NMLS Consumer Access Scraper

Extract public mortgage company, branch, and mortgage loan originator records from NMLS Consumer Access. Search by name or enrich exact NMLS IDs, then export normalized identity, contact, license, branch, sponsorship, and regulatory-action data.

This Actor is built for recurring mortgage-license compliance verification and market research. It initializes the protected NMLS portal autonomously, keeps one coherent US browser session, and returns source-linked records in the default Apify Dataset.

This is an independent data-extraction tool. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or operated by NMLS, CSBS, SRR, or any regulator.

What can the NMLS Consumer Access scraper do?

• Look up exact company, branch, or individual NMLS IDs.
• Search the NMLS Consumer Access database by legal or trade name.
• Return all three public entity types: COMPANY, INDIVIDUAL, and BRANCH.
• Extract current and prior legal names and trade names.
• Capture public addresses, phone numbers, websites, and email addresses.
• Return state license and registration rows with authorization status.
• Include license numbers, issue dates, status dates, and renewal years when shown.
• Capture company branch counts and sponsored-MLO counts.
• Extract public regulatory-action rows when requested.
• Preserve the official source URL and extraction timestamp on every record.
• Produce stable nmlsId and recordId fields for warehouse upserts and comparisons.

The Actor focuses on point-in-time public registry extraction. It does not make approval, risk, eligibility, or legal conclusions.

Who is this Actor for?

Mortgage compliance and onboarding teams

Verify a lender, branch, or MLO against the public registry before onboarding. Save the source URL and timestamp with the review record, and independently verify material decisions at the official source.

Mortgage recruiters and business-development teams

Find known lenders or originators, review public license coverage, and enrich a CRM record with an NMLS identifier and current public contact data.

Fintech and mortgage CRM teams

Use exact-ID runs to refresh existing entities. The stable recordId field makes repeated snapshots straightforward to upsert or compare.

Market researchers

Compare public lender footprints, active license counts, branch counts, and sponsored-MLO counts across selected entities.

Why use this NMLS Consumer Access lookup?

The public portal is protected by Cloudflare and a BotDetect access gate. Simple HTTP requests can receive a 403 response, and the search workflow requires a coherent browser session.

This Actor handles that workflow without asking users for a CAPTCHA key:

1. It opens the source through a US Apify datacenter proxy.
2. It initializes a browser session.
3. It solves the five-character access image with bundled local OCR models.
4. It reuses the same proxy identity and cookies for search and detail pages.
5. It normalizes only successfully parsed source records.

There is no automatic residential-proxy fallback. Failed access attempts end explicitly instead of silently returning a false empty dataset.

Getting started

1. Open the Actor input.
2. Choose By NMLS ID for exact enrichment or By name for discovery.
3. Enter one or more IDs or names.
4. Optionally restrict results to companies, individuals, or branches.
5. Choose whether to include public regulatory actions.
6. Set the maximum number of unique entities to save.
7. Click Start.
8. Open the Dataset tab to download JSON, CSV, Excel, XML, or RSS output.

A good first run is:

{
  "mode": "by_nmls_id",
  "nmlsIds": ["3030"],
  "entityType": "COMPANY",
  "includeDisclosures": true,
  "maxItems": 1
}

Input parameters

Field	Type	Default	Description
mode	string	by_nmls_id	Exact ID enrichment or name search.
nmlsIds	string[]	["3030"]	Numeric identifiers used in by_nmls_id mode.
names	string[]	[]	Company, branch, or individual names used in by_name mode.
entityType	string	all	Optional COMPANY, INDIVIDUAL, or BRANCH filter.
includeDisclosures	boolean	true	Include public regulatory-action table rows.
maxItems	integer	20	Maximum unique entities saved, from 1 to 1,000.

Exact NMLS ID lookup

Use this mode when an NMLS ID already exists in your CRM, onboarding record, application, or counterparty list.

{
  "mode": "by_nmls_id",
  "nmlsIds": ["1000011"],
  "entityType": "INDIVIDUAL",
  "includeDisclosures": true,
  "maxItems": 1
}

Search by lender name

Use name search when the identifier is unknown.

{
  "mode": "by_name",
  "names": ["Rocket Mortgage"],
  "entityType": "COMPANY",
  "includeDisclosures": false,
  "maxItems": 1
}

Name searches can return multiple entities. Use entityType and maxItems to keep the result set relevant and bounded.

Output fields

Each entity is one row in the default Dataset.

Field	Meaning
recordId, nmlsId	Stable public NMLS identifier.
entityType	COMPANY, INDIVIDUAL, or BRANCH.
legalName	Current legal name shown by the source.
priorLegalNames	Prior legal names, when present.
otherTradeNames	Current public DBAs or trade names.
priorOtherTradeNames	Prior DBAs or trade names.
streetAddress, mailingAddress	Public source address text.
phone, tollFreePhone, fax	Public contact numbers when listed.
website, email	Public source contact fields.
sponsoredMlosCount	Company sponsored-MLO count when present.
branchLocationsActiveCount	Active company branch count when present.
branchLocationsInactiveCount	Inactive company branch count when present.
stateLicensesActiveCount	Active license/registration count.
stateLicensesTotalCount	Total active and inactive license count.
stateLicenses	Structured jurisdiction license rows.
hasRegulatoryActions	Source Yes/No flag, or null when not displayed.
regulatoryActions	Structured public action rows when requested.
sourceUrl	Official NMLS Consumer Access detail URL.
sourceName	NMLS Consumer Access.
scrapedAt	UTC extraction timestamp.

Fields can be null or empty when the source does not publish them for an entity type.

Example output

This shortened example reflects the current output structure. Long license arrays are abbreviated here.

{
  "recordId": "3030",
  "nmlsId": "3030",
  "entityType": "COMPANY",
  "legalName": "Rocket Mortgage, LLC",
  "priorLegalNames": ["Quicken Loans Inc.", "Quicken Loans, LLC"],
  "streetAddress": "1050 Woodward Avenue Detroit, MI 48226",
  "phone": "800-863-4332",
  "stateLicensesActiveCount": 166,
  "stateLicensesTotalCount": 184,
  "stateLicenses": [
    {
      "regulator": "Alabama",
      "licenseName": "Consumer Credit License",
      "authorizedToConductBusiness": true,
      "licenseNumber": "20979",
      "originalIssueDate": "11/10/2009",
      "status": "Approved",
      "statusDate": "11/10/2009",
      "renewedThrough": "2026"
    }
  ],
  "hasRegulatoryActions": true,
  "sourceUrl": "https://www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org/EntityDetails.aspx/COMPANY/3030",
  "sourceName": "NMLS Consumer Access",
  "scrapedAt": "2026-08-04T02:45:00.000Z"
}

How much does it cost to look up NMLS license records?

The Actor uses pay-per-event pricing:

• NMLS session start — one charge per run for the US browser and autonomous access-gate initialization.
• NMLS entity record — one charge for each successfully saved entity.

At the Bronze rates of $0.09 per run and $0.0008 per saved entity, examples are:

Saved entities	Estimated Bronze total (USD)
1	0.0908
10	0.098
25	0.11
100	0.17

Higher Apify subscription tiers receive lower event rates. Failed, duplicate, or rejected detail records do not receive an entity-record charge. Always check the live Pricing tab because Store pricing is the source of truth.

Recurring compliance snapshots

Apify Schedules can run the same input daily, weekly, or monthly. For a repeatable verification workflow:

1. Keep a bounded list of known NMLS IDs.
2. Schedule the Actor at the required review interval.
3. Export each Dataset to a warehouse or spreadsheet.
4. Upsert on recordId and retain scrapedAt.
5. Compare license status, authorization, sponsorship, and action fields.
6. Route detected changes to a human reviewer.
7. Verify consequential decisions at sourceUrl.

The Actor returns snapshots; it does not itself calculate changes or send alerts.

CRM and data-pipeline integration

Useful patterns include:

• enrich a lender record from an exact NMLS ID;
• add the official source URL to a counterparty profile;
• update active-license counts during periodic review;
• send Dataset items to Google Sheets, Make, Zapier, or a webhook;
• load JSON output into BigQuery, Snowflake, PostgreSQL, or a data lake;
• compare scheduled snapshots using nmlsId as the stable key.

Run with the Apify API

Replace YOUR_TOKEN with an Apify API token.

cURL

curl -X POST \
  "https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/automation-lab~nmls-license-registry-scraper/runs?token=YOUR_TOKEN&waitForFinish=300" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "mode": "by_nmls_id",
    "nmlsIds": ["3030"],
    "entityType": "COMPANY",
    "includeDisclosures": true,
    "maxItems": 1
  }'

JavaScript

import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

const client = new ApifyClient({ token: process.env.APIFY_TOKEN });
const run = await client.actor('automation-lab/nmls-license-registry-scraper').call({
  mode: 'by_nmls_id',
  nmlsIds: ['3030'],
  entityType: 'COMPANY',
  includeDisclosures: true,
  maxItems: 1,
});
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
console.log(items);

Python

from apify_client import ApifyClient
import os

client = ApifyClient(os.environ['APIFY_TOKEN'])
run = client.actor('automation-lab/nmls-license-registry-scraper').call(run_input={
    'mode': 'by_nmls_id',
    'nmlsIds': ['3030'],
    'entityType': 'COMPANY',
    'includeDisclosures': True,
    'maxItems': 1,
})
items = client.dataset(run['defaultDatasetId']).list_items().items
print(items)

Use with Apify MCP

Add the Actor to Claude Code:

claude mcp add --transport http apify \
  "https://mcp.apify.com?tools=automation-lab/nmls-license-registry-scraper"

Claude Desktop setup

Add this JSON to the Claude Desktop MCP configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "apify": {
      "url": "https://mcp.apify.com?tools=automation-lab/nmls-license-registry-scraper"
    }
  }
}

Cursor setup

In Cursor Settings → MCP, add a remote server named apify with this URL:

https://mcp.apify.com?tools=automation-lab/nmls-license-registry-scraper

VS Code setup

Add the same remote URL to your VS Code MCP server configuration:

{
  "servers": {
    "apify": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://mcp.apify.com?tools=automation-lab/nmls-license-registry-scraper"
    }
  }
}

Example prompts:

• “Look up company NMLS ID 3030 and summarize its active-license count.”
• “Find Rocket Mortgage in NMLS Consumer Access and return its official record URL.”
• “Extract the public regulatory actions for company NMLS ID 3030.”

Performance and limits

• The Actor starts one browser and one coherent US proxy session per run.
• The access challenge can require several bounded OCR attempts.
• Company pages with hundreds of license rows are larger and slower than small individual records.
• Results are processed sequentially to preserve session stability and source politeness.
• maxItems is capped at 1,000 per run.
• Name search is less precise than exact-ID lookup.
• The portal may update or temporarily block a proxy identity.

For recurring large lists, split work into bounded scheduled inputs rather than one unbounded run.

Empty results and failures

A legitimate search with no matching NMLS entity succeeds with an empty Dataset and only the start event.

The Actor fails explicitly when:

• the input mode and required list do not match;
• an NMLS ID is malformed;
• a working US proxy session cannot be created;
• Cloudflare blocks the selected session;
• the access challenge cannot be solved within the retry limit;
• every matched detail page fails to parse.

This distinction prevents an access failure from looking like a valid “no records” result.

Data accuracy and responsible use

NMLS Consumer Access is the authoritative public display for these records, but this Actor provides a best-effort point-in-time extraction. Data can change after a run, source fields can be absent, and parser output can be incomplete during upstream changes.

• Verify material compliance or legal decisions at sourceUrl.
• Do not treat hasRegulatoryActions: false or an empty array as proof of a clean record.
• Do not use this output as a consumer report or for FCRA-regulated eligibility, adverse-action, employment, credit, insurance, or tenancy decisions.
• Follow applicable privacy, outreach, records-retention, and anti-discrimination rules.
• Respect NMLS Consumer Access terms and use bounded request volumes.
• Avoid unnecessary collection or redistribution of personal information.

Troubleshooting

Why did the run fail before returning data?

Check the run log. A source access or CAPTCHA failure is reported explicitly. Retry later with the same bounded input; do not interpret a failed run as “no NMLS record.”

Why did a name search return an unexpected entity?

Use a more specific legal name, set entityType, reduce maxItems, or switch to exact NMLS ID lookup.

Why is a field null?

The portal publishes different fields for companies, branches, and individuals. Null means the value was not displayed or could not be normalized from that page.

Why is regulatoryActions empty when the source flag is true?

Confirm that includeDisclosures is enabled. The source can also expose a high-level flag while detailed rows vary by entity and regulator.

FAQ

Is there a free public NMLS API?

The Actor uses the public NMLS Consumer Access portal. It does not claim an official unrestricted NMLS API.

Does it support loan originators?

Yes. Use entityType: "INDIVIDUAL" to restrict results to public MLO records.

Does it support branches?

Yes. Branch records are returned when the search or exact identifier resolves to an NMLS branch.

Can I search an entire state?

Not in this release. The supported inputs are exact NMLS IDs and name searches. State-wide enumeration is not claimed.

Does it monitor changes automatically?

The Actor produces snapshots. Use Apify Schedules and compare repeated outputs in your own workflow.

Are regulatory-action summaries legal advice?

No. They are normalized public source rows, not legal conclusions. Review the official source and consult qualified professionals when needed.

Related automation-lab Actors

• Zillow Mortgage Lenders Scraper — collect lender marketplace profiles for broader lender-market research.
• Mortgage Loan Calculator — calculate mortgage payment and amortization scenarios after lender research.

These Actors use different sources and should not be treated as substitutes for official NMLS verification.