State licensing for financial services

Who needs which license, and where to file it.

Answer a few questions for a personalized licensing roadmap across collection, consumer lending, money transmission, and mortgage company work. Experts can handle the filing when you want a desk.

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Directory

Every state, every license, one entry each.

Each entry lists the license name and the agency that issues it. Pick a license type to see the California entry.

Open the California page

California

Split-regulator state · sample directory entry

CA
License
Debt Collector License (California Debt Collection Licensing Act)
Agency
California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation (DFPI)
Note
California is a split-regulator state: DFPI owns most financial-services licenses, while some mortgage-broker activity still sits at DRE.
License
California Financing Law (CFL) license
Agency
California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation (DFPI)
Note
California is a split-regulator state: DFPI owns most financial-services licenses, while some mortgage-broker activity still sits at DRE.
License
Money Transmission Act license
Agency
California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation (DFPI)
Note
California is a split-regulator state: DFPI owns most financial-services licenses, while some mortgage-broker activity still sits at DRE.
License
CRMLA and/or CFL mortgage authority (and sometimes a DRE broker license)
Agency
California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation (DFPI); DRE when a broker license applies
Note
California is a split-regulator state: DFPI owns most financial-services licenses, while some mortgage-broker activity still sits at DRE.

The four core licenses

Collection / ARM

Who needs a collection-agency or debt-collector license, which states issue one, and which board or department takes the filing.

Open collection directory

Consumer & commercial lending

Which agency licenses consumer-finance and related lender activity, and how the typical NMLS path works.

Open lending directory

Money transmitters

State money-transmitter licenses plus the separate FinCEN MSB registration. New York’s BitLicense called out where it applies.

Open MTL directory

Mortgage

SAFE Act company and MLO filings through NMLS, including the states that split mortgage onto a real-estate or SML desk.

Open mortgage directory

Browse all 50 states Full directory What NMLS is

Roadmap

Your licensing roadmap

3 questions. The license type and the usual filing desk.

  1. Business
  2. License
  3. States

What kind of business are you in?

How the path works

You keep running the business. The roadmap names the desk. Cornerstone can file.

01

Tell us what you need

Use the roadmap wizard or the directory. We need your business type and state(s). The site names the agency; Cornerstone can file.

02

The application is filed

Your specialist prepares the application, assembles documents, files with the agency or NMLS, and answers deficiency letters.

03

You're licensed

We track your application through approval and deliver your license. Then we monitor renewal deadlines so it stays current.

Who's behind this

The directory is published with Cornerstone Licensing, the firm that files, by the people at Hanok Ventures. The map is public. The application is Cornerstone’s when you ask them to prepare it.

The map

Official agencies in all 50 states for collection, lending, money transmission, and mortgage. Each page links the public source it was written from.

The filing

Applications arranged here are prepared and submitted by Cornerstone Licensing. One specialist stays on the file.

Why this directory exists

Common Questions

Do I need a business license?+
Most cities and counties require a general business license. Financial services, healthcare, construction, and food service almost always need a state license on top of that. Use the roadmap wizard or the directory to see which desk applies.
How long does licensing take?+
This site does not quote processing times. Each agency sets its own review clock. For timelines, use fastlicense.com.
What does it cost?+
This site does not quote service fees or government fee bands. Confirm the current fee on the agency checklist. To compare providers and costs, use licensestore.com.
Can I do it myself?+
Yes. The agency will take a complete application from the applicant. Cornerstone Licensing prepares and files if you want that done for you.
What about multiple states?+
There is no national license for these verticals. File in each state where the customer, borrower, or debtor lives. The state directory names the agency for each core license.
Who actually files my application?+
Filings arranged through this site are prepared and submitted by Cornerstone Licensing. This site’s job is who needs the license and where to file it. Filing counts and approval rates are not reprinted here.

See the license and the desk.

Three questions. Your license type and the usual place it is filed.

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