Have you ever gone back and forth with a surety underwriter to get a relatively small surety bond approved? Lexington National has developed a Contract Surety Rapid Express program that allows agents to quickly obtain approvals on contract surety bonds $750,000 and under.
Lexington National’s Rapid Express focuses on three elements:
- Credit
- Contractor’s ability to perform, and
- Agent’s relationship with the Contractor
Lexington National appointed agents work with contractors to fill out a one-page application that asks questions about the contractor and the job that they are bidding on. Once the agent sends the application on to the underwriter, approval can be obtained in as little as one hour.
This program is designed to help smaller and emerging contractors obtain their first bond. This program only allows for up to one bond per principal to be in force at any given time.
What Happens If I don’t qualify for Rapid Express?
Lexington National has other tools available to get bonds written even if the principal is not eligible for the Rapid Express program. The Lexington National underwriter handling the account will have a conversation with the agent to figure out what the next steps are to attempt to get the bond approved.
- Standard Submission – While this is potentially more time consuming for the agent and underwriter, providing the documents required for a standard submission is potentially one way to get the bond approved. Unlike in the Rapid Express program, the contractor will have an opportunity to provide financial information and personal statements on prior experiences that would not be highlighted in the Rapid Express submission
- The Small Business Administration (SBA) Surety Bond Guarantee Program – Lexington National is a proud partner of the SBA. If the bond and / or contractor does not fit into the Rapid Express program, a Lexington National underwriter will work with the SBA to see if the bond can be written within the Surety Bond Guarantee Program
- Funds Control – Lexington National has excellent relationships with national Funds Control (Escrow) companies. Sometimes Funds Control is required for contractors who are operating outside of their normal scope.
If you are interested in learning more about Lexington National’s Rapid Express program or Contract Surety operation in general, please contact John Dykstra at John@lnic.com or by calling 410-625-0800.