Surety Bond Professionals is a family-owned and operated bonding agency with over 30 years of experience. With access to a broad range of surety markets, our expert agents are ready to assist with all of your Arkansas title bond needs.
What Are They?
A title bond is a surety bond that is required before a vehicle without a valid title can be registered in your name or transferred to anyone else. A title bond is the prerequisite for getting a bonded title, which is why title bonds are sometimes called bonded title bonds. With a bonded title, you can register or sell the vehicle, but the title remains encumbered for three years.
A title bond provides financial protection for anyone who comes forward with valid proof of ownership of the vehicle during the three years that the title bond is in effect. It also protects anyone you might sell or transfer the vehicle to within that period.
Who Needs Them?
Anyone lacking a valid title to a vehicle must obtain a bonded title, and therefore a title surety bond. There are several common reasons for not having a title:
- You never received one when you acquired the vehicle. Even if you have a receipt or bill of sale showing that you purchased the vehicle, they are not considered proof of ownership.
- You lost the title before you could register the vehicle in your name.
- Someone stole the title before you could register the vehicle in your name.
- The title you received was altered or defaced in some way that makes it invalid.
- A vehicle was abandoned on your property. Even if this is the case, you will still need a bonded title before you can do anything with it.
Speak with a Surety Bond Professionals agent today to discuss your bonding needs.
How Do They Work?
Before you can purchase an Arkansas title bond, you’ll need to get approved for one by the Office of Motor Vehicle. First, have a state police officer or member of your local police department perform a VIN inspection and complete a VIN inspection form documenting that the vehicle has not been reported as stolen.
You must then complete a Statement of Facts for Issuance of Bonded Title Form explaining the circumstances and attesting to your ownership of the vehicle. Submit both the completed statement and the completed VIN Inspection Form to the Department of Finance and Administration, Office of Motor Vehicle—Bonded Titles at the address printed at the bottom of the Statement of Facts form. If your forms are approved, you’ll receive an approval letter in the mail, along with the forms you’ll need to obtain an Arkansas title bond.
Once you have purchased the necessary surety bond and have a bonded title, you will be liable for paying any claim against the bond from a party who can show valid proof of ownership. You will have to compensate that party for any financial loss you caused by having taken possession of it illegitimately—for example, if it was subsequently damaged, sold, or junked during the three-year bond period. Often times, the surety company that issued the bond will pay a claim on your behalf, but you are legally obligated to reimburse the company for the full amount paid to the claimant.
If no claims are filed within the three years that the bond is in place, you can trade your bonded title for a standard one.
What Do They Cost?
The annual premium for an Arkansas title bond is a small percentage of the required bond amount. That required bond amount is one and a half times the state’s estimated value of the vehicle. The surety company will set your premium rate based primarily on your personal credit score. With good credit, you could pay a premium rate as low as 1%.
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Our surety bond professionals will get you the Arkansas title bond you need at a competitive rate.