What it takes to get a mortgage loan officer license in Maryland
Maryland Mortgage Loan Originator License Requirements
Issued by Maryland Office of Financial Regulation
Total Course Hours
20 hrs
National & Elective
15 hrs
Maryland-Specific
5 hrs
License Fee
$225
Of the 20 hours, 5 must cover Maryland law and rules and the other 15 are the national SAFE Act topics and electives.
Maryland asks for more state-specific content than any other jurisdiction, 5 hours, but takes it out of the 20 rather than adding to it. The Office of Financial Regulation's own breakdown is 3 hours federal law, 3 ethics, 2 non-traditional lending, 3 Maryland mortgage law, 2 Maryland finders fee law and 7 electives. A course sold as a generic 20-hour SAFE class will not cover the Maryland 5.
Maryland requires bond coverage for every licensed originator, but an originator employed by a licensed lender or broker is covered by that employer's bond rather than buying their own. The amount is set from the employer's loan volume, so there is no single figure that applies to an individual.
Requirements verified 2026-08-10 against the official source.
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How to become a mortgage loan officer in Maryland
Originating mortgage loans in Maryland takes 20 hours of pre-licensing education from a provider approved by the Nationwide Multistate Licensing System, usually written NMLS. Maryland Office of Financial Regulation issues the license and calls it the Maryland Mortgage Loan Originator License.
The number to slow down on is the 5. Maryland requires 5 of those 20 hours to cover its own mortgage law, and they come out of the 20 rather than being added on top of them. So the total matches a state that asks for nothing of its own, which is exactly what catches people out: a generic 20-hour national course looks like the whole requirement and leaves you 5 hours short of a Maryland license.
Continuing education is a separate annual obligation and it does not track the pre-licensing rules. Maryland wants 8 hours every year, 1 of them on Maryland law.
Maryland Office of Financial Regulation charges $225 to apply for the Maryland Mortgage Loan Originator License. NMLS charges its own processing fees on top of that and those are the same in every jurisdiction, so the license costs more than the state's own figure suggests. The cost breakdown adds up the whole stack.
4 providers in this comparison sell pre-licensing courses for Maryland, priced from $99 to $669. Read the coverage column before the price column: a package that skips the 5 Maryland hours is cheaper and does not get you licensed.
Maryland mortgage license FAQ
How many hours of coursework do I need to become a loan officer in Maryland? ▾
20 hours in total, of which 5 must cover Maryland law and rules and the remaining 15 are the national SAFE topics and electives. Note that the 5 Maryland hours come out of the 20 rather than being added to it, so a generic 20-hour SAFE course will not cover them. Every hour has to come from an NMLS-approved course provider.
What exam do I have to pass in Maryland? ▾
The SAFE Act national test carrying uniform state content. Every state and territory has adopted it, so there is no separate Maryland exam behind it. You need 75 percent to pass.
What does the license itself cost in Maryland? ▾
$225 to Maryland Office of Financial Regulation, plus the fees NMLS charges to process the application. Course tuition is separate and varies by provider. The cost breakdown page has the full stack.
Do I need a surety bond in Maryland? ▾
Yes. Maryland requires bond coverage for every licensed originator, but an originator employed by a licensed lender or broker is covered by that employer's bond rather than buying their own. The amount is set from the employer's loan volume, so there is no single figure that applies to an individual.
What does a Maryland mortgage license cost in total?
Course tuition is only part of it. See the full stack of state and NMLS fees.