ABOUT US
Your Car Dealer Bond (YCDB) was founded in 2011 as a premium Surety Bond Agency in Fremont, California. Since this time, YCDB established headquarters in Fresno with production offices in Bakersfield and Corona. We believe you will find our particular expertise in the California Car Dealer Licensing and Surety Bond industry to be fundamentally unrivaled.
The Your Car Dealer Bond backstory.
Mike Ramos founded YCDB with another individual he met while working in Corporate America at a mid-sized insurance company out of Menlo Park, CA.
His employment at Pacific Specialty Insurance Company (PSIC) as the Director of Nationwide Operations provided Mike the opportunity to cultivate relationships with various managers and supervisors. These relationships eventually led to the formation of Your Car Dealer Bond, LLC (YCDB) in late 2011.
Why did Mike Ramos launch YCDB?
This is a question I am frequently asked, and I am delighted to answer it. Working as the Nationwide Director of Commercial Operations for a large insurance carrier, I received many questions asking for my insight on how to get an auto dealer license, how much is a dealer license, and where to obtain a low-cost dealer bond. This was approximately around the period when the recession occurred in 2008 and 2009 and auto dealers were witnessing their bond prices triple, at best.
Of course, it had little to do with their credit, but surety carriers virtually lost millions of dollars trying to undercut each other in attempts to purchase a California dealer bond business. It resulted in an alarming game of musical chairs for surety carriers and sadly, some of them paid dearly.
Although this was an unfortunate time for used car dealers, it was a revelation for me. I tried helping by referring dealers to insurance agents whom I had known for years and thought had provided valuable customer service. But I soon discovered that their service standards and my service standards were not in alignment. It turned out that our operating standards were light-years apart. I began receiving calls from very frustrated, prospective dealers who had been ignored 2, 3, and 4 days after their referral for a quote.
The game-changer emerged when one of these insurance agents told me he not only failed to return the calls to the prospective customer I had sent him the previous week, but he had voicemails from weeks ago that had gone unanswered. This level of service was completely unacceptable to me. That is when I decided to proceed with the development of the YCDB business!
How did I select the name “Your Car Dealer Bond”?
My primary objective had always been to establish a business that truly catered to my customers. I understood that I needed to reimagine the entire process if I were to earnestly pursue my vision.
Your Car Dealer Bond encompassed all that my company initially spotlighted, and that is how the name was filed. Simple, but true.
To this day, our mission at YCDB is to bring premium results to small and medium-sized Used Car Dealerships for a fraction of what our competitors charge. I believe this mission has been accomplished to a great extent because our company has experienced a growth rate of three times in the past three years from where we were at inception.
How does YCDB’s expertise help our customers?
Our longstanding roots in car dealer insurance and the used car dealer industry validates YCDB’s ideal balance of professionalism, competitive pricing, and proficiency. Our qualifications enable us to assist from the basic process of getting a car dealer license to navigating through the most complicated scenarios in the Used Car Dealer universe. Whether it’s a difficult situation with a DMV inspector or a problem locating a suitable car dealer insurance, we can help you TODAY!!
YCDB implements the use of Podcasts to give back to the car dealer community.
In addition to our outstanding car dealer licensing and surety bond product offerings, Your Car Dealer Bond utilizes Podcasts (YCDP) to share valuable used car dealership insights narrated by Mike Ramos, President of YCDB, LLC.
To understand how the most successful used car dealers operate, we summarized the 7 Strategies of Highly Effective California Used Car Dealers:
- These prosperous auto dealers do not place their ceiling too low. Success follows your vision and if you only see yourself being a little bit successful, it will be a greater undertaking to level up from that point.
- They focus on the most important things exclusively. Minimal time is invested outside of the scope of their mission and vision statements.
- These car dealerships perform their due diligence and do not rush the process.
- They develop their plan of attack and they persevere even when challenges arise.
- The successful dealers also keep a positive attitude during the most formidable times of their journey.
- The most effective used car dealers understand the importance of recharging their batteries.
- These successful used auto dealers understand that everything hinges on the people, the process, and the products they entitle to work together.
We invite you to listen to our Podcast below.
How did Your Car Dealer Bond (YCDB) make it passed the point where other businesses fail?
2014 was another year that achieved 3-times the growth rate for Your Car Dealer Bond, even as Mike maintained full-time employment at his PSIC position. Without the support of his YCDB staff, this type of growth rate would not have been possible. Today, this support team continues to be a major source of YCDB’s success.
Mike eventually decided to resign from PSIC in January 2015 to fully dedicate his time to YCDB. Read his story below.
Meet Mike Ramos – A closer look at YCDB’s founder.
Mike embarked upon his insurance career with employment at a small, full-service insurance agency. From there, he worked for a large auto insurance writer, and from there he was employed at a Managing General Agency. Mike’s exposure to the insurance industry during these three years proved to be an excellent foundation that led him to a Commercial Underwriting position with Pacific Specialty Insurance Company (PSIC) in 2000.
Over the course of the next decade, Mike Ramos moved his way up the ranks to the position of Nationwide Commercial and Personal Lines Director. Mike’s hard-working team increased the value of PSIC’s Gross Written Premiums from $5M to $250M while maintaining a 10-year total combined ratio of 88.2%.
Where have you possibly seen YCDB over the years?
You may have seen YCDB at various Southern California auctions over the years such as Oceanside and San Diego, or perhaps at CADE in Anaheim or Manheim Riverside (AKA Fontana). We also made the rounds through the Central Valley at auctions such as Fresno and ADESA Tracey.
Mike Ramos, President, YCDB, at the ADESA San Diego Auto Auction
Because this business originated during the period when Mike Ramos resided in the Bay Area, he spent a significant amount of time at the Bay Cities Hayward Manheim Auction. He had also been a staple at the North Bay Auto Auction in Fairfield. Over the years, these road trips took Mike up to the ADESA Sacramento and ADESA Brashers Auto Auctions. And on occasion, as far South as the ADESA Phoenix Auction.
How is YCDB currently performing?
Your Car Dealer Bond is now a family-operated company that has grown steadily since its inception in late 2011. YCDB issues approximately 1,300 dealer bonds annually of the estimated 9,500 bonds issued statewide. We believe our suite of services and product offerings are truly unsurpassed.
Currently, YCDB is headquartered in Fresno, CA with production offices in Bakersfield and Corona. Our mission statement remains the same but now with an even broader base of business owners we are committed to supporting.
Despite the varied local and global challenges, we are having a very promising year. It is with great anticipation and optimism that we look forward to the many exciting new developments on the horizon!
- We understand that California used car dealers must be very cost-conscience and resourceful to compete in this industry and they share a common goal – to sell more cars and lower the dealership overhead.
Thank you for visiting our site!
We are available 7 days a week to assist you at
866-357-4405 or email us at info@yourcardealerbond.com today!
