whole life" till this GUL goes through. Easy term could be a fit as well in some cases and even combined with SIWL. Depends on how concerned they are in the interim and how much effort you are willing to spend while waiting for an answer on GUL and just how sketchy the GUL might be. For instance if records are coming fro the VA, it may take a lot longer. All kinds of things come into play.
