Mortgage Glossary
NMLS
Nationwide Multistate Licensing System — the federal/state registry that licenses every mortgage company and loan officer in the U.S.
What is NMLS?
NMLS stands for the Nationwide Multistate Licensing System. It is operated by the Conference of State Bank Supervisors (CSBS) and is the federally-mandated registry that licenses and tracks every mortgage lender, broker, and individual loan originator (MLO) in the United States. Created by the SAFE Act of 2008, it consolidated a previously fragmented patchwork of state-by-state licensing into a single system.
Every mortgage company has a company-level NMLS ID. Every individual loan officer has a personal NMLS ID. Both must appear on every mortgage advertisement, loan application, and disclosure. The IDs are how consumers, regulators, and other lenders verify that the entity they’re dealing with is properly licensed.
The public-facing portal is nmlsconsumeraccess.org. Anyone can look up a company or individual by name or NMLS ID and see active licenses, branch locations, and any regulatory disciplinary history.
How NMLS applies at Total Quality Lending
Total Quality Lending’s company NMLS ID is #1933377. Every loan officer at TQL is individually NMLS-licensed in the states where they originate. Our NMLS information appears in the footer of every page on this site and on every loan disclosure we issue. If you’re evaluating a lender, looking us up on nmlsconsumeraccess.org should always be step one.
FAQs
What is TQL's NMLS number?
Total Quality Lending's company NMLS ID is #1933377. You can verify at nmlsconsumeraccess.org.
Does my loan officer need to be NMLS-licensed?
Yes. Federal SAFE Act requires every mortgage loan originator (MLO) to be NMLS-registered. Bank-employed MLOs hold a 'registration'; non-bank MLOs must be fully licensed in each state they originate in. Both have an individual NMLS ID number.
How do I verify a mortgage company is legitimate?
Go to nmlsconsumeraccess.org and search by company name or NMLS ID. The site shows the entity's licensing status in every state, regulatory actions (if any), and the names/IDs of its registered loan officers. This is the consumer-protection front door for the U.S. mortgage industry.
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