What does excellence look like in private mortgage lending today — and why does it matter for brokers? The 2026 Private Lender Award of Excellence, presented at the Mortgage Awards of Excellence, offers a useful benchmark — and this year, Neighbourhood Holdings has been named the winner. The award recognizes a licensed, structured lender that demonstrates integrity, innovation, and a genuine commitment to the broker–borrower relationship. For brokers evaluating or working with alternative lenders, the criteria behind this award are worth understanding.
Excellence Starts with Who You Serve
Canada’s mortgage landscape has shifted significantly over the past decade. Tighter institutional lending frameworks have created a growing population of creditworthy borrowers who fall outside conventional qualification models—self-employed professionals, newcomers to Canada, and homeowners navigating life transitions among them.
What stands out in the alternative lending portfolios is that many of these borrowers are not necessarily less qualified. A significant share maintains strong credit scores; their circumstances simply don’t fit standardized models. A self-employed entrepreneur with strong revenue but irregular documentation, or a newcomer with stable employment but a limited Canadian credit history, are common examples.
For brokers, this reframe is worth noting. The pool of clients who could benefit from an alternative solution may be broader than many assume—and presenting that option is not a step down, but a practical path forward for clients in transitional circumstances.
What Brokers Should Look for in a Private Lending Partner
A strong broker-lender partnership can make a meaningful difference in broker experience and client outcomes. The benchmarks the Private Lender Award uses to evaluate candidates offer a practical checklist for brokers:
- Flexibility in underwriting: A lender that can look beyond traditional guidelines and assess each file with creativity, context, and common sense.
- Transparency and accountability: Clear communication around pricing, fees, conditions, and timelines, so brokers and borrowers know what to expect.
- Ethical lending practices: A commitment to borrower fit, responsible structuring, and sustainable repayment or exit strategies.
- Broker-borrower understanding: A lender that respects the broker’s role, supports client education, and helps create a smoother experience for underserved borrowers.
Excellence Shows Up in the Broker Relationship
Identifying the right clients is only part of the equation. The Private Lender Award specifically evaluates how lenders support brokers in serving them—and that day-to-day partnership is where excellence becomes tangible.
“We are inspired daily by the dedication and innovation of the mortgage brokers we serve. These entrepreneurs are relentless in their commitment to their clients, and they rightly expect that same drive for excellence and continuous improvement from their lending partners,” said Jared Stanley, COO of Neighbourhood Holdings.
Excellence Is Built from the Inside Out
The quality of service brokers receive from a lender is also a product of internal culture. Lenders that invest in their teams — and retain them — deliver more consistent, knowledgeable support on every deal. This year’s winner reflects that principle well.
Neighbourhood has been certified as a Great Place to Work® every year since 2023, with 100% of employees surveyed reporting a positive workplace experience—compared to 60% at a typical Canadian company. The company was also ranked #5 among the Best Workplaces in Canada (under 100 employees) in 2025 and received the CMP 5-Star Mortgage Product Award. For brokers, that internal culture translates directly into responsiveness, knowledge, and consistency on every deal.
About Neighbourhood Holdings
This year’s winner, Neighbourhood Holdings, has built its model around the premise that responsible lending, broker partnership, and operational discipline are not trade-offs — they reinforce each other. Founded in 2015, and following its acquisition of Fisgard Asset Management Corporation in October 2025, the combined business now manages around $800 million in assets and has funded over $5 billion in mortgages across more than 10,000 transactions nationwide, partnering with nearly 5,000 brokers coast to coast.
“We are extremely grateful to have been named the winner of this award,” said Taylor Little, Co-Founder and CEO. “This award represents all of the hard work undertaken by our team, but also the trust imparted on us by our broker partners, investors and banking partners.”
Looking Ahead
“We are still in the teenager phase of our business,” said Little. “So while this accomplishment is a great milestone, we truly believe that the best is yet to come.”
To learn more about Neighbourhood Holdings and their broker programs, visit www.neighbourhood.com.
