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 your Wisconsin title bond needs.
What Are They?
People who have purchased vehicles that they are unable to insure, register, or sell due to lack of a valid certificate of title must buy a Wisconsin title bond. Purchasing a Wisconsin title bond is a mandatory step in obtaining a bonded title which allows a vehicle owner to do the same things they could do with a standard title.
In purchasing a Wisconsin title bond, you are attesting to your ownership of the vehicle. You also are guaranteeing that if, during the five-year term of the bond, you should not have been issued a bonded title you will compensate a prior owner or subsequent purchaser for any financial loss they incur as a result. The bond remains in force for its full term even if you sell the vehicle in the meantime.
At the end of the bond’s five-year term, if there have been no claims against your Wisconsin title bond, you will be notified by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) that you can obtain a standard certificate of title for the vehicle.
Who Needs Them?
You may be eligible to obtain a bonded title, which entails purchasing a Wisconsin title bond, if:
- The vehicle’s seller did not give you a title certificate when you purchased the vehicle, though you may have received a bill of sale.
- The seller gave you a title that was improperly assigned, damaged, contained an incorrect VIN number, or otherwise rendered defective.
- The seller provided a title, but it was lost or stolen before you could register the vehicle in your own name.
The bond must be for an amount that is 1.5 times the appraised value of the vehicle, which WisDot will provide in a letter once they have researched your application for a bonded title. The minimum Wisconsin title bond amount is $2,500.
Speak with a Surety Bond Professionals agent today to discuss your bonding needs.
How Do They Work?
In the language of surety bond agreements, the Wisconsin Department of Motor Vehicles is the “obligee” requiring the bond. You are the “principal” required to purchase it and legally obligated to pay all valid claims against it. The bonding company approving the bond is referred to simply as the “surety.”
If a former owner, lienholder, or someone who purchases the vehicle from you while your Wisconsin title bond is in force files a valid claim against the bond for damages, it’s your legal responsibility to pay it. However, the usual practice is for the surety to pay the claim on your behalf, which creates a debt that you must then repay to the surety.
What Do They Cost?
Wisconsin title bonds for $25,000 or less typically cost about 1.5% of the bond amount. Bonds for more than $25,000 are subject to underwriting. The surety’s underwriters will assign a premium rate based largely on your personal credit score. If your credit is good enough to qualify for the standard market rate, that will be in the range of 1% to 2% of the bond amount.
Get a Quote
Our surety bond professionals will get you the Wisconsin title bond you need at a competitive rate.