TX Broker License Information

Recently, we've had a number of questions regarding TX Broker and Loan Officer License information, so here is some information about the license that we hope you will find helpful

1. Net Worth

• The broker must show personal net worth of at least $25,000 or provide a surety bond in the amount of $50,000. If a bond is needed, we would recommend contacting Surety Solutions at www.suretysolutionsllc.com No net worth requirement for loan officers.

2. Surety bond

• $50,000 only if you don’t meet the $25,000 personal financial requirement

3. Physical office required

• Yes, but current understanding is that the office does not have to have an employee present, just a phone number and a place where you could meet borrowers if they wanted. Can’t simply be a PO Box.

4. Experience required for broker (Experience evidenced by 2 original reference letters)

Effective 9/1/07, as a broker, you must meet ONE of the following (FYI, the best place for your education is http://www.allianceacademy.org) :

• 36 months of loan origination experience and 90 hours of Core classroom training, including 6 hours of ethics provided by an approved education provider if you have not been previously licensed as a broker or loan officer in TX
• 36 months of loan origination experience and 30 hours of Core classroom training, including 6 hours of ethics provided by an approved education provider if you have not been previously licensed as a broker, but have been licensed as a loan officer in TX
• 36 months of loan origination experience and no additional hours if you have been previously license as a broker under the MBLAct in TX
• 18 months of loan origination experience, a bachelors degree in finance, banking, or business administration and 90 hours of Core classroom training, including 6 hours of ethics provided by an approved education provider if you have not been previously licensed as a broker or loan officer in TX
• 18 months of loan origination experience, a bachelors degree in finance, banking, or business administration 30 hours of Core classroom training, including 6 hours of ethics provided by an approved education provider if you have not been previously licensed as a broker, but have been licensed as a loan officer in TX
• 18 months of loan origination experience, a bachelors degree in finance, banking, or business administration and no additional hours if you have been previously license as a broker under the MBLAct in TX
• Holds an active TX Real Estate Broker, TX Attorney, TX Insurance Agent license (see website for details) and takes the courses listed above

6. Experience required for loan officers

Effective 9/1/07, as a loan officer, you must meet ONE of the following and be sponsored by a broker (FYI, the best place for your education requirements is http://www.allianceacademy.org):

• 60 hours of Core classroom training, including 4 hours of Ethics, offered by an SML- approved provider, taken within the last two years
• 18 months of loan origination experience and 30 hours of Core classroom training, including 2 hours of Ethics offered by a TX approved provider taken within the last 2 years
• Holds an active TX Real Estate Broker, TX Attorney, TX Insurance Agent license (see website for details) and takes the courses listed above

7. Exam Requirement

• Yes and it is given through Promissor, Inc. It is your responsibility to schedule your exam with Promissor and locate the test location nearest you. Each individual within your company who wants to originate TX loans must take and pass this exam and file an application, however only one person must take the “Broker” test. Everyone else can just take the “Loan officer” test. However, if someone wants to take the broker test instead of the loan officer test (possibly for later use), that is fine as well.

8. Do L/O’s have to be licensed

• Yes, absolutely. TX is a very strange state when it comes to how they do their licensing. Typically, a state licenses the company as the “broker” but in TX the broker is actually an individual. Then, that one individual, can sponsor other loan officer to work underneath him/her. In many ways, it is more structured like the real estate industry, if that helps you to visualize it at all. So, when you are applying for a brokers license, you are applying for a personal license in your personal name (you will also get your entity approved, but that comes later as TX just started doing this and it will go into effect starting 1/1/08, but people should go ahead and start filing the paperwork now) and then each of your loan officers are getting personal licenses as well, but it is tied to you as their sponsor.

9. Typical Time frame of approval

• Once test is passed and application is filed, 60-90 days