First National Financial Mortgage Lender Profile
Generally for Buyers and owners working through a broker who want a large, established non-bank lender for a prime purchase, refinance or transfer.
Who they are
First National Financial LP is one of Canada's largest non-bank mortgage lenders. It was founded in Toronto in 1988 by Stephen Smith and Moray Tawse. The company originates, underwrites and services both residential and commercial mortgages, and administers close to $160 billion in mortgages across the country. Its head office is in Toronto, with regional offices in Vancouver, Calgary, Montreal and Halifax. First National was formerly listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange. In October 2025 it was taken private by Birch Hill Equity Partners and Brookfield Asset Management, with its two founders keeping a substantial minority stake.
What they lend on, and who for
First National works through the mortgage broker channel. On the residential side it lends through the mortgage broker channel, so a licensed broker submits your file on your behalf; it has no branch network. It funds insured, insurable and uninsured mortgages for purchases, transfers, refinances, investment properties and self-employed borrowers. Brokers treat it as a mainstream prime lender with deep experience in CMHC-insured mortgages. Its Excalibur program handles applications that sit outside standard prime guidelines. A separate commercial division finances multi-unit residential and commercial real estate.
How to approach First National Financial
You can contact First National Financial yourself; nothing stops you. What you cannot easily find out is what they will actually accept. How they read self-employed income, which add-backs they allow, how they treat rental income, and what they will accept in place of the documents you cannot produce — none of that is published in full anywhere, and it moves.
A licensed broker who places files with lenders like this every week knows those criteria, and more usefully knows how to structure a file so it lands inside them rather than just outside. On anything that is not a straightforward salaried purchase, that structuring is most of the difference between an approval and a decline. It costs you nothing on a prime mortgage — the lender pays the broker when it funds.
| Lender type | Monoline |
| Registered as | First National Financial LP |
| Head office | 16 York Street, Suite 1900, Toronto, ON M5J 0E6 |
| Website | firstnational.ca |
| Phone | 1-844-593-4577 |
Get notified 90 days before your renewal
Your lender contacts you at 30 days, when you have no time to shop. We reach you at 90 — early enough to lock a hold and personalize your offers.
Borrower ratings for First National Financial
In today’s world, reviews dictate the service industry. Brokers have taken the hit for bad lenders. We bring the consumer experience to light to help borrowers decide.
How quickly did they issue a commitment and get to funding?
Was the rate you got competitive for the product you qualified for?
Could you reach someone, and did they resolve things?
Portal, e-signing, document upload, online account — did it work?
Were the terms, fees and penalties clear before you signed?
Worked with First National Financial?
Score them on the five things above. We confirm every review by email before it publishes, and we publish the bad ones too.
Questions about First National Financial
Is First National Financial a real mortgage lender?
Yes. First National Financial is a monoline based in Ontario. Its own site is firstnational.ca.
What kind of lender is First National Financial?
Monoline. Mortgages and nothing else, sold through brokers. Best pricing in the market and usually the fairest penalty formulas. Most Canadians have never heard of them, which is exactly what this directory is for.
Should I go to First National Financial directly or through a broker?
You can approach them yourself. The reason most people do not is that a lender's real criteria — how income is read, what is accepted as documentation, what will be allowed as an exception — are not published, and they change. A broker who works with First National Financial regularly knows them and knows how to present a file to fit them, which on anything other than a simple salaried purchase is usually what decides the answer. On a prime mortgage it costs you nothing either way, because the lender pays the broker when it funds.
Would First National Financial approve me?
No profile page can answer that, and any site that tries is guessing. It turns on how your income is earned and how much of it a lender will count, your credit history, the property itself, and how much you need against what it is worth. Those are the questions a licensed broker asks before naming a lender — and they will tell you which ones realistically fit, this one included, and which would price it better.
Where does First National Financial lend?
Its head office is in Ontario. Lending areas change and are not always the same as where the lender is based — confirm current coverage with the lender or a broker before planning around it.
Would First National Financial take your file?
Send us the details and a licensed broker will tell you which lenders fit — this one included, and the ones that would price it better.
Send us the file