Mortgage Underwriter
Top Benefits
About the role
About Heartwood Financial Group
Heartwood Financial Group Inc. is a Canadian alternative mortgage lender with a clear mission: to bring common-sense lending to mortgage brokers and their clients.
We take a practical, solutions-oriented approach to lending, helping responsible Canadian borrowers access financing when traditional lenders may not meet their needs. As we continue to grow, we are looking for talented professionals who share our entrepreneurial mindset, commitment to sound risk management, and passion for delivering exceptional service.
The Opportunity
We are seeking an experienced Mortgage Underwriter who is analytical, detail-oriented, and able to look beyond the numbers to identify sound lending opportunities.
The successful candidate will have a strong understanding of the private, alternative, and non-B20 mortgage markets in Ontario, British Columbia, and/or Alberta. They will combine disciplined risk assessment with creative problem-solving to structure transactions that meet borrowers’ needs while remaining within Heartwood’s risk appetite.
This role requires strong judgment, excellent communication skills, and the ability to work efficiently in a fast-paced and growing organization.
Key Responsibilities
Deal Assessment and Approval
Review and assess residential mortgage applications, including borrower income, financial statements, credit history, property details, loan structure, and other relevant risk factors. Analyze credit reports, income documentation, bank statements, property valuations, title information, and supporting documentation to determine deal viability. Structure alternative mortgage solutions for borrowers whose circumstances fall outside traditional lending guidelines. Make sound, timely, and well-documented lending decisions that balance credit risk, profitability, and business objectives. Establish appropriate loan terms, conditions, pricing, documentation requirements, and risk mitigants. Identify material risks, inconsistencies, red flags, and potential fraud concerns within mortgage applications. Work closely with brokers and internal stakeholders to resolve outstanding conditions and move approved transactions efficiently toward funding. Meet established performance expectations for underwriting productivity, turnaround time, credit quality, service, and accuracy. Recommend improvements to underwriting policies, processes, tools, and workflows to support an efficient application-to-funding process.
Risk Management and Compliance
Assess and mitigate credit, property, marketability, fraud, legal, title, and operational risks. Ensure all lending decisions comply with Heartwood’s credit policies, risk appetite, delegated lending authorities, and documentation standards. Ensure compliance with applicable provincial requirements, anti-money laundering and anti-terrorist financing obligations, privacy requirements, and internal controls. Escalate transactions that fall outside delegated authority or present elevated risk. Maintain complete, accurate, and audit-ready underwriting files, including clear rationale supporting approval, modification, or decline decisions. Monitor emerging market conditions, regulatory developments, and portfolio trends that may affect underwriting risk.
Broker Relationships and Communication
Work collaboratively with mortgage brokers to structure competitive and appropriate financing solutions for their clients. Build and maintain strong, professional relationships within the mortgage broker community. Clearly communicate approval terms, conditions, documentation requirements, and decline decisions. Provide brokers with timely updates throughout the underwriting process. Negotiate and problem-solve where appropriate to move transactions forward while protecting Heartwood’s interests. Maintain positive working relationships with external partners, including appraisers, lawyers, mortgage insurers, and other service providers. Collaborate with Credit, Sales, Operations, Funding, Compliance, and Servicing teams to support a positive borrower and broker experience.
Qualifications
Minimum of five years of residential mortgage underwriting experience within private lending, alternative lending, or a non-bank financial institution. Strong knowledge of private and alternative mortgage lending practices, underwriting guidelines, credit risk assessment, and mortgage documentation. Experience underwriting first and/or second mortgages, including owner-occupied, rental, investment, and self-employed borrower transactions. Strong understanding of the mortgage markets, property types, borrower profiles, and lending practices in Ontario, British Columbia, and/or Alberta. Demonstrated ability to assess complex financial information, credit reports, property valuations, title details, and supporting documentation. Strong judgment and the ability to identify viable lending opportunities while remaining within established risk parameters. Creative and practical problem-solving skills, with the ability to structure solutions for non-traditional borrower circumstances. Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to clearly explain lending decisions to brokers and internal stakeholders. Strong organizational and time-management skills, with the ability to manage multiple active files and competing deadlines. High degree of accuracy, attention to detail, accountability, and professional integrity. Proficiency with mortgage loan origination systems, Microsoft Office, and financial analysis tools. Familiarity with digital mortgage platforms, fintech solutions, and evolving industry practices is considered an asset. Comfortable contributing within a growing, entrepreneurial, and continuously evolving organization.
Why Join Heartwood? Make a meaningful impact by helping responsible borrowers access financing solutions when traditional lenders may not meet their needs. Competitive compensation, including performance-based incentives. A dynamic and entrepreneurial environment that values sound judgment, innovation, and practical deal structuring. Opportunities to contribute to the development of underwriting policies, processes, products, and systems. A collaborative, high-performance team supported by goal-oriented leaders who are committed to employee growth and development. A close-knit workplace where ideas, initiative, and individual contributions are recognized and valued. The opportunity to help shape the future of a rapidly growing alternative mortgage lender.
Not the right fit? Search for Mortgage Underwriter jobs in North York, Ontario, Canada
About Heartwood Financial Group
Our name is Heartwood. Our business is providing Canadians with alternative mortgages through Licensed Mortgage brokers. But our goal isn't just providing common sense mortgages—it's getting Canadians securely into their homes and keeping them there. There’s a reason our name is Heartwood. The heartwood is the innermost part of a tree, the strongest, most resilient part. We fund the heartwood in borrowers others miss. When banks turn away a mortgage applicant for being non-conforming, we don’t judge, we get to work, with their broker, to uncover their story. We call ourselves Craft Lenders, because we take the time to do things right. Our craft lending approach means each application gets thoughtful attention—not a cold algorithm. We focus on how to say ‘yes’ responsibly and confidently, because giving borrowers loans they can handle, well, that’s just common sense.
Similar Jobs
Mortgage Underwriter
Top Benefits
About the role
About Heartwood Financial Group
Heartwood Financial Group Inc. is a Canadian alternative mortgage lender with a clear mission: to bring common-sense lending to mortgage brokers and their clients.
We take a practical, solutions-oriented approach to lending, helping responsible Canadian borrowers access financing when traditional lenders may not meet their needs. As we continue to grow, we are looking for talented professionals who share our entrepreneurial mindset, commitment to sound risk management, and passion for delivering exceptional service.
The Opportunity
We are seeking an experienced Mortgage Underwriter who is analytical, detail-oriented, and able to look beyond the numbers to identify sound lending opportunities.
The successful candidate will have a strong understanding of the private, alternative, and non-B20 mortgage markets in Ontario, British Columbia, and/or Alberta. They will combine disciplined risk assessment with creative problem-solving to structure transactions that meet borrowers’ needs while remaining within Heartwood’s risk appetite.
This role requires strong judgment, excellent communication skills, and the ability to work efficiently in a fast-paced and growing organization.
Key Responsibilities
Deal Assessment and Approval
Review and assess residential mortgage applications, including borrower income, financial statements, credit history, property details, loan structure, and other relevant risk factors. Analyze credit reports, income documentation, bank statements, property valuations, title information, and supporting documentation to determine deal viability. Structure alternative mortgage solutions for borrowers whose circumstances fall outside traditional lending guidelines. Make sound, timely, and well-documented lending decisions that balance credit risk, profitability, and business objectives. Establish appropriate loan terms, conditions, pricing, documentation requirements, and risk mitigants. Identify material risks, inconsistencies, red flags, and potential fraud concerns within mortgage applications. Work closely with brokers and internal stakeholders to resolve outstanding conditions and move approved transactions efficiently toward funding. Meet established performance expectations for underwriting productivity, turnaround time, credit quality, service, and accuracy. Recommend improvements to underwriting policies, processes, tools, and workflows to support an efficient application-to-funding process.
Risk Management and Compliance
Assess and mitigate credit, property, marketability, fraud, legal, title, and operational risks. Ensure all lending decisions comply with Heartwood’s credit policies, risk appetite, delegated lending authorities, and documentation standards. Ensure compliance with applicable provincial requirements, anti-money laundering and anti-terrorist financing obligations, privacy requirements, and internal controls. Escalate transactions that fall outside delegated authority or present elevated risk. Maintain complete, accurate, and audit-ready underwriting files, including clear rationale supporting approval, modification, or decline decisions. Monitor emerging market conditions, regulatory developments, and portfolio trends that may affect underwriting risk.
Broker Relationships and Communication
Work collaboratively with mortgage brokers to structure competitive and appropriate financing solutions for their clients. Build and maintain strong, professional relationships within the mortgage broker community. Clearly communicate approval terms, conditions, documentation requirements, and decline decisions. Provide brokers with timely updates throughout the underwriting process. Negotiate and problem-solve where appropriate to move transactions forward while protecting Heartwood’s interests. Maintain positive working relationships with external partners, including appraisers, lawyers, mortgage insurers, and other service providers. Collaborate with Credit, Sales, Operations, Funding, Compliance, and Servicing teams to support a positive borrower and broker experience.
Qualifications
Minimum of five years of residential mortgage underwriting experience within private lending, alternative lending, or a non-bank financial institution. Strong knowledge of private and alternative mortgage lending practices, underwriting guidelines, credit risk assessment, and mortgage documentation. Experience underwriting first and/or second mortgages, including owner-occupied, rental, investment, and self-employed borrower transactions. Strong understanding of the mortgage markets, property types, borrower profiles, and lending practices in Ontario, British Columbia, and/or Alberta. Demonstrated ability to assess complex financial information, credit reports, property valuations, title details, and supporting documentation. Strong judgment and the ability to identify viable lending opportunities while remaining within established risk parameters. Creative and practical problem-solving skills, with the ability to structure solutions for non-traditional borrower circumstances. Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to clearly explain lending decisions to brokers and internal stakeholders. Strong organizational and time-management skills, with the ability to manage multiple active files and competing deadlines. High degree of accuracy, attention to detail, accountability, and professional integrity. Proficiency with mortgage loan origination systems, Microsoft Office, and financial analysis tools. Familiarity with digital mortgage platforms, fintech solutions, and evolving industry practices is considered an asset. Comfortable contributing within a growing, entrepreneurial, and continuously evolving organization.
Why Join Heartwood? Make a meaningful impact by helping responsible borrowers access financing solutions when traditional lenders may not meet their needs. Competitive compensation, including performance-based incentives. A dynamic and entrepreneurial environment that values sound judgment, innovation, and practical deal structuring. Opportunities to contribute to the development of underwriting policies, processes, products, and systems. A collaborative, high-performance team supported by goal-oriented leaders who are committed to employee growth and development. A close-knit workplace where ideas, initiative, and individual contributions are recognized and valued. The opportunity to help shape the future of a rapidly growing alternative mortgage lender.
Not the right fit? Search for Mortgage Underwriter jobs in North York, Ontario, Canada
About Heartwood Financial Group
Our name is Heartwood. Our business is providing Canadians with alternative mortgages through Licensed Mortgage brokers. But our goal isn't just providing common sense mortgages—it's getting Canadians securely into their homes and keeping them there. There’s a reason our name is Heartwood. The heartwood is the innermost part of a tree, the strongest, most resilient part. We fund the heartwood in borrowers others miss. When banks turn away a mortgage applicant for being non-conforming, we don’t judge, we get to work, with their broker, to uncover their story. We call ourselves Craft Lenders, because we take the time to do things right. Our craft lending approach means each application gets thoughtful attention—not a cold algorithm. We focus on how to say ‘yes’ responsibly and confidently, because giving borrowers loans they can handle, well, that’s just common sense.