Who requires it
New Hampshire Secretary of State
License & permit · New Hampshire
New Hampshire Credit Services Organization Bond
Credit services organizations that want to collect money before finishing the promised services must first post a surety bond or open a trust account under RSA 359-D:3 and :8. The amount equals five percent of the fees charged buyers under contracts during the previous twelve months, but never less than five thousand dollars or more than twenty-five thousand dollars. A bond copy—or trust-account depository, trustee, and account-number notice—files with the Secretary of State. The amount resets once a year no later than the tenth day of the organization’s first fiscal-year month.
Common bond amount
$5,000–$25,000
5% of prior-12-month buyer fees, floored at $5,000 and capped at $25,000, when taking prepayment (RSA 359-D:3 / :8).
How you file
Surety bond or federally insured in-state trust account
Renewal
Annual face adjustment; maintain while taking prepayment
Who requires it
Credit services organizations that charge or receive money or other valuable consideration before fully performing agreed credit-repair or related services for New Hampshire buyers, as defined in RSA chapter 359-D.
How much is required
Multiply prior-twelve-month buyer fees under CSO contracts by five percent, then apply the statutory floor of five thousand dollars and ceiling of twenty-five thousand dollars. Adjust the face annually by the deadline in RSA 359-D:8. A federally insured New Hampshire bank or savings-and-loan trust account may substitute for the surety when the statute’s notice rules are followed.
How to get and file it
Determine whether you will take prepayment. If so, size the amount from RSA 359-D:8, have an admitted surety issue the bond—or open the qualifying trust account—and file the bond copy or account notice with the Secretary of State. Keep the bond or trust account in place while you continue to take fees before completing services. Recalculate the amount each fiscal year by the statutory deadline and update the Secretary of State filing when the amount or depository changes.
Cost note
The calculated amount is the required bond amount, not the premium you pay. See bond amount vs premium. Bond amount vs premium →
Requirement checklist
- Trigger
- Taking money before full performance of contracted services
- Amount formula
- 5% of prior-12-month buyer fees ($5,000 minimum / $25,000 maximum)
- Filing
- Bond copy or trust-account notice with the Secretary of State
Official sources
Related resources
Frequently asked questions
Do I need the bond if I never collect until services are finished?
RSA 359-D:3 ties the bond or trust-account requirement to charging or receiving consideration before full performance. Organizations that never take prepayment should confirm with counsel whether other chapter 359-D duties still apply, but the :8 security attaches to the prepayment path.
Can I use a trust account instead of a surety?
Yes. RSA 359-D:3 allows a trust account at a federally insured bank or savings and loan located in New Hampshire as an alternative to the surety, with depository, trustee, and account-number notice filed with the Secretary of State under :8.
Related New Hampshire bond guides
Debt Adjuster Bond
$25,000
Debt adjusters licensed under RSA chapter 399-D must post a $25,000 surety to the state of New Hampshire and the bank commissioner. RSA 399-D:4 conditions the bond on compliance with the chapter and opens it to persons damaged by violations. Licensing runs through NMLS. Cancellation requires thirty days’ written notice to the commissioner, and commencing an action on the bond obligates the licensee to file a replacement immediately. Separately, RSA 399-G:3 excuses certain debt adjusters from money-transmitter licensing when they transmit funds only under a debt-adjustment contract and keep a $100,000 chapter 399-D surety on file—that higher amount is an exemption condition, not the ordinary licensing minimum.
Mortgage Banker / Broker / Servicer Bond
$50,000 / $100,000 minimums
Nondepository mortgage bankers, brokers, and servicers licensed under RSA chapter 397-A must post a bond that stays in force while licensed, filed with the bank commissioner as part of the NMLS application package. RSA 397-A:5 sets the statutory floor at fifty thousand dollars for mortgage brokers and one hundred thousand dollars for mortgage bankers and mortgage servicers. Those amounts increase under conditions the commissioner sets by rule, and the statute requires coverage that reflects the dollar amount of loans originated by each mortgage loan originator the company employs or retains. Sureties must give thirty days’ written notice before cancellation or termination, and a claim on the bond triggers an immediate replacement filing.
Small Loan Lender Bond
$25,000
Companies that lend under New Hampshire’s small-loan, payday-loan, and title-loan framework must keep a continuous twenty-five-thousand-dollar surety on file with the bank commissioner. RSA 399-A:4 places that instrument in favor of the state and the commissioner for anyone damaged by a chapter violation and conditions it on compliance with chapter 399-A. Applications and renewals run through NMLS. The surety must give thirty days’ written notice before cancellation, and a suit on the bond requires an immediate replacement filing.
Surety basics (not repeated here)
Universal surety concepts explained once—linked here instead of repeated on every state or bond page.
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Last verified 2026-08-12. This guide is based on verified educational content and official sources.
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