Become a Loan Officer in North Carolina

Loan Officer Resources > State Licensing

If you’d like to become a licensed loan officer in North Carolina there is a clear path to follow. As a loan officer, aka a mortgage loan originator (MLO), your job will focused on helping home buyers find and secure the right home loan for them. Many of the steps to become licensed MLO are the same in all states, but there are few state specific tasks that must be completed to get your North Carolina loan officer license.

To be a successful loan officer you’ll need both a comprehensive understanding of the mortgage industry, financial regulations as well as good interpersonal and communication skills. You’ll need to learn the national and North Carolina state-level guidelines and will be required to pass an exam to show your mortgage knowledge and expertise. Let’s dive into our step-by-step guide of how to become a loan officer in NC.

Step 1: Request your NMLS account

Your first step is request an NMLS account through Nationwide Multistate Licensing System & Registry (NMLS), which is also commonly referred to as the Nationwide Mortgage Licensing System. If you already have an NMLS account, skip to step #3.

Step 2: Receive your personal NMLS ID number

Once you’ve registered with the NMLS, you’ll receive an individual NMLS ID number to use throughout your career as a loan officer. The same NMLS ID is used for your license in North Carolina and any other states you might consider getting licensed in like Virginia, Washington D.C. and Delaware.

Step 3: Review all the state-specific licensing requirements for NC

Next, check the North Carolina loan officer license requirements on NMLS’s Resource Center. Here you can see the other milestones you need to complete to get licensed as an MLO in North Carolina.

Step 4:  Complete the national and NC pre-licensing coursework

Complete the required 20 hours of pre-licensing coursework. Pre-licensing classes for becoming a mortgage loan officer cover a range of topics from mortgage industry fundamentals and financial regulations to ethics and professional conduct. In North Carolina, 4 additional hours of work must be completed that are dedicated to state-specific laws and regulations.

Morty recommends Oncourse Learning as a pre licensing course provider. If you’d like other recommendations, reach out through our Platform Loan Officer program.

Step 5: Prepare for the national SAFE Exam

After you’ve completed your pre license courses, it’s time to study for your SAFE exam. First you’ll want to purchase your SAFE test prep materials and practice tests to begin studying and getting ready for the Secure and Fair Enforcement (SAFE) exam. This exam was instituted by Congress as part of the Secure and Fair Enforcement for Mortgage Licensing Act of 2008. For loan officers joining the Morty platform, Morty covers the costs of test prep materials, a $100 value.

Step 6: Pass the national SAFE exam to become a licensed LO

To obtain your MLO license in NC, or in any state, you’ll need to pass the NMLS’s SAFE Exam with a score of 75% or higher. This test is designed to assess your understanding of crucial concepts in mortgage lending. The SAFE exam is 190 minutes long, allowing you ample time to demonstrate your knowledge and skills in various areas of mortgage loan origination. The cost of taking the SAFE exam is $110. 

Schedule your SAFE test at your convenience and when you feel prepared. If you do not pass the SAFE exam, you’ll have to wait 30 days to take it again.

Step 7: Complete a background check and get fingerprinted

Next, you must complete a criminal background check. The background check can be initiated through your NMLS portal. You must also make an appointment to have your fingerprints taken, which can also be arranged through the NMLS portal. The current cost of both the background check and the fingerprinting is $36.25.

Step 8: Submit your mortgage license application to NMLS

Once you’ve passed your test, done your background checks and submitted a licensing application, you’re ready to submit your North Carolina mortgage license application! To submit your application, head to your NMLS portal to: complete your Individual Form (MU4) and pay your NMLS fees. The cost to submit your mortgage officer license in North Carolina is: the $30 NMLS application fee, a $125 state application fee and a $15 credit report fee.

Step 9: Get sponsored by a mortgage company

After finding and being hired by a mortgage originator, that’s either a mortgage broker like Morty or a mortgage lender, you can initiate the sponsorship process by submitting the company’s credentials to the NMLS for verification. As soon as NMLS gives final approval — congrats, you officially have your mortgage loan originator license in North Carolina!

Are you looking for mortgage sponsorship in North Carolina?

We’d love for you to be sponsored by Morty! Morty is a technology-enabled online licensed mortgage broker. Morty offers loan officers, and their clients, a better, more seamless mortgage experience through our lender marketplace, competitive pricing, affordability tools, underwriting technology, along with the built-in support from our processing and fulfillment teams.

Interested in getting your MLO license in multiple states?

Getting licensed in multiple states is a great way to help grow your business and find new opportunities. To become licensed in states other than North Carolina, you’ll need to fulfill the additional education requirements for each state and submit your license application for each state through NMLS.

Morty is licensed in 45 states and can help you quickly get sponsored in multiple states. To help, we compiled mortgage licensing guides for many states including: Maine, Rhode Island, and New Jersey.

Joining the Morty platform as an MLO

Morty makes it quick and easy to for licensed MLOs to get sponsored and work off our platform. We’re so confident that new MLOs will love working with Morty, we’ll even reimburse you for the fees associated with pre-licensing, exams and applications after you’ve been sponsored and fully onboarded to Morty.