OH short-term lender bonds.
From $100. Enter your amount.

Ohio licenses short-term lenders under the Short-Term Loan Act, ORC 1321.35 to 1321.48. Division (D) of ORC 1321.37 requires every applicant and licensee to obtain and maintain a surety bond in favor of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions, in a penal sum of at least $100,000, for the exclusive benefit of borrowers injured by a violation of the Act. The premium is 1% of the bond amount, $100 minimum, the bond issues the moment you pay, and any credit screen is a soft pull only — it never affects your score.

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Required for an Ohio short-term loan license under ORC 1321.37(D)

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Penal sum of at least $100,000 — in favor of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions

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1% of the bond amount, $100 minimum — your exact price appears at the application

1% rate$100 minimumInstantissuance at checkoutSoft pullnever a hard inquiry

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How it works

Apply to filed in 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:

NOW · ONLINE

Apply online

Business details, ownership, the penal sum your license requires, and an effective date. Any credit screen is a soft pull that never shows as a hard inquiry.

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Pay & e-sign

The premium is 1% of the bond amount, $100 minimum — your exact price appears before you pay, and the bond issues the moment you do.

SAME DAY

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.

About this bond

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.

ORC 1321.37(D)Division (D) of section 1321.37 of the Revised Code requires each applicant for a short-term loan license, and each licensee, to obtain and maintain at all times a corporate surety bond in favor of the superintendent of financial institutions, in the penal sum of at least one hundred thousand dollars, issued by a bonding or insurance company authorized to do business in Ohio. The bond exists for the exclusive benefit of any borrower injured by a violation of sections 1321.35 to 1321.48 of the Revised Code by a licensee or any employee of a licensee. The bond term must correspond to the license term, and a copy is filed with the superintendent. (A nonprofit corporation incorporated under Chapter 1702 posts fifty thousand dollars instead.)

You need this bond if you're

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Applying for an Ohio short-term loan license through NMLS with the Division of Financial Institutions

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Renewing a short-term lender license — the bond term has to line up with the license term

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Replacing a bond your current surety cancelled or declined to renew

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Adding licensed locations and refiling the bond with the Superintendent

One application, issued instantly.

These are the actual issuing fields — business details, ownership, the penal sum, and an effective date.

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FAQ

Common questions.

How much is the Ohio short-term lender bond?The premium is 1% of the bond amount, $100 minimum. ORC 1321.37(D) sets the penal sum at a minimum of $100,000, so your exact price appears at the application once you enter the amount — before you pay.

Do I pay the $100,000?No. You pay the premium — 1% of the penal sum, $100 minimum. The penal sum is the surety's maximum liability if valid borrower claims are made against the bond, not a deposit.

Who does the bond protect?Borrowers. ORC 1321.37(D) says the bond 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.

Is there a credit check?If a credit screen runs on this bond, it is a soft pull only — never a hard inquiry, and it never affects your score.

What if we are a nonprofit?ORC 1321.37(D) sets the penal sum at $50,000 for an applicant or licensee that is a nonprofit corporation incorporated under Chapter 1702 of the Revised Code — use our Ohio short-term lender nonprofit bond for that filing.

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Short-term lender bond, issued today.

1% of the bond amount, $100 minimum, issued the moment you pay. Free until issued.

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