Surety Bonds

Bonds can be provided by banks or insurance companies. However, banks will only provide unconditional on-demand bonds that are independent instruments and do not provide any protection of the underlying contract conditions. Using banks for the provision of bonds will also impact your working capital headroom.

The insurance market prefers to provide guarantee bonds that are conditional in nature and relate directly to the underlying contractual obligations. This type of instrument is ‘off balance sheet’ and will not impact or reduce your working capital facilities. An insurer will usually take security by way of a counter indemnity from the company (or group) and will not charge an arrangement or non-utilisation fee. Bond premium is paid solely on the individual bond requirement.

Not all bond providers are the same and each can have a different opinion when it comes to analysing credit risk, pricing bonds, or reviewing bond wordings. Marsh has access to the entire regulated surety market and can ensure that the most appropriate surety companies are approached for your bond or bonds.

Our team of surety experts provide a range of services, from arranging bond capacity, to providing advice on bond and indemnity wordings.