Surety Bond Blog

Motor vehicle dealers and related businesses are subject to surety bonding requirements in nearly every state. These bonds are also known as auto dealer bonds, car dealer bonds, and MVD bonds.

Almost every state in the country requires that certain types of contractors post surety bonds in conjunction with various licenses and permits. The bonds are required for both residential and commercial contractors engaged in many construction trades including general home improvement, electrical, roofing, drywall, HVAC, plumbing and many other specialties.

The surety bond price drop can be attributed to a few different factors. First, the overall economy is relatively strong and continues to show moderate growth. This means that businesses are doing well overall and insurers that assume the risk of loss on surety bonds are faced with fewer claims and loss payouts. Additionally, more insurers have decided to enter the commercial surety market and that extra competition has led to even lower prices.

Texas businesses involved in buying, selling or exchanging motor vehicles or otherwise engaging in business as a dealer, directly or indirectly, including by consignment dealers, must submit application for a general distinguishing number (GDN) license issued by the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles.

Finding an affordably priced surety bond when you have poor credit can be a frustrating experience. Often times, bond premiums for those with bad credit or no credit can exceed 10% of the bond amount. Many commercial surety bond requirements exceed $25,000 resulting in annual bond premiums of $2,500 or more for bad credit applicants! This is a significant cost of doing business for a small business owner.

Let's look at an example of a California Motor Vehicle Dealer Bond for $50,000 and the premium (cost) for 2 different buyers, Joe and Ted.