DC MLO study plan

Map the federal disclosure timeline (Loan Estimate delivery, revised LE triggers, Closing Disclosure timing and the three-business-day rule) into a single dated flowchart you draw by hand.

List every federal statute and regulation named in the DC MLO content outline (RESPA/Reg X, TILA/Reg Z, ECOA/Reg B, HMDA/Reg C, SAFE Act, GLBA, Fair Housing Act, FCRA, Flood Disaster Protection Act) and write one sentence on what each requires at origination.

Define tolerance categories (zero, 10 percent, unlimited) and classify ten sample fee changes into the correct bucket.

Explain in writing how the Ability-to-Repay/Qualified Mortgage general definition differs from the GSE and small-creditor QM paths.

Walk through adverse action notice requirements under ECOA/Reg B and FCRA, including timing and permissible reasons.

Distinguish prohibited bases under the Fair Housing Act and ECOA and identify disparate impact versus disparate treatment in three written scenarios.

Summarize HMDA reportable data fields and the coverage thresholds that determine institutional reporting.

Describe redlining, steering, and reverse redlining risk points in the origination workflow and where each typically surfaces.

Build a glossary of at least 40 mortgage terms (LTV, CLTV, HCLTV, DTI, AUS, PMI, escrow, PITI, ARM margin and caps) with a plain-language definition and one exam-style usage each.

Compare conforming, FHA, VA, and USDA loan programs on down payment, mortgage insurance, credit floor, and property standards in a comparison grid.

Trace the life of a loan from application through closing, funding, and servicing transfer, naming the party responsible at each stage.

Explain how secondary market sale and securitization influence origination requirements.

Calculate LTV, CLTV, DTI (front and back end), and maximum loan amount for eight practice scenarios without a calculator error.

Identify the six pieces of information that trigger a Loan Estimate and explain what happens if a borrower changes any of them.

Outline the origination file: application, disclosures, verifications, appraisal, title, insurance, and closing documents, noting who produces each.

Describe how automated underwriting findings drive documentation and appraisal requirements.

Define predatory lending indicators (equity stripping, loan flipping, packing, steering to higher-cost products) and match each to a control that prevents it.

Explain permissible and impermissible sources of borrower funds, gift documentation, and reserve verification.

Describe appraisal independence rules and what an MLO may and may not do when an appraisal comes in low.

Summarize requirements for high-cost mortgage and higher-priced mortgage loan determinations under Reg Z.

Write out the core ethical duties owed to borrowers, lenders, and the public, and give one concrete example of a breach of each.

Analyze fraud typologies (occupancy fraud, income falsification, straw buyers, appraisal inflation) and the red flags an MLO should escalate.

Differentiate a conflict of interest from an undisclosed referral arrangement, and explain how compensation rules constrain steering.

Draft a personal decision framework for handling pressure from a supervising originator to omit or shade information.

Summarize the DC mortgage lender and broker licensing structure, including who must be licensed and the role of the Department of Insurance, Securities and Banking (DISB).

List DC-specific consumer protection requirements that differ from federal baseline rules, including disclosure, recordkeeping, and advertising constraints.

Describe the DC MLO pre-licensing education, testing, and continuing education obligations, and the conduct standards that can lead to discipline.

Explain DC rules on escrow account handling, fee restrictions, and prohibited practices in residential lending.

Take two full-length timed practice exams and log every missed question by domain and root cause (knowledge gap, misread, or calculation error).

Re-drill the two weakest domains using only the logged misses until each is at 85 percent or better on a fresh set.

Recite the key federal timelines, DC licensing obligations, and ethics duties from memory in a single 15-minute self-quiz.

Finalize a one-page exam-day reference sheet of formulas, dates, and numeric thresholds.