Obtaining a surety bond
Obtaining a surety bond
While obtaining a surety bond, care should be taken not to apply to too many agencies. A lot of surety companies actually decline applicants if they receive applications from multiple agencies thinking that the applicant is desperate for a surety loan and hence there is something wrong. While applying to multiple agencies, please make sure that the agents are well aware that you have applied to other agents so that they don’t commit the mistake of applying to the same company as that can create severe impediments to your obtaining a surety bond. Not everyone qualifies to get a surety bond. While obtaining a surety bond, the financial stability of the principals company is of utmost importance. The financial statements will be analyzed, the cash flows checked and the transactions with vendors, suppliers and banks will be examined. Another thing that matters while obtaining a surety bond is the good recommendations that you receive from other industry players, customers, suppliers which also plays a vital role in the evaluation of the integrity of the company. The time for which the business has been existing also shows the stability of the business and is also considered while underwriting. The cost of obtaining a surety bond may vary a lot depending on your credit history, your financial status, the value of your assets and your net worth. Hence, an agent will not be able to give an accurate rate unless your application has been fully processed. So what ever figures that he quotes should be accepted with a pinch of salt as the rates may vary from 3% to 15% on a case to case basis. While obtaining a surety bond, it is usually a good idea to start early and not wait till the day the bond is needed. The issuance of the bond means that an original agreement has to be signed between the principal and the company and these paper works take time. Also, you need time to decide which surety bond is best for you and all of these are time consuming processes. In case there is a need of obtaining a surety bond urgently, it is of utmost importance that you choose the agency very carefully. Care should be taken to make sure that the agency is not a broker which is getting its business done through another agency which will only delay the process. A broker will give you slower response and in most cases higher rates as another layer of middle men are involved. Many agencies do have power of attorney from their surety companies to issue bonds from their premises which means that they can issue bonds much faster as turnaround is less. Also, it is a good idea to ask the agent what is the average turn around time for obtaining a surety bond.


