Maine mortgage advertising rules

License and NMLS ID display

Statute. Guidance is not law.

Last verified 2026-09-17.

Statute 9-A M.R.S. §13-118 (Unique identifier shown):

"The unique identifier of any person originating a residential mortgage loan must be clearly shown on all residential mortgage loan application forms, solicitations or advertisements, including business cards or publicly accessible websites and any other documents as established by rule or order of the administrator."

Conjunctive/disjunctive: media list is inclusive; one content element. the unique identifier only. No name, license number, or Consumer Access link required. Drafting note that matters: Maine narrows the model language to "publicly accessible websites" (Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa and Kentucky say simply "websites"/"internet sites"). A credential-gated portal or intranet is arguably outside §13-118 in Maine. As in the other model-language states, whether §13-118 independently compels a *company's* identifier on company-level ads (as opposed to the originating individual's) is not resolved on the face of the statute. NOT VERIFIED.

Prohibited claims

Statute. Guidance is not law.

Last verified 2026-09-17.

Statute §13-116(9) (Prohibited acts and practices): "Make any false or deceptive statement or representation, including with regard to the rates, points or other financing terms or conditions for a residential mortgage loan, or engage in bait and switch advertising" Statute §9-301(1): "No creditor may engage in this State in false or misleading advertising concerning the terms and conditions of a consumer credit transaction subject to this article." Statute §3-201(1): "No creditor may engage in this State in false or misleading advertising concerning the terms or conditions of credit with respect to a consumer credit transaction or an open-end credit plan." Statute §10-304(1): "A loan broker may not engage in this State in false or misleading advertising concerning the terms and conditions of any services or assistance offered."

What it attaches to: §13-116(9) reaches *all* false or deceptive statements, with rates/points/terms as a named inclusion. §§3-201, 9-301 and 10-304 are each limited to terms and conditions (of credit / of the transaction / of the broker's services respectively). so a superlative claim about *service quality* would fall under Article 13 but arguably not under §9-301. No Maine ban on "lowest," "best," "cheapest," "guaranteed," "pre-approved," "free," "no cost," or "government."

Rate advertising

Statute. Guidance is not law.

Last verified 2026-09-17.

Statute §3-201(2). an advertisement "is misleading if:

A. It states the rate of finance charge and the rate is not stated in the form required by the provisions on disclosure; or B. It states the dollar amounts of the finance charge or instalment payments, and does not also state the rate of any finance charge and the number and amount of the installment payments."

Statute §3-201(3). multi-page treatment: "a catalog or other multiple-page advertisement is considered a single advertisement if it clearly and conspicuously displays a credit terms table setting forth the information required by this section." Statute §3-201(5). the safe harbor: "Advertising which complies with the Federal Consumer Credit Protection Act, 15 U.S.C.A. § 1601 et seq., does not violate subsection 2.". i.e., Reg Z compliance cures §3-201(2) but not §3-201(1) (the false/misleading prohibition stands independently). Statute §13-116(5): "Solicit, advertise or enter into a contract for specific interest rates, points or other financing terms unless the terms are actually available at the time of soliciting, advertising or contracting" Statute §3-201(4), §9-301(2), §10-304(2) each provide that the section "imposes no liability on the owner or personnel … of any medium in which an advertisement appears or through which it is disseminated". a media-outlet safe harbor, not a safe harbor for the advertiser or its agency.

Social media and character-limited media

Statute. Guidance is not law.

Last verified 2026-09-17.

Statute 9-A §1-301(2-A) defines "Advertisement" as "a commercial message in any medium that promotes, directly or indirectly, a consumer credit transaction". medium-neutral, so social and SMS are covered. §13-118 expressly reaches "business cards or publicly accessible websites." No abbreviated-disclosure or character-limited accommodation exists. NOT VERIFIED — no Maine guidance on social media or texting was located.

Penalties

Statute. Guidance is not law.

Last verified 2026-09-17.

Statute 9-A §13-112(2)–(4): the administrator may impose a civil fine after notice and opportunity for hearing; "A person who violates this section commits a civil violation for each act or omission described in subsection 2, a fine for which no more than $25,000 must be adjudged"; "Each violation or failure to comply with any directive or order of the administrator is a separate and distinct violation or failure." Broader Code remedies exist at §5-201 (effect of violations on rights of parties) and §6-113 (civil actions by administrator). NOT VERIFIED — Did not retrieve §5-201 or §6-113 in full; do not state amounts for those.