Find a Reliable Bail Bond Company

Finding a reliable bail bond company can often be more difficult than one would expect.

The bail bonds industry is a lot like any other industry currently available to the public in the sense that not all businesses or companies operate in an honest manner. How do you know if the services you are offered are feasibly legitimate or if you may be getting swindled by someone offering to help you?

Although the bail bond industry is heavily regulated there are a select few companies out there that do not conduct business in an ethical fashion. When selecting a bondsman it is also beneficial to look into the background of the company as well as meeting face to face with their bonds agent before agreeing to any arrangements. A number of bonds companies have come under scrutiny in the past years for malpractice. Most of these cases involved misconduct with the fugitive recovery agents or bounty hunters attempting to detain a jumper. In some cases criminal charges have been filed and pursued against bounty hunters for illegal detainment procedures.

The first thing to remember when selecting a bondsman is that if it sounds “too good to be true” it probably is. If a bondsman is offering you “no money down” or “zero down” loan you should strongly consider going somewhere else. The fee amount required for the bond is set by the state’s Department of Insurance in which the agency is operating in and should be consistent across all bonds companies within the state. Once this payment is received the agent will have to pay their financing company a large portion of the state designated fee (10% in California). This is one way a customer can spot an “unethical” bonds agent. How can this business stand to profit if they are providing a loan with no money down when their surety company needs to be paid?

Typically a agency will require the co-signer to put up a “mortgage” or security interest in physical property to secure the loan amount in the event that the bailee skips the court date assigned to them. When selecting a “no money down” bondsman the practice is common that these agencies will use the collateral mortgage over the co-signers’ head in order to secure the ten percent bond premiums. These types of agencies tend to use collection methods and etiquette that is not practiced by the majority of bonds agencies. Although this is not always the case, typically a company offering a “zero down” bond have a motivation behind this sales pitch which tends to benefit the agency over the customer.

Although the bail bond industry is one which is driven by urgency in the customer’s needs, a customer seeking a reliable bailer should take some time to ensure the choice they have selected is serving the best interests of the client. All bail bonds companies are required to charge the same amounts based off the state laws so it is truly the quality of service that distinguishes a legitimate bond company.