Carrier pages describe capacity.
They rarely name the licensed desk that will pick up a mortgage-broker or contractor file this week.
Surety research desk
Surety bond agencies, ranked for mortgage, insurance, and contractor pros
Open the register, name the bond series, and call the desk that writes it. Every card is ordered by the same public-signal score, and sources sit on every card. Integrity First Insurance is labeled as the Cornerstone Network Preferred Partner.
Best for: mortgage, insurance, and contractor professionals who need a surety desk that writes their bond series.
Alpharetta, GA · Preferred partner fileHow the order is built
17Agencies and carriers on the register
6Public signals behind every score
4Series: license, contract, commercial, court
50State files on the same cards
The stall
How do I get a surety bond placed?
Name the bond form, then open the desk that will write it. License, contract, and court files stall on pages that never name that desk.
Lists arrive without a method.
An order without a source is a brochure. This register prints the signal, the date, and the link.
The call should come after the file.
A state filter and a premium band sit in front of the phone number, so the conversation starts with the form.
The file
One register for the path you are already on.
Use one register to name the desk, the series, and a premium band before the call.
17 desks, in an order you can read.
Every name follows cited public signals: BBB letter grade, AM Best when a source was opened, years, coverage, bond-series breadth, and a Treasury list mention.
License, contract, commercial, court.
Four series written the way a compliance officer or a contractor’s office actually asks the question.
State filter and a premium band.
Nationwide writers appear in every state file. The sketch is an industry-average range a desk can confirm.
Proof
The top six files, sources on the card.
The six highest public-signal scores on the register. Each card shows the signals opened for it.
01Register
Old Republic Surety
Brookfield, Wisconsin underwriter — A+ Superior, all 50 states
Public-signal score 82AM Best A+ (Superior), FSC XV — as of 11 Apr 2025 on their pageFounded 1923 (103 yrs)
02Register
Colonial Surety Company
Direct-writing carrier since 1930 — AM Best A, all U.S. jurisdictions
Public-signal score 79AM Best A (Excellent)Founded 1930 (96 yrs)
03Register
Merchants Bonding Company
Surety-only mutual, West Des Moines — writing since 1933
Public-signal score 67AM Best A (Excellent)Founded 1933 (93 yrs)
04Register
SuretyBonds.com
Columbia, Missouri online agency — licensed in all 50 states
Public-signal score 62BBB A+ (accredited) · BBB profile — SuretyBonds.com, Columbia, MOFounded 2009 (17 yrs)
05Register
Lance Surety Bonds
Doylestown agency — license, contract, court, and fidelity
Public-signal score 62BBB A+ (accredited) · BBB — Lance Surety Bonds, Doylestown, PAFounded 2010 (16 yrs)
06Register
American Surety Company
Indianapolis commercial surety — 1993, all 50 states, Core Specialty
Public-signal score 55AM Best A (Excellent) — group / company-publishedFounded 1993 (33 yrs)
How it works
Three moves. Then a person.
Name the series, open the card, then call the desk.
- 01
Name the series
License and permit, contract, commercial, or court. The series page says who posts the bond and the usual money.
- 02
Open the register
Filter by state and kind. Read the card — letter grade, appointment, years — before you leave the site.
- 03
Talk to the desk
Integrity First Insurance in Alpharetta is the preferred path. Every other file links to its own site.
Bond series
Four paths. One desk at the end of each.
License, contract, commercial, and court each end at the preferred desk once the form is named.
Series A
License & Permit
The bond that unlocks a license.
Contractors, mortgage brokers, money transmitters, auto dealers, collection agencies, freight brokers, and other licensed operators.
Talk to the deskSeries B
Contract / Performance
Bid, performance, and payment.
General contractors, specialty trades, and developers bidding public or large private work.
Talk to the deskSeries C
Commercial
Fidelity, public official, and miscellaneous.
Property managers, financial-services firms, public officials, and businesses whose clients require a fidelity or miscellaneous bond.
Talk to the deskSeries D
Court / Judicial
Appeal, probate, and injunction.
Appellants, fiduciaries, executors, and litigants ordered to post security.
Talk to the deskJurisdictions
Pick a state. Same register, local file.
A state file is this same register, limited to desks that list that state. Nationwide writers, including the preferred partner, appear in every file.
ALAlabamaAKAlaskaAZArizonaARArkansasCACaliforniaCOColoradoCTConnecticutDEDelawareDCDistrict of ColumbiaFLFloridaGAGeorgiaHIHawaiiIDIdahoILIllinoisINIndianaIAIowaKSKansasKYKentuckyLALouisianaMEMaineMDMarylandMAMassachusettsMIMichiganMNMinnesotaMSMississippiMOMissouriMTMontanaNENebraskaNVNevadaNHNew HampshireNJNew JerseyNMNew MexicoNYNew YorkNCNorth CarolinaNDNorth DakotaOHOhioOKOklahomaOROregonPAPennsylvaniaRIRhode IslandSCSouth CarolinaSDSouth DakotaTNTennesseeTXTexasUTUtahVTVermontVAVirginiaWAWashingtonWVWest VirginiaWIWisconsinWYWyoming
Premium sketch
A range before you call the desk.
Enter the form, the face, and a credit band. The sketch returns the annual premium range this site uses for that combination.
Premium sketch
Three questions. An industry-average band a licensed desk can confirm.
Questions
Short answers before the longer files.
A surety bond is a three-party guarantee, the register is sorted by public signals, and the premium is an annual rate on the face amount. The ranking rulebook is on the methodology page.
All questionsWhat is a surety bond?
A three-party guarantee: you (the principal), the obligee (usually a regulator, owner, or court), and the surety. If you fail the obligation, the surety pays, then seeks reimbursement from you.
Where does Integrity First Insurance rank?
Integrity First Insurance is the Cornerstone Network Preferred Partner, the placement desk for licensing and surety inside that network. It is scored on the same public signals as every other name, and the label is printed on its card. Scoring rules are on the methodology page.
How is the rest of the register ordered?
Every name is scored from cited public signals only: BBB letter grade, AM Best when a source was opened, years since founding, geographic coverage, bond-series breadth, and a Treasury-list mention. Each file shows the signal, the date, and the link.
How much does a bond cost?
An annual premium, often 1–15% of the face amount, set by credit, form, and underwriting. The premium sketch is an industry-average band. A licensed desk confirms the figure.
Is a bond the same as insurance?
Insurance pays you. A bond pays someone else if you fail the obligation, and you indemnify the surety. The comparison walks through both.
Does applying affect my credit?
Most license-bond applications use a soft pull. Contract surety is a different underwriting file. See the credit guide.