Section 995.710.

(a) Except as provided in subdivision (e) or to the extent the statute providing for a bond precludes a deposit in lieu of bond or limits the form of deposit, the principal may instead of giving a bond, deposit with the officer any of the following:

(1) Lawful money of the United States. The money shall be maintained by the officer in an interest-bearing trust account.

(2) Bearer bonds or bearer notes of the United States or the State of California.

(3) Certificates of deposit payable to the officer, not exceeding the federally insured amount, issued by banks or savings associations authorized to do business in this state and insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.

(4) Savings accounts assigned to the officer, not exceeding the federally insured amount, together with evidence of the deposit in the savings accounts with banks authorized to do business in this state and insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.

(5) Investment certificates or share accounts assigned to the officer, not exceeding the federally insured amount, issued by savings associations authorized to do business in this state and insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.

(6) Certificates for funds or share accounts assigned to the officer, not exceeding the guaranteed amount, issued by a credit union, as defined in Section 14002 of the Financial Code, whose share deposits are guaranteed by the National Credit Union Administration or guaranteed by any other agency approved by the Department of Financial Institutions.

(b) The deposit shall be in an amount or have a face value, or in the case of bearer bonds or bearer notes have a market value, equal to or in excess of the amount that would be required to be secured by the bond if the bond were given by an admitted surety insurer. Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter, in the case of a deposit of bearer bonds or bearer notes other than in an action or proceeding, the officer may, in the officer's discretion, require that the amount of the deposit be determined not by the market value of the bonds or notes but by a formula based on the principal amount of the bonds or notes.

(c) The deposit shall be accompanied by an agreement executed by the principal authorizing the officer to collect, sell, or otherwise apply the deposit to enforce the liability of the principal on the deposit. The agreement shall include the address at which the principal may be served with notices, papers, and other documents under this chapter.

(d) The officer may prescribe terms and conditions to implement this section.

(e) This section may not be utilized after January 1, 1999, for deposits with the Secretary of State. Any principal who made a deposit with the Secretary of State pursuant to this section prior to January 1, 1999, may continue to utilize that deposit in lieu of a bond pursuant to this section and the statute that prescribes a bond; however, the deposit shall not be renewable pursuant to this section.

(Amended by Stats. 1999, Ch. 892, Sec. 11. Effective January 1, 2000.)