Who requires it
Maine Bureau of Consumer Credit Protection
License & permit · Maine
Maine Debt Collector Bond
Debt collectors licensed under Maine’s Fair Debt Collection Practices Act must keep a surety the Bureau finds reasonably necessary under 32 M.R.S. §11032. The Bureau of Consumer Credit Protection publishes the operative amounts: new direct-collection applicants post $20,000, repossession or residential property-preservation applicants post $15,000, and letter-writing companies that make no direct collections post $5,000. At renewal, average monthly gross Maine collections set the amount from $15,000 under $10,000 a month up to $50,000 when monthly averages exceed $40,000. Repossession and property-preservation renewals stay at $15,000, and letter-writing renewals stay at $5,000. Sureties may cancel with thirty days’ notice to the Bureau, and most debt-collector bonds now file through NMLS.
Common bond amount
$5,000–$50,000
New-applicant amounts by activity; renewal amounts by average monthly Maine collections (Bureau of Consumer Credit Protection / Bureau Rule Ch. 300).
How you file
File electronically through NMLS for most debt-collector licenses (paper form for residential property preservation)
Renewal
Keep the bond in place while licensed. Recalculate from Maine collection averages
Who requires it
Applicants for and holders of Maine debt collector licenses—including collection agencies, debt buyers, repossession companies, and related activities described on the Bureau’s licensing page—plus residential property-preservation providers that use the Bureau’s bond schedule.
How much is required
For a first license, select the activity-based new-applicant amount ($20,000 / $15,000 / $5,000). At renewal, compute average monthly gross Maine collections for the prior year and read the Bureau’s bracket table ($15,000 to $50,000). Repossession-only and letter-writing renewals keep their fixed specialty amounts.
How to get and file it
Identify your activity class and, for renewals, your Maine collection average. Have an authorized surety file through NMLS for that amount—except residential property-preservation providers, which the Bureau still directs to its paper bond form path. Keep the bond active for the license year. Recalculate the amount before each renewal when Maine collection volume has changed. Cancellation requires thirty days’ notice to the Bureau and does not erase liability for earlier events. If you still have a paper bond and your license type is on the NMLS list, update it on the Bureau’s published deadline.
Cost note
The schedule amount is the required bond amount, not the premium you pay. See bond amount vs premium. Bond amount vs premium →
Requirement checklist
- New — direct collections
- $20,000
- New — repossession / property preservation
- $15,000
- New — letter writing (no direct collections)
- $5,000
- Renewal — > $40,000 average monthly Maine collections
- $50,000
- Renewal — under $10,000 average monthly Maine collections
- $15,000
Official sources
Frequently asked questions
Do debt buyers need the same bond as collection agencies?
Debt buyers that regularly purchase charged-off consumer debt for collection are within the Bureau’s debt-collector licensing description. Confirm your NMLS checklist for the exact amount and electronic-bond instructions that apply to debt-buyer activity.
How is the renewal bond amount calculated?
The Bureau uses average monthly gross Maine collections for the preceding year. Brackets run from under $10,000 a month ($15,000 bond) up through over $40,000 a month ($50,000 bond), with intermediate $25,000, $35,000, and $45,000 steps.
Related Maine bond guides
Debt Management Services Bond
$50,000
Anyone registering to provide debt-management services under Maine’s Debt Management Services Act must file a $50,000 surety with the Bureau. Section 6174 sets that amount on a form the Bureau approves and ties the bond to the registration period. The bond protects the Bureau and people who have a claim against the provider. Registrations file through NMLS.
Loan Broker / Supervised Lender Bond
$25,000 / $50,000
Maine’s Bureau of Consumer Credit Protection treats loan brokerage and supervised lending as related Consumer Credit Code credentials with different bond amounts. Article 10 loan brokers—including firms that improve credit records or arrange consumer credit for a fee—must accompany each application with a $25,000 surety under 9-A M.R.S. §10-202, reduced to $10,000 when the broker works solely as a refund-anticipation loan or check facilitator. Bureau FAQs require that $25,000 coverage for every licensed location and allow one combined bond that lists each address. Supervised lenders under §2-302 must attach a $50,000 surety to each branch application; the administrator may also require a main-office bond not exceeding $50,000. Both license paths now file through NMLS.
Money Transmitter Bond
$100,000
Money transmission applicants and licensees under Title 32 chapter 79-A must keep $100,000 of security on file with the Bureau. Section 6100-S allows either a surety bond the Bureau accepts or, with approval, a deposit instead of a bond. You may need more than $100,000 if the Bureau’s investment rules under section 6100-T require it. Licensing and bonding for this program run through NMLS.
Surety basics (not repeated here)
Universal surety concepts explained once—linked here instead of repeated on every state or bond page.
Continue with a Maine application
Maine will be preselected. Choose your bond type in the application—we confirm the correct product against your agency form before anything is issued.
Last verified 2026-08-12. This guide is based on verified educational content and official sources.
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