2005 North Carolina Code - General Statutes § 15A-531. Definitions.

Article 26.

Bail.

Part 1.  General Provisions.

§ 15A‑531.  Definitions.

As used in this Article the following definitions apply unless the context clearly requires otherwise:

(1)       "Accommodation bondsman" means a natural person who has reached the age of 18 years and is a bona fide resident of this State and who, aside from love and affection and release of the person concerned, receives no consideration for action as surety and who endorses the bail bond after providing satisfactory evidences of ownership, value, and marketability of real or personal property to the extent necessary to reasonably satisfy the official taking bond that such real or personal property will in all respects be sufficient to assure that the full principal sum of the bond will be realized in the event of breach of the conditions thereof. "Consideration" as used in this subdivision does not include the legal rights of a surety against a defendant by reason of breach of the conditions of a bail bond nor does it include collateral furnished to and securing the surety so long as the value of the surety's rights in the collateral do not exceed the defendant's liability to the surety by reason of a breach in the conditions of said bail bond.

(2)       "Address of record" means:

a.         For a defendant or an accommodation bondsman, the address entered on the bail bond under G.S. 15A‑544.2, or any later address filed by that person with the clerk of superior court.

b.         For an insurance company, the address of the insurance company as it appears on the power of appointment of the company's bail agent registered with the clerk of superior court under G.S. 58‑71‑140.

c.         For a bail agent, the address shown on the bail agent's license from the Department of Insurance registered with the clerk of superior court under G.S. 58‑71‑140.

d.         For a professional bondsman, the address shown on that bondsman's license from the Department of Insurance, as registered with the clerk of superior court under G.S. 58‑71‑140.

(3)       "Bail agent" means any person who is licensed by the Commissioner as a surety bondsman under Article 71 of Chapter 58 of the General Statutes, is appointed by an insurance company by power of attorney to execute or countersign bail bonds for the insurance company in connection with judicial proceedings, and receives or is promised consideration for doing so.

(4)       "Bail bond" means an undertaking by the defendant to appear in court as required upon penalty of forfeiting bail to the State in a stated amount. Bail bonds include an unsecured appearance bond, an appearance bond secured by a cash deposit of the full amount of the bond, an appearance bond secured by a mortgage under G.S. 58‑74‑5, and an appearance bond secured by at least one solvent surety. A bail bond for which the surety is a bail agent acting on behalf of an insurance company is considered the same as a cash deposit for all purposes in this Article. A bail bond signed by a professional bondsman who is not a bail agent is not considered the same as a cash deposit under this Article. Cash bonds set in child support contempt proceedings shall not be satisfied in any manner other than the deposit of cash.

(5)       "Defendant" means a person obligated to appear in court as required upon penalty of forfeiting bail under a bail bond.

(6)       "Insurance company" means any domestic, foreign, or alien surety company which has qualified under Chapter 58 of the General Statutes generally to transact surety business and specifically to transact bail bond business in this State.

(7)       "Professional bondsman" means any person who is approved and licensed by the Commissioner of Insurance under Article 71 of Chapter 58 of the General Statutes and who pledges cash or approved securities with the Commissioner as security for bail bonds written in connection with a judicial proceeding and receives or is promised money or other things of value therefor.

(8)       "Surety" means:

a.         The insurance company, when a bail bond is executed by a bail agent on behalf of an insurance company.

b.         The professional bondsman, when a bail bond is executed by a professional bondsman or by a runner on behalf of a professional bondsman.

c.         The accommodation bondsman, when a bail bond is executed by an accommodation bondsman. (1973, c. 1286, s. 1; 1975, c. 166, s. 12; 1995, c. 290, s. 1; c. 503, s. 1; 2000‑133, s. 1.)