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All states · Filled 2026-09-17

Michigan mortgage advertising rules

Reference only

Adline flags phrases that match cited rules. It does not certify that Michigan marketing is compliant. We flag and cite. We never certify. This is not legal advice. Whether a rule reaches you depends on your license type. Federal Reg Z and Reg N still apply.

Reference only. Michigan rules are written down here. The engine does not scan for them yet. The engine cites Washington, Arizona, and Idaho only.

Regulating agency

Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services (DIFS)

Last verified 2026-09-17.

Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services (DIFS).

NMLS and license display: Conjunctive.

Governing statute and administrative code

Last verified 2026-09-17.

  • [STATUTE] Mortgage Brokers, Lenders, and Servicers Licensing Act (MBLSLA), 1987 PA 173, MCL 445.1651–445.1684. first mortgage loans.
  • [STATUTE] The Secondary Mortgage Loan Act (SMLA), 1981 PA 125, MCL 493.51–493.81. junior-lien / secondary mortgage loans.
  • [STATUTE] Mortgage Loan Originator Licensing Act (MLOLA), 2009 PA 75, MCL 493.131–493.171. individual MLOs.
  • [STATUTE] Consumer Mortgage Protection Act (CMPA), 2002 PA 660, MCL 445.1631 et seq.. overlays all mortgage lending.

No Michigan administrative rule dedicated to mortgage advertising was located; the operative advertising law is statutory. Searched Michigan Admin Code R 445.1651 series and the DIFS rules pages. NOT VERIFIED that a Michigan advertising *regulation* exists.

License and NMLS ID display

Verified

Statute. Guidance is not law.

Last verified 2026-09-17.

[STATUTE] MCL 493.171 (MLOLA § 41), the only statutory display mandate: "The unique identifier of any person originating a residential mortgage loan in this state shall be clearly shown on all residential mortgage loan application forms, solicitations, or advertisements, including business cards or websites, and any other documents, as established by rule or order of the commissioner." On its face this requires one identifier. the originating person's unique identifier.

[GUIDANCE] DIFS Mortgage Compliance FAQ goes further and treats the requirement as three elements: "All marketing and advertising material, including websites and social media, should disclose the licensed company name (e.g., ABC Mortgage), licensed company's NMLSR ID number, and the individual loan officer's NMLSR ID number. The web domain name should not be used on its own in marketing or advertising." This is guidance, not law, and it says "should," not "shall." A compliance program should still follow it. but the enforceable floor is MCL 493.171.

Prohibited claims

Verified

Statute. Guidance is not law.

Last verified 2026-09-17.

  • [STATUTE] MCL 445.1672a(1) (first mortgages): "A licensee or registrant shall not, directly or indirectly, make a false, misleading, or deceptive advertisement regarding mortgage loans or the availability of mortgage loans."
  • [STATUTE] MCL 493.76(1) (secondary mortgages): "A licensee or registrant shall not, willfully or knowingly, make a false, misleading, or deceptive advertisement regarding secondary mortgage loans or the availability of secondary mortgage loans." (emphasis added)
  • [STATUTE] MCL 493.165(c) (MLOLA § 35(c)) applies the same false/misleading/deceptive advertising ban to individual MLOs (cited in the DIFS FAQ; the FAQ text is the retrieved source for this subsection).
  • [STATUTE] MCL 445.1634(3) (CMPA): "A person, appraiser, or real estate agent shall not make, directly or indirectly, any false, deceptive, or misleading statement or representation in connection with a mortgage loan including, but not limited to, the borrower's ability to qualify for a mortgage loan or the value of the dwelling that will secure repayment of the mortgage loan."

No Michigan ban on the specific words "lowest," "best," "cheapest," "guaranteed," "free," or "government" was located. Searched MBLSLA, SMLA, MLOLA, CMPA and the DIFS FAQ. NOT VERIFIED as an express word ban; such claims are reached only through the general deception standard.

The deception test is codified and three-factor. [STATUTE] MCL 445.1634(5): "A statement or representation is deceptive or misleading if it has the capacity to deceive or mislead a borrower or potential borrower. The commissioner shall consider any of the following factors...: (a) The overall impression that the statement or representation reasonably creates. (b) The particular type of audience to which the statement is directed. (c) Whether it may be reasonably comprehended by the segment of the public to which the statement is directed."

Rate advertising

None found

Statute. Guidance is not law.

Last verified 2026-09-17.

No Michigan-specific APR, lock, or "rates subject to change" mandate beyond Reg Z was located. What Michigan does impose is an availability/intent requirement:

  • [STATUTE] MCL 445.1672a(2): "A licensee or registrant shall not advertise any size of loan, security required for a loan, rate of charge, or other condition of lending except with the full intent of making loans at those rates, or lower rates, and under those conditions, to mortgage loan applicants who meet the standards or qualifications prescribed by the licensee or registrant."
  • [STATUTE] MCL 493.76(2) is the parallel secondary-mortgage provision but says only "with the intent," not "with the full intent."

Ad filing, prior approval, retention

None found

Statute. Guidance is not law.

Last verified 2026-09-17.

NONE FOUND as an advertising-specific duty. Official MCL 445.1671 [STATUTE] [OFFICIAL. legislature.mi.gov, retrieved 2026-09-17] requires mortgage loan documents for 3 years after closing or until transfer, and "all other books, accounts, records, and documents pertaining to the licensee's or registrant's business" for not less than 3 years after the fiscal year in which the record was created. The section does not name advertisements. No prior-approval or advertisement-filing requirement located.

Social media and character-limited media

Verified

Agency guidance. Guidance is not law.

Last verified 2026-09-17.

[GUIDANCE] DIFS Mortgage Compliance FAQ addresses this directly: "Websites maintained by individual loan officers should be under the direct oversight of the company that sponsors the mortgage loan originator. All marketing and advertising material, including websites and social media, should disclose the licensed company name..., licensed company's NMLSR ID number, and the individual loan officer's NMLSR ID number. The web domain name should not be used on its own in marketing or advertising." The same FAQ states that "Neither the [MBLSLA] nor the [SMLA] require website domain names to be registered as a trade name or DBA." No abbreviated-disclosure accommodation for character-limited media was located. NOT VERIFIED.

Anything unusual

Last verified 2026-09-17.

1. The scienter standard differs between first and second mortgages. First-lien advertising deception under MCL 445.1672a(1) is effectively strict; second-lien advertising deception under MCL 493.76(1) requires that the advertiser act "willfully or knowingly." A single campaign covering both products is judged by two different standards. 2. "Full intent" vs. "intent." MCL 445.1672a(2) requires "full intent" to lend at advertised rates; MCL 493.76(2) requires only "intent." Small word, real difference. 3. The domain-name-alone prohibition in the DIFS FAQ catches a very common LO marketing pattern (a vanity URL with no company name or NMLS ID). 4. The codified audience-sensitivity factor in MCL 445.1634(5)(b)–(c) means an ad targeted at a less-sophisticated segment can be deceptive on facts where a general-audience ad would not be.

Penalties

Verified

Statute. Guidance is not law.

Last verified 2026-09-17.

[STATUTE] MCL 445.1679(2) (MBLSLA): the commissioner may "Assess a civil fine against the licensee or registrant or a person who controls the licensee or registrant of not more than $3,000.00 for each violation, except that the licensee or registrant or the person shall not be fined more than $30,000.00 for a transaction resulting in more than 1 violation, plus the costs of investigation," and may suspend/revoke and order restitution. MCL 445.1679(3): "Each individual injured by a violation of this act or a rule is a separate violation." MCL 445.1679(4) provides a bona fide error defense: subsection (2) "does not apply to a violation of this act that results from a bona fide error that occurs notwithstanding the adoption and observance of reasonable procedures intended to prevent the occurrence of the error." MCL 445.1679(1) makes willful/intentional unlicensed activity (and certain other acts) a misdemeanor "punishable by a fine of not more than $15,000.00 or imprisonment for not more than 1 year, or both."

Sources

Last verified 2026-09-17. Official means the legislature, the official administrative-code publisher, or the regulator. Reproduction is not the official publisher.