(a) Before any broker’s license shall be issued or renewed by the department for any applicant, the applicant shall procure, file, and maintain with the department a good and sufficient bond in the amount of fifteen thousand dollars ($15,000) with a corporate surety duly licensed to do business within the State of California, and conditioned that the applicant shall not practice any fraud or deceit or make any fraudulent or grossly negligent representations that will cause a monetary loss to any person for whom the broker acts under this article.

(b) If any person suffers any loss or damage by reason of any fraud or deceit practiced on that person or any fraudulent or grossly negligent representation made to that person by a licensed broker or the broker’s sales personnel acting for the broker on the broker’s behalf or within the scope of the employment of the sales personnel, which fraud, deceit, or fraudulent or grossly negligent representation is practiced or made with respect to any act of the broker or the sales personnel for which a license is required under this article, that person has a right of action against the broker, the sales personnel, the surety upon the broker’s bond, or the deposit held by the department in accordance with Section 731. If any action is commenced upon the bond, the surety thereunder and the licensed yacht broker with respect to whom the bond has been issued shall immediately notify the department of the action.

(c) If an action is commenced on the bond of a licensed broker, the department may require the filing of an additional bond, and immediately upon the recovery in any action on the bond, the broker described therein shall file a new bond. Failure to file an additional bond within 15 days after notification that an additional bond is required by reason of action against the bond or after recovery on a bond constitutes a failure to comply with this article, in which case the license of the licensed broker whose bond has been canceled or on whose bond recovery has been made may be suspended.

(d) If a broker’s bond is canceled for a reason other than an action being commenced upon it, a new bond shall be filed by the broker. Failure to file a new bond within 30 days after notification that a new bond is required because a previous bond has been canceled constitutes a failure to comply with this article, in which case the license of the licensed broker whose bond has been canceled may be suspended.

(Amended by Stats. 1996, Ch. 445, Sec. 4. Effective January 1, 1997.)