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D.C. Fidelity Bonds for Title Insurance Producers

A D.C.-licensed title insurance producer business entity generally must carry at least $200,000 in fidelity coverage for all employees and contractors. A sole proprietor or LLC with no employees is exempt from this fidelity requirement; separate $200,000 surety requirements apply to entities and individuals, so do not use the surety bond as evidence of employee-dishonesty protection. 1,2

What Is Fidelity Bonds?

Fidelity coverage can reimburse certain losses when employees steal money or property they handle. If employees manage company funds, customer property or benefit-plan assets, identify each owner and compare the required protection for each interest. Read the national Fidelity bonds guide.

District of Columbia Requirements

RequirementDetails
Business-entity fidelity coverageA D.C.-licensed title producer business entity must maintain at least $200,000 in fidelity bond or similar insurance covering all employees and contractors, except a sole proprietor or LLC with no employees. 1

What to Watch for in District of Columbia

  • Check the licensed entity and its employee count

    The title-producer rule applies to business entities; it exempts a sole proprietor with no employees and an LLC with no employees from the fidelity requirement. If you rely on that exception, verify the entity structure and worker status rather than assuming every one-person producer qualifies. 1

  • Keep fidelity and surety limits in separate columns

    D.C. separately requires a $200,000 business-entity surety bond and individual surety coverage; the fidelity requirement protects the title insurer and must cover all employees and contractors. Ask for separate certificates and identify who can claim under each. 1

  • Match the bond to escrow operations and records

    Title producers must keep sufficient records of their affairs, including escrow operations and escrow trust accounts if they have them. If staff can redirect closing funds, ask whether the proposed fidelity form addresses employee theft, forged instructions, and the relevant money-transfer methods; recordkeeping alone is not insurance. 1,2

  • Separate title operations from benefit-plan handling

    If the producer also handles employee benefit plan assets, check the plan’s ERISA bond separately. D.C.’s title producer requirement is scoped to title-producer employees and contractors and does not establish that an ERISA plan’s assets are insured. 3

Who Regulates Insurance in District of Columbia

District of Columbia Department of Insurance, Securities and Banking

DISB licenses and supervises insurance companies and producers, enforces District insurance laws, and provides consumer complaint assistance. Its licensing search covers insurance entities and representatives; consumers can contact the agency’s complaints unit for help. 5,6,8

Surplus-lines tax and stamping office

Reported tax rate: Generally 2% of gross premium, including qualifying placement fees When the District is the insured’s home state, surplus-lines agents and brokers generally owe a 2% tax on gross premium, including necessary fees incidental to placement when separately itemized. An agent or broker procuring insurance on behalf of the District government is exempt for that government business; claiming the exemption requires identifying its allocation in the required affidavit and does not waive other statutory duties. Ask the broker which taxes and fees your agreement passes through to you. DISB generally requires a diligent effort to place risks with authorized insurers. For a purchaser meeting the federal exempt-commercial-purchaser definition, the broker may skip that search only after disclosing that insurance may or may not be available from the admitted market, which may provide greater protection with more regulatory oversight, followed by the purchaser’s written request for nonadmitted placement. This record does not state a District-specific guaranty-fund conclusion. 7,9,10,11,4

Providers With Documented State Licenses

These providers publish a national listing for Fidelity bonds; the state records document licenses for the entities and roles shown below. Some records rely on company-reported information rather than independent regulator verification. A national listing does not confirm the product is available in District of Columbia. Check the regulator’s license lookup and confirm state availability for your business when requesting a quote.

  • TechInsuranceSpecialty Program Group LLCInsurance producer · checked 2026-09-28TechInsurance’s current licensing page names Specialty Program Group LLC / SPG Insurance Solutions and lists state license numbers, but labels Rhode Island “Individual licenses” rather than identifying a license for the named agency. RI is omitted because this disclosure does not establish agency authority there; this is a search limitation, not an assertion that the company is unlicensed. The remaining state entries are company-reported and are not an insurance product availability map. 17
  • VouchVouch Specialty Insurance Services, LLCInsurance producer, Surplus-lines broker · checked 2026-09-28Vouch’s licenses page, effective January 16, 2025, lists producer licenses in all 50 states and DC. Its separate surplus-lines table includes Idaho number 870820, while a footnote says Georgia and Idaho do not issue agency-level surplus-lines licenses. Because those statements conflict for Idaho, this record keeps Idaho producer-only and does not treat the table number as established agency surplus-lines authority. The page is company-reported and does not establish product availability. 18

Questions to Ask Before You Buy in District of Columbia

  1. Is the insured entity licensed as a D.C. title insurance producer, and does the no-employee exception actually fit its legal form and workforce?
  2. Does the fidelity policy cover all employees and contractors for at least $200,000, and is the title insurer identified as the protected interest?
  3. What separate surety evidence exists for the producer entity and for each licensed individual?
  4. Which employees can access escrow trust accounts or initiate wire changes, and does the policy wording address those acts?

Fidelity Bonds in District of Columbia: FAQ

Is a sole proprietor automatically exempt from D.C. title-producer fidelity coverage? 1

Only a sole proprietor with no employees is exempt from this fidelity requirement. A sole proprietor who has employees should not rely on the exception without confirming the current statutory classification. 1

Does the title producer’s $200,000 fidelity policy cover plan assets? 1,3

The statute describes coverage for title-producer employees and contractors for the title insurer’s benefit. A separate ERISA plan bond may be needed for people handling plan assets. 1,3

Fidelity Bonds in Other States

Other Coverage in District of Columbia

Sources

  1. D.C. Code § 31-5041.02, Licensing Requirements. D.C. Law Library; Subsections (a), (c)(1A)(C)-(E), and (2): title producer scope, $200,000 entity/individual surety, fidelity requirement and no-employee exception. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  2. D.C. Code § 31-5041.04, Record-Retention Requirements. D.C. Law Library; Title producer recordkeeping including escrow operations and escrow trust accounts; section enacted by D.C. Law 18-223. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  3. 29 U.S.C. § 1112, Bonding. Office of the Law Revision Counsel, U.S. House of Representatives; Subsections (a)-(e), current preliminary edition text. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  4. D.C. Code §31–2502.40: License to procure policies from unauthorized companies. Council of the District of Columbia; Subsection (a): broker/agent tax and diligent effort; (c)(1)–(3): District-government procurement tax exemption, allocation statement and continuing duties. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  5. Department of Insurance, Securities and Banking. District of Columbia DISB; Official insurance regulator homepage. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  6. Verify a Financial Institution or Representative Licensed with DISB. District of Columbia DISB; Official license verification for companies and representatives. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  7. Surplus Line Information. District of Columbia DISB; Current 2% tax base including incidental placement fees; fees must be necessary and separately itemized; diligent-effort rule. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  8. File a Complaint or Report Fraud. District of Columbia DISB; Official insurance complaint information and filing form. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  9. 15 U.S.C. §8201: Reporting, payment, and allocation of premium taxes. U.S. House of Representatives, Office of the Law Revision Counsel; §8201(a): exclusive insured home-State authority to require nonadmitted premium tax; (c): separate allocation reporting. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  10. 15 U.S.C. § 8205: Streamlined application for commercial purchasers. U.S. House of Representatives, Office of the Law Revision Counsel; §8205(1)-(2): admitted-market disclosure about possible availability, greater protection and oversight followed by the qualified purchaser’s written request; eligibility separately defined in §8206(5). Accessed 2026-09-28.
  11. 15 U.S.C. §8206: Definitions. U.S. House of Representatives, Office of the Law Revision Counsel; §8206(5) exempt-commercial-purchaser criteria; (6) home State and affiliated-insured rules; (13) qualified risk manager. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  12. Licenses. At-Bay; Current producer introduction and state table; At-Bay Insurance Services LLC; P&C and surplus-lines identifiers. Accessed 2026-09-21.
  13. Licenses and Carriers. Coalition; Licenses and Carriers, re-read 22 September 2026: Insurance Licenses table for Coalition Insurance Solutions, Inc., national producer number 18419475, with producer and surplus-lines numbers for all 50 states and DC including California 0L76155, Georgia 196479, Texas 2199630 and 2205589, Pennsylvania 815731 and 817452, Colorado 539028 and Wisconsin 3000108852. Insurance Carriers table naming, with NAIC numbers, Allianz Underwriters Insurance Company 36420, Arch Specialty Insurance Company 21199, Ascot Specialty Insurance Company 45055, Ascot Insurance Company 23752, Aspen Specialty Insurance Company 10717, Chaucer Insurance Company DAC, Coalition Insurance Company 29530, Fireman's Fund Indemnity Corporation 11380, Fortegra Specialty Insurance Company 16823, Lloyd's of London, MSIG Specialty Insurance USA Inc. 34886, MS Transverse Specialty Insurance Company 41807, Steadfast Insurance Company 26387, Vantage Risk Specialty Insurance Company 16275 and Zurich American Insurance Company 16535. Accessed 2026-09-22.
  14. Insurance Producer Licenses. Corgi Insurance; Current complete Insurance Producer Licenses table for Corgi Insurance Services, Inc.; 50 rows covering 49 states and DC (DC 3003091619); no New Mexico row; no NPN or as-of date shown. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  15. About Hiscox US Insurance. Hiscox; Hiscox Insurance Company Inc. NAIC 10200 as Chicago, IL domiciled insurer admitted or licensed in all 50 states and D.C.; Hiscox Inc. as general agent and Lloyd’s coverholder for Syndicates 33 and 3624; surplus-lines placements through licensed surplus-lines brokers; A.M. Best rating statement. Accessed 2026-09-16.
  16. Licenses. ERGO NEXT Insurance; Current entity-by-state license table reopened 28 September 2026: 50 rows under Next First Insurance Agency, Inc., including Washington, DC; New York rows instead list Next Insurance Services PC-1423070 and AP Intego BR-1198885. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  17. Insurance Licenses by State. TechInsurance; Current state table; identifies TechInsurance as a division of Specialty Program Group LLC d/b/a SPG Insurance Solutions; lists DC 3000041536 and labels Rhode Island “Individual licenses,” without an agency license number. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  18. Licenses. Vouch; Effective 16 January 2025: Vouch Specialty Insurance Services, LLC, NPN 19926463; P&C table (50 states and DC); surplus-lines table includes Idaho 870820; footnote says Georgia and Idaho do not issue agency-level surplus-lines licenses; Idaho retained as producer-only due to conflict. Accessed 2026-09-15.

Updated .

This guide is informational and does not determine whether a policy is available or meets your needs. Editorial policy. To suggest a correction, contact Spot with a supporting source.

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