Surety Bond News

Many contractors that were planning on starting an LLC (Limited Liability Company) in California found that they were legally unable; but a new bill has changed that. Legislators put a new law in to place allowing contractors to operate as an LLC but in order to do so; they must obtain a large surety bond. (more…)

Surety bonds are required for virtually all high profile construction projects to begin, yet they remain a mystery to many. Some have never heard of “surety bonds” or “contractors bonds” as they are commonly referred to in the construction industry, so acquiring one can be unclear all in itself. Bonding requirements vary from one area to another; for those looking to start a construction project in California, the following areas can help define local surety bonding principles: (more…)

There are a lot of businesses out there trying to cut corners in order to save money in this tough economy, but unfortunately this often hurts their clients as a result. A construction contractor in California claimed he had bonds to cover multi-million dollar jobs; but it turned out the contractor possessed surety bonds that were completely fraudulent.
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California mortgage loan servicers have to abide by a new law that was recently passed. The California Department of Corporations implemented a new law enacted under SB 36 and it requires mortgage loan services to obtain a bond that’s equivalent to the bond required of mortgage lenders, which is $50,000. The new law also requires finance lenders and brokers to acquire a minimum $25,000 bond.

The law also allows the Commissioner of Corporations to establish the required bond amount using regulations for residential mortgage lenders, mortgage servicers, finance lenders and finance brokers if the licensee hires one or more mortgage loan originators. The surety bond will be in a quantity calculated by the dollar amount of residential mortgage loans that the licensee and their loan originators accumulate.

The SB 1432, which became effective on January 1, 2009, amended California’s law for claims toward home improvement contractors. The new law states that a homeowner may make a claim against the contractor’s bond only if the damages happened when the homeowner did not intend on selling the home. The law also makes a change to the time limit of making the claim, based on the contractor’s licensing period.