A. 1. An applicant for a multicounty agent bondsman license shall have been continually licensed as a professional bondsman in the State of Oklahoma for a minimum of two (2) years without suspension or having any unpaid forfeitures prior to the date of application.

2. In addition to the requirements prescribed in Sections 1305 and 1306 of this title, an applicant for a multicounty agent bondsman license shall submit to the Insurance Commissioner an annual audited financial statement prepared by an accounting firm or individual holding a permit to practice public accounting in this state in accordance with the Statements on Auditing Standards promulgated by the Auditing Standards Board of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants setting forth the total assets of the bondsman less liabilities and debts. For initial applications and for subsequent renewals of the license, the statement shall show a net worth of at least Two Hundred Fifty Thousand Dollars ($250,000.00). The statement shall be current as of a date not earlier than ninety (90) days prior to submission of the application and the statement shall be attested to by an unqualified opinion of the accountant.

3. Multicounty agent bondsman applicants shall make a deposit with the Insurance Commissioner in the same manner as required of domestic insurance companies. The deposit shall not be less than One Hundred Thousand Dollars ($100,000.00). Provided however, any and all deposits made pursuant to paragraph 3 of subsection A of Section 1306 of this title shall count toward the fulfillment of any deposit amount required by this section. The deposit shall be subject to all laws, rules, and regulations as deposits by domestic insurance companies but in no instance, except as provided herein, shall a multicounty agent bondsman write bonds which equal more than twelve times the amount of the deposit which the bondsman has submitted to the Commissioner; provided however, any currently licensed professional bondsman in good standing with the Department and who, on the effective date of this act, meets the provisions of the grandfather clause set forth in Section 1306 of this title and who otherwise meets the requirements of this section shall be afforded the same liability ratio as that of such grandfathered professional bondsman. Such deposit shall require the review and approval of the Insurance Commissioner prior to exceeding the maximum amount of Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation basic deposit coverage for any one bank or financial institution. In addition, a multicounty agent bondsman may make the deposit by purchasing an annuity through a licensed domestic insurance company in the State of Oklahoma. The annuity shall be in the name of the bondsman as owner with legal assignment to the Insurance Commissioner. The assignment form shall be approved by the Commissioner. If a bondsman exceeds the above limitation, the bondsman shall be notified by the Commissioner that the excess shall be reduced or the deposit increased within ten (10) days of notification, or the license of the bondsman shall be suspended immediately after the ten-day period, pending a hearing on the matter.

4. The deposit provided for in this section shall constitute a reserve available to meet sums due on forfeiture of any bonds or recognizance executed by the bondsman.

5. Any deposit made by a multicounty agent bondsman pursuant to this section shall be released and returned by the Commissioner to the multicounty agent bondsman only upon extinguishment of all liability on outstanding bonds. Provided, however, the Commissioner shall have the authority to review specific financial circumstances and history of a multicounty agent bondsman, on a case-by-case basis, and may release a portion of the deposit if warranted. The Commissioner may promulgate rules to effectuate the provisions of this paragraph.

6. No release of deposits to a multicounty agent bondsman shall be made by the Commissioner except upon written application and the written order of the Commissioner. The Commissioner shall have no liability for any such release to a multicounty agent bondsman provided the release was made in good faith.

B. The deposit provided in this section shall be held in safekeeping by the Insurance Commissioner and shall only be used if a bondsman fails to pay an order and judgment of forfeiture after being properly notified or shall be used if the license of a multicounty agent bondsman has been revoked. The deposit shall be held in the name of the Insurance Commissioner and the bondsman. The bondsman shall execute an assignment or pledge of the deposit to the Insurance Commissioner for the payment of unpaid bond forfeitures.

C. Notwithstanding any other provision of Sections 1301 through 1341 of this title, the license of a multicounty agent bondsman is transferable upon the death or legal or physical incapacitation of the bondsman to the spouse of the bondsman or to such other transferee as the multicounty agent bondsman may designate in writing, and the transferee may elect to act as a multicounty agent bondsman for a period of one hundred eighty (180) days if the following conditions are met:

1. The transferee shall hold a valid license as a surety bondsman in this state; and

2. The asset and deposit requirements set forth in this section continue to be met.

At the end of the one-hundred-eighty-day period, the transferee shall be allowed to apply for a license as a multicounty agent bondsman, provided he or she has been continually licensed as a surety bondsman for at least five (5) years immediately prior to the date of application, notwithstanding the requirements of paragraph 1 of subsection A of this section.

D. A multicounty agent bondsman may appoint by power of attorney a licensed surety bondsman as his or her agent to execute bail bonds within any county in the State of Oklahoma. The number of bail bonds a multicounty agent bondsman may insure in counties other than the county he or she registers his or her license, pursuant to subsection A of Section 1320 of this title, shall not be limited by subsection B of Section 1320 of this title.

Added by Laws 2014, c. 53, § 3, eff. July 1, 2014. Amended by Laws 2015, c. 110, § 2, eff. Nov. 1, 2015. Renumbered from § 1306A of this title by Laws 2015, c. 110, § 13, eff. Nov. 1, 2015. Amended by Laws 2016, c. 16, § 1, eff. Nov. 1, 2016; Laws 2016, c. 203, § 4, eff. Nov. 1, 2016.