Your bank said no. That doesn't mean the answer is no.
I work with Ontario borrowers on complex mortgage situations. Not the simple applications. The situations that take more than a standard process to navigate.
If your situation fits one of these, you're in the right place.
Each one has its own page, with how a review would approach it.
Debt Consolidation
Where there is home equity and higher-interest debt, restructuring may change the monthly payment; whether it is lower, and what it costs overall, depends on the lender, the terms and the full application.
Debt consolidation →Self-Employed or Irregular Income
Self-employed qualifying works differently than the bank's standard process. There are lending channels built around that reality.
Self-employed →Renewal or Refinance
A renewal is an opportunity to compare the existing offer, other available options and any costs of switching. Starting early gives time to review the details.
Renewal and refinance →Bank Declined
A lender decline is a reason to understand what happened, what information is missing, and whether another path should be reviewed.
Bank declined →Buying a Home
A purchase where the income or credit picture is not standard is still a file that needs the right lender fit. A review looks at what you have, what would need to be gathered, and which lenders may consider it.
Buying a home →Something else, or more than one
Bruised or recovering credit, an estate, or a file that touches two of these at once. Not sure which category fits? That's fine, start the intake; that is what the review is for.
Start the intake →One licensed person, who reads your file before you talk.
Not a call centre. Not a form that disappears into a queue. Here is how I work, so you know what to expect before you send anything.
- I review what you submit before we connect, so the conversation is focused and useful, not generic.
- No credit pull, no documents and no commitment on the first conversation. The purpose is to understand your situation and whether there's a reasonable path forward.
- If a fee could apply to your file, it is explained and agreed to in writing before anything moves forward.
- Ontario only. Every file is under an FSRA-licensed brokerage, and you can check my licence yourself.
Three steps. No runaround.
Tell me what's happening
Fill out a short intake form. It takes about 3 minutes. No SIN or documents are needed for this first step, and please do not enter account or ID numbers or financial records. Just enough context to understand where you are starting from.
Start the intake →Review the situation
Book a call that fits your schedule. I'll review what you submitted before we connect, so the conversation is focused and useful, not generic.
Discuss available paths
Whether the next step is an application, more information, or a longer-term plan, the review outlines which documentation approaches may be worth pursuing and what would need to be gathered.
What would a mortgage payment look like?
Plain arithmetic on the numbers you enter. It shows the payment, and what the same term costs in interest, because a lower monthly payment and a lower total cost are two different questions.
Illustration only, using the semi-annual compounding that applies to most Canadian fixed-rate mortgages. Not a quote, a rate, an approval or a qualification. Rates, terms and conditions are set by each lender and depend on a full application.
Why not just go through your bank?
It's a reasonable question. Here's the straightforward answer.
- That bank's own mortgage products
- Chartered banks and credit unions
- Regulated alternative lenders
- Private lenders, outside a Level 1 agent's scope; referred to a licensed mortgage broker
Banks offer their own products. A mortgage agent has access to multiple lenders across different lending categories, which matters when your situation doesn't fit a standard profile.
Banks underwrite to standard criteria. A file assessed only on tax-reported income may not fit every lender's program.
Banks don't typically explain what didn't work, or what would. A mortgage agent's job is to understand your full picture and outline which documentation approaches may be worth pursuing. Not just run the application and deliver a decision.
In most residential mortgage transactions, the mortgage agent is compensated by the lender when the mortgage closes, not by you. In some situations involving alternative lenders, a fee may apply. If that is the case for your file, it will be explained and agreed to in writing before anything moves forward. Private mortgages are outside the scope of a Level 1 mortgage agent and are not arranged here, so no fee for one is ever quoted on this site. A file that appears to fit only a private lender is referred to a licensed mortgage broker at Centum Financial Services Limited Partnership.
What I get asked most often
Mortgage agent (Level 1)
FSRA Lic. M26000144
FSRA Brokerage Lic. 13054
Woodbridge, ON L4L 4M5
Not sure if your situation fits?
Tell me what's going on. The intake takes 3 minutes and I review what you share before we connect, so the conversation is useful from the start.
Start Your ReviewAbout 3 minutes · No SIN or documents needed for this first step · No commitment