A fiduciary bond provides insurance protection against the possibility of fraud or embezzlement by a fiduciary. A fiduciary is someone who owes a duty of loyalty to safeguard the interests of another person or entity, such as a trustee of a testamentary trust, a guardian of the estate of a minor, a guardian, committee or conservator of the estate of an incompetent person, an executor of a will, an administrator of the estate of a decedent or an advisor or consultant exercising control over a testamentary or express trust. A bond is an obligation, expressed in writing, to pay a fixed and liquidated sum on the happening or nonoccurence of a specified condition or event.
For example, state laws, which vary by state, may require an executor to post a bond in a certain amount to ensure that they carry out all the duties required of them in good faith. A bond may be an insurance policy required by a court for the benefit of a trust or an estate. The will maker may request in the will that no bond be required.
