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MMBONDING
For insurance agents

Surety Bonds for Insurance Agents

You have a client who needs a surety bond and no market that will write it. We are a licensed California surety broker with direct carrier appointments, and we take submissions from other agents.

(805) 752-8600Send a submission

Why agents send us surety

Surety is a small share of most P&C books and a poor fit for the markets that carry the rest of them. A contractor client needs a license bond to activate a license, or a performance bond to take a job, and the agency either has no appointment or has one program that says no. Placing it elsewhere is faster than building a surety practice for one file a quarter.

We are a broker rather than a program, so a submission goes to the carriers that fit it. That is the difference that matters when the answer from the first market was no.

What we take that other markets decline

Hard-to-place is the specialty, not the exception. These are normal files here:

  • Credit that another market declined
  • Prior claims and prior losses
  • Tax liens, judgments, and past bankruptcies
  • Newly formed companies with no bonded history
  • Contract bonds where the capacity is the problem
  • High-risk classes other programs will not quote

Underwriting applies to every one of them and approval is never guaranteed. What we will not do is decline on the first obstacle and hand the file back.

What to send

For a license or commercial bond, the principal's details and the bond form are usually enough to quote. For a contract bond, an underwriter needs to read the business: the full submission packet covers it, but in short that is financial statements, a current work-in-progress schedule, a resume of completed work, and the contract documents. Send what your client actually has. We will tell you what is missing before it costs you a week.

Terms, plainly

Compensation on a referred bond is agreed with Michael Melshenker directly, before anything is quoted. Surety commission varies by bond type and by carrier, so a published split would be wrong more often than right.

One thing you should know before you send a file: alongside surety, MM Bonding also places contractor general liability and workers' compensation. If you are referring surety only, say so on the call and Michael Melshenker will confirm the scope of the arrangement with you. We would rather have that conversation first than have you find out afterwards.

Who you are dealing with

Michael Melshenker, CEO, works submissions himself. MM Bonding is a licensed California surety broker, CA DOI #6009105, with direct appointments at CNA Surety, Merchants Bonding Company, Liberty Mutual Surety, and TMHCC Surety. You are talking to the person who will place the bond, and he is fluent in Spanish if your client would rather do it in Spanish.

Have a file now?

Call and talk it through before you send anything. If it is placeable we will tell you what the submission needs. If it is not, we will tell you that too.

(805) 752-8600Email a submission
License
CA DOI #6009105
CSLB filing
24 to 48 business hours
Hours
Mon-Sat, 9:00am-5:00pm PT
Agent questions

What agents ask before they send a file.

Reviewed by Michael Melshenker, CEO. MM Bonding & Insurance Services, Inc., CA DOI #6009105.

Can I place my client's surety bond through MM Bonding?
Yes. We take submissions from other licensed agents whose markets will not write a bond, or who do not carry surety at all. MM Bonding is a licensed California surety broker, CA DOI #6009105, with direct appointments. You bring the file, we underwrite and place it.
What surety bonds do you write for other agents' clients?
Contract bonds (bid, performance, payment, maintenance), the $25,000 California contractor license bond and its relatives, SBA-guaranteed bonds, and commercial and specialty bonds from notary and auto dealer through probate, freight broker, and permit bonds. We do not place bail bonds or immigration bonds.
Which surety markets do you have?
Direct appointments with CNA Surety, Merchants Bonding Company, Liberty Mutual Surety, and TMHCC Surety, plus access to additional markets that specialize in hard-to-place files. A submission goes to the carriers that fit it rather than to one program, which is the practical difference between a broker and a direct-issue website.
What if my client was declined by another market?
That is the file we want. A decline is one carrier's answer to one program, not the market's. Bad credit, a prior claim, tax liens, a bankruptcy, a newly formed company, or a high-risk class are all placeable. Underwriting still applies and we never promise approval.
How fast can you turn around a license bond?
Same business day is realistic on a qualifying license bond. Once the quote is accepted, the surety files electronically with the CSLB, normally within 24 to 48 business hours. Contract bonds take longer because an underwriter reads financial statements rather than a credit report.
What do you need to quote a contract bond?
Company and personal financial statements, a current work-in-progress schedule, a resume of completed work, and the bid or contract documents. If your client's statements are internal rather than CPA-prepared, send them anyway. We will tell you what the file needs before it goes to an underwriter.
Do you handle the CSLB filing?
Yes. The surety files the bond electronically with the CSLB directly, normally within 24 to 48 business hours of the quote being accepted, and we confirm the filing back to you. Your client's licensing timeline should not wait on the bond, and with us it does not.
Can you help a client who needs more bonding capacity?
Yes, and it is usually a submission problem before it is a credit problem. Capacity is set from working capital, net worth, and documented completed work. We will tell you what is holding the number down and what would move it, rather than just returning a limit.
How does the arrangement work, and how are referring agents paid?
Terms are set directly with Michael Melshenker before anything is quoted, because surety commission varies by bond type and carrier and a published split would be wrong more often than right. Call (805) 752-8600 and agree the arrangement for your agency first. Nothing is submitted until you have.
Does MM Bonding write insurance as well as surety?
Yes, and you should know that before you send a file. Alongside surety we place contractor general liability and workers' compensation. If you are referring surety only, say so when you call and Michael Melshenker will confirm the scope of the arrangement with you directly.
Do you work with agents outside California?
What matters is where the bond is filed, not where your agency sits. We are a California broker and the bonds we place are California obligations, so an out-of-state agent with a client bonding a California license or a California project is a normal file for us.
How do I send you a file?
Call (805) 752-8600 or email letstalk@mmbonding.com. Michael Melshenker, CEO, works submissions himself, so you are talking to the person who will place the bond rather than to an intake queue. He is fluent in Spanish if your client would rather handle it in Spanish.

Bring us the one your market declined.

Agree the terms with Michael Melshenker, then send the file. Underwriting applies and approval is never guaranteed.

(805) 752-8600Send a submission