Who requires it
Louisiana Office of Financial Institutions — Residential mortgage
License & permit · Louisiana
Louisiana Mortgage Lender Bond
Louisiana residential mortgage lenders, mortgage brokers, and mortgage loan originators license through the Office of Financial Institutions on NMLS. R.S. 6:1088 requires a surety bond naming OFI. The amount is $25,000 when prior-calendar-year Louisiana residential loan volume is under $100,000,000, and $50,000 when that volume is $100,000,000 or greater.
Common bond amount
$25,000 or $50,000
Prior-year Louisiana residential volume under $100,000,000 = $25,000; $100,000,000 or greater = $50,000 (R.S. 6:1088).
How you file
File electronically through NMLS with the Office of Financial Institutions
Renewal
Keep continuous with the license; resize when volume crosses $100M
Who requires it
Applicants and licensees for Louisiana residential mortgage lender, mortgage broker, or mortgage loan originator credentials under the Louisiana SAFE Act framework administered by OFI. Exempt entities under the statute follow OFI guidance rather than this bond schedule.
How much is required
Section 6:1088 directs the commissioner to set the bond from a prescribed loan-volume report. Total dollar volume for the previous calendar year—built from residential mortgage loans secured by Louisiana immovable property that the applicant originated, funded, brokered, or serviced, including loans originated by employed mortgage loan originators—places the firm on one of two tiers: $0 through $99,999,999 → $25,000; $100,000,000 or greater → $50,000. New applicants without prior volume use the report method the commissioner prescribes, which in practice starts on the $25,000 tier unless volume already supports $50,000.
How to get and file it
Confirm the required amount from your prior-year Louisiana volume report. Authorize a surety in NMLS, have it issue the continuous electronic bond naming the Office of Financial Institutions, and deliver it with the company or individual mortgage license filing. Submit the bond with the initial or renewal application as the commissioner prescribes through NMLS. Recalculate when prior-year volume crosses the $100,000,000 threshold, and keep coverage active for the entire license term.
Cost note
Twenty-five thousand or fifty thousand dollars is the required bond amount, not the premium you pay. See bond amount vs premium. Bond amount vs premium →
Requirement checklist
- Lower tier
- $25,000 when prior-year LA residential volume is $0–$99,999,999
- Upper tier
- $50,000 when prior-year LA residential volume is $100,000,000 or greater
- Who requires it
- Office of Financial Institutions
- Authority
- R.S. 6:1088
Official sources
Related resources
Frequently asked questions
Do brokers and lenders use different Louisiana mortgage bonds?
R.S. 6:1088 uses the same two-tier schedule for lenders, brokers, and originators based on the combined prior-year Louisiana residential volume report. You still need the correct OFI license type, but the statutory bond table is shared.
What if I am brand new with no prior Louisiana volume?
The statute sizes the bond from the commissioner’s prescribed volume report. Applicants without a prior calendar year of Louisiana volume typically begin on the $25,000 tier unless reported volume already reaches $100,000,000—confirm on your NMLS checklist.
Related Louisiana bond guides
Money Transmitter Bond
$25,000–$500,000
Louisiana money transmitters and sellers of checks license with the Office of Financial Institutions under the Sale of Checks and Money Transmission Act. R.S. 6:1037 requires a surety bond—or approved cash or securities deposit—of at least $25,000 for the first license year, with renewals sized from outstanding checks or annual transmission volume, ordinarily capped at $500,000.
Credit Repair Services Organization Bond
$100,000
Anyone providing credit repair services to Louisiana consumers must maintain a $100,000 surety bond under R.S. 9:3573.4. The bond is filed with the Louisiana Attorney General—not the Office of Financial Institutions—even though OFI once regulated the activity. OFI no longer issues a credit-repair license, but the statutory surety remains mandatory.
Motor Vehicle Dealer Bond
$10,000 / $20,000 / $50,000
Louisiana uses two statewide dealer commissions with different bond amounts. The Louisiana Motor Vehicle Commission requires a $20,000 bond before issuing a motor vehicle or recreational products dealer license under R.S. 32:1254. The Louisiana Used Motor Vehicle Commission requires a continuing $50,000 surety bond under R.S. 32:791 for used motor vehicle dealer licenses. Used-dealer licenses issued under the LMVC Chapter instead of LUMVC follow a separate $10,000-per-location schedule in R.S. 32:1254(F).
Surety basics (not repeated here)
Universal surety concepts explained once—linked here instead of repeated on every state or bond page.
Continue with a Louisiana application
Louisiana will be preselected. Choose your bond type in the application—we confirm the correct product against your agency form before anything is issued.
Last verified 2026-08-11. This guide is based on verified educational content and official sources.
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