I have heard that there are different types of bail bonds and am curious to know the difference. Can you enlighten me?

Sure. There are different types of bail bonds that you can choose from if you are getting ready to post bail for someone. Here is a brief overview of some of the most popular bail bond forms:

Cash Bail Bond

A cash bail bond is a bond that you can pay with cash collateral. A cash bond is paid in cash and is one of the simplest forms of a bail bond that you can have, simply because there is far less paperwork than other forms of bail bonds. However, if you lose the cash bond when a defendant fails to show up in court, you will not get this cash back. As such, if you post a cash bond, keep in mind that you may never have those funds repaid to you by the defendant.

Surety Bail Bond

A surety bail bond is significantly more drawn-out and is, therefore, not as immediate. In general, a surety bond is used when a bail is set at a level that is too high to be paid in cash. In order to make a surety bail bond, you will need to draw up a contract and have that contract guaranteed by an insurance company. In such a situation, the bail bondsman will contract with an insurance company to ensure that a defendant shows up to court for trial. If the defendant fails to show up to court, then the bonding agency must repay the bond. In the event that the defendant fails to show up to court, the bondsman has a right in the U.S. to track that individual down through bounty hunting methods and return the individual to court.

Property Bail Bond

A property bail bond is similar to a cash bail bond in that the individual that is assisting the defendant with the bond will allow the court to put a lien on his or her property for the amount of the bail. If the defendant fails to show up in court, then the bonding agency may receive a portion of the property after the court initiates a foreclosure on the property. As such, the person helping to post the bail stands to lose real property if the defendant fails to show up in court.

Own Recognizance

Own recognizance occurs when a member of a pre-trial release program speaks with a defendant on the phone for the purpose of determining whether or not the individual truly plans to return to court to stand trial for the crime he or she is accused of.

Citation Release

Many people are released from bail by the arresting officer just prior to being arrested. When this happens, it is called a Citation Release or a Cite-Out. In such a case, the defendant may not be placed in custody and the court believes that the defendant will return to court to stand trial.