INFORMATION FOR NEW APPLICANTS
** IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER **
MLO Licensing - Getting Started:
Please note that you MUST have completed the 20 hours of pre-licensure education, passed both the National and State components of the SAFE Test, and completed fingerprinting for an FBI criminal history background check BEFORE you submit any jurisdiction specific documents to this Department.
The NMLS website lists licensing information and requirements and contains a checklist to ensure that you have submitted all required jurisdiction-specific documents to the Department. These documents are included with the applicable checklist and document instruction forms in NMLS. Your application is not considered complete until the Department receives all Georgia-specific documents (which must be submitted directly to the Department). Applicants should also download the Georgia Code Sections and Regulations.
CREDIT HISTORY: Applicants should be aware of disqualifying factors concerning creditworthiness. The Department does not qualify financial responsibility on a credit score, but looks at the MLO applicant’s overall credit report. Judgments, defaults on student or government loans, child support in arrears, and other factors could result in the denial of licensure. Tax liens, charge-offs or collection accounts, and foreclosures or short sales with a deficiency will also negatively affect MLO licensing unless a payment plan is in place and at least 3 consecutive payments have been made prior to the application. (Payment plans will be checked at renewal for continuation.)
- File a New MLO Application through the NMLS (links off-site to NMLS)
- MLO Quick Guide for Submitting the Individual Form (MU-4) (links off-site to NMLS)
- Pre-requisites for a Georgia MLO license (links off-site to NMLS)
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Uniform State Test for Mortgage Loan Originators:
Beginning April 1, 2013, the Department will adopt the Uniform State Test (UST). For more information please review the Uniform State Test Implementation Information available directly on the NMLS's website. Please pay specific attention to the Candidate Enrollment Scenarios, which were written to help new applicants and existing licensees determine if and how the implementation of the UST will impact their licensing requirements; particularly over the January - April, 2013 timeframe.
- Georgia-Specific Requirements and Checklist (links off-site to NMLS)
- Examples of Business Cards / Books & Records
- Q&A - GRMA and SAFE Act Applicability to Real Estate Brokers
Please note that the NMLSR federal registration process must be utilized if you are an employee of a bank, bank subsidiary or a credit union. As required under federal law, residential mortgage loan originators employed by banks, savings associations, credit unions, or Farm Credit System institutions must register with the registry, obtain a unique identifier from the registry, and maintain their registrations. Further information regarding the registry and the registration process is available at the registry's website: http://fedregistry.nationwidelicensingsystem.org/Pages/default.aspx.
RENEWALS:
The Annual License/Registration Renewal Period for 2013 has ended. A licensee that has a complete renewal application (i.e., renewal application filed, and all fines and renewal fees paid) pending through the Nationwide Mortgage Licensing System and Registry as of December 31, 2012, can continue to work as a mortgage loan originator unless and until there is a surrender/withdrawal of the license or a final order of revocation is issued by the Department.
If a mortgage licensee did not file an application for renewal by December 31, 2012, the license expired by operation of law effective January 1, 2013, and the licensee/registrant must reapply through the NMLSR.
Licensees whose 2013 renewal submissions are approved will receive an e-mail from the Department that includes information for logging on to a secure website to retrieve and print their 2013 license certificates. E-mail notifications/instructions are sent to the licensee’s primary contact as listed in the NMLS.
If you have forgotten your password, please send an e-mail to dbfmort@dbf.state.ga.us and request login information for paying fines/late fees on our secure website.
PENDING MLO APPLICATIONS:
Please refrain from calling the Department to ask for status updates regarding your application. We thank you in advance for your cooperation.
Information is available from the NMLS Consumer Access website once the Department has taken action on an MLO application (i.e., approved, denied, revoked, suspended, expired). If you conduct a search through NMLS Consumer Access and the Department has not acted on your application, the search will return a "No Match Found" response.
Before contacting the Department, please note the following:
If your application is incomplete, you will be sent an e-mail through NMLS outlining any deficiencies or requirements that are still needed to complete it. It is imperative that your e-mail address in NMLS is accurate and that communications sent do not inadvertently get treated like Spam. Your NMLS record will show that your application is "Pending-Incomplete" until it is approved, regardless of whether we have all of your information.
Please be aware that you must submit a complete application (meaning the 20 hours of education have been obtained, both the National test and the Georgia state test have been passed, the fingerprints have been submitted through NMLS, and the jurisdiction specific documents have been received by the Department) before the Department can begin processing your application.
Mortgage Loan Originators who have a current and valid license may use the button/link above to access a secure site for retrieving and printing their 2013 license certificate. You will receive your login information via e-mail from the Department after your renewal or new license has been approved. If you have forgotten your password, please send an e-mail to dbfmort@dbf.state.ga.us and request login information for accessing our secure website.
After a successful login, please be sure to click on the link to open the printing instructions to ensure the best quality printing of your certificate.