§ 740-a. Automobile broker business surety bond. 1. Automobile broker businesses shall obtain and continue in effect a surety bond in an amount of one hundred thousand dollars executed by a surety company authorized to transact business in the state by the department of financial services of the state or its successor. The bonds shall be approved as to form by the secretary of state and shall be conditioned on the automobile broker business' payment of all valid bank drafts, including checks, drawn for the purchase of motor vehicles and safekeeping of all customer deposits related to the sale of a motor vehicle between the time of receipt of such customer deposit and the transfer of good title to the vehicle to the customer.

2. Recovery against a bond may be made by a person, including the state, who obtains a judgment against the automobile broker business for an act or omission on which the bond is conditioned if the act or omission occurred during the term of the bond. The total liability imposed on the surety under this section for all breaches of the bond condition is limited to the face amount of the bond. Such liability may include, but is not limited to, the amount of the valid bank drafts, including checks, drawn by the automobile broker business for the purchase of motor vehicles. In no event shall the surety on a bond be liable for total claims in excess of the bond amount, regardless of the number or nature of claims made against the bond or the number of years the bond remained in force.

3. Any surety issuing a bond pursuant to this subdivision shall be required to provide sixty days' notice to the secretary of state prior to the effective date of cancellation of the bond.