Bridges Agency Inc

01/25/2025

Why did insurance companies pull out of California right before the most recent wildfires?

08/17/2024

Q: What are the differences between a Hard and Soft Insurance Market?

A: A Hard Insurance Market is characterized by higher premiums, stricter underwriting criteria, less capacity, more restrictive terms of coverage, and less competition among insurance carriers for new business. We are currently in a Hard Insurance Market!

A Soft Insurance Market is characterized by stable or even lower premiums, broader coverage options, increased capacity, higher available limits of liability, and greater competition among insurance carriers for new business.

02/17/2023

Q1: What is a Surety Bond?

A1: A surety bond is a promise to be liable for the debt, default, or failure of another. It is a three-party contract by which one party (the surety) guarantees the performance or obligations of a second party (the principal) to a third party (the obligee).

Q2: What is a Certificate of Title Bond?

A2: A Certificate of Title Bond (also known as a Bonded Title, Title Bond, Lost Title Bond, Vehicle Title Bond, or DMV Bond) allows a Georgia vehicle owner to claim ownership of a vehicle with the state when a title has been lost, stolen or is missing.

Q3: What is a Probate Bond?

A3: A probate bond is a type of bond ordered and required by a court usually the local probate court before they will appoint a person or entity as the personal representative of an estate, such as an administrator, guardian, or conservator. The purpose of a probate bond, sometimes called a fiduciary bond, is to hold this individual accountable for the assets in trust.

09/25/2021

Do you need a Certificate of Title Bond aka Title Bond for a Mobile Home, Automobile, Recreational Vehicle, 4-Wheeler, Travel Trailer, Goose Neck Trailer, Motorcycle, or Horse Trailer?

You can use the following link to issue a Title Bond online through RLI Surety without even visiting our office:

https://www.mybondapp.com/9776

Here's some additional helpful details for processing Certificate of Title Bonds (Last Updated 9/25/2021):

Certificate of Title Bonds are required by the County Tag Agent and the Georgia Department of Revenue Tag/Title Division (GA-DOR) when the current owner of a vehicle (automobile, mobile home, travel trailer, motor home, RV, motorcycle, etc) does not have a valid Georgia Title for a variety of reasons. The most common reason is that the prior owner did not provide a valid title to the current owner. Other reasons might be that the Title was lost or stolen. In order to obtain a tag (in the case of an automobile), the owner must apply for a replacement Georgia Title through the Bartow County Tag Office using an MV-1 Title Application. A Certificate of Title Bond is required in most cases in this situation. The bond amount is determined by the GA-DOR and is based on the Fair Market Value (FMV) of the vehicle on the date of purchase.

A Georgia Title is required for autos with a year of manufacture 1986 or later but Mobile Homes regardless of their year of manufacture must have a Georgia Title. Effective 12/20/2013, Certificate of Title Bonds must be for an amount (the bond amount) equal to two times the Fair Market Value as determined by the GA-DOR but not less than a minimum value of $5,000. In addition, County Tag Office requires a National Motor Vehicle Title Information System (NMVTIS) Vehicle Information Report to determine the last state of registration. There are numerous vendors that can be used to purchase an NMVTIS History at costs ranging from $3.50 to $25,00.

You can use the following link to access NMVTIS vendors:
http://www.vehiclehistory.gov/

You determine the bond amount and the estimated amount of your Ad Valorem Tax by using the Georgia DOR Ad Valorem Tax Calculator at this link:
https://eservices.drives.ga.gov/_/ #1

You can downloand and print Georgia-Department of Revenue Bond Forms (T-22B (VIN Verification form), T-7 (Bill of Sale), T-4 (Release of Lien), T-8 (Power of Attorney, etc ) using a Google Search (Example: "GA-DOR T-22B Form"

An Insurance Agent can execute a Certificate of Title Bond if you can provide the Agent with the following items:

(1) Photo I D (Driver's License)

(2) Bill of Sale (T-7) or Other Proof of Ownership

(3) Completed T-22B Form (VIN Verification Form)

(4) The Bond premium (No Credit Cards)

With respect to Mobile Home Certificate of Title Bonds, we would need (in addition to the above list of items) the most recent property tax bill from the county where the mobile home is located. The bond amount for Mobile Homes is determined by the Fair Market Value of the Mobile Home (excluding land value) shown on the tax bill. For single-wide mobile homes, one bond would be required but for double-wide Mobile Homes that come with two separate VINs, two bonds are usually required (one for Side A and one for Side B). The county property tax department determines if one or two bonds are required for double-wide Mobile Homes. If a VIN cannot be found on the Mobile Home, there is a process available to request the assignment of a VIN by the Georgia DOR using form T-128 (Request for Replacement Serial Plate).

Once these documents are provided to an Insurance Agent (and we hope that you'll allow that agent to be Bridges Agency Inc), the Agent must determine the FMV and must order the Vehicle History. The County Tag agent requires a Certificate of Title Bond, a current NMVTIS History, a T-22B, and verification that no lien exists to process a MV-1 Title application.

The 4-Year Pre-Paid Premium for a Certificate of Title Bond is calculated using the following formula:

(1) $15 per $1000 of Bond Amount

(2) Minimum Premium: $100.00

Example: The Auto's Fair Market Value (Tax Advalorem Value) is $4,500. The bond amount would therefore be $9,000 ($4500 x 2). The 4-Year Pre-Paid Bond premium would be $135.00 (9 x $15). In this example, assuming the agent runs the NMVTIS History, you would need to pay $140,00 ($135.00 + $5.00) to the agent for the Bond and NNVTIS History.

A Form T-4 (Release of Lien) may be required if a public record lien exists at the time of application for a Title unless the lien vehicle is 12 years old and the lien 'print date' is more than 4 years prior (this is the 12-4 rule). Due to privacy laws, the local county tag office cannot disclose the name and address of a lienholder to a third party but can confirm that a lien exists or does not exist. Bridges Agency Inc will contact the Bartow County Tag Agent to determine if a lien exists before a Certificate of Title Bond is executed.

Bridges Agency Inc located at 23 N Wall St, Cartersville, GA 30120 (PH [770] 382-0366, EMAIL [email protected]) can issue a Certificate of Title Bond in most cases the same day you show up with the required paperwork.

For repeat Title Bond customers, Used Car Dealers, Auto Dealership Auto Title Departments, etc, use the link provided above to DO IT YOURSELF if you have a color printer.

Please let us know of any comments and suggestions you have for improving our site. If you require Technical Support, please call 1 (800) 645-2402.

08/31/2021

For customers with appointments today at Bridges Agency Inc, please wear rubber boots

04/29/2020

Bartow County Tag Office to Open 5/4/2020 (Monday) at 8 AM

The office will be fully staffed and ready to assist those who need to address tax, tag, and title issues. The tag office has been closed to walk-in traffic since about 3/16/2020.

04/09/2020

Here’s something positive to hang your hat on from Progressive Insurance:

Auto Premium 20% Credit
Many of you are staying home to minimize exposure and spread of COVID-19. While you’re doing your part to fight the pandemic, we’re committed to being there in your time of need. If you have an active personal auto policy at the end of April, you’ll receive a credit for 20% of your April premium. We’ll offer the same 20% credit to active personal auto customers at the end of May, and we may offer additional credits in the upcoming months.

There’s nothing you need to do. We’ll automatically calculate your credit at the end of each month, and then you’ll see it reflected in your account within a few weeks. If you have a balance on your policy, we’ll apply the credit directly to your remaining balance. And if you’re already paid in full, we’ll return the money to the payment account we have on file—so please make sure your payment details are up to date. This credit is subject to approval by state regulators.

Coverage assistance
We don’t want you to worry about losing your insurance if you can’t pay right now. Starting April 1, 2020, we’ll waive late fees, pause collections, and hold off on canceling or non-renewing any active policies due to non-payment through May 15, 2020. Some states have already issued leniency guidelines, so we will adjust this timeline to either meet or exceed any state-specific requirements.
In the meantime, automatic payments will continue to go through unless you tell us to stop them. And after May 15th, any remaining balance on your policy will become due. If you need more support, please don’t hesitate to call us—we’re happy to work with you to manage payments moving forward.

Billing leniency
We encourage you to make a payment right now if you’re able to. But if you need extra time, please give us a call—we’re ready to help. If you’ve already requested billing leniency, please be patient with us. Our systems haven’t caught up quite yet, so you’ll continue to receive bills and your Payment Schedule may not reflect your request.

03/16/2020

COVID-19 Social Distancing
Effective 3/16/2020, Bridges Agency Inc is temporarily restricting office walk-in traffic for the safety of our community. We ask that you handle all transactions by phone or on-line. If you need to pay premiums in person, please use our front door mail slot. Our employees will be in the office working during regular business hours (M-F, 9 AM to 5:30 PM) so please give us a call. Thank you for your patience.
Bridges Agency Inc
PH (770) 382-0366

01/24/2020

Come see us if you have a vehicle, trailer, mobile home, RV, or motorcycle that needs a Georgia Title. If you have a Bill of Sale, in most cases, you can get a Certificate of Title Bond for as little as $100!

08/18/2019

After six weeks as Georgia's Insurance Commissioner, John King has requested the resignation of the entire Board of Directors of the Georgia Underwriting Association (GUA). GUA aka Georgia Fair Plan is a market of last resort created by the Georgia Legislature to provide property insurance coverage for Georgians that cannot find insurance from a voluntary carrier due to claims or condition. King was appointed by Governor Kemp after former Insurance Commissioner Jim Beck was indicted after $2 Million in GUA funds turned up missing.

07/29/2019

https://insurancenewsnet.com/oarticle/us-economy-proves-remarkably-resilient #.XT8ZQzh57sd.link

The evidence suggests that for the most part, the economy is not fragile and flighty but sturdy and resilient. It’s not a lightweight canoe that requires endless adjustments and can be knocked off course by every ripple or breeze. It’s an aircraft carrier, moving forward in fair weather or foul ...