NMLS Prelicensing Education, Continuing Education and Testing Help
The NMLS has allocated their call center staff to serve licensees on license applications and other tasks. The NMLS call center no longer supports phone calls or answers questions for Pre-licensure Education, continuing education or the MLO SAFE Exam on the national component with the Uniform State Test (UST) but we do and will answer your questions or help you find solutions.
If you have NMLS Education and Testing questions we have answers! Call now (317) 201-7612, we answer days, nights and weekends. Click here to Contact Us inform us what you want to accomplish and we will walk you through to your solution(s)!
Find answers to the most common education related questions.
Jump to questions related to:
- General
- Prelicensure Education (PE)
- Continuing Education (CE)
- Late CE – Make-up CE for previous year to reinstate an expired license
- Miscellaneous
General
Question. How do I find out exactly what education and or testing is needed to get licensed?
Use our education, testing and licensing expert, print your course records to PDF and get a specific minimum of effort prescription of what to do to qualify for your licensing objectives.
How do I get expert guidance on the minimum education needed to get additional states?
Send us your NMLS education record, every state-licensed MLO or persons with a NMLS ID number has access to a course completion record in NMLS. There is not any sensitive information on your education record and we can accurately inform you of your needed plan of action in milliseconds what many MLOs waste hours trying to discover. Avoid wasting more time and money, let us be of service to you and or your team!
It is easy to get your solution, follow these steps on a treasure hunt in your NMLS records:
1. Go to https://www.statemortgageregistry.com/Public/Default.aspx
2. Choose State: Non-depository or Federal
3. Enter your user name and password, click composite view on the top right
4. Click “View Individual” top middle, down a little
5. On the left hand menu click "Education Records"
6. Expand all pluses next to any and all CE years to expand those years, so we can discover any missed CE from previous years
7. Print your record to PDF and email Alan@AAAMortgageTraining.com and advise us which states you want to reinstate or get licensed in now.
Question. How do I find a school for mortgage education?
A. Answer you have found your school, this website is for AAA Mortgage Training, we are an approved NMLS education provider, NMLS Education Provider Number 1400980 We deliver classroom, webinar, online instructor led and online self study courses. If you need a course that you can not find on our website, we are here to assist, our lead National Trainer has 24 years of experience and will provide the right solution to reach your licensing objective. NMLS Approved Education Providers are the only entities authorized to deliver courses for MLO licensing look no further, contact us and we will craft a custom NMLS MLO Education solution today.
Q. How is PE or CE reported?
A. After completion of a PE or CE course, the course provider AAA Mortgage Training will report the course completion to NMLS. Course providers have seven (7) calendar days to report to NMLS, AAA Mortgage Training most often reports the same day or the next day following completion, if you do not see the completion click Contact Us and we will investigate and resolve the discrepancy.
Q. Is there a place to view my completed education?
A. Every state-licensed MLO or persons with a NMLS ID number has access to a course completion record in NMLS.
Original exact 20 hour course name and date completed needed to help us assign you only the bare minimum education to meet your current state licensing objectives follow these steps on a treasure hunt in your NMLS records:
1. Go to https://www.statemortgageregistry.com/Public/Default.aspx
2. Choose State: Non-depository or Federal
3. Enter your user name and password, click composite view on the top right
4. Click “View Individual” top middle, down a little
5. On the left hand menu click "Education Records"
6. Scroll all the way to the bottom below any and all CE records there you will find your Pre-Licensure Education (PE) records.
7. What is the exact name and date of completion for your 20 hour course? If in doubt copy and paste or print screen of all education records and email Alan@AAAMortgageTraining.com with subject line education records review and Alan an Education, Testing and Licensing expert will prescribe the courses needed saving you time and money!
The record contains a complete history of all NMLS approved education completed. The record also displays the number of hours required for specific licenses and any outstanding requirements. Course completion records how to view NMLS guide https://nationwidelicensingsystem.org/licensees/resources/LicenseeResources/Viewing%20Course%20Completion%20and%20Compliance%20Records%20in%20NMLS_I.pdf
Question. What do I do if education is missing?
A. Confirm you have completed the course by receipt of a completion certificate, Reach out to your course provider and request the status of reporting. If AAA Mortgage Training is your course provider, click Contact Us. Be sure to include your full name as it appears in NMLS and your NMLS ID number. Common obstacles to reporting is an incorrect NMLS number (often transposed), a hyphenated or outdated last name, or course not fully completed.
Pre-licensure Education (PE)
Q. What are MLO Pre-Licensure Education (PE) requirements? Our State Comprehensive Course Bundles include all of these Federal Requirements along with the state specific requirements, it takes the guessing game or research out of your needed mortgage loan originator education licensing solution.
A. Federal and state law (SAFE Act) requires state-licensed mortgage loan originators (MLOs) to complete PE. The minimum requirement is 20 hours of NMLS approved education which includes the following:
a. Three (3) hours of Federal law and regulations;
b. Three (3) hours of ethics that shall include instruction on fraud, consumer protection, and fair lending issues;
c. Two (2) hours related to lending standards for the nontraditional mortgage product market; and
d. Twelve (12) hours of undefined instruction on mortgage origination
Alert: Many state agencies also have state-specific PE requirements. See the State-Specific Education Requirements for details or click here to contact us for expert solutions.
Q. When do I need to complete the 20 hours of PE?
A. The 20 hours of PE (as well as any state-specific PE) is required to be completed prior to license application.
Q. When do I need to complete PE for Temporary Authority to Operate?
A. MLOs need to complete federal and state education requirements within 120 days of their Temporary Authority start date. See the State-Specific Education Requirements for the Education and Temporary Authority policy for details.
Temporary Authority Deadlines: The following deadlines take into consideration the time required to complete education, for information to be reported, and for the education record to be updated in NMLS.
SAFE TA: Requirements and Education Record is Updated within 90 Days of Temporary Authority
TA At Risk: Requirements and Education Record is Not Updated at 100 Days of Temporary Authority
PROBABLY GUARANTEED LOSS OF TA: Requirements and Education Record Not Updated at 100 Days of Temporary Authority, give your state regulator time to review and approve before the 120 day deadline
Q. Will NMLS block application for a license if the MLO is not PE compliant?
A. Yes. NMLS will validate the MLO is compliant with BOTH Federal and State agency requirements prior to application submission. NMLS will also require completion of pending CE requirements for the last year the MLO held the license if the MLO is applying for a previously held license. AAA Mortgage Training can report same day completion, get your courses here, complete the course and lets make sure you get your license application opened as soon as possible!
Q. Does PE expire?
A. PE expires after three (3) years in accordance with the following rule: An individual who completed 20 hours of PE pursuant to 12 U.S.C. 5104(c) must retake 20 hours of PE in order to be eligible for state mortgage loan originator licensure if he or she:
(1)fails to acquire a valid state license or federal registration as a mortgage loan originator within three years from the date of federal compliance with 12 U.S.C. 5104(c);or
(2)fails to acquire a valid state license or federal registration as a mortgage loan originator within three years from the last date of licensure or registration as a mortgage loan originator.
See the PE Expiration Policy
Q. When is the PE Expiration policy enforced?
A. Several states have already or are in the process of enacting the PE Expiration policy. Check on an agency’s status in the State-Specific Education Requirements.
Continuing Education (CE)
Q. What are the Continuing Education (CE) requirements?
A. Federal and State law requires MLOs to complete a minimum of eight (8) hours of annual CE which must include the following:
a. Three (3) hours of Federal law and regulations;
b. Two (2) hours of ethics that shall include instruction on fraud, consumer protection, and fair lending issues;
c. Two (2) hours of training related to lending standards for the nontraditional mortgage product market; and
d. One (1) hour of undefined instruction on mortgage origination.
Alert: Many state agencies also have state-specific CE requirements. See the State-Specific Education Requirements for details.
Q. What are SMART Deadlines?
- SMART Deadlines are set each year to help ensure MLOs complete their CE in time for courses to be reported into NMLS and to allow time for submitting the renewal application. AAA Mortgage Training reports on New Years Eve so you can renew at the last minute, yet why procrastinate, get started today, click here to get to our CE Course Catalogue or Contact us andwe will craft a custom Continuing Education plan of action.
The SMART Deadlines for 2023 are:
SMART Renewal Deadline: CE course reported to NMLS by Friday, December 8
At-Risk-to-Miss Renewal Deadline: Course reported to NMLS by Friday, December 15
Guaranteed to Miss Renewal Deadline: Course reported to NMLS on Friday, December 29 AAA Mortgage Training recommends following these NMLS suggestions, yet we do report same day completions on December 31st every year and MLOs do get renewed in time
Q. When do I need to complete CE?
A. The CE requirement is set based on license approval date and is required to be completed annually prior to submitting for license renewal. See the State-Specific Education Requirements for additional details and deadlines.
Q. Will NMLS block renewal for a license if the MLO is not CE compliant?
A. Yes. NMLS will validate the MLO is compliant with BOTH Federal and State annual CE requirements as a condition for applying for renewal.
Q. Can I take the same CE course two years in a row?
A. No, the SAFE Act specifically prohibits the taking of the same course in successive years. You CAN use the same provider but need to take a different course number in successive years, the NMLS tracks and enforces this solely by course numbers See the SAFE Act's Successive Year Rule.
Q. Will the system place a license item for CE?
A. The system will automatically place a license item on each MLO license if the MLO is not yet CE compliant for the license on or around July 15 of that year. The license setting will be cleared by the system once the MLO has become compliant for CE (both federal and any state requirement).
Q. Are MLOs notified if CE is required?
Answer: NMLS sends monthly CE notifications as reminder that CE needs to be completed. Note: the notice has nothing to do with any previous year’s CE requirements and your current license(s) is/are not impacted.
Q. Why does my record show “Pending CE” for this year?
The course completion record shows “pending” for the current year because on January 1 the system set a CE requirement for the new calendar year. For example, just as you may have completed CE in 2021 to renew a license for 2022, you will be required to complete CE in 2022 to renew the license for 2023.
Q. When is CE required?
A. CE is required in the same year as licensure unless your first original Federal 20 Hour SAFE PE was also completed that year. See State-Specific Education Requirements for the Uniform CE policy.
Q. What if an MLO completed state-specific PE this year, are they still required to complete CE?
A. Yes. If an MLO is already licensed with Federal PE compliance in a previous year and completes state-specific PE for another license, the MLO is still required to complete CE for that agency for the current year. For example: An MLO is licensed in OR in 2016; in 2021, they complete 4 hours of WA state-specific PE and are granted a WA license on 6/12/21. The MLO is still required to complete CE in 2021 (including the 1hour of WA CE state-specific) as condition for renewal in both OR and WA.
Q. What if an MLO is licensed on November 15?
A. If an MLO is licensed between November 1 and December 31 of any year, they will not be required to complete CE for that year. On Jan 1, YYYY, NMLS will automatically set the CE requirement for the next year. However, if the license status date is entered with a date prior to November 1 during the renewal period, the MLO will be required to complete CE for that year.
Q. What about CE compliance for MU2 individuals?
A. NMLS is not currently tracking CE compliance for MU2 individuals. However, requirements for MU2 individuals are listed on the charts and the requirements are being manually reviewed by relevant state agencies. Look up an agency in the State-Specific Education Requirements.
Late CE – Make-up CE for previous year for MLO License Reinstatement
Q. How do I make-up CE from a previous year?
A. To make-up CE from a previous year you must complete Late CE. NMLS maintains a Late CE Catalog. These are the only courses that can be taken to make-up CE. See AAA Mortgage Training's Late CE course catalog for more information or contact us for assistance and solutions.
Q. When is Late CE required?
A. Late CE is required during the annual reinstatement period. Late CE is also required if an MLO left and is returning to the industry and is used to satisfy CE requirements that were not completed in the last year the MLO held the license. Note: if more than three years have passed, PE will have expired and you will be required to retake PE instead of Late CE.
Q. Does NMLS track state-specific Late CE?
A. Yes. Course providers will report state-specific Late CE just like they do other courses and the system will automatically apply the Late CE to the appropriate year. In the event of an exception, the reported Late CE will be processed and manually applied to the correct year.
Miscellaneous
Q. How does NMLS know what the education requirements are for each agency?
A. NMLS is programmed with Federal PE and CE requirements as required by the SAFE Act. State-specific PE and CE requirements are set by each state agency through a license setting interface based on requirements set forth in state statute or regulation. Every agency can set their own state-specific requirements for each of their license types. NMLS performs compliance checks at the time of application for PE, and sets the CE requirement when the license is approved.
Q. What if an agency wants to change its state-specific education requirements?
A. State agencies can modify their state-specific education requirements at any time with advance notice. The advance notice is required to ensure industry is aware of the new requirement and so course providers can modify courses.
Q. What happens if an agency changes its PE or CE hour requirements?
A. If there is a change to PE requirements any applicant will be required to meet the new requirements on or after the effective date of the new requirement. For example, if an agency changes their PE requirement from 2 hours to 4 hours of state-specific education effective July 1, any application filed and in a pending status as of June 30th, will remain compliant for having met the 2 hour requirement. Any application submitted on or after July 1 will not be accepted if the individual has not completed the 4 hours of state-specific education.
If a state agency changes its CE requirements at any time during the calendar year, all MLO’s licensed with that agency will be required to meet the new hour requirement even if they were already CE compliant. For example, if an agency had a requirement for 8 hours of CE on 1/1/2017, and then the agency changes their requirement to include 1 hour of state-specific CE effective July 1, 2021, any MLO that was already CE compliant as of 6/30/2021 will now have to complete the 1 hour of state-specific education.
Q. If I work for a commercial bank or other federally chartered institution, do I need to take the SAFE-required education courses?
A. Non-state-licensed MLOs do not have the same formal CE requirements as state-licensed MLOs. The CFPB’s final rule on Reg Z (Part 1026.36(f) states in part: Loan Officers will receive periodic training covering Federal and State law requirements that apply to the individual loan originator’s loan origination activities. Unlike for state licensed MLOs, the final rule is not prescriptive on the education requirements and is deliberately board as it is intended to take into consideration the types of activities a registered MLO performs daily.