How in the world can you write these????

Over the years we have all gotten calls on bonds that are... for lack of a better description... impossible to write, at least in my book... although someone will do it, no doubt.

This fellow from New York City calls me this afternoon, wanting to bond his "friend" whom he was in the service with... on a "suspended" charge. The defendant was from 'East Texas' moving to 'Norfolk Virginia'... he was stopped just inside the Virginia line, arrested and jailed... he is unemployed, the indemnitor was on disability and going to school on the post 911 GI bill... neither had any family that would stand up for the bond and neither had anyone with any financial stability... no assets, no car titles, no extra money for collateral.... basically nothing.... $2000. bond.... would you have written it for the $200 fee???

I listened to all the fellow had to say, told him I felt for him but I was a business man and it was nothing personal, but no way.....

I gave him the name of one of my competitors who writes anyone, anytime.... he did not call me back so I figure the other bondsman wrote it.... if I have to write these types of bonds to remain active... I will let my license lapse and will just go back to sitting under the tree in my backyard and reading a good book... it may eventually come to that if business continues its downward spiral... and if bondsmen continue to write as loose as they do around here...

I will not compromise my work ethics, my principles or my business practices just to write a bond.... I will become a Walmart greeter...

Welcome, here's your basket...

_________________
Bill Marx, Sr.
"FREE STATE BAIL BONDS"
"FREE STATE INVESTIGATIONS"
DCJS: 99-176979
Cell: 434-294-0222

"Endeavor to Persevere" "Lone Watie"

"Good judgment comes from experience, and a lot of that , comes from bad judgment" "Will Rogers"

Yea I have worked for a bondsman that is a sloppy writer to say the least.. O well keeps me working

They keep you busy, but can they pay? When the money gets funny, Scotty gets gone!

See you in the am Bill, 3 hours 45 minutes by Google maps!

Scott

_________________
R.E. "Scott" MacLean III

"Leaders are like Eagles, you never see them in a flock, but one at a time"

Chesapeake Group Investigations, Inc.
Chesapeake Bail Bonds
877-574-0500
301-392-1100 (fax)
301-392-1900 (Office)

Funny you mention that. Ive had that happen aswell..O well what goes around comes around I guess.

I have to say that the way you described it, probably not. Not really the money issue..just the movement all over the place.

I think that if we are honest with ourselves, we have all (I guess I cannot speak for everyone) written a bond or two that went bad and then say "I knew it"! It's the bail bond business - every bail cannot be perfect but I guess there is a difference between writing crap bail and good bail. It all depends on the bail company - I'm a small shop so I make the decisions on what to write...not a place with 10 offices where you have 80 bondsman all out for a buck and can care less about liability.

I guess in short, I do admit I take some chances. I think we all do - it is bail bonds. Some pay off and some do not. Some people are just in a bad spot and go to court. I have had rock solid bails that cause me the most headaches. Nothing like trying to foreclose on a home on a 150K. I would rather pay the 2K and move on, but those are my thoughts. I have a 900K that is the best defendant in the world but these 1,500 will run you out of town.

I also think a lot of bail companies take from Peter to pay Paul, so they will write anything because they have to keep the cash flow moving. I understand that concept but I do not agree with it.

Now a days, it is hard to do it full time. I have about 4 side businesses I do in conjunction with bail bonds...gotta pay the bills! Kinda went off there a little bit..sorry if I lost anyone.

_________________
Robert L

I think they call it "multiple lines, sources or streams of income" or something like that... Scott can tell you the exact wording.... but that is absolutely the secret to staying afloat in most any business, especially one as erratic as this...

My favorite quote when asked about this business by anyone new to the trade.... DO NOT QUIT YOUR DAY JOB.

_________________
Bill Marx, Sr.
"FREE STATE BAIL BONDS"
"FREE STATE INVESTIGATIONS"
DCJS: 99-176979
Cell: 434-294-0222

"Endeavor to Persevere" "Lone Watie"

"Good judgment comes from experience, and a lot of that , comes from bad judgment" "Will Rogers"

From all of the information you gave. Your odds face towards losing your bond, with all of the states listed if he did run it would not be economical to send bounty hunters after them. The expenses alone for gas/food would cost you more than 10% and in the end you most likely would end up forfeiting the bond anyways.

Now if he were a local that would be another story, because the cost of recovery would not be such that it would be impossible or impractical. Long story short, I think you made the most practical decision given the circumstances...

_________________

Samuel "Sam" Sartain
Rapid Response Team "R2T"
Fugitive Recovery Agent
State of Colorado
(920) 574-1991

De Scelestus Vindico

(Latin: "Punish the Wicked")

FWIW, I have paid for some very nice toys...err tools of the trade with proceeds from bondsman who insisted that the difference between a wanna be bondsman and a true professional is that the pro can make a bad bond a good one. I agree...good for me There are many factors that evolve into the decision to write a bond or not, often it is the frequency of the defendant adversely running into law enforcement for additional charges. Unfortunately for the recovery side of the business, skip or not, the bondsman will never hire you on these guys. They know to wait them out patiently, because they will re-offend shortly. I made a decent income off of these guys attempting to prove me wrong, and it is a shame they are no longer in business (statistics are a funny phenomenon) because I may want/need a new boat soon...you know, the kind that you can't trailer
Would make a nice waterfront office, don't you think?

Scott

_________________
R.E. "Scott" MacLean III

"Leaders are like Eagles, you never see them in a flock, but one at a time"

Chesapeake Group Investigations, Inc.
Chesapeake Bail Bonds
877-574-0500
301-392-1100 (fax)
301-392-1900 (Office)

Last week, I was in a association meeting when I got a call from the Boss. She had a guy on the other line wanting to bail out his girlfriend. She had a warrant out of San Fran for a FTA on a DUI.

Boyfriend was in Florida and "owned" a business. He didn't have any credit cards but would wire the $2,000 bail premium for his girlfriends $20,000 warrant. The sister of the defendant would co sign here and she worked at the Mens Wharehouse and was also a "model."

Boyfriend names is "Prince." So, I told the Boss no, we are not writing that bond!

Let recap here. Boyfriend has business but no credit cards. Has $2,000 cash. Name is Prince.
Sister of defendant works as model in New York, no proof of employment at Mens Wharehouse. Name is Ziyah
Defendant no job, money and later found to have multiple addresses and SS#s.

So we passed this bond over to another bail agency. By the time I got back to the office, the other agent I know and help every now and then, calls up about this bond. He posted it.

Apparently the co signer had stiffed him on the premium for a previuos bond. Yet he posted this bond anyway. He did get the $2K wired to him. But, now he is worried about whether the def will show up for court.

BTW, the model co signer, according to the other bail agent, looks like Oprah Winfrey in the "Color Purple!"

I hesitate to tell callers 'no'. On the other hand, I don't write every bond that comes down the 'pike, either.

Rather than telling someone 'no' and thus appearing difficult/impossible to deal with, I will often demand much more collateral than the bond amount itself...in addition to the premium monies, of course.

That way, if they come up with what I need to maintain my comfort level with the piece of business, then I'm covered even if the bond goes bad.

If they can't come up with the required collateral, the problem is still theirs, not mine. I still haven't told them "No, I won't work with you because I think you're a flight risk", essentially.

'Shoveling' bad business to your competitors can be fun & entertaining...but inthe smaller rural markets, as with many things in life, what goes around, comes around.

Professional regards.
David Platt
aka: Bailagent100