Do your own due diligence
How to verify a mortgage broker’s licence
Mortgage Directory does not verify licences and does not offer a verification service. Every licence number on this site was typed in by the person whose listing it is. Checking it takes a few minutes on your regulator’s public register, and it is worth doing before you hand anyone your financial details.
What this site does
- We publish a directory so Canadians can find a mortgage professional near them
- We pass your enquiry to the one professional you chose, and to nobody else
- We publish free calculators that use Canadian mortgage conventions
What it does not do
- We do not verify licences, registrations, credentials or current standing
- We do not check qualifications, complaint history or disciplinary records
- We do not vouch for any professional’s service, advice, pricing or conduct
- We do not guarantee any rate, product, approval or outcome
- We are not a party to anything you agree with a professional you find here
Checking a licence, step by step
- Find the regulator for the province the work is in. It is the province where the property or the borrower sits, not necessarily where the broker lives. The table below names the regulator for each one.
- Go to that regulator’s own website and find its public register or licensee search. Search for the regulator by name rather than following a link from an email or an advertisement.
- Search by name and by licence number, and confirm the two belong to the same person. A number that is valid but registered to somebody else is the single most common thing worth catching.
- Check the class and the status. Licence classes permit different work, and a licence can be expired, suspended or surrendered while a listing or a business card still shows it.
- Check the brokerage. Agents are licensed through a brokerage, and the register will name it. It should match what you were told.
- Look for discipline or enforcement records, which most regulators publish separately from the register itself.
If anything does not match, stop and contact the regulator. They are the only body that can confirm a licence or act on a problem with one.
Who regulates mortgage brokering, by province
Search for the regulator by name to reach its official site. We deliberately do not link out to them: a link on a page like this one has to be right every time, and the authoritative source for a regulator’s address is the regulator, not us.
| Province or territory | Regulator | |
|---|---|---|
| Alberta | Real Estate Council of Alberta (RECA) | Brokers in Alberta |
| British Columbia | BC Financial Services Authority (BCFSA) | Brokers in British Columbia |
| Manitoba | Manitoba Securities Commission | Brokers in Manitoba |
| New Brunswick | Financial and Consumer Services Commission (FCNB) | Brokers in New Brunswick |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | Digital Government and Service NL | Brokers in Newfoundland and Labrador |
| Northwest Territories | Consumer Affairs NWT | Brokers in Northwest Territories |
| Nova Scotia | Service Nova Scotia | Brokers in Nova Scotia |
| Nunavut | Nunavut Legal Registries | Brokers in Nunavut |
| Ontario | Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Ontario (FSRA) | Brokers in Ontario |
| Prince Edward Island | Office of the Superintendent of Insurance | Brokers in Prince Edward Island |
| Quebec | Autorité des marchés financiers (AMF) | Brokers in Quebec |
| Saskatchewan | Financial and Consumer Affairs Authority (FCAA) | Brokers in Saskatchewan |
| Yukon | Yukon Consumer Services | Brokers in Yukon |
Regulators and their names change. Confirm the current one with your provincial government if a name here does not resolve.
Common questions
Do you verify the brokers listed on this site?
No. We are a directory, not a verification service. Everything on a listing — including the licence number, the licence class, the brokerage and the regulator — is supplied by the professional and published as given. We do not check it against any register, and a listing appearing here is not an endorsement, a recommendation or evidence of good standing.
Then what does a listing actually tell me?
That someone claimed it and confirmed an email address and a mobile number by code, so there is a reachable person behind it. That is all it establishes. It says nothing about whether they are licensed, in good standing, competent, or suitable for your situation — those are for you to establish with the regulator and with your own judgement.
What should I check on the regulator’s register?
That the person exists on it under the name they gave you; that the licence number matches; that the class of licence permits the work you need; that the licence is current rather than expired, suspended or surrendered; that they are with the brokerage they claim; and whether any discipline is recorded. A licence number that looks right but belongs to someone else is the thing to watch for.
What if the details do not match the register?
Do not proceed, and report it to the regulator — they are the only body that can act on it. Please also tell us so we can remove the listing, but understand that our removing a listing is a housekeeping step, not an investigation or a finding.
Are you responsible if something goes wrong?
No. We accept no responsibility for the service, quality, advice, marketing, offers, pricing, licensing or any outcome arising from a connection made through this site. Your agreement is with the professional, not with us. We provide the resource for finding someone; vetting them is yours to do.
Our position, in full
This directory is a resource for finding a mortgage professional — it is not a verification service. Listings are self-reported and we do not verify licences, registrations, credentials or standing. Confirm any licence directly with the relevant provincial regulator before you engage anyone, and carry out your own due diligence. We accept no responsibility for the service, quality, marketing, offers, licensing, or any outcome or result arising from a connection made through this site. Vetting a provider’s qualifications is yours to do.