Director, Commercial Real Estate

Who We Are Fairstone Bank and its family of brands are united in delivering innovative, accessible and reliable financial solutions that enable Canadians to reach their goals. Over the years, our brand family has grown. In 2024, Home Trust Company, Home Bank and Oaken Financial became part of the Fairstone Bank family of brands, alongside Fairstone, Eden Park and Fig.

Together, we are the leading alternative lending bank in Canada. We have the collective experience and expertise to better serve our customers and foster our partners’ growth. With a diverse suite of products—residential and commercial mortgages, consumer deposits and GICs, credit cards, retail and automobile financing, personal loans and digital lending—we offer financial solutions tailored to all Canadians, including newcomers, small‑business owners, smart investors and savvy consumers.

Backed by nearly a century of lending experience through its legacy companies, Fairstone Bank and its brand family are proud to be Canada’s leading alternative lending bank.

Home Trust: Home Trust Company has developed a track record of success as Canada’s leading alternative lender, employing nearly 800 people in our Toronto headquarters and branches across the country. Building on the demonstrated strength of its core residential mortgage lending business, the Company also offers complementary lending services, as well as highly competitive deposit investment products, through Oaken Financial. Our culture has been shaped by the passion and integrity of our people.

Join Home Trust as a Director, Commercial Real Estate, reporting to SVP, Commercial Real Estate Lending, and be part of our talented and growing team!

About The Role The Director, Commercial Lending (Originations) is responsible for assessing, evaluating and analysing investment proposals to prepare and present recommendations on a wide variety of commercial mortgage transactions. The candidate will manage workflow in the business unit, develop and maintain business relationships, assist in achieving sales objectives and sustain a strong commercial mortgage portfolio for the company.

Responsibilities

Work with existing or new origination sources and business partners to source suitable conventional mortgages, CMHC insured mortgages, construction / land development financing, syndicated transactions (participation) and structured mortgage receivable financings that meet HTC’s pricing criteria and risk appetite.

Assess commercial mortgage transactions in various asset classes including multi-residential, industrial, office, retail, hotel / hospitality, self-storage, land and construction (residential / non-residential) etc.

Perform initial risk and suitability analysis and screening of investment proposals received and discuss findings with the EVP Commercial Lending.

Assist in negotiating appropriate pricing and loan structures, commensurate with loan risk, and present mortgage investment opportunities that meet HTC’s requirements.

Analyze and provide written recommendations in Term Sheet format (decision ready) on investment proposals requiring approval in accordance with HTC’s Policy and Guidelines and general investment criteria.

Present investment proposals to Commercial Underwriting or to the Credit Risk Transactional Sub Committee (Credit) for decisioning.

Work closely with direct client base of borrowers to collect and analyze information to issue Letters of Intent and Commitment Letters on transactions where required.

Collaborate with the Underwriting team to ensure timely response and funding achieved to service client expectations.

Maintain and evaluate consistent, objective and sound risk assessments in a high volume, quality focused and service oriented environment.

Assist the EVP, Commercial Lending in achieving all business objectives including new business volume, spread, and profitability targets for Large Commercial.

Maintain a high level of knowledge of the industry, competition and market trends.

Develop and maintain agent and direct borrower relationships to build the commercial mortgage business.

Manage the development and maintenance of the Large Commercial pipeline to facilitate workflow and to ensure timely execution of loan approvals.

Deliver accurate and substantive reporting to the EVP, Commercial Lending on the commercial mortgage portfolio, pipeline, market trends, competition and cost of funds and provide ad-hoc reporting to senior management, as required.

Manage CMHC / CMB allocation targets and limits with a goal to maximize capacity usage and revenues.

Coordinate with internal business groups including ERM, Finance, Treasury, Compliance and Securitization to assist in facilitating commercial related items in the organization.

Evaluate and analyse documentation supplied by clients and brokers to ensure its authenticity and compliance with all aspects of Home Trust Company’s policies and guidelines per delegated authority matrices and applicable compliance obligations including Commercial Underwriting Policies and Commercial Lending Guidelines, Privacy, Anti-Money Laundering / Anti-Terrorist Financing and internal Anti-Fraud Policy requirements.

File Unusual Transaction Reports as applicable to fulfil individual employee obligations to detect and deter financial crimes activity.

Maintain clean OSFI and Internal Audit reports as required for Commercial Originations.

Provide hands‑on leadership, as subject matter expert, to guide and coach other team members on Home Trust’s Commercial Lending requirements. Identify and provide specific additional coaching and performance management to individuals as necessary.

Ensure individualized performance objectives are in place for all direct reports (if any); monitor and evaluate individual’s performance and provide timely feedback as required.

Foster a team environment focused on achieving all departmental objectives and goals in support of the business.

Plan, schedule and establish team member workload, individual training and on‑boarding processes.

Recommend and implement staffing and process changes to meet business requirements.

Set, report, measure and review objectives as required via the Organizational Effectiveness Program (OEP) and Team Effectiveness Meetings (TEM).

Execution of Risk Control Self Assessments (RCSA).

Set, report / measure and review, Key Risk Indicators / Key Productivity Indicators (KRI / KPI).

Legislative Compliance Management (LCM).

Business Continuity Planning (BCP).

Assume a leadership position and work closely with all stakeholders (ex. Commercial Mortgage Projects).

Manage special projects or other new initiatives as needed.

What We’re Looking For

University degree in business, economics or related discipline

Additional relevant accreditation(s), certification(s) are assets (eg. MBA, CFA)

10+ years in commercial mortgage lending / underwriting

Background in alternative lending an asset

In depth understanding of commercial real estate and mortgages

Able to multi-task and flourish in a fast-paced, deadline-driven work environment

Proven ability to work within a collaborative team environment

Excellent written / verbal communication and professional maturity

Strong organisational, time‑management and analytical skills to work effectively with established guidelines

Effective leader who motivates and engages others through fostering a collaborative team environment

Understands Home Trust Company’s lending criteria and risk appetite

Strong knowledge of MS Office, especially Excel

Some work beyond standard hours may be required; Bilingualism an asset

What You’ll Love About Working Here

Award‑Winning Culture: We’re proud to be recognized as a Great Place to Work Canada 2025 and one of Montreal’s Top Employers 2025 by Canada’s Top 100 Employers.

Work-Life Balance: Enjoy flexibility with our hybrid work model designed to support your lifestyle.

Time to Recharge: Generous vacation based on your role, statutory holidays, plus 6 wellness days to prioritise your well‑being.

Compensation Package: Competitive base salary plus an annual incentive bonus tied to performance.

Comprehensive Benefits: Robust health and dental coverage through Manulife, as well as virtual healthcare through Dialogue.

Future‑Ready Savings: Group Retirement Savings Plan with up to 7% employer match.

Exclusive Perks: Discounts from top retailers via WorkPerks, plus location‑based perks like gym memberships and Toronto Bike Share.

On‑Site Fitness: Gym access at our London and Montreal offices.

Continuous Growth: Education Assistance Program and Fairstone Academy for training and skill development.

Family Support: Parental leave top‑up programme to help you during life’s big moments.

Community Impact: One paid volunteer day to give back to causes that matter to you.

What You Can Expect - Pay & Process

Expected base salary range is $131,200 - $164,000 per year, plus the opportunity to earn an annual incentive bonus tied to performance.

This posting is for an existing vacancy within our organization.

Artificial intelligence may be used in parts of the recruitment process.

All candidates considered for hire must successfully pass a criminal background check, credit check, and validation of their work experience to qualify for hire.

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