Lender Articles
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PMB Professional Mortgage Brokers
PMB Professional Mortgage Brokers: The Small Eastern Ontario Mortgage Investment Entity with the big heart.
Commission Income and Alt Lending
The real question is when a commission income borrower should consider an alternative lender instead of trying to force a file into prime lending guidelines that simply don’t fit the situation.
Meet Maple Financial
Meet Maple Financial: Deliberately trying to make alternative lending feel more predictable and consistent.
When to Use Community Trust
Community Trust:When to use Community Trust, it isn’t a private lender; it’s a structured alternative lender designed for borrwers who are viable, responsible and real.
Merix Financial
Merix Financial: Buying a home isn’t always a straight line, and Merix Financial is built for the detours. Merix is a monoline mortgage lender – meaning they only do home loans, and they focus on doing them really well.
Ultimate First-Time Homebuyer Pre-Approval Calculator
Ultimate First-TIme Homebuyer Pre-Approval Calculator: Most mortgage calculators out there are glorified guess machines. This isn’t a toy. It’s not a marketing gimmick. It’s a full underwriting-style analyzer designed to show you how a lender actually looks at your file—before you ever submit an application.
Quick Small Equity-Based Loans
… A Strategic Look at LendHub’s Quick Equity-Based Loans As an accountant or financial planner, you don’t get paid to react — you get paid to anticipate. You structure tax strategies, preserve capital, manage risk, and protect long-term wealth. But every now and...
Understanding Addbacks
Understanding Addbacks: In Canadian mortgage lending, addbacks are one of the most important (and most misunderstood) tools for turning taxable income into true cash-flow income—without pretending, stretching, or “making numbers up.”
Waiving the Condition of Financing
Waiving Condition of Financing: In practice, it’s one of the most stressful pressure points in the entire transaction, especially when markets are competitive and timelines are tight.
Collateral Transfer Programs
Collateral Transfer Program: You’ll learn what a collateral mortgage is, how it differs from a standard mortgage, why banks default to them, how mortgage penalties quietly reinforce borrower lock-in, and how collateral transfer programs can sometimes provide a clean, strategic exit—without unnecessary cost or friction.
When a Private Mortgage Is the Cheapest Option (Residential)
When a Private Mortgage is the Cheapest Option (Residential): In very specific owner-occupied scenarios, private financing—despite its eye-watering sticker price—can actually preserve more equity, avoid bigger losses, and produce a better financial outcome than a “cheaper” mortgage that arrives too late.
Understanding Light vs. Heavy Alternative Lending
Alternative Lending: Canada’s alternative lending space has two very different lanes — and knowing which lane a borrower belongs in can mean the difference between a smooth approval and a stressful, expensive surprise. This article breaks that down clearly, honestly, and without the fluff.
Big Banks Keep Winning at Renewal
Banks Winning Renewal Wars: If you’ve ever hit mortgage renewal time and thought, “Well this is convenient… my bank is suddenly very competitive,” you’re not imagining things. Mortgage renewals are where Canada’s chartered banks quietly flex their biggest muscles—often without advertising, without public rate wars, and without much resistance from borrowers.
When a Private Mortgage Is the Cheapest Option (Investor)
Private Mortgage Is the Cheapest Option (Investor): But real estate investing isn’t about optics — it’s about outcomes. And in certain residential investment scenarios, private mortgages can actually be the cheapest capital available, even with a double-digit rate.
Discover Square Lending
Square Lending: Discover Square Lending, a Canadian alternative mortgage lender designed for real-world borrowers. Learn who they’re for, how they lend, and when they make sense.
Can You Trust Your Bank Apps Credit Score?
Credit Report in Bank App: You’ve probably noticed it: Canadian bank apps are turning into little financial command centres. Budgets, spending insights, alerts—and now credit score tools baked right into the app. On the surface, it feels like a win: quick access, no cost, and you don’t have to sign up for a separate service.
Featured Publications
Articles
- Extended Amortizations and Hypothetical Calculations
Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OSFI) - Minimum Qualifying Rate for Uninsured Mortgages
Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OSFI) - Residential Mortgage Underwriting Practices and Procedures
Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OSFI) - Guideline on Existing Consumer Mortgage Loans in Exceptional Circumstances Financial Consumer Agency of Canada
Book: “The Program”
- Part 1 – Building Your Down Payment
- Part 2 – Mortgage Payoff Strategies
- Part 3 – Building Wealth Through Real Estate