Shane was the first BDM I ever called about a file. Fresh-faced in the industry with my second deal in hand and I could not have been welcomed by anyone gentler into this chaos. 

Shane gave me many of my aha moments in those first couple of years. He was the first to explain the difference between standard and collateral transfers. He gave me that crucial lightbulb moment on insured vs. insurable, and also hit me with, ‘Not everyone deserves a mortgage,’ a lesson that became a staple in my training courses and multiple presentations.

The impact of one great mentor

I had fantastic mentorship at my team, but having a lender take the time to explain why a policy existed helped my brain make sense of underwriting in the way I needed.

The remarkable thing was that, despite having over 40 years in the industry, he still took the time to treat a newcomer with the same respect and attention he would have given a top-producing agent.

At this same time in my career, other BDMs referred me to web portals and broker kits for answers, didn’t respond to phone calls or emails—but Shane always took the time.

He was also the first person in the industry to tell me how good I was doing. He called me his little rockstar and he encouraged me in the first years of this journey—positive reinforcement that was absolutely necessary when I felt like an idiot most of the time.

Shane was an important BDM to me, and as a result, I remained loyal to the brand he worked for—even long after boundaries were redrawn and I was moved to other BDMs with that lender.

Many lenders work to build relationships with me now that I have some awards in my email signature. But not many put the time into me when I had none of the accolades. That loyalty helped grow our account from roughly $15 million a year to over $90 million in about four years.

One patient person, who was clearly very good at sales, definitely understood the assignment.

I wrote last month about loyalty from our clients; perhaps a second layer of introspection would be to consider what creates loyalty in us as brokers—and how we can apply that same logic when working with our own clients.

I can say without a doubt that I have frequently taken less commission and bought down a rate to send a file to a lender based on my relationship with one person—whether that’s an underwriter, a BDM, or an executive. And in return, those lenders have often gone out on a limb for me with an exception on a tough file.

In our business, things might appear to be all about ratios and basis points, but in reality, brokering is built on relationships.

Why relationships matter more than technology

The recent news of Rocket Mortgage leaving the Canadian lending space came as a bit of a surprise to some. But it has me asking: Why was it so difficult for Rocket or QuestMortgage to break into the Canadian lending space when other new lenders like Strive appear to have found the right formula?

Did they underestimate the impact of relationship-building in the Canadian market, leaning instead on their fintech offerings?

Not to stretch the point too far, but is this indicative of the Canadian way of doing business?

Assumptions that fintech—so dominant in the U.S. lending space—would replace the need for brokers north of the border have been widely discussed in our industry for years. After several failed direct-to-consumer approaches, could this be yet another sign that Canadians prefer the good old-fashioned handshake with another human?

And these days, it seems even more about doing business with fellow Canadians (and maybe anyone not American).

One thing is clear to me: brokering businesses are not built on fintech alone. Canadian borrowers want to work with someone they trust and have a personal relationship with. Our referral partners don’t work with us because of the logo on the office door—they work with people they like. Just as brokers prefer working with lenders where we genuinely like the people.

The impact of one great underwriter on a multi-billion-dollar lender is measurable.

At the end of the day, it all comes down to people, not portals. And no doubt, a lot of good people are looking for work this week after the closure at Rocket.

As we look to our own businesses, a useful exercise might be to ask yourself where you are building relationships these days and how you are fostering them? Are you treating all of your centres of influence like top producers? Do you rely on your CRM or do you pick up the phone?

Human connection in a world obsessed with tech might just be the ($90-million) answer. 

Thanks for the lessons, Shane. Wishing you all the best in retirement.

Broker Editor's pick Guest column article jill moellering lenders mortgage broker opinion relationships Rocket Mortgage Shane Lapointe

Last modified: March 17, 2025