Insurance agents will occasionally write a commercial surety bond as an added service to their clients. These agents know their way around property-casualty forms, but they’re not always familiar with bond forms. After all, there are literally thousands of different state and local bonds. The good news is that all bonds contain standard language that agents can learn to identify and check before submitting a bond for approval.

Let’s review the key elements of a commercial bond form, so you’ll know what to look for and can spot any potential problems. Keep in mind that many bonds can be issued quite quickly and may not need to be referred to underwriting. Often it is a matter of knowing how to fill out a bond form on a surety company’s portal. To fill it out correctly, though, you need to understand what’s being asked.