Maryland mortgage advertising rules

License and NMLS ID display

Statute. Guidance is not law.

Last verified 2026-09-17.

(a) Licensed companies — Regulation COMAR 09.03.06.06.B(4):

"A licensee shall disclose its NMLS unique identifier in every advertisement."

Single element for a company ad: the NMLS unique identifier. Plus the name constraint at B(1): "A licensee may not advertise under any name or address other than a name or address that: (a) Appears on its license; or (b) Has been approved by the Commissioner … and is listed as a trade name on the licensee's NMLS record.". B(1) is disjunctive (licensed name or Commissioner-approved trade name on the NMLS record). B(2): an advertisement "Need not disclose any address of the advertiser; and May use the trade name of a parent corporation."

(b) Licensed MLOs — Regulation COMAR 09.03.09.09.B(3). CONJUNCTIVE, two elements:

"In any advertisement, a mortgage loan originator must disclose: (a) The name or approved trade name of the mortgage loan originator's employer; and (b) The mortgage loan originator's NMLSR Unique Identifier."

So an MLO ad must carry employer name AND the MLO's NMLS ID. the employer's *name*, notably, not the employer's NMLS ID. A company ad must carry the company's NMLS ID. not necessarily its name. Getting these backwards is the classic Maryland error.

(c) Website / app / social profile. a separate statutory duty. Statute Md. Code Fin. Inst. §11-512.1 (verified against the official Maryland General Assembly text):

"(b) Each licensee shall conspicuously display the following information on the licensee's website, any software application accessible to the public and used to engage in business as a mortgage lender, and profile page within each social media platform the licensee uses: (1) The licensee's unique identifier; and (2) A link to the NMLS Consumer Access website."

CONJUNCTIVE. two elements (identifier AND a working link), and it reaches mobile apps and every social media platform profile the licensee uses. This is a statutory duty independent of the COMAR ad rules.

(d) Physical location. Statute §11-512.1(a): "Each licensee shall conspicuously post, in 48 point or larger type, at each licensed location … (1) The licensee's unique identifier; and (2) A statement advising consumers of the availability of the NMLS Consumer Access website to verify the licensing status of the licensee." §11-512.1(c) excuses posting where the licensee "does not regularly grant access to that licensed location to members of the general public."

Prohibited claims

Statute. Guidance is not law.

Last verified 2026-09-17.

Regulation COMAR 09.03.06.06.A (companies) and 09.03.09.09.A (MLOs), identical in substance:

"A person may not publish, or cause to be published, any advertisement, or make or cause to be made any representation, that: (1) Contains any false, misleading, or deceptive statements regarding the making, brokering, or servicing of mortgage loans; or (2) Misrepresents terms, availability, rates, or charges incident to a mortgage loan."

What it attaches to: clause (1) is general (any false/misleading/deceptive statement about making, brokering, or servicing). Clause (2) attaches specifically to terms, availability, rates, or charges. note "availability" is called out as its own protected subject, which reaches "you're approved"/"you qualify" creative independent of any rate claim. No Maryland ban on the specific words "lowest," "best," "cheapest," "guaranteed," "pre-approved," "free," "no cost," or "government."

Attribution rules. Maryland assigns responsibility explicitly:

• 09.03.06.06.B(6): "A licensee is responsible for a violation of §A of this regulation even if a parent corporation's trade name is used as permitted in §B(2)(b)."
• 09.03.06.06.B(7): "A licensee is responsible for any advertisement disseminated by an employee of the licensee if such advertisement relates to activities performed by the licensee or by the employee in the employee's capacity as an employee of the licensee.". This is the rule that makes an LO's personal social post the company's problem as a matter of codified law.

Social media and character-limited media

Statute. Guidance is not law.

Last verified 2026-09-17.

Regulation COMAR 09.03.06.06.B(5) (companies):

"Notwithstanding §B(4) of this regulation, a licensee who utilizes social media for advertising purposes need not disclose the licensee's NMLS unique identifier in each statement published through a social media platform, provided that the NMLS unique identifier is displayed prominently on the licensee's profile page within the social media platform."

Regulation COMAR 09.03.09.09.B(4) (MLOs):

"Notwithstanding §B(3) of this regulation, a mortgage loan originator who utilizes social media for advertising purposes need not disclose the name of the mortgage loan originator's employer or the NMLSR Unique Identifier of the mortgage loan originator in each statement published through a social media platform, provided that such information is disclosed prominently on the mortgage loan originator's home page within that social media platform."

This is a true per-post exemption conditioned on profile-page disclosure. the accommodation most compliance products want. Note the conditions differ: the company version requires the identifier on the "profile page"; the MLO version requires both the employer name and the MLO identifier on the MLO's "home page" within the platform. Note also that the accommodation is limited to a "social media platform". it does not by its terms extend to SMS/text or to paid display ads. Also relevant: §11-512.1(b) (statute) independently requires the identifier and a Consumer Access link on the social profile page. so the COMAR accommodation and the statute point to the same place, but the statute demands more on that page than COMAR does. Regulation 09.03.06.06.B(3) permits a licensee to use an e-mail address or website address different from the licensed name/address, "provided that the content of any e-mail correspondence, or of the website itself, uses only a name that appears on the licensee's license or has been approved by the Commissioner … and is listed as a trade name on the licensee's NMLS record.". domain names and email addresses are treated more permissively than on-page content.

Penalties

Statute. Guidance is not law.

Last verified 2026-09-17.

Statute Md. Code Fin. Inst. §11-523 (via Justia, SECONDARY):

• (a): "Any person who willfully violates any provision of this subtitle or any rule or regulation adopted under it is guilty of a felony," with fines up to $50,000 and/or up to 10 years imprisonment.
• (b): an unlicensed non-exempt person who facilitates mortgage loans in violation of the subtitle "may collect only the principal amount of the loan and may not collect any interest, costs, finder's fees, broker fees, or other charges."
• (c): misappropriation or fraudulent conversion of borrower funds exceeding $300, or fraudulent acts in mortgage lending, is a felony with fines up to $100,000 and/or up to 15 years.

Maryland is the only state in this batch where a willful advertising-rule violation is framed as a felony. Civil/administrative enforcement also runs through §11-517 (suspension or revocation; enforcement of subtitle and regulations). NOT VERIFIED — Did not retrieve §11-517 in full; do not state a Maryland administrative civil-penalty amount without pulling it.