SC| South Carolina Department of Insurance Bulletin 2026-04 directs all licensed insurers and producers transacting surety bond business in the state to begin reporting bail bondsmen who fail to timely remit premiums. Citing S.C. Code Ann. § 38-53-310(B) — as amended by the 2023 Bail Bond Reform Act, which requires surety bondsmen to file a report with their appointing insurer within 30 days of executing a bail bond — the Department notes that county clerks continue to report noncompliance while insurers are not consistently escalating it. Relying on its authority under §§ 38-13-120 and 38-13-160 (insurer recordkeeping and duty to answer inquiries) and the principle that insurers are responsible for the conduct of their appointed producers, the bulletin makes it mandatory, effective immediately, for surety insurers to submit a monthly report by the 15th naming each noncompliant bondsman and including the defendant’s name, bond execution date, report date, total days late, principal sum, gross premium charged, and the power of attorney. The first report is due August 31, 2026, covering unreported bonds from April, May, June, and August 2026, and must be emailed to bondsmanlicensing@doi.sc.gov, with questions directed to Andrea Bourgoin at 803-737-0719.
Note: Bulletin 2026-04 states at the end of Section II that: “The first report is due on August 31, 2026, and must cover any bonds that were not reported within 30 days of execution. This first report should cover April 2026, May 2026, June 2026 and August July* 2026. It should be emailed to bondsmanlicensing@doi.sc.gov by August 31, 2026.”
*The first-report coverage period noted in the bulletin skips July 2026 while including August 2026 — a month that would not yet be past its 30-day reporting window when the report is due. ReSource Pro has contacted the SC Department of Insurance for clarification and they have responded that it should be April -July, NOT August for first report.