GTA SYMPOSIUM
November 13, 2024
8AM-12:45PM
Image Gallery
Agenda
8:00 AM
Registration, Hot Breakfast and Mini Trade Show
Exhibitors:
Lendfinity, RiverRock, First National, Home Trust, MCAN Home, EQ Bank, Equifax, Blu Mortgage, Hosper, Alta West, CMI, Axess Law, Oppono, Sabbio Law, Haventree, Bridgewater, CWB, CMLS, IC Savings, Vault, Community Trust, Strive, Lendfinity, RiverRock, First National, Home Trust, MCAN Home, and more!
8:50 AM
Opening Remarks
Welcome on behalf of CMBA Ontario
9:00 AM
Cyberattacks: Not Top-of-Mind...Until They Happen to You
Speaker:
- Tom Hall – Blu Mortgage, Co-CEO
9:30 AM
Fraud Trends, KYC Compliance & Adhering to FINTRAC Guidelines
Speaker:
- Cherolle Prince – Equifax, Director Fraud Consulting
10:00 AM
Identity Verification by Treefort: Enhance your KYC
Speaker:
- Kristen Dawson – Treefort Technologies, Director of Customer Experience
11:00 AM
Coffee Break, Headshot Sessions, and Mini Trade Show
Exhibitors:
Lendfinity, RiverRock, First National, Home Trust, MCAN Home, EQ Bank, Equifax, Blu Mortgage, Hosper, Alta West, CMI, Axess Law, Oppono, Sabbio Law, Haventree, Bridgewater, CWB, CMLS, IC Savings, Vault, Community Trust, Strive, Lendfinity, RiverRock, First National, Home Trust, MCAN Home, and more!
11:30 AM
Post US Election and Fed Meeting: Has the Dust Settled?
Speaker:
-
Bruno Valko – VP, National Sales for RMG Mortgages
12:00 PM
The Road Ahead: Expert Perspectives on the Changing Mortgage Landscape
Panelists:
- John Webster – Former President & CEO of Scotia Mortgage Corporation
- Rachelle Gregory – SVP, Originations at MERIX
- Mike Forshee – President & Managing Director, Glasslake
- Damon Knights – Vice President, Sales & Distribution, Equitable Bank
Moderator:
- Michelle Campbell – Vice President, CMBA Ontario
12:45 PM
Closing Remarks
Thank you on behalf of CMBA Ontario
Meet Our Speakers
Our speakers bring a wealth of knowledge and experience from various sectors of the mortgage industry. Get to know the professionals who will be sharing their insights at our event.
Tom Hall
Co-Founder, Blu Mortgage
Tom is the founder of Canada’s #1 mortgage CRM, BluMortgage and has been named a CMP Rising Star for 2024. Tom is also the host of the popular podcast Mortgage Tech Talks.
Cherolle Prince
Director Fraud Consulting, Equifax
Cherolle is a financial crime professional with over 20+ years of experience in the Canadian financial industry. She has extensive experience in retail, small business and commercial banking fraud and was responsible for the development and execution of fraud strategy (Canadian and U.S.) at two major Canadian financial institutions. At Equifax, Cherolle leads a team of analytic consultants that provide data and analytics expertise to help customers solve complex business problems related to fraud.
Kristen Dawson
Director of Customer Experience, Treefort Technologies
Kristen is a key member of the Senior Leadership Team at Treefort Technologies as the Director of Customer Experience. In this capacity she oversees the Treefort customer support team, customer onboarding, and manages Treefort’s integration clients as well as plays a key role in Treefort marketing efforts. Kristen brings a wealth of knowledge to Treefort’s Team having worked in customer service for over 16 years, including 10 years in management. Her educational background is in marketing and advertising. When she is not spending time with her husband and two daughters, she enjoys working on DIY projects.
Bruno Valko
VP, National Sales, RMG Mortgages
Bruno started in the mortgage business in 1990 when there was too much housing supply and the real estate market went into a correction as a result. After the dot com bubble burst, he was VP of National Sales when brokers did 100% financing, 40 year ams, no stress test and 5% cash backs on top. 95% refinances were also popular. Everything ended up just fine, Canadian home construction was booming and there were limited supply and demand issues. Bruno was a mortgage agent for 2 years. He’s worked at MFCs, a B lender and a bank over his 30 plus year career. He enjoys educating mortgage brokers and agents on the economy and what impacts interest rates, both fixed and variable. He’s married with 2 adult children and 2 dogs.
Meet Our Lender Panelists
John Webster
Former President & CEO, Scotia Mortgage Corporation
Rachelle Gregory
SVP, Originations MERIX Financial
As one of Paradigm’s first founding employees in 2005, Rachelle started in the Credit Center as an underwriter. With a keen eye for building and expanding broker relationships, she quickly found her passion in the Sales division, where she won numerous BDM awards and launched the inside sales team. Rachelle then returned to Paradigm Quest, leading the Eastern Credit Center and enhancing the broker experience. In 2016, Rachelle became the EVP of Servicing and Homeowner experience, leading a team of over 130 people to improve post-funding experience groups at Paradigm. Rachelle also developed and launched the Broker/Homeowner Renewal Partnership Program, leading to historic retention levels for the organization. Currently serving as SVP, Originations at MERIX, Rachelle oversees the National Sales Team for MERIX and Lendwise. Her overarching understanding of all aspects of the business complements her drive to enhance the broker experience. As a mother of three, Rachelle has a passion for travel and giving back. She dedicates much of her free time to various causes, including leading a company team for over a decade to raise $240k for cancer research at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre. Rachelle also chairs the Women in Mortgage Charity Golf Tournaments, which have raised over $260k for the Canadian Women’s Foundation and operate in Ontario and BC.
Mike Forshee
President & Managing Director, Glasslake
Mr. Forshee joined Bayview Asset Management as Managing Director and President of Glasslake in 2022 to lead the firm’s Canadian operations. Prior to joining, Mr. Forshee was the Executive Vice President, Underwriting of Home Capital Group, with responsibility for Residential and Commercial Underwriting as well as Funding. Mr. Forshee’s experience includes over 17 years at Home Trust Company, including five years leading the Company’s Western Canadian operations. Mr. Forshee is a dedicated mortgage industry executive whose career has spanned over two decades across Canadian and international markets. Mr. Forshee is a past member of the Education Committee of the Advisory Board of Seneca College’s Financial Service Underwriting Program. Additionally, Mr. Forshee is a frequent speaker at industry events, contributor to industry publications, and is an Accredited Mortgage Professional.
Damon Knight
Vice President, Sales & Distribution, Equitable Bank
Damon Knights is the Vice President, Sales & Distribution, Equitable Bank’s Personal Banking Group. He’s responsible for $15B+ of annual sales, including Mortgage Sales, Wealth Sales, Deposit Services, and supporting Reverse mortgage via mortgage brokers and investment advisors. Damon’s been in the retail banking industry for over 16 years in various product strategy and leadership roles and is passionate about the evolution of the mortgage broker profession. He believes working with a mortgage broker is the best way to shop for a mortgage in Canada and is proud to champion this outlook at Equitable Bank.
Our Sponsors
Thank you to all of our generous sponsors!