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Canadian Mortgage Professional recognizes the Rising Stars of 2024 for their talent, drive, and influential leadership in a rapidly transforming industry, positioning them to shape the future of the country’s mortgage market.
The top 40 best young mortgage professionals in Canada under 35 share distinctive characteristics that enable them to shine in various roles. They demonstrate passion and commitment to their craft through the following:
an ethos of integrity, honesty, and transparent communication
building and maintaining strong relationships
forward-thinking and innovative approaches
exceptional customer service
expertise and knowledge
From top producers and trusted mentors to client experience masters and visionary fintech leaders, this year’s A-listers have tackled challenges with vigour, setting new industry standards.
The significant achievements of four of the mortgage industry’s finest showcase the scope of their success.
The Prince Edward Island mortgage agent strives to make the mortgage process as easy and painless as possible for her clients.
Backed by a brand she has built based on mutual trust and respect, Martens guides her clients to the best mortgage process and products while delivering enhanced customer service every step of the way. She also provides brand training sessions to other mortgage professionals.
“The biggest things that I’ve always devoted myself to are service and serving my clients,” says Martens, who served in the Canadian Forces as a combat engineer and was elected to her local town council when she was 25.
Strategies that keep Martens at the leading edge:
consistency and meticulous attention to detail
balancing a traditional approach to client service with technology adoption
industry involvement as president of the PEI Business Women’s Association and a board member for the Eastern PEI Chamber of Commerce and the Canadian Mortgage Brokers Association Atlantic
Her nominator, Neal Andreino of Keystone Capital Group, says, “Hannah has quickly proven herself to be a major player in her market. Her growth has been outstanding, and having worked with her as a lender, I was extremely impressed.”
The Ontario mortgage agent, level 2, has risen to prominence by treating every client with the care and attention he would give a friend or family member. Halle strives to make each client feel like they are his only one, giving 100% effort regardless of how busy the market is.
“My goal for every transaction is to make the process of purchasing a home, which is usually stressful, as easy and stress-free as possible,” he says.
Practices Halle employs to stay at the forefront:
optimizing service delivery by leveraging various CRMs to ensure timely follow-ups and consistent communication
prioritizing automation to streamline processes and enhance client satisfaction
His nominator, Renée Masini, AVP at TMG The Mortgage Group, says, “Mat is not only one of our top-performing mortgage agents but also a phenomenal team leader. He assists all his agents in being the best version of themselves and navigating our ever-changing industry. He goes above and beyond for his clients and ensures every file is compliant.”
Halle realized early in his career the importance of building a personal brand and delivering on that, leading clients and referral partners to choose him over others. His unique value proposition prioritizes 24/7 service tailored to clients’ personalities and needs, and he successfully navigates even the most complex scenarios.
The Ontario co-founder and co-CEO has been instrumental in growing the fintech company’s CRM cloud-based platform for mortgage brokers to number one in Canada.
Hall emphasizes the importance of values in his work, such as “extreme accountability,” which involves taking personal responsibility for positive and negative outcomes rather than blaming external factors.
“It’s a bit terrifying to make yourself accountable for things that could go wrong, but it’s also liberating because accepting responsibility empowers you to do something better in the future,” he says. “This mindset has helped me to learn from situations that didn’t go as planned and take proactive steps to make them less likely to happen again.”
Core approaches that help Hall maintain a one-two competitive punch and fuel his industry-leading status include:
fostering partnerships that leverage complementary strengths and established trust, including collaboration with integration partners Filogix, Velocity, Finmo, BOSS, and Scarlett Mortgage
building a robust online presence
being the publisher of the Mortgage Tech Talks podcast
As the leader of BluMortgage’s internal team, he has positively influenced the organization’s vision and direction, aiming to alleviate brokers’ pain points and deliver exceptional service and support to ensure it has a place in the future of the mortgage industry.
Honesty, clarity, and precision are central to the values of the Ontario principal broker and founder. Melo lives by these principles and instills them in his agents. Those pillars form the backbone of compliance, a responsibility he takes seriously.
“Those three things have kept me grounded and have allowed me to serve the client as best as I can,” he says. “We always want to offer the best solutions, but those values distinguish me and have allowed me to be blessed with a big book of business, and now I’m passing that on to my team.”
Melo holds a dual role as a compliance officer and has also earned the brokerage a market-leading reputation as a tech company. As its lead programmer and front-end developer, Melo leads the development and release of new industry-specific technology.
The factors behind Melo’s industry-leading status include:
dedication to research and development, including developing an interactive app that helps clients build credit and its agents thrive
proactively addressing gaps and missed opportunities in the market
active mentor, sharing his learnings with clients, team members, and even competing brokerages
Investing in grassroots marketing, such as billboards, radio, and sponsoring local sports teams, has kept Melo and his team in front of a large and diverse audience.
For Martens, word-of-mouth referrals are paramount in her Atlantic Canada province. However, social media sites such as Facebook and Instagram have steadily gained momentum as an avenue for expanding her reach and connecting with potential clients.
“I’ve tried to step up my social media game in the past year, and marketing direct to consumers is another key aspect of that,” she says. “The consistent thing to remember is your presence, and it’s important to have that online and offline.”
No matter what more prominent industry trends are in the pipeline, whether rising or lowering interest rates or new mortgage products, Martens intends to focus on adapting and connecting with other professionals to stay ahead of the curve.
Meanwhile, the dynamic nature of the mortgage market has strengthened Halle’s resolve to master the fundamentals of connecting clients with suitable lenders and products to achieve their goals.
“I plan to stay ahead of the curve by simply putting in the work needed to get the job done and staying consistent in my workflow,” he says.
Hall and Melo are kindred spirits regarding mortgage tech trends, and both predict artificial intelligence (AI) will gain increasing significance as an industry disruptor within the mortgage space.
Melo highlights several AI applications already in use by mortgage professionals, including fetching interest rates and automating responses to client emails. He is committed to exploring that space, even as an unprecedented number of fintech competitors, such as Questrade and Neo Wealth, are gaining ground in the Canadian mortgage realm.
He says, “AI is moving at a fast pace in the mortgage space, and we’ve developed our own personal assistant for AI and for other brokerages that can help with compliance and filling out disclosures for borrowers.”
He is adapting to emerging tech by creating and testing internal procedures and applications that leverage the power of AI, offering clients the option of using a technological approach to mortgages.
Building upon Melo’s views, Hall believes that the full potential of AI within the mortgage space is still a few years away. He and his team have embraced the crucial need to be agile and intelligent about the advancements made with AI.
“There is going to be more technology in the industry, which means the best brokers are going to be that much better,” he says.
Hall points out that industry consolidation is on the horizon, creating higher barriers to entry for small players. In contrast, the big players reap more of the mortgage pie by leveraging tech tools.
In February, CMP invited professionals from across the Canadian mortgage industry to nominate their most exceptional young talent for the annual Rising Stars list. Nominees had to be aged 35 or under (as of June 30, 2024) and have committed to a career in mortgages with a clear passion for the industry.
Nominees were asked about their current roles and responsibilities and their key achievements over the past 12 months. Recommendations from managers and senior industry professionals were also considered.
The CMP team reviewed all nominations, narrowing the list down to 40 of the industry’s most outstanding young professionals.