Montana probate & fiduciary bonds.
We size, underwrite & quote it.

Before the court grants letters, many fiduciaries have to post a bond.
It guarantees you’ll administer the estate honestly and according to law.
The amount tracks the size of the estate — and we underwrite it.
A surety specialist reviews your file and returns a quote, usually within one business day.

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Required of fiduciaries when bond is demanded or ordered under MCA § 72-3-515

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Amount is not less than the estimate of the personal estate plus one year’s expected income

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Underwritten on personal credit and financials; collateral may apply to a large estate

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How it works

Built for the grant of letters.

The court won’t issue letters until the bond is filed and approved, so the bond is usually the last step before you can act. Here is the whole process:

TODAY · 10 MINUTES

Send us the file

Apply online with the order or demand requiring the bond, the estate’s value, and the fiduciary’s details. The estate size and any restricted assets drive the penal sum.

WITHIN 1 BUSINESS DAY

A surety specialist underwrites it

A specialist reviews the file, a personal credit check, and any financials, then returns a quote. The amount tracks the estate — underwriting decides approval and any collateral on a large estate.

ON APPROVAL

Execute & file

Once you bind, we issue the executed bond on the court’s required form, payable as the statute requires, ready for the clerk to approve so letters can issue.

About this bond

What it is and who needs it.

What a fiduciary bond protects

When the court appoints you to handle someone else’s money — as a personal representative of an estate, or a conservator or guardian for a protected person — it may require a bond before granting letters.

The fiduciary bond guarantees that you perform all your duties according to law: that you inventory the assets, account honestly, and don’t misuse the estate. If you breach those duties, the bond makes the estate or protected person whole — and the surety looks to you to repay it.

Because the surety stands behind the estate, the bond is underwritten on your personal credit and finances, and a large estate can require collateral or restricted-asset arrangements. We tell you what your file needs before you commit.

Montana StatuteMCA § 72-3-515 (bond amount — security — reduction) provides that, if bond is required and the will or order does not specify the amount, the person qualifying files a sworn statement of the best estimate of the value of the personal estate of the decedent and of the income expected from the personal and real estate during the next year, and files a bond in an amount not less than that estimate. The clerk may permit the amount to be reduced by the value of estate assets deposited with a domestic financial institution in a manner preventing unauthorized disposition. A bond may be demanded by an interested person under MCA § 72-3-514. Conservator and guardian bonds are governed by MCA § 72-5-411.

You need this bond if you’re

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A personal representative (executor or administrator) appointed to administer a Montana estate

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A conservator of the estate of a minor or an incapacitated or protected adult under title 72, chapter 5

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A guardian managing the assets of someone who cannot manage them alone

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Counsel or a family member arranging the bond so the court can grant letters and you can begin administering

The application takes about ten minutes.

These are the actual underwriting fields — the estate, the bond amount the court set, the fiduciary, and your finances. Submit once and a surety specialist returns a quote, typically within one business day. Free until your bond is issued.

Start the application →

FAQs

Common questions.

If yours isn't here, the bond team can usually answer within the hour.

What is a Montana probate or fiduciary bond? +

It is the bond a court may require before granting letters to a fiduciary — a personal representative, conservator, or guardian. Under MCA § 72-3-515 (and § 72-5-411 for conservators and guardians), it is conditioned on the performance of the fiduciary’s duties according to law, protecting the estate or protected person from mismanagement or fraud.

How much does it cost? +

It is underwritten, not flat-rated. The penal sum tracks the size of the estate — under MCA § 72-3-515 the bond is not less than the estimated value of the personal estate plus a year’s expected income. A surety specialist then reviews the fiduciary’s personal credit and finances and returns a premium quote, usually within one business day.

Who decides the bond amount? +

The will or court order may fix it; otherwise, under MCA § 72-3-515, the person qualifying files a sworn estimate of the value of the personal estate plus a year’s expected income, and the bond is not less than that estimate. The clerk may reduce it by the value of deposited, restricted assets. We size and underwrite the bond to whatever amount applies.

When is a bond required in Montana? +

When the will requires it, the court orders it, or an interested person demands it under MCA § 72-3-514. Where a bond is required, the fiduciary must file one with surety before letters issue. Conservatorships and guardianships are bonded under MCA § 72-5-411 when the court requires it.

How fast can the bond be issued? +

A specialist typically returns a quote within one business day of a complete application. Once you bind and any collateral is in place, the executed bond issues on the court’s form, payable as the statute requires, ready for the clerk to approve so letters can issue.

Related bonds

Other New York bonds.

Get bonded so the court can grant letters.

Send us the estate details and the amount the court set, and a surety specialist sizes, underwrites, and quotes the bond — typically within one business day. Free until your bond is issued.

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