Missouri Debt Adjuster Bond Requirements
When you apply to get licensed as a debt adjuster at the Missouri Division of Finance, you will be asked to post a $50,000 debt adjuster bond if your company will not handle consumer money or a $100,000 surety bond if it will.
What is this bond required?
This bond guarantees that licensed Missouri debt adjusters will comply with all their obligations as they are specified in Chapter 425 of the Missouri Revised Statutes (RSMo).
If an adjuster violates their obligations and thereby causes losses to someone they are offering their services to, that person may file a claim against the adjuster's bond to demand compensation.
Compensation may initially be extended by the surety that backs the bond. The surety reviews the claim and determines the appropriate amount of compensation to cover for the losses. Depending on the severity of the losses, compensation may even be as high as the full penal sum of the bond.
Want to know more about how bonds work? See our detailed ‘What is a surety bond' guide!
In the sections below you can learn more about how much this bond costs, what can give rise to a bond claim, and how to apply to get bonded.
For more information about getting a Missouri debt adjuster bond, call our experts at 866.450.3412!
How Much Does The Missouri Debt Adjuster Bond Cost?
The cost of your bond is a certain percentage of the total amount of your bond. That percentage depends on various aspects of your application which your surety will consider when you apply.
Factors that determine your bond premium
The main item in your application that your surety will consider is your personal credit score.
The credit score is taken into account in order to determine how stable your financials are.
An excellent or very high credit score signals to the surety that you can be relied upon and are not likely to give rise to a claim against your bond. Conversely, a lower score signals that the likelihood of a claim is higher, and therefore a higher bond rate is issued.
Applicants with a very good credit score, are typically bonded at a rate between 0.75% and 1.5% of the total bond amount. Those with good or moderate scores are usually offered somewhat higher rates, somewhere in the range of 1.5% to 5%. The third category of applicants, those with low or “bad" scores, are usually bonded at a rate upwards of 5% and up to 15%.
Frequently, to more accurately determine your rate, the surety may also request to review some of the following:
- Personal and business financial statements
- Fixed and liquid assets
- Work experience and record
You can get a ballpark estimate of how much your bond might cost, based only on credit score from the table below!
| Missouri Debt Adjuster Bond Cost Based on Credit Score | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
License type |
Bond Amount |
Credit Score | |||
| Above 700 | 650-699 | 600-649 | Below 599 | ||
| Missouri debt adjuster (not handling consumer money) | $50,000 | $375-$750 | $500-$1,250 | $1,250-$2,500 | $2,500-$3,750 |
| Missouri debt adjuster (handling consumer money) | $100,000 | $750-$1,500 | $1,000-$2,500 | $2,500-$5,000 | $5,000-$7,500 |
How Do Bond Claims Occur?
Chapter 425 of the RSMo specifies that the bond required of debt adjusters is for the benefit of debtors who are damaged by an adjuster's breach of debt management or debt settlement plan. The bond further protects debtors from adjusters' failure to properly administer funds collected or disbursed under the debt management plan or debt settlement plan.
If an adjuster violates their obligations under this chapter, causing losses to any individual they provide services to, that person may file a claim to seek compensation.
The surety then investigates the claim, determines its scope and validity, as well as the amount of compensation it may need to extend.
If a surety compensates a claimant, the bonded debt adjuster must reimburse the surety. This is a typical requirement of surety bond agreements since the surety only vouches for the bonded party but does not assume liability for any claims they cause.
The simplest and safest to avoid dealing with bond claims is to comply with the conditions of your bond agreement at all times. This way, you will only need to cover the initial cost of getting bonded and nothing else!
How Can I Apply For a Bond?
To get bonded, you will need to complete our [bond application form].
Click on the banner below, complete and submit the form, and we will shortly contact you with a free quote. We will also provide you with further details about finalizing the bonding process.
If you have any questions about the bonding process and requirements for Missouri debt adjusters, don't hesitate to call us at 866.450.3412!
Further Reading
