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Mortgage origination, brokering, and servicing
NMLS MU1 / MU2 / MU4 with the state mortgage regulator.
A company that originates, brokers, or services residential mortgage loans generally needs a state mortgage license in every state where it does that work. The SAFE Act made NMLS the system of record for these licenses nationwide. Lending or brokering is usually one company authority; servicing is a separate authority in most states. Individual mortgage loan originators need their own MLO license (MU4) and a sponsoring company.
Create the company NMLS record (MU1), file MU2s for control persons, then request each state’s mortgage lender, broker, and/or servicer license. States still decide the license — NMLS is the filing system, not the issuer. Expect a surety bond, net-worth showing, and a qualified individual where the state requires one. A few states split the work: California (DFPI and sometimes DRE), Colorado and Utah (Division of Real Estate), Nevada (Division of Mortgage Lending), Texas (Department of Savings and Mortgage Lending).
The SAFE Act, TILA/RESPA, ECOA, and (for many servicers) CFPB mortgage-servicing rules apply in addition to the state license. Depository institutions register MLOs on the NMLS federal registry rather than holding state company licenses.
Open a state page for the agency name, the usual license title, and whether a statewide license exists. We omit fees, bond amounts, and processing times unless a statute is cited on that page.
50 states. Required means a statewide license, permit, or registration of this type is the usual rule — not that every business model is in scope.
| State | Statewide license | Agency | Filing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | State license generally required | State Banking Department of Alabama | File through NMLS |
| Alaska | State license generally required | Alaska Division of Banking and Securities | File through NMLS |
| Arizona | State license generally required | Arizona Department of Insurance and Financial Institutions | File through NMLS |
| Arkansas | State license generally required | Arkansas Securities Department | File through NMLS |
| California | State license generally required | California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation | File through NMLS |
| Colorado | State license generally required | Colorado Division of Real Estate | File through NMLS |
| Connecticut | State license generally required | Connecticut Department of Banking | File through NMLS |
| Delaware | State license generally required | Delaware Office of the State Bank Commissioner | File through NMLS |
| Florida | State license generally required | Florida Office of Financial Regulation | File through NMLS |
| Georgia | State license generally required | Georgia Department of Banking and Finance | File through NMLS |
| Hawaii | State license generally required | Hawaii Division of Financial Institutions | File through NMLS |
| Idaho | State license generally required | Idaho Department of Finance | File through NMLS |
| Illinois | State license generally required | Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation | File through NMLS |
| Indiana | State license generally required | Indiana Department of Financial Institutions | File through NMLS |
| Iowa | State license generally required | Iowa Division of Banking | File through NMLS |
| Kansas | State license generally required | Kansas Office of the State Bank Commissioner | File through NMLS |
| Kentucky | State license generally required | Kentucky Department of Financial Institutions | File through NMLS |
| Louisiana | State license generally required | Louisiana Office of Financial Institutions | File through NMLS |
| Maine | State license generally required | Maine Bureau of Consumer Credit Protection | File through NMLS |
| Maryland | State license generally required | Maryland Office of the Commissioner of Financial Regulation | File through NMLS |
| Massachusetts | State license generally required | Massachusetts Division of Banks | File through NMLS |
| Michigan | State license generally required | Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services | File through NMLS |
| Minnesota | State license generally required | Minnesota Department of Commerce | File through NMLS |
| Mississippi | State license generally required | Mississippi Department of Banking and Consumer Finance | File through NMLS |
| Missouri | State license generally required | Missouri Division of Finance | File through NMLS |
| Montana | State license generally required | Montana Division of Banking and Financial Institutions | File through NMLS |
| Nebraska | State license generally required | Nebraska Department of Banking and Finance | File through NMLS |
| Nevada | State license generally required | Nevada Division of Mortgage Lending | File through NMLS |
| New Hampshire | State license generally required | New Hampshire Banking Department | File through NMLS |
| New Jersey | State license generally required | New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance | File through NMLS |
| New Mexico | State license generally required | New Mexico Financial Institutions Division | File through NMLS |
| New York | State license generally required | New York State Department of Financial Services | File through NMLS |
| North Carolina | State license generally required | North Carolina Office of the Commissioner of Banks | File through NMLS |
| North Dakota | State license generally required | North Dakota Department of Financial Institutions | File through NMLS |
| Ohio | State license generally required | Ohio Division of Financial Institutions | File through NMLS |
| Oklahoma | State license generally required | Oklahoma Department of Consumer Credit | File through NMLS |
| Oregon | State license generally required | Oregon Division of Financial Regulation | File through NMLS |
| Pennsylvania | State license generally required | Pennsylvania Department of Banking and Securities | File through NMLS |
| Rhode Island | State license generally required | Rhode Island Department of Business Regulation | File through NMLS |
| South Carolina | State license generally required | South Carolina Board of Financial Institutions | File through NMLS |
| South Dakota | State license generally required | South Dakota Division of Banking | File through NMLS |
| Tennessee | State license generally required | Tennessee Department of Financial Institutions | File through NMLS |
| Texas | State license generally required | Texas Department of Savings and Mortgage Lending | File through NMLS |
| Utah | State license generally required | Utah Division of Real Estate | File through NMLS |
| Vermont | State license generally required | Vermont Department of Financial Regulation | File through NMLS |
| Virginia | State license generally required | Virginia Bureau of Financial Institutions | File through NMLS |
| Washington | State license generally required | Washington Department of Financial Institutions | File through NMLS |
| West Virginia | State license generally required | West Virginia Division of Financial Institutions | File through NMLS |
| Wisconsin | State license generally required | Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions | File through NMLS |
| Wyoming | State license generally required | Wyoming Division of Banking | File through NMLS |
Cornerstone’s mortgage desk · How NMLS filings work · All states
Agency names and filing paths are public facts from state regulator sites, the NMLS / CSBS agency directory, and published statutes. License categories and exemptions change. Confirm the current checklist on the official site before you apply. This is not legal advice and not a fee schedule.