§ 17-19-205 — Letter of credit or certificate of deposit required

(a) (1) An applicant for a professional bail bond company license shall file with the Professional Bail Bond Company and Professional Bail Bondsman Licensing Board an irrevocable letter of credit from an Arkansas chartered bank or a federally chartered bank in Arkansas or a certificate of deposit. (2) (A) The letter of credit or certificate of deposit shall be approved by the board as to form and sufficiency and shall be conditioned upon faithful performance of the duties of the licensee. (B) The minimum amount for a professional bail bond company initially licensed on or before July 1, 1989, shall be twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000). (C) The minimum amount for a professional bail bond company initially licensed after July 1, 1989, shall be one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000). (D) The minimum amount for a professional bail bond company initially licensed on or after July 1, 2009, shall be two hundred fifty thousand dollars ($250,000). (E) Professional bail bond companies and professional bail bondsmen who were licensed under Act 400 of 1971 [repealed] before March 8, 1989, shall be required only to file or have on file with the board a letter of credit or certificate of deposit approved by the board as to form and sufficiency, in a minimum amount of five thousand dollars ($5,000), conditioned upon the faithful performance of the duties of the licensee, provided they do not exceed the maximum amount of unsecured bond commitments as provided in § 17-19-304 [repealed]. (b) A letter of credit or certificate of deposit shall not be subject to termination or cancellation by either party in less than sixty (60) days after the giving of written notice thereof to the other parties and to the board. (c) A termination or cancellation shall not affect the liability of the surety or sureties on a bond incurred before the effective date of termination or cancellation.

Legislative History

Acts 1989, No. 417, § 1; 1995, No. 827, § 4; 2009, No. 147, § 1.