Loan Brokers: Here’s How to Submit a Deal to a Licensed California Lender
Brokers that wish to submit deals to a licensed California lender must also be licensed in the state. This does not apply when the lender is lending via a chartered bank relationship or if the transaction itself is a purchase of future receivables (AKA a traditional merchant cash advance). QuarterSpot for example, recently became a licensed lender (#603-K646) and will be operational to lend in the state starting on March 7th, according to the company.
While the process wasn’t easy, they want to make sure that brokers are abiding by the rules as well. To this end, QuarterSpot EVP Mike Green posted a link on the deBanked forum to the licensing form that brokers must complete to apply:
We will require our partners to submit their CFLL License as required by the State. Please send those in ASAP to partners@quarterspot.com
1. Licensing form outlining requirements for licensure – http://www.dbo.ca.gov/forms/Finance_Lenders/DBO_CFLL_1422.pdf
2. Article further explaining legislation – http://www.paulhastings.com/publications-items/details/?id=e867e669-2334-6428-811c-ff00004cbded
In addition to the 31 page application is the payment of a $25,000 Surety Bond. Suffice to say, the process and costs are probably not a good fit for a 2-man upstart loan brokerage with a razor thin budget working out of month-to-month office space. But for a moderately sized operation or bigger, being a licensed broker can potentially be a competitive advantage.
The reason that brokers don’t need to be licensed to send deals to lenders like OnDeck, is because OnDeck operates through a chartered bank relationship and is therefore exempt from licensing requirements. As always, ask an attorney for an opinion if you’re not sure or need help. A broker may be just as culpable for submitting a deal to an unlicensed lender as the lender would be for operating unlicensed.
You can check to see if a lender is licensed at http://www.dbo.ca.gov/fsd/licensees/ but keep in mind that the database is rarely updated (the last time was 2 months ago).
Other helpful information
Can California Lenders Pay Referral Fees to Unlicensed Brokers?
Getting a California Lender’s License
Sean Murray is the President and Chief Editor of deBanked and the founder of the Broker Fair Conference. Connect with me on LinkedIn or follow me on twitter. You can view all future deBanked events here.
