Corporate Names and Information

If your company is not engaged in the banking or trust business but I want to use a corporate name that contains the words “bank” or “trust,” the Secretary of State requires that you first receive approval from the Department of Financial Protection and Innovation (DFPI) by obtaining a Certificate of Approval from the DFPI. An application for a Certificate of Approval should be in the form of an email addressed to [email protected] or a letter addressed to the Licensing Division in our San Francisco office at One Sansome Street, Suite 600, San Francisco, CA 94104-4428. The application must include:

• the name of the proposed corporation,
• a short description of the business the proposed corporation intends to conduct,
• an ACH payment* or check in the amount of $25.00 made payable to the Commissioner of the Department of Financial Protection and Innovation, and
• a copy of the signed Articles of Incorporation of the proposed corporation. Please allow up to two weeks for processing.

*Note:  if paying by ACH, please contact [email protected] for account information.

The Department of Real Estate (DRE) requires approval from the DFPI before doing business as a mortgage broker if using a fictitious business name that contains the words “bank” or “trust.” This approval is in the form of a “Letter of No-Objection.” An application for a Letter of No-Objection should be in the form of a letter addressed to the Licensing Division in our San Francisco office. The application must include:

• a request for a Letter of No-Objection,
• the fictitious business name you intend to use, and
• a short description of the business. Please allow up to two weeks for processing.

Other Corporate Information

Contact the California Secretary of State if you are looking for information regarding:

• Organization of corporations, limited liability companies, or limited partnerships
• Companies incorporated in California
• Articles of incorporation
• Certificates of good standing
• Current officers and directors
• Agents for service of process or
• Name availability

The Secretary of State can be reached at:

California Secretary of State
1500 11th Street
Sacramento, CA 95814
(916) 653-6814 or visit the California Secretary of State’s website

You may visit http://www.sos.ca.gov/business/business.htm for access to information available from the Business Programs Division of the Secretary of State. This division of the California Secretary of State files a variety of documents including UCC financing statements, trademarks, business entity documents, and other statutorily-required special filings and also is responsible for appointing and commissioning notaries public.