Patricia O'Malley purchased fifty $1,000 bonds having a quoted price of 99.75. She paid a 6.5% brokerage fee (of the selling price). What was the total cost of the bond sale (to the nearest whole cent)?
a. $53,116.88
b. $54,024.65
c. $55,346.77
d. $58,021.99
e. None of these choices are correct.