States / California
CA · West
California is a split-regulator state: DFPI owns most financial-services licenses, while some mortgage-broker activity still sits at DRE.
CFL lending, CRMLA mortgage, money transmission, and debt-collector licensing
Official site →Real-estate broker licenses that some mortgage brokers still hold
Official site →Who needs the license and which desk takes the filing. No fee table — confirm costs with the agency or a filer.
State license generally required
Debt Collector License (California Debt Collection Licensing Act)
California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation
Who needs it, where to file →State license generally required
California Financing Law (CFL) license
California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation
Who needs it, where to file →State license generally required
Money Transmission Act license
California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation
Who needs it, where to file →State license generally required
CRMLA and/or CFL mortgage authority (and sometimes a DRE broker license)
California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation
Who needs it, where to file →Insurance producer and adjuster licenses usually file with the California department of insurance (often through NIPR). Contractor licenses, if the state has them, file with the contractor board or a city or county. Charitable solicitation registration, where it exists, files with the attorney general or secretary of state. See the insurance, contractor, and charity overviews.
Also useful: How NMLS works and multi-state licensing.
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.