Opinion ID: 6494892
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Licenses of Bail Bondspersons and International Fidelity

Text: The circuit court found that at all times relevant, Peppers, Del Rio, and Fisher were registered producers for [International Fidelity] in the State of Hawaii. Indeed, the record contains the licensure certificates for both Peppers and Del Rio, which were issued by the Insurance Division of the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs (“DCCA”). The certificates identify Peppers and Del Rio as “resident producers” of surety insurance. Although the record does not contain a copy of Fisher’s license, it was represented in a court brief that at the time of the subject bail transaction, Fisher was “an appointed and authorized bail bond agent in the State of Hawaii under the company AAA Local Bail Bonds.” 11 A “bail agent” is a type of insurance producer. See HRS § 481:9N-101 (Supp. 2016). The circuit court made no specific finding, however, as to International Fidelity’s license status. International Fidelity had consistently represented to the circuit court that it was a “duly licensed and authorized surety in the state of Hawaii,” but did not specify whether it was a licensed insurance producer governed by HRS chapter 431, article 9A.