Duplicate certificate issuance for lost or damaged national savings certificates: indemnity bond or bank guarantee required in specified cases. Duplicate National Savings Certificates may be issued by the post office of registration on application stating certificate particulars and circumstances of loss, theft, destruction, mutilation or defacement. The registering officer must be satisfied of those circumstances and may require an indemnity bond with approved surety or a bank guarantee; limited exceptions permit issuance without surety or bond where values are low or where a surrendered mutilated or defaced certificate is identifiable. Duplicates are equivalent to originals but require verification before encashment at other post offices.