Ten percent is a premium you pay a surety company, or bail bondsman, Coffey said. To get a bond in almost all cases you have to be able to fully collateralize that $150,000, meaning that either George Zimmerman or his parents have to come up with a $150,000 second mortgage on their house or from a bank. The bonding company is not a charity. They stand to lose the money. They have more than just fugitive hunters [to track down a defendant who flees.] They get collateral up front.
Kendall Coffey