Friday, December 18, 2009

Be Proactive About NMLS Requirements

A number of states are joining the Nationwide Mortgage License System (NMLS) on January 4, 2010. For all of those states, 20 hours of pre-licensing education and passing an exam with a 75% passing rate is required before you can get approved for a loan originator license.

For some of us, the week before or after Christmas is a slow time in the office. For others of us, January is the time when the phones aren’t ringing so often. During your slow periods, if you are in one of the states that is transitioning to the NMLS in January, 2010, get ahead of the curve and start taking your 20 hours of pre-licensing education. And then sign up for the NMLS tests, both the national component (if you haven’t already taken it for another state) and the state component.

When you sign up for your 20 hours of pre-licensing education, you need to give the course provider your NMLS identification number. If you don’t have one yet, just go to this NMLS web page: https://www.statemortgageregistry.com/Public/Default.aspx and click on “Create an Individual Account.” When you create your account, the NMLS will assign to you a user name, a password, and an NMLS identification number. You will use that same NMLS number for every state in which you will be licensed for as long as the NMLS exists. The password that you receive will be a temporary password and then you can change it to one that you will remember.

Until January 4, 2010, you cannot input the information to create your own MU4 record in the NMLS but if you have the time to get your education hours in and take the test, you will not be scrambling to fulfill those requirements when your pipeline gets full.

Please feel free to forward this blog post to your colleagues, listserv members or favorite bloggers. Or if you would like to run it (in whole or in part) in any publication or quote from it, simply include my name and URL: http://www.mortgagelicensesolutions.com. No prior permission needed. To inquire about joining my list to receive my blog posts or my availability to speak to your group or write an article for your publication, please email me at Robin@Mortgagelicensesolutions.com. Thank you!

Friday, December 11, 2009

A Little Advice About the Pre-Licensing Exams

The SAFE Act, as implemented by each state, requires that all loan originators pass an exam with a 75% passing rate before they can get approved for a loan originator license by each state in which they originate or broker loans. The SAFE test consists of two components – a national test and a state test. Loan originators wishing to get licensed in more than one state must take the state component in each state in which they will be submitting a license application, but must pass the national component only once. The testing requirement must be satisfied by new applicants before they can be approved for a license. If you are currently licensed in a state that is transitioning to the NMLS (nationwide mortgage licensing system), then you transition your license first and the state has set a deadline by which you must pass the two test components.

For those loan originators with testing deadlines, it is important to schedule your test during a slow time at work and not wait until just before the licensing deadline. My clients have found their own state component to be fairly easy to pass but many fail on the first try in states in which they don’t do many loans. I would suggest that for those states, take the required 20 hours of pre-licensing education and then immediately after, take the exam while the material is still fresh in your mind. If you fail the test, you must wait 30 days until you can re-take the exam.

If December is a slow time of the year for you (not so many people are looking for houses during the Christmas season), take your pre-licensing education now and schedule the test for before the New Year starts. Good luck!

Please feel free to forward this blog post to your colleagues, listserv members or favorite bloggers. Or if you would like to run it (in whole or in part) in any publication or quote from it, simply include my name and URL: http://www.mortgagelicensesolutions.com. No prior permission needed. To inquire about joining my list to receive my blog posts or my availability to speak to your group or write an article for your publication, please email me at Robin@Mortgagelicensesolutions.com. Thank you!

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

New Jersey Transitioning to NMLS Starting January 4, 2010

New Jersey will start its transition to the Nationwide Mortgage Licensing System (NMLS) on January 4, 2010. In the meantime, while they are preparing the transition, the Department of Banking and Insurance (DOBI) is not accepting any new license applications or changes to an existing license.

All current licensees must complete the transition process by April 30, 2010. If you hold an inactive license, you also must transition your license to the NMLS and fulfill all of the requirements under the new law to maintain your license. Mortgage solicitors who are currently registered with DOBI have until May 15, 2010 to transition their registration onto the NMLS and fulfill the new licensing requirements. All existing licenses and registrations expire on July 31, 2010. New Jersey will still require an officer, member, director, partner or owner to maintain an Individual License for each company under the new law.

Companies and mortgage solicitors who have not yet been licensed will start the application process on the NMLS starting January 4, 2010. All licenses that are issued in 2010 will expire on December 31, 2010.

Please feel free to forward this blog post to your colleagues, listserv members or favorite bloggers. Or if you would like to run it (in whole or in part) in any publication or quote from it, simply include my name and URL: http://www.mortgagelicensesolutions.com. No prior permission needed. To inquire about joining my list to receive my blog posts or my availability to speak to your group or write an article for your publication, please email me at Robin@Mortgagelicensesolutions.com. Thank you!