Guide
What a SAFE MLO test pass does and does not doA pass clears one of six minimum standards and is good in every state. NMLS licenses nobody: the state agency does, and an unused pass expires after five years.
Publications
Guides to the exam, bulletins when a rule moves, and case notes on published enforcement decisions.
Guide
Mortgage fraud schemes and SAR filing rulesNon-bank mortgage originators have filed suspicious activity reports since 2012. The $5,000 trigger, the 30 and 60 day deadlines, five year retention.
Guide
Mortgage advertising rules: Regulation N and ZRegulation N bars 19 kinds of misrepresentation in mortgage ads and keeps records 24 months. Regulation Z s. 1026.24 sets triggering terms and seven bans.
Guide
Higher-priced vs high-cost mortgage testsHPML turns on one APR test at 1.5, 2.5 or 3.5 points over APOR. HOEPA has three tests: APR at 6.5 or 8.5, points and fees, and the prepayment penalty terms.
Recent changes to the rules
- 2027-01-01 (upcoming) FHA accepts VantageScore 4.0 and FICO Score 10T alongside Classic FICO for case numbers assigned on or after this date. FHA credit score models from January 1, 2027.
- 2026-07-21 (upcoming) Regulation B amended: ECOA no longer read to carry an effects test, discouragement defined, new conditions on for-profit special purpose credit programs. Regulation B after July 21, 2026.
- 2026-01-07 (upcoming) Asset-size exemptions reset for 2026: HMDA reporting at $59 million, the HPML escrow exemption at $2.785 billion and $12.485 billion. The 2026 Regulation Z thresholds.
- 2026-01-01 (upcoming) Regulation Z thresholds reset for 2026: HOEPA total loan amount $27,592, points and fees $1,380, HPML appraisal exemption $34,200. The 2026 Regulation Z thresholds.
Bulletins
Records of rule changes that touch the exam, with the date each takes effect.
- FHA adds VantageScore 4.0 and FICO 10T in 2027
FHA INFO 2026-21 set January 1, 2027 for VantageScore 4.0 and FICO Score 10T on FHA-insured loans. The tri-merge credit report requirement stays.
- Regulation B disparate impact rule, July 2026
From July 21, 2026 Regulation B s. 1002.6(a) says ECOA does not provide that the effects test applies. The rule changed Regulation B only.
Guides
Reference pages on how the exam and its rules work.
- Mortgage fraud schemes and SAR filing rules
Non-bank mortgage originators have filed suspicious activity reports since 2012. The $5,000 trigger, the 30 and 60 day deadlines, five year retention.
- Mortgage advertising rules: Regulation N and Z
Regulation N bars 19 kinds of misrepresentation in mortgage ads and keeps records 24 months. Regulation Z s. 1026.24 sets triggering terms and seven bans.
- Higher-priced vs high-cost mortgage tests
HPML turns on one APR test at 1.5, 2.5 or 3.5 points over APOR. HOEPA has three tests: APR at 6.5 or 8.5, points and fees, and the prepayment penalty terms.
- The loan originator compensation rule
Regulation Z s. 1026.36 bars pay based on a loan term or a proxy, bars dual compensation, and sets the three-option anti-steering safe harbor.
- Business days under TRID: does Saturday count?
Regulation Z carries two business day definitions. The precise one counts Saturday and drops Sundays and federal holidays. Which rule uses which, in a table.
- Loan originator license denial and revocation
A revoked license anywhere is a permanent bar. A felony inside seven years bars, and fraud, dishonesty, breach of trust or money laundering bars forever.
If a post is wrong
Each post is checked against its sources before it goes out, and mistakes still get through. Write to us and it gets corrected. New posts go out on the RSS feed.