Two or more admitted surety insurers may be sureties on a bond by executing the same or separate bonds for amounts aggregating the required amount of the bond. Each admitted surety insurer is jointly and severally liable to the extent of the amount of the liability assumed by it.
§ 995.620.Two Or More Admitted Surety Insurers On Bond; Joint and Several Liability
Title 14. Of Miscellaneous Provisions · Chapter 2. Bonds and Undertakings · Article 6. Admitted Surety Insurers · Enacted 1982 · no amendments on record · Last verified July 28, 2026
In one sentenceSection 995.620 lets two or more admitted surety insurers share a bond obligation, whether by signing one bond together or executing separate bonds that add up to the required amount, with each insurer jointly and severally liable only up to the share it agreed to cover.
Full Text of § 995.620
Plain-English Summary
Sometimes no single insurer wants to carry the full bond amount. This section lets two or more admitted surety insurers split the obligation, either by co-signing a single bond or by each executing its own separate bond, as long as the amounts together reach what the bond requires.
Each insurer's liability tracks what it agreed to cover. The statute makes every participating insurer jointly and severally liable, but only to the extent of the amount it assumed -- an insurer covering half the bond doesn't become liable for the other half just because a co-surety is involved.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can more than one insurance company back the same bond?
Yes, § 995.620 lets two or more admitted surety insurers execute the same bond or separate bonds that together add up to the required amount.
Is each insurer liable for the full bond amount?
No -- each admitted surety insurer is jointly and severally liable only to the extent of the amount of liability it assumed.
Amendment History
Added by Stats. 1982, Ch. 998, Sec. 1.
Source & verification. Section text is reproduced verbatim from
the Deering's California Codes Annotated / vLex. Enacted by the California Legislature.
Last verified July 28, 2026.
· Official source
Also known as: multiple surety insurers on one bond californiaco-sureties admitted surety insurer california