Who requires it
Pennsylvania Department of Banking and Securities
License & permit · Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania Mortgage Licensing Act Bond
Mortgage brokers, lenders, servicers, and certain mortgage originators licensed under Pennsylvania’s Mortgage Licensing Act must maintain surety bonds in forms acceptable to the Department of Banking and Securities. Amounts follow license type and, for several categories, Pennsylvania dwelling/residential mortgage volume.
Common bond amount
$25,000–$500,000 by license type
Broker, lender, servicer, and originator schedules under 7 Pa.C.S. § 6131—confirm your exact tier and any advance-fee broker bond with DoBS/NMLS.
How you file
File electronically through NMLS with the Department of Banking and Securities
Renewal
Maintain for license term; 30-day cancellation notice to DoBS
Who requires it
Entities and individuals seeking or holding Mortgage Licensing Act licenses—mortgage brokers, mortgage lenders, mortgage servicers, and mortgage originators who must carry their own coverage when sponsored by a person excepted from bonding in the same manner as a lender. Advance-fee broker bonds apply unless the broker demonstrates to DoBS that it will not accept advance fees.
How much is required
7 Pa.C.S. § 6131 sets separate schedules. Mortgage lenders use Pennsylvania origination volume tiers of $100,000 (under $30 million), $200,000 ($30 million to $99,999,999.99), $300,000 ($100 million to $249,999,999.99), and $500,000 ($250 million or more). Mortgage brokers maintain originator-coverage bonds of $50,000 / $75,000 / $100,000 / $150,000 at under $15 million, $15–$29,999,999.99, $30–$49,999,999.99, and $50 million or more, plus a separate $100,000 advance-fee bond unless DoBS accepts an advance-fee exemption. Mortgage servicers post $500,000. Originators who must bond individually use $25,000 / $50,000 / $75,000 / $100,000 / $150,000 volume tiers. Initial lender and similar amounts may use anticipated first-year Pennsylvania volume; licensed amounts adjust from periodic reports as the statute directs.
How to get and file it
Work with a surety authorized in Pennsylvania on a bond form acceptable to DoBS, sized to your license type and Pennsylvania volume tier. File through NMLS with your mortgage license application or maintenance filings, and keep the name on the bond aligned with the NMLS record. Maintain the bond for the license term. Qualifying bonds must provide at least thirty days’ notice to the department before cancellation takes effect; cancellation does not erase coverage for the period the bond was in force. Recalculate volume-based amounts when DoBS adjusts them from reported Pennsylvania originations.
Cost note
Statutory figures are the required bond amount, not the premium you pay. See bond amount vs premium. Bond amount vs premium →
Requirement checklist
- Mortgage lender
- $100,000 / $200,000 / $300,000 / $500,000 by PA origination volume tiers in § 6131(c)
- Mortgage broker (originator coverage)
- $50,000 / $75,000 / $100,000 / $150,000 by PA volume tiers in § 6131(e)(3)
- Mortgage broker (advance fees)
- Additional $100,000 bond unless DoBS accepts a no-advance-fee demonstration
- Mortgage servicer
- $500,000 under § 6131(k)
- Certain mortgage originators
- $25,000–$150,000 volume tiers when individual bonding applies under § 6131(f)
Official sources
Related resources
Frequently asked questions
Do all mortgage brokers need two bonds?
Brokers need the originator-coverage surety on the volume schedule. The separate $100,000 advance-fee bond applies when the broker accepts advance fees; brokers who satisfy DoBS that they do not and will not accept advance fees are exempt from that additional bond.
Is the servicer bond volume-based?
No. Section 6131 sets the mortgage servicer surety at $500,000.
Related Pennsylvania bond guides
Credit Services Organization Bond
$5,000–$25,000
Credit services organizations that want to charge or receive money before fully performing contracted services must post a Credit Services Act surety bond—or establish a qualifying trust account—sized to recent buyer fees, with a $5,000 floor and $25,000 ceiling.
Sales Finance / Collector-Repossessor Bond
$10,000 / $5,000
Sales finance companies and collector-repossessors licensed under Pennsylvania’s Motor Vehicle Sales Finance Act must file a Department of Banking and Securities surety bond with each license application. Amounts are fixed: $10,000 for a sales finance company and $5,000 for a collector-repossessor, generally for each place of business.
Surety basics (not repeated here)
Universal surety concepts explained once—linked here instead of repeated on every state or bond page.
Continue with a Pennsylvania application
Pennsylvania 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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