Commercial Surety Bonds, Fidelity Bonds & Surety Bonds in Archbold, Bryan, Defiance, Delta, Maumee, Monclova, Montpelier, Napoleon, Perrysburg, OH, and the Surrounding Areas

Bonds for Businesses and Contractors

Frost Insurance Agency is pleased to announce that we now offer commercial fidelity & surety bonds in Archbold, Bryan, Defiance, Delta, Maumee, Monclova, Montpelier, Napoleon, Perrysburg, OH, and the Surrounding Areas.

For nearly a century, small businesses, contractors, organizations, and farmers in northwest Ohio have trusted us for all their business and personal insurance needs. With the addition of surety bonds, the same independent agents you have built long-lasting relationships with can provide you with the insurance and surety bonds you need to protect and grow your business and have a positive impact on the communities we serve.

The Bonds We Offer

Bond Solutions for Local Operations

Surety bonds are more than just a vote of confidence. These financial securities are backed by the full faith and credit of the underwriting insurance carrier, demonstrating that your business has the financial resources to fulfill your contractual obligations on time.

Business owners who use commercial surety bonds shaking hands in Archbold

Contract & Construction Bonds

We offer Bid, Performance, and Payment Bonds that local general contractors and subcontractors need when bidding on most public works and commercial projects. These bonds guarantee your bid is submitted in good faith, that you will complete the work according to project specifications, and that you will pay vendors and subcontractors on time.

Commercial License & Permit Bonds

Certain professions, such as mortgage brokers and general contractors, must post a surety bond to meet Ohio licensing requirements. Municipalities also often require Permit Bonds, Utility Bonds, and Right-of-Way Bonds before work begins.

Commercial Fidelity & ERISA Bonds

Every business needs financial protection. Our Fidelity Bonds, also known as Employee Dishonesty Coverage, safeguard your company against financial loss caused by fraud or theft. Additionally, we provide ERISA Bonds for business owners who manage company 401(k) or pension plans in strict accordance with federal regulations such as ERISA Section 412.

Court & Judicial Bonds

We provide local legal entities, fiduciaries, and estate administrators with Probate, Guardian, and Executor Bonds that are mandated by the Court to ensure you will execute your fiduciary duties in accordance with federal and state laws.

Three businessmen with their hands held together who just agreed to use commercial surety bonds in Maumee

Credibility Through Bonds

How Bonds Fuel Business Growth & Trust

Unlike traditional insurance, which compensates your business following a claim for a covered peril, a surety bond is a financial guarantee between your company or organization (the principal), the party requesting the bond (the obligee), and the bond provider (the surety).

Securing a bond is a third-party endorsement of your creditworthiness, financial integrity, and operational capability. Being bonded means your business can:

  • Bid on Larger Contracts: Bid with confidence on lucrative government or commercial contracts that require surety bonds.
  • Satisfy Statutory Mandates: Demonstrate your ability to meet city or state licensing criteria without delaying project start dates.
  • Build Immediate Credibility: Being able to tell prospective clients, project owners, and partners that you are bonded shows that you are not only an honest and reliable business owner, but you also have the financial resources to complete your jobs within contracted timelines.

Protect and Expand Your Business Today! Contact Frost Insurance Agency today to discuss your fidelity and surety bond requirements with a local independent agent.

Bonds for Contractors

Bid Bonds & Performance Bonds for Contractors

Bid bonds and performance bonds allow contractors to compete for public and high-value private jobs they would otherwise be precluded from bidding on. As a third-party financial guarantee, surety bonds build credibility, reduce owner risk, and open doors to larger commercial projects.

A construction project secured with a bid bond in Monclova

Bid Bonds

A bid bond is submitted with a contractor’s bid proposal on a project. It provides a financial guarantee to the project owner that the contractor has submitted a proposal in good faith, has the resources to accept the job at the quoted price, and will sign the contract and deliver performance/payment bonds if awarded. If the winning contractor backs out or refuses to sign the contract, the project owner can claim against the bid bond to recover the cost difference of hiring the next-lowest bidder.

An insurance company underwrites a bid bond. So, it is like a trust badge that guarantees project owners the contractor will perform as agreed.

Performance Bonds

Once a contract is awarded, a performance bond typically replaces the bid bond. It guarantees that the contractor will complete the project according to the full terms, specifications, and timelines outlined in the construction contract.

If the contractor goes bankrupt or fails to deliver work that meets contract standards, the surety steps in. The surety may financially compensate the owner or arrange for another contractor to complete the job up to the full bond amount, usually 100% of the contract value.

Performance bonds build trust, allowing contractors to compete for larger projects where owners want a legally binding third-party financial guarantee that protects their capital.

American and Ohio flags flying on a flag pole by a building that uses performance bonds for government projects in Napoleon

Frost-beck Fidelity Bonds

When Bonds Are Required

  • Public & Government Projects: Under federal law, such as the Miller Act, bid, performance, and payment bonds are mandatory for public construction contracts exceeding set threshold limits: $150,000 for federal projects, with similar requirements in Ohio municipalities. For example, if a local school district plans facility improvements, it will likely ask bidders to submit both a performance and payment bond with their bid to be considered.
  • Large Commercial Developments: Private owners and corporate developers frequently require performance bonds on multi-million dollar builds to secure bank financing for the project.
  • Subcontractor Requirement: Primary general contractors, GCs, often require their subcontractors to secure bid and performance bonds to shield the GC’s operation from subcontractor default on larger or high-profile builds.

Security Through Bonds

Fidelity Bonds for Protecting Your Business from Employee Theft

Employee theft is a bigger problem than many businesses realize. According to recent statistics, over 95% of businesses have employees who have either stolen from them or are currently stealing but haven’t been caught. Companies of all sizes lose $50 billion to $54 billion annually to dishonest workers, but two out of three thefts occur in small and mid-size businesses, making them the overwhelming majority of all employee theft. Fidelity bonds are an essential tool for protecting your business from these financial losses.

A housekeeper that works for a business that is protected from employee theft by fidelity bonds in Perrysburg, OH
An auto manufacturing plant that uses fidelity bonds in Bowling Green

Security Through Bonds

What Are Fidelity Bonds and How Do They Protect My Northwest Ohio Business?

A fidelity bond is a type of business insurance that protects against financial loss caused by employee dishonesty, fraud, or theft. While standard commercial liability and property policies cover external damage like fires, storms, or break-ins, they usually exclude loss resulting from wrongful acts committed by your own staff.

Whether you operate a manufacturing facility, a medical office, or a retail store in Northwest Ohio, fidelity bonds ensure that if an employee misappropriates funds or steals assets, your business is compensated, preserving cash flow and the bottom line.

Fidelity Bonds and Theft

Most Common Types of Employee Theft (in order of occurrence):

To illustrate how a fidelity bond protects your business, it is critical to expose the most likely areas where internal fraud & theft commonly occur:

  1. Misappropriation of Assets: The most widespread form of internal theft is stealing cash, skimming sales, and taking office equipment and inventory.
  2. Vendor Fraud: Employees submit fake invoices, manipulate vendor payment details, or create fictitious suppliers to divert company payments directly into personal accounts.
  3. Payroll Fraud: A common type of internal fraud that often is the result of a trusted employee with little to no oversight issuing payroll checks to “ghost employees,” padding timesheets, or changing pay rates without authorization.
  4. Intellectual Property Theft: Stealing proprietary client lists, trade secrets, software code, or sensitive financial data to sell to competitors or leverage for personal gain.
  5. Bribery & Corruption: Key staff members accept kickbacks or bribes from external contractors in exchange for awarding contracts or overpaying for services.
People doing an audit for a business with fraud protection via fidelity bonds in Montpelier, OH
Smiling business owners in Defiance, OH, whose fidelity bonds helped them recover after employee fraud

Fidelity Bonds and Recovery

Fidelity Bonds Can Help Businesses Recover From These Covered Losses:

When employee dishonesty occurs, the immediate financial shock can threaten a growing company’s solvency. Fidelity bonds provide direct reimbursement for verifiable losses, helping Northwest Ohio businesses recover without tapping core reserves or taking out a business loan.

Fidelity Bond Coverage:

  1. Misappropriation of Assets: The most widespread form of internal theft is stealing cash, skimming sales, and taking office equipment and inventory.
  2. Vendor Fraud: Employees submit fake invoices, manipulate vendor payment details, or create fictitious suppliers to divert company payments directly into personal accounts.
  3. Payroll Fraud: A common type of internal fraud that often is the result of a trusted employee with little to no oversight issuing payroll checks to “ghost employees,” padding timesheets, or changing pay rates without authorization.
  4. Intellectual Property Theft: Stealing proprietary client lists, trade secrets, software code, or sensitive financial data to sell to competitors or leverage for personal gain.
  5. Bribery & Corruption: Key staff members accept kickbacks or bribes from external contractors in exchange for awarding contracts or overpaying for services.

Fidelity Bonds and Theft

Surety Bonds Backed by Experienced Insurance Professionals

Backed by a team of experienced Northwest Ohio insurance professionals, Frost Insurance Agency ensures your business secures the exact bond coverage required to bid, operate, and grow with confidence.

We Guide You Through the Surety Bond Process

Navigating legal, municipal, or contractual bonding requirements can be challenging. As an independent agency headquartered right here in Northwest Ohio, our local professionals will guide you through the entire bonding process:

  1. Understanding Your Exact Bond Requirements
    Whether you are a commercial contractor bidding on a local municipal project, a trade professional needing a license or permit bond, or an employer or CPA meeting ERISA requirements for a retirement plan, we start with a thorough review of your contract or regulatory mandate. We make sure you get the right bond type, such as bid, performance, payment, or license bonds, tailored directly to your requirements.
  2. Application & Underwriting
    The underwriter will review your application and evaluate the strength of both your business’s financial health and your personal credit history. Instead of sending you through an automated online portal or a distant call center, our local specialists walk you through the paperwork step by step. We help organize your financial records, balance sheets, and business history to present a strong, clean profile to surety underwriters.
  3. Secure Optimal Terms
    As an independent agency, we shop across a broad network of top-rated insurance and surety underwriters to secure optimal terms for your bonds.
  4. Ongoing Local Service & Single-Point Contact
    When your business needs an updated bond certificate, a limit extension, or advice on your next project bid, you deal directly with your local dedicated account manager. With offices in Archbold, Holgate, Napoleon, and Whitehouse, you get local support from dedicated insurance professionals who understand our local community, not a call center in a distant city hundreds or thousands of miles away.
A company's financial health being evaluated as part of applying for surety bonds in Montpelier
Frequently Asked Questions

Commercial Surety Bonds & Fidelity Bonds FAQs

To help our clients understand how surety & fidelity bonds can help protect and grow their businesses, below are answers to the most common questions we receive.

How do surety bonds work?

If your company defaults or violates the terms of a bonded contract, the obligee can file a claim against the bond. If the claim is valid, the surety pays the obligee, and your business reimburses the surety for the paid claim.

A bid bond is a financial guarantee that you will accept the job at your submitted bid price and will provide the required performance/payment bonds if awarded the contract. A performance bond guarantees that your team will execute and complete the project according to the exact plans, specifications, and timelines agreed upon in the contract.

A standard fidelity bond covers financial loss caused by:

  • Employee theft, including cash, inventory, or business equipment.
  • Embezzlement, check forgery, and unauthorized payroll adjustments.
  • Fraudulent billing, unauthorized wire transfers, and electronic funds theft.
  • Theft committed by your employees on a client’s property.
  • Employee benefit plan losses required under federal ERISA regulations for 401(k) managers.

A bonding application requires the following basic information:

  • Business name, structure, and physical address.
  • Personal financials and credit check.
  • Year-end commercial financial statements.
  • Project specifications, contracts, or reason for the bond.

Surety bond premiums are calculated as a percentage of the total required bond amount rather than the total contract price.

Ready to Strengthen & Grow Your Business?

Contact Frost Insurance today to schedule a complimentary risk review or request a bond quote.