Surety Bond News

New Mexico presented new legislation concerning real estate appraisal management companies. The new law is labeled SB 138 and requires real estate appraisal management companies to acquire a $25,000 surety bond or alternative security in relation to registration. The surety bond guarantees the payment of administrative or judicial punishments that the Real Estate Appraisers Board imposes and any penalties or expenses imposed under punitive action from the Board. The surety bond must indemnify any individual who suffered losses that were a result of the company’s infringement of the law or the Board’s policy. The Board will establish the surety bond quantity required through regulations.

HB 1692 is a new law that was enacted in Missouri State relating to real estate appraisal management companies. The new legislation requires real estate appraisal management companies to acquire a $20,000 surety bond. HB 1692 states that additional particulars regarding the surety bond requirement will be established through regulations. The SFAA and AIA cooperated with the bill sponsors of HB 2152/SB 991, which if enacted would have required real estate appraisal management companies to attain a $250,000 surety bond in relation to registration. HB 1692 was the law and surety bond quantity settled on that was enacted.

The State of Florida introduced a new bill concerning specified commercial lines and their rate and form filing procedures. The new bill is named SB 2176 and excuses particular commercial lines from Florida’s rate and form filing requirements. Both surety and fidelity are included in the lines for notice to the insurance department that must be submitted within 30 days of the effective date of any modification (Use and File). Both burglary and theft are not included in the lines excused of the requirements.

The State of Arizona enacted new legislation relating to real property appraisal management companies. The new law, which is referred to as SB 1351, requires real property appraisal management companies to become registered and acquire a $20,000 surety bond. When SB 1351 was originally introduced, the surety bond quantity was $50,000.

Self-insured workers’ compensation plans are affected by a new bill in the State of Georgia. The new bill is named HB 1101 and boosts the minimum quantity of the security deposit required for self-insured workers’ compensation plans from $100,000 to $250,000. HB 1101 also requires the security to be active until every claim under the plan has been closed or if the self-insurer is inactive and all applicable statutes of limitation have expired. The previous legislation stated that the State Board of Workers’ Compensation established whether or not a deposit must stay in place.