States / Tennessee
Tennessee MLO licensing requirements
Quick answer
What does it take to become a licensed MLO in Tennessee?
Tennessee originators pass the same SAFE MLO National Test as every other state, then complete Tennessee's own licensing steps through NMLS , regulated by Tennessee Department of Financial Institutions, Compliance Division. See the quick facts below for what is different here, and the full breakdown after that.
- Regulator
- Tennessee Department of Financial Institutions, Compliance Division
- How this state deviates
- Tennessee licenses mortgage loan originators (MLOs) through the Department of Financial Institutions (TDFI), Compliance Division. TDFI is a single regulator for MLOs: Tennessee does not split originators between two agencies by employer type.
- Surety bond
- Surety bond and application fee. Tennessee sets its own bond and fee amounts. We do not host a dollar figure we have not sourced and dated ourselves; use the state matrix and the TDFI page linked above for the current numbers.
- Continuing education
- Pre-licensure and continuing education hours beyond the federal minimum. TDFI's public MLO page, as reviewed, does not state a Tennessee-specific pre-licensure hour add-on distinct from the federal 20-hour SAFE Act floor. Confirm the current requirement on the state matrix and the TDFI page before enrolling, since state add-ons do change.
The steps, in order
- Create an NMLS account and request a unique identifier
- Complete 20 hours of NMLS-approved pre-licensure education (plus any Tennessee add-on, confirm on the matrix)
- Pass the SAFE MLO National Test with Uniform State Test content
- Authorize a criminal background check and a credit report
- Obtain the required surety bond (amount per the state, see the published matrix)
- File the state license application through the Tennessee Department of Financial Institutions via NMLS
- Get sponsored by an NMLS-registered company to activate the license
Tennessee licenses mortgage loan originators (MLOs) through the Department of Financial Institutions (TDFI), Compliance Division. TDFI is a single regulator for MLOs: Tennessee does not split originators between two agencies by employer type.
The governing law
Tennessee licenses MLOs under the Tennessee Residential Lending, Brokerage and Servicing Act, Tennessee Code Annotated Title 45, Chapter 13. TCA 45-13-105(16)(A) defines an MLO as an individual who, for compensation or gain, takes a residential mortgage loan application or offers or negotiates residential mortgage loan terms. Filings run through the Nationwide Multistate Licensing System (NMLS), the same national system covered in our how to become an MLO guide: NMLS account, pre-licensure education, the SAFE MLO National Test, background and credit checks, bond, application, then sponsorship.
What is Tennessee-specific
- Regulator: Tennessee Department of Financial Institutions, Compliance Division. Official MLO page: tn.gov/tdfi/mortgage-consumer-lending/mlo.html. Licensing contact: (615) 253-6714.
- Statute citation. Tennessee Code Annotated 45-13-105(16)(A) (definition of mortgage loan originator) and the surrounding Chapter 13 (Tennessee Residential Lending, Brokerage and Servicing Act) govern licensing.
- Pre-licensure and continuing education hours beyond the federal minimum. TDFI’s public MLO page, as reviewed, does not state a Tennessee-specific pre-licensure hour add-on distinct from the federal 20-hour SAFE Act floor. Confirm the current requirement on the state matrix and the TDFI page before enrolling, since state add-ons do change.
- Surety bond and application fee. Tennessee sets its own bond and fee amounts. We do not host a dollar figure we have not sourced and dated ourselves; use the state matrix and the TDFI page linked above for the current numbers.
Sponsorship and next steps
A Tennessee MLO license, like every state license, stays inactive until an NMLS-registered company sponsors it. See sponsorship explained for how that works in practice, and use the state licensing steps tool to walk the full ordered sequence, or the cost breakdown tool to see where Tennessee’s education, application, and bond costs land against other paths.
Sources: Tennessee Department of Financial Institutions, MLO page (tn.gov/tdfi/mortgage-consumer-lending/mlo.html), reviewed 2026-07-29; Tennessee Code Annotated Title 45, Chapter 13, § 45-13-105, reviewed 2026-07-29.
Last verified 2026-07-29. Requirements come from official sources and change over time: always confirm the current fee, bond, and hour figures at the regulator page linked above before you rely on them.
Want the shared federal order alongside every state's deviation in one wizard? Use the state-steps wizard. For the dollar picture, see the cost breakdown tool, and to see whether the whole path pays off for you, run the is-it-worth-it calculator.