MD SMECO deposit bonds.
2% of the bond amount.
The Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative (SMECO), the member-owned electric utility serving Calvert, Charles, St. Mary's, and parts of Prince George's County, can require a nonresidential account to post security when establishing or reestablishing credit. Maryland's Public Service Commission caps that requirement statewide — under COMAR 20.30.01, a nonresidential deposit generally may not exceed roughly two billing periods of estimated charges — and SMECO's own account policy lets a customer post a surety bond instead of tying up that cash. Premiums cost 2% of the bond amount, $100 minimum, after a quick soft credit check that never affects your score.
Trusted by industry leaders
Apply to filed in one sitting.
Utility deposit bonds are simple to issue once you have SMECO's quoted amount. Enter it, consent to a soft pull, and file:
Apply online
Your account details, the deposit amount SMECO quoted, and the effective date — plus a one-time consent to a soft credit pull.
Approved
Most utility deposit bonds clear quickly; the soft credit pull informs approval and never affects your score. Pricing is 2% of the bond amount, $100 minimum. Larger amounts may get a brief review.
File with SMECO
Your executed bond and power of attorney arrive by email, ready to submit to SMECO in place of the cash deposit. Wet-ink originals mailed on request.
What it is and who needs it.
What the utility deposit bond actually guarantees
A utility deposit bond is a payment guarantee that takes the place of the cash security deposit SMECO can require from a nonresidential account that is establishing new service or reestablishing credit after a payment issue. Maryland's Public Service Commission regulates the amount a utility may collect: under COMAR 20.30.01, a nonresidential deposit generally may not exceed the customer's estimated charges for two consecutive billing periods, or 90 days, whichever is less (with a minimum of $5, and larger amounts allowed for short-term or special-occasion service).
It is a three-party arrangement: you (the principal), the surety carrier, and SMECO (the obligee). If your account goes delinquent and SMECO is owed unpaid charges it would otherwise have recovered from a cash deposit, it can claim against the bond up to the bond amount — and if the surety pays, you repay the surety. It is a credit-security backstop, not insurance for you, and it frees up the cash a deposit would otherwise tie up.
As a member-owned cooperative, SMECO applies its own account policy — informed by the statewide COMAR framework — to decide whether a bond will be accepted in place of the deposit it has quoted; confirm both the amount and that a bond is acceptable directly with SMECO before applying. Premiums are priced at 2% of that amount, $100 minimum, after a quick soft credit check that never affects your score.
You need this bond if you are
One application, issued instantly.
These are the actual underwriting fields, including a one-time consent to a soft credit pull. The pull never affects your score, and your price — 2% of the bond amount, $100 minimum — is set at application.
Start the application →Common questions.
Other Maryland bonds.
Skip the cash deposit.
Priced at 2% of the bond amount, $100 minimum. Soft pull only. Enter the amount SMECO quoted and file the same day.