Ohio short-term lender bonds.
From $1,000.
Ohio licenses short-term lenders under the Short-Term Loan Act, and ORC 1321.37(D) requires every applicant and licensee to maintain a surety bond in favor of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions, in a penal sum of at least $100,000. The premium is 1% of the bond amount.
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How much does an Ohio short-term lender bond cost?
1% of the bond amount, from $1,000 at the $100,000 minimum. Enter your amount in the calculator for the exact price.
Three steps. One sitting.
No quote round-trip on the short-term lender bond — enter your penal sum, pay, and file with the Superintendent. Here is the whole thing:
Apply online
Business details, ownership, the penal sum your license requires, and an effective date. No credit check up to $25,000.
Pay & e-sign
The premium is 1% of the bond amount — your exact price appears before you pay, and the bond issues the moment you do.
File with the Superintendent
Your executed bond arrives by email, ready to upload to NMLS or file with the Superintendent of Financial Institutions as ORC 1321.37(D) requires.
What it is and who needs it.
What the bond actually guarantees
Ohio's Short-Term Loan Act — ORC 1321.35 to 1321.48 — licenses the lenders who make short-term consumer loans in the state, and the license is issued by the Superintendent of Financial Institutions through the Division of Financial Institutions. Division (D) of ORC 1321.37 makes a corporate surety bond a condition of getting and keeping that license.
The bond runs in favor of the Superintendent, in a penal sum of at least one hundred thousand dollars, and it exists for the exclusive benefit of any borrower injured by a violation of ORC 1321.35 to 1321.48 by the licensee or any of its employees. The bond term has to line up with the license term, and a copy is filed with the Superintendent.
It is not insurance for you — if the surety pays a borrower's claim, you repay the surety. The bond has to be in place at all times during the license period, so we track the term and send renewal notices 60 and 30 days out.
You need this bond if you're
Claims, renewal, filing, and what sets the price.
If a claim is made
A claim comes from the party the bond protects, the obligee named on the form, when the duty the bond guarantees is not met.
The surety investigates and pays a valid claim, up to the bond amount. You then repay the surety: a surety bond is a guarantee of your performance, not insurance for you.
Renewal and term
The premium covers a one-year term from the effective date you choose.
Renew before the expiry date to keep the bond in force: the license, permit or contract it backs expects continuous coverage.
How to file it
File with the Superintendent. Your executed bond arrives by email, ready to upload to NMLS or file with the Superintendent of Financial Institutions as ORC 1321.37(D) requires.
What sets the price
The premium is 1% of the bond amount, $100 minimum: the amount the obligee sets moves the price, not your business profile.
No credit check up to $25,000. Above that, the carrier may run a soft pull, which never affects your score.
Where a check runs, it decides approval; the rate is the same for everyone approved.
One application, issued instantly.
These are the actual issuing fields — business details, ownership, the penal sum, and an effective date.
Start the application →Common questions.
Other Ohio bonds.
Price and requirements checked on the carrier’s application, . Page updated .
Short-term lender bond, issued today.
1% of the bond amount, issued the moment you pay. Free until issued.