(205 ILCS 405/5) (from Ch. 17, par. 4812)

Sec. 5. Bond; condition; amount.

(a) Before any license shall be issued to a licensee to operate a community currency exchange the applicant shall file annually with and have approved by the Secretary a surety bond, issued by a bonding company authorized to do business in this State in the principal sum of $25,000 for each licensed location, up to a maximum aggregate principal sum of $350,000 for each licensee regardless of the number of licenses held. Such bond shall run to the Secretary and shall be for the benefit of any creditors of such licensee for any liability incurred by the licensee on any money orders, including any fees and penalties incurred by the remitter should the money order be returned unpaid, issued or sold by the licensee in the ordinary course of its business and for any liability incurred by the licensee for any sum or sums due to any payee or endorsee of any check, draft or money order left with the licensee in the ordinary course of its business for collection, and for any liability to the public incurred by the licensee in the ordinary course of its business in connection with the rendering of any of the services referred to in Section 3 of this Act.

To protect the public and allow for the effective underwriting of bonds, the surety bond shall not cover money orders issued and other liabilities incurred by a currency exchange for its own account or that of its controlling persons, including money orders issued or liabilities incurred by the currency exchange to obtain cash for its own operations, to pay for the currency exchange's own bills or liabilities or that of its controlling persons, or to obtain things of value for the currency exchange or its controlling persons, regardless of whether such things of value are used in the currency exchange's operations or sold by the currency exchange.

From time to time the Secretary may determine the amount of liabilities as described herein and shall require the licensee to file a bond in an additional sum if the same is determined to be necessary in accordance with the requirements of this Section. In no case shall the bond be less than the initial $25,000, nor more than the outstanding liabilities.

(b) In lieu of the surety bond requirements of subsection (a), a community currency exchange licensee may submit evidence satisfactory to the Secretary that the community currency exchange licensee is covered by a blanket bond that covers multiple licensees who are members of a statewide association of community currency exchanges or licensees. Such a blanket bond must be issued by a bonding company authorized to do business in this State and in a principal aggregate sum of not less than $3,000,000 as of May 1, 2012, and not less than $4,000,000 as of May 1, 2014.

(c) An ambulatory currency exchange may sell or issue money orders at any location with regard to which it is issued a license pursuant to this Act, including existing licensed locations, without the necessity of a further application or hearing and without regard to any exceptions contained in existing licenses, upon the filing with the Secretary of a surety bond approved by the Secretary and issued by a bonding company or insurance company authorized to do business in Illinois, in the principal sum of $100,000. Such bond may be a blanket bond covering all locations at which the ambulatory currency exchange may sell or issue money orders, and shall run to the Secretary for the use and benefit of any creditors of such ambulatory currency exchange for any liability incurred by the ambulatory currency exchange on any money orders issued or sold by it to the public in the ordinary course of its business. Such bond shall be renewed annually. If after the expiration of one year from the date of approval of such bond by the Secretary, it shall appear that the average amount of such liability during the year has exceeded $100,000, the Secretary shall require the licensee to furnish a bond for the ensuing year, to be approved by the Secretary, for an additional principal sum of $1,000 for each $1,000 of such liability or fraction thereof in excess of the original $100,000, except that the maximum amount of such bond shall not be required to exceed $250,000.

(Source: P.A. 99-445, eff. 1-1-16.)