News

Items of Interest for Licensed Bail Agents:

Bail License Applicants: All new license applicants will be issued a two-year license. The license will expire in two years on the last day of the same month the original license was issued. For instance, a license issued on January 15, 2011 will expire on January 31, 2013.

Effective January 1, 2010: E-Mail Addresses are now mandatory. License applicants must provide the e-mail address to which the applicant wants the commissioner to direct all license-related correspondence. (CIC Section 1658)

Effective December 31, 2009: CDI will NO LONGER MAIL RENEWAL NOTICES to individuals and business entities. Instead, CDI will email a renewal notification. If you have not already done so, BRC recommends that agents update their address/contact information and register their email account at the CDI website: www.insurance.ca.gov; Quick Links; Online Services; Email Updates; Sign Up for Free Account. Or, www.insurance.ca.gov; Quick Links; For Agents & Brokers; Change Address Online.

Effective September 1, 2009: The California Department of Insurance’s Producer Licensing Bureau will only accept address change requests from its licensees through the Internet, either through its free online address change service or the National Insurance Producer Registry online address service. Address change requests consist of changes to mailing address, business address, residence address, e-mail address, residence telephone number and business telephone number.

Effective July 1, 2009: CDI will no longer print and mail hard copies of its licenses. Instead, individuals and business entities will receive an email with instructions and a website link to download their license from the CDI’s website. www.insurance.ca.gov; Quick Links; For Agents & Brokers; Obtain Your License Online.

Bail Resource Center offers a complete line of ONLINE Courses for Insurance and Financial Services Professionals in California and Nationwide. Pre-licensed and Continuing Education Courses include, but not limited to: Fire & Casualty, Life, Auto, Annuity, and Ocean Marine. Go to http://bail.360training.com to see a complete list of categories available in California and Nationwide. Note: Online courses do NOT include Bail CE or Pre-license.

Notice: Certificates of Completion Issued Prior to 2007: In accordance with Insurance Code Section 1749 (h) Certificates of Completion expire three (3) years from completion date of this course, whether or not a license is issued. Certificates of Completion issued prior to Insurance Code Section 1749 (h) taking affect did not have an expiration date and were considered valid “forever”. However, on June 25, 2008 we received a response from the Bail Unit of the Dept. of Insurance stating, “Those applications that have not been processed and not in the system, must have current pre-licensing certificates within the 3 year date of issuance.”

NEW LAWS EFFECTIVE JANUARY 1, 2012: Bills in their entirety may be obtained at www.leginfo.ca.gov For up-to-the-minute legislative information & live hearings, visit Golden State Bail Agents Association www.gsbaa.org. Bills affecting education: AB 2029: Fugitive Recovery Persons Act and AB 2303 Insurance Omnibus – both bills will increase Bail Pre-licensing education required to obtain a Bail Agent license or Fugitive Recovery Agent certification from 12-hours to 20-Hours.

BRC Seminar Payment Policy: ALL registrations must be pre-paid or guaranteed by a credit card to be considered valid. Money Orders, Cash, or Pre-Approved Bail Agency checks will be accepted at class check-in. NO PERSONAL CHECKS will be accepted at class check-in. Students unable to attend may transfer 100% of their tuition to an alternate class date within 6 months of original class date, if request is in writing and received within 4 days of original class. If BRC is not notified of registration cancellation or transfer request, penalties may apply. Late enrollment/registrations – commencing 4 days prior to class date will be charged a $20.00 late fee. Walk-in students, regardless of payment method, will be charged an additional $40.00 and their Certificates of Completion will be mailed within 10 business days.

JOB OPPORTUNITIES!

Check out the JOBS section of our site for job opportunities. If you are a company looking for well trained agents email the Bail Resource center at bailuout@hotmail.com, We will list your job opportunities for FREE.

Calif. Title 10 Read the California Title 10 information here.

Calif. Insurance Code Sections View the California Insurance Code Sections here (Adobe Acrobat Reader required).

Calif. Penal Code Sections View the California Penal Code Sections here (Adobe Acrobat Reader required).

Bail Law & Motions: Bail continuing education courses will include current case law and legislative updates. Lively Bail law discussion scenarios have been added to the 2012 classes.

Visit our “Bail Attorneys” section for more information regarding attorneys knowledgeable in bail law.

Didn’t Pass the CDI Bail Exam?

Many people have come to us complaining that the bail test is tough…REAL TOUGH! It’s true, but you can still pass with all of the advantages we have to offer. Even if you took the class with another bail education provider, we can arrange for you to audit our pre-licensing class so that you WILL pass. Our class will give you realistic practice tests, easy ways to remember the answers, test taking techniques and more. Ask around about our high percentage pass rate for the California bail exam. On a regular basis we have students who have taken the pre-licensing class from a different education provider, failed the test several times;then audit our class and pass the first time! To audit a class visit our courses section to find a class near you. Register as a pre-licensing student but do not pay by credit card…use the fax or telephone option as payment option and write in the comment section: AUDIT. The fee to audit day-one of a pre-licensing class is $200.00 (BRC Alumni $100.00).

Bail License Renewal

Did you know that you can take your Continuing Education class for next year’s license renewal anytime after July 1st? Take the class early – classes are smaller and you will enjoy a greater opportunity to discuss issues important to you and your business. Visit our course section for class dates and locations. For more information you can call the Bail Licensing division of the California Department of Insurance at (916) 492-3035. You can download a Bail License Renewal form (LIC 431-1B) from the CDI website, www.insurance.ca.gov.

Effective June 22, 2011: Licensed Bail Agents become eligible to renew their license using the CDI online Flash system. www.insurance.ca.gov

Effective January 1, 2011: Assembly Bill AB 2783 (Chapter 400, Statues 2010) include provisions to increase the license term for bail licensees from one year to two years. Summary: License term – 2 years

Current Licensees:

Beginning July 1, 2011, all current bail licenses will be converted to a two-year license term to expire on June 30^th of every odd year. Current bail licensees who renew their license, which expires on June 30, 2011, will be issued a license that is valid until June 30, 2013.
Current law requires that bail licensees complete 6 hours of continuing education (CE) each year. Beginning on January 1, 2011, bail licensees must complete 12-hours of CE prior to renewing their two-year license. However, to stay current with new developments in the bail industry, the CDI encourages bail agents to continue to complete at least 6 hours of CE each year.

Note: Any bail agent licensed prior to January 1, 2011 is required to take 6-hours of CE to renew their license this year, which will expire on June 30, 2011. For the following renewal, which will then be a two-year license that will expire on June 30, 2013 and all subsequent renewals, will be required to take 12-hours of CE. (Per CDI clarification 01/18/11)

Comedy, Magic, Trivia and more

is one of the reasons why every year we get more and more students. Let the competition talk but when it comes to having to do the time… why not enjoy it! We still provide the latest information on the industry, new laws, tools to help your business and much more. We are dedicated to providing a class that gives you the information YOU need and not a sales pitch from what someone can offer you at an price.

Here’s what people are saying about BRC classes:

“The thoroughness of the materials is impressive and the emphasis on ethics, new case law, and legislation is to be commended.” California District Attorneys Association.

“This class is far superior to others, very interesting.” R.A. McCabe

”Very flexible, not rigid. Able to handle the odd request for unusual information.” L. Ahuna

“The class was exciting and useful. I will definitely refer BRC to friends.” B. Mandel

“Very informative & easy to understand. Well done!” R. Strauss

”Each year much is learned. Thorough learning is much appreciated. Very interesting in presentation.” M. Newman

“Designed well and provides useful information..will definately attend again next year. BRC is the best…keep up the good work.” J. Rogers

“Knowledgeable and fun, worth my money and more importantly, my time.” M. Maxwell

”Class was informative, condensed yet very thorough. The instructor was very knowledgeable but also made the class interesting and actually fun. I wasn’t looking forward to 12 classroom hours, but am very happy I did!.. Great class learned a ton! Thanks for making it so fun!” S. Callaway

”Excellent!!!” H. Elias