Hi, I’m Moe and this is my first ever blog post. I am a Mortgage Agent and Co-Founder of Palm Mortgages. Here’s a little bit about me and why my wife, Mariam, and I started Palm Mortgages.
I’ve been working in the mortgage industry for over 10 years, with most of that time spent working for the banks (mortgage lenders). I now partner with those same lenders to get mortgages approved for my clients.
I started my career working for a bank that specialized in personal loans and mortgages. I then became a Financial Advisor at one of the biggest banks in Canada, before deciding to specialize in mortgage lending exclusively. I started from the bottom of that ladder and worked my way up.
I first worked at a bank that, at the time, specialized in only mortgages. My job included reviewing all mortgage documents received for applications. At this bank, I actually ended up receiving one of the quickest promotions from this position to an Underwriting position.
As an Underwriter, I approved (or declined) applications, set terms & conditions, and communicated with the mortgage agents/brokers who submitted these applications on behalf of their clients. I then became a Senior Underwriter. Because of the years I have spent underwriting, I know how banks review applications, and the factors they consider when approving or declining a mortgage.
Right before becoming a broker, I worked as a Strategic Account Manager — a role which was part of an innovative program that I played a major role in building and developing. We ended up generating an alternative stream of revenue for the bank, grew the program 100%, and I started to help manage the other Strategic Account Managers on my team.
Over the course of my career, I’ve advanced thousands of mortgages and worked with hundreds of different agents and brokers. I feel like I’ve seen it all. I’ve seen exceptional brokers who fought tooth and nail for their clients while keeping their clients’ best interests at heart, and I’ve also seen brokers who gave their clients advice that either did not help them, or straight out harmed them by costing them time and money.
As I continued to observe things from my work on the lender side, I felt that my experience placed me in a unique position to become a broker and be that trustworthy agent who works tirelessly to help clients with their mortgage needs. I wanted to be able to help clients buy their first home, consolidate their debts and sleep better at night, upgrade their property into their dream home, or grow their investment portfolio by purchasing rental properties.
With this in mind, I got my mortgage agent license and quit my job. My wife, Mariam, who is a lawyer by trade, also quit her job and together we started Palm Mortgages. Our mission is to make this industry a little bit better one mortgage application at a time, and to help educate other mortgage agents or brokers so that they are, in turn, able to provide their own clients with the best advice they can.
Over the next few posts, we’ll be talking about the mortgage application process, and the factors banks consider when reviewing applications. In the meantime, if you have any specific questions about anything to do with mortgages, an idea for a topic you’d like to see us cover, or need any additional information on something written here, drop us a line at info@palmmortgages.ca.
