The Oklahoma Bondsman Association (OBA) held its annual Board of Directors and Membership meeting in Oklahoma City on Monday, June 7th, followed by a well-attended continuing education class on Tuesday, June 8th. This was an election year, and all current officers and directors were re-elected. AIA Bail Agent Jerry Dowell was re-elected as Vice President.
Speakers at the meeting had positive news to present. President Dudley Goolsby announced that the first quarter of 2010 was the best in four years, with more than $26 million in bail bonds written. OBA lobbyist Gary Huddleston discussed how the Oklahoma DOI and bail agents worked together on the Omnibus Bill to introduce new language to bail law deemed beneficial for both parties. Because this is an important election year, Mr. Huddleston encouraged members to become more involved in their local legislative races to ensure future success.
During the continuing education class on Tuesday, more than 250 attendees heard presentations from various industry speakers on topics such as social media, GPS monitoring and bail tracking, bondsman safety, skip tracing, and the future of the bail bond industry. The day ended with a presentation from Robert Noll from the Oklahoma DOI, discussing the new online reporting that will become available to Oklahoma bail agents to assist them with their monthly reporting requirements. Mr. Noll anticipates that eventually insurance companies will be able to access the online reports submitted monthly by agents.