The Difference Between Cash Bonds & Surety Bonds – What You Need To Know

Nobody wants to see a friend or a loved one locked up in a jail. But you never know when someone close to you ends up being locked up in a jail for breaking the law. If you want to secure their temporary release from jail, then it is important you know the difference between cash bonds vs surety bonds.

A bond refers to a financial instrument that is used in business or legal cases as a guarantee that a promise will be kept. If used in a business setting and a seller fails to keep his promise, the buyer will be compensated as the bond stated. On the other hand, a bond that is used in legal cases serves as a guarantee that a suspected lawbreaker will appear in court for hearing of his case.

In both types of bonds, there is collaterally involved which usually comes in cash form. A surety company or an individual may provide this cash. To understand the differences between cash bonds and surety bonds, let’s look at each bond separately.

Cash bonds – In Dallas Texas 

In cash bonds, there are two parties involved, the obligee and the principal. The person responsible for paying the cash bail to a court is the principal. For example, a court may ask a defendant to pay $10,000 so that he can be released from prison.

This money can be paid in cash by the defendant and in case he cannot afford it, a family member can step in to pay the money to the court. Once the suspect presents himself before a court, the cash bail will be given back to him or his family minus any court fees applicable.

The advantage of cash bonds is that they have reduced fees because any obligations that arise are covered by the amount of cash that was paid. For example, if someone a needed bail bond they would have the option to pay the total in cash or to simply use a surety bond – which is discussed directly below

Surety Bonds – In Dallas Texas

Surety bonds, on the other hand, have three parties involved, the surety, the obligee and the principal. The surety is the party responsible for giving out the bond. The party responsible for acquiring the surety bond is the principal.

The obligee can be the court or other government agency that asks the principal party to guarantee the surety bond before they can be released from jail. With a surety bond, the principal is not required to have the whole bond cash in hand. They can hire a surety company to pay the bail money required by the court.

Cash bonds vs surety bonds In Dallas TX 

The biggest difference between cash bonds and surety bonds is that cash bonds have two parties involved while surety bonds have three. Cash bonds are pretty straightforward where a defendant is required to pay the cash bail so that they can be released pending their court hearing.

On the other hand, surety bonds have three parties involved which can be difficult for a layman to understand. When a defendant uses a cash bond he is required to pay small court fees. On the other hand, if a defendant chooses to use surety bonds, he will pay fees to both the court and the surety company. Because of the high fees involved, not everyone will prefer surety bonds.

In Conclusion 

If you’re ever in a situation where you may be arrested in the Dallas area, don’t hesitate to call a Dallas Bail Bonds agent like Southern Bail Bonds. We offer comprehensive 24/7 bail bonds in Dallas TX. We also work with flexible payment plan options to get out with no questions asked. We understand that money may be tight that’s why we compensate with a flexible payment plan.