NASBP recently released the industry’s first Commercial Surety Fundamentals self-paced, online training course for surety professionals. The course’s curriculum developed by the NASBP Commercial Surety Committee provides a thorough orientation to commercial surety products and practice. For $189, the course can be completed by a student at their own pace within a twelve-month period.

NASBP has made this comprehensive program available through a partnership with WebCE, the leading nationwide supplier of state-of-the-art CE courses for licensed insurance professionals and financial planners. The NASBP web portal includes an integrated suite of CE courses that enables many surety professionals to conveniently complete all of their annual CE credits through the portal. In addition, the NASBP membership receives a discount on these WebCE courses by accessing them through NASBP’s online course web portal.

The Commercial Surety Fundamentals course offers as many as 10 continuing education (CE) credit hours in many states. NASBP has applied for CE credits for the course in all states and will announce them as they are approved. At the time of publication, the five states listed below approved the course for CE credit. Check here for updates on additional states that approve the course for CE credit.

• Iowa – 10 hours
• Maine – 10 hours
• Tennessee – 10 hours
• Texas – 10 hours
• Utah – 10 hours

Please note that anyone taking this course before it is approved for CE credit in his or her state will not be able to receive CE credit retroactively. To receive CE credit, the student must wait until his or her jurisdiction has approved the course for credit. Of course, anyone who wishes to receive a firm grounding in commercial surety principles but does not wish to receive CE credits may register and take the course at any time.

The 4-chapter course covers fundamental commercial surety concepts including legal requirements, underwriting processes, participant roles, and risks. Students will learn the financial information that should be collected and reviewed, proven management principles, and ethical standards and expectations of a surety professional. The chapters are titled:

• Commercial Surety Fundamentals
• Evaluating Risk and Exposure
• Underwriting the Principal
• Professional Bond Agency Responsibilities

Each chapter concludes with review questions (with answers) for students to gauge how well they are mastering the content. On completion of the course, students demonstrate their comprehension of all the material by taking a final, online examination.

Lynne Cook, Senior Vice President of Early, Cassidy and Schilling, Inc. and Paul Amstutz, Executive Vice President of Surety at Roanoke Trade Services, Inc. were lead authors of the course curriculum with assistance from members of the NASBP Committee. To register for and learn more about the NASBP Commercial Surety Fundamentals course and CE courses offered through WebCE, click here.