About David Nataf, Mortgage Broker

I work on mortgage files where the answer is not always obvious.

I work on mortgage files where the answer is not always obvious

I have spent more than 25 years working in banking, credit and mortgage financing.

Today, a large part of my practice involves borrowers whose files do not fit neatly into a standard lending box. A bank may already have declined the application. The borrower may be self-employed. Income may come through a corporation. There may be tax arrears, damaged credit, an unusual property, a difficult renewal or several issues happening at the same time.

I also work extensively with Canadians buying, refinancing or investing in property in the United States.

These files have one thing in common: submitting the same application to another lender usually does not solve the problem.

The first job is to understand the file properly.

A mortgage decline tells you the result, not necessarily the reason

When a bank says no, I want to know why.

Was the issue the income they accepted? The way they calculated the income? Debt servicing? Credit? Taxes owing? The property? Available liquidity? The requested loan amount? A policy specific to that lender?

Those distinctions matter.

A borrower who does not qualify with one bank may fit another institutional lender perfectly well. Another file may require an alternative lender for a period of time. Private financing can sometimes make sense, but only when there is a clear reason for using it and a realistic plan for getting out of it.

Sometimes the right recommendation is not to borrow yet.

If a file needs six months of cleanup before it should be financed, I would rather explain that than put the borrower into the wrong mortgage today.

Self-employed borrowers need to be understood, not simplified

A significant part of my work is with business owners and self-employed borrowers.

A tax return establishes taxable income. It does not always give a lender the complete picture of the business or the financial capacity of its owner.

That does not mean tax returns can be ignored. They cannot.

It means the analysis may need to go further.

Depending on the file, that can include corporate financial statements, notices of assessment, retained earnings, salary, dividends, business deposits, ownership structure, shareholder transactions and the consistency of the business over time.

The objective is not to manufacture qualifying income.

It is to understand the actual financial picture, present it accurately and determine which lender has an underwriting method that fits the borrower.

Cross-border financing is its own lending problem

Financing U.S. property as a Canadian is not simply a Canadian mortgage with an American address.

A U.S. lender may need to understand Canadian income, Canadian tax documents, Canadian assets and Canadian credit. A borrower may not have a conventional U.S. credit history. An investment property may be evaluated using rental income rather than the borrower's personal income. The ownership structure, intended use of the property and source of funds can all affect which programs are appropriate.

A strong borrower can therefore look unusual to the wrong lender.

My role is to make the file understandable and direct it toward lenders that actually work with the situation presented.

I work on second homes, investment properties, rental properties, refinances and other cross-border mortgage files for Canadians.

When a transaction involves tax, legal, estate-planning or ownership-structure questions, I stay within the financing side of the file and work with the client's accountant or lawyer where their advice is required.

Experience matters most when the file stops being routine

I have worked in banking, credit and mortgage financing for more than two decades.

The value of that experience is not the number itself.

It is knowing what to look for when a file does not work the first time.

What will the lender question?

Is the weakness actually material?

Can it be documented differently without changing the facts?

Is the borrower being sent to the wrong category of lender?

Would an approval solve the problem, or simply replace it with a more expensive one?

Those are much more useful questions than asking how many lenders will look at the application.

How I approach a file

I start with the situation.

If a bank declined you, tell me what happened and why they said no, if they gave you a reason.

If you are self-employed, tell me how the business works and how you pay yourself.

If you are buying in the United States, tell me what you are buying, how you intend to use the property, how much you plan to put down and where your income and assets are located.

From there, I can determine what needs to be reviewed.

You do not need to diagnose the mortgage problem before calling me. That is part of my job.

Straight answers are part of the service

If I believe there is a sensible financing route, I will explain it.

If the available solution is temporary, expensive or comes with compromises, I will explain those too.

If I think you should wait or fix something first, I will tell you that.

No mortgage approval is worth much if the financing does not make sense for the borrower.

The objective is not simply to get a yes.

It is to understand the file, choose the right lending strategy and know what comes next.

Licensing

In Quebec, I practise as a mortgage broker through Groupe Hypothécaire Orbis and hold AMF #3001986744.

For U.S. mortgage activity, my individual NMLS identifier is #2613311 and U.S. files are placed through Orbis Mortgage, NMLS #2583431.

Earlier in his career I operated under the Centura Finance name. That name is historical only: today my Quebec licence is held through Groupe Hypothécaire Orbis (AMF #3001986744) and my U.S. licence through Orbis Mortgage Group LLC (NMLS #2583431).

Service is available in English and French.

Where to start

If your mortgage has been declined, if your income does not fit a conventional calculation, if you have a difficult renewal or if you are trying to finance property across the Canada-U.S. border, start with a conversation.

Tell me the situation.

We can determine what actually needs to be solved from there.

Book a consultation · Start an application