Shows
Lending Thoughts21: Lessons Learned From Rocket Mortgage Canada’s Journey with Rocket Mortgage Canada's Chris ColasantiWATCH
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EPISODE DESCRIPTION
In this episode, Bekim is again joined by Chris Colasanti. Chris is a founding team member of Rocket Mortgage Canada and the VP of Strategy & Analytics and Rocket Pro at Rocket Mortgage Canada from Windsor, Ontario. A graduate of the Lazaridis School of Business & Economics, Chris has brought an innovative and energetic demeanor as well as a passion for technology and data driven decision making to Rocket Mortgage Canada since 2020.
Chris is here to discuss:
→ Why it's so...
2025-04-0238 minLending Thoughts20: Building a Culture of Continuous Improvements with Rocket Mortgage Canada's Kyle DionneWATCH
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EPISODE DESCRIPTION
In this episode, Bekim is joined by Kyle Dionne. Kyle is the Senior Director of Brokerage & Lender Operations at Rocket Mortgage Canada. Born and raised in Windsor, Ontario, he also attended the University of Windsor, where he achieved an honours degree in Labour Studies & Sociology, and eventually got a Bachelor of Education. Kyle and his family then moved to England, where he spent a decade teaching, before returning home to Windsor in the summer of 2020. Kyle is a dynamic and results-driven senio...
2025-03-2634 minLending Thoughts19: Turning Family Values Into Business Success with Pineapple's Shubha DasguptaWATCH
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EPISODE DESCRIPTION
In this episode, Bekim is joined by Shubha Dasgupta. Shubha is the Co-Founder, President, & CEO of Toronto-based Pineapple, a leading mortgage industry disruptor. Since joining the mortgage industry in 2008, Shubha has focused on leveraging technology while prioritizing customer experience to transform the sector. As an award-winning executive, his unique vision and expertise have been instrumental in building and growing Pineapple, which boasts over 700 brokers in its network today. Shubha is also a philanthropic leader who actively engages with various non-profit organizations in th...
2025-03-1940 minLending Thoughts18: Living Life By Design, Not Default with MCAP's Megan McDonaldWATCH
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EPISODE DESCRIPTION
In this episode, Bekim is joined by Megan McDonald. An industry legend, Megan is the Sr. Vice-President of Single Family Sales at MCAP from Vancouver, BC. MCAP is Canada’s largest independent mortgage financing company, with annual sales exceeding $20 billion and over $150 billion in Mortgages Under Administration (MUA). Since joining MCAP in 2006, Megan’s transformative leadership has led to innovations in coaching, culture, and customer experience.
Currently, Megan is charged with driving the growth of the flagship brands thro...
2025-03-0545 minLending Thoughts17: The Gift of Perspective from a “Cancer Thriver” with Collective Mortgage Group's Christine BuemannWATCH
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EPISODE DESCRIPTION
In this episode, Bekim is joined by Christine Buemann. Christine is a Mortgage Broker and also a Co-Founder & Co-Owner of The Collective Mortgage Group from Prince George, BC. Christine started her mortgage journey in 2010 at 24-years-old, priding herself on making her clients' well-being her utmost priority. Since 2022, Christine has also been a "cancer thriver", and candidly shares her courageous journey with the world. The Collective Mortgage Group is a boutique brokerage designed for experienced Brokers to maintain their autonomy.
C...
2025-02-2639 minLending Thoughts16: Innovating in Canada’s Real Estate Industry with Wahi's Benjy KatchenWATCH
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EPISODE DESCRIPTION
In this episode, Bekim is joined by Benjy Katchen. Benjy is the Co-Founder & CEO of Wahi Real Estate from Toronto, Ontario. Previously revolutionizing the banking sector at President's Choice Financial and Founding Oaken Financial at HomeTrust, Benjy brings 20 years of experience in creating customer-centric digital solutions to Wahi, a digital real estate platform & brokerage that helps consumers have a better experience when searching and buying a property. Wahi is the winner of multiple awards including Canadian Business Innovator in 2023 and 2024 and Inman...
2025-02-1935 minLending Thoughts15: Mortgage Insurance Isn’t a Fee, It’s the Pathway to Homeownership with Sagen's Ivy BudisavljevicWATCH
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EPISODE DESCRIPTION
In this episode, Bekim is joined by Ivy Budisavljevic. Ivy is the Vice-President of Business Development at Sagen, Canada’s largest private mortgage insurance provider. Over the past 15 years, Ivy has worked her way up from summer intern to Sagen’s Sales Leadership Team, and is now responsible for developing strategies that will drive prudent market share growth and develop a sustainable competitive advantage. In addition, Ivy is also the Secretary on the Executive Board of Directors at Mortgage Professionals Canada (MPC), a n...
2025-02-1233 minLending Thoughts14: How to Gain a Massive Competitive Advantage with Tango Financial's Dean LarsonWATCH
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EPISODE DESCRIPTION
In this episode, Bekim is joined by Dean Larson. Dean is the President & CEO at Tango Financial, a progressive, technology focused, coast-to-coast mortgage brokerage group. In addition, Dean is also in the private mortgage space as a Founder and Director of Northern Alliance Trust, a residential mortgage income fund, and Shelter Lending, an alternative mortgage lender. With over 25 years of experience in the finance and technology sectors, Dean has a proven track record of leading innovative teams and implementing strategic initiatives that...
2025-02-0531 minLending Thoughts13: How to Build a Mortgage Company With $50 at a Coffee Shop with Indi Mortgage's Gord AppelWATCH
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EPISODE DESCRIPTION
In this episode, Bekim is joined by Gord Appel. Gord is a Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Indi Mortgage, formerly Axiom Mortgage Solutions, from Calgary, Alberta. Being in sales his whole life, everything from door-to-door vacuum sales to retail electronics, Gord was able to develop the soft skills that have become a major key to his success. Gord has been in mortgages for 20 years now, and running Indi Mortgage for the last five and a half with his business partner, Gord Ross...
2025-01-2936 minLending Thoughts12: The Movement from Banker to Broker with Super Mortgage Man Joe BondyWATCH
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EPISODE DESCRIPTION
In this episode, Bekim is joined by Joe Bondy. Joe is an award-winning Mortgage Broker and the Co-Founder of Super Mortgage Team from Windsor, Ontario. Joe has been in the mortgage industry for 22 years. Growing up on a farm, he learned invaluable lessons about sales, entrepreneurship, and hard work that would later become the foundation of his success. After spending 18 years at banks as a Mortgage Specialist with BMO & RBC, Joe decided he wanted more freedom for himself and his clients, and d...
2025-01-2235 minLending Thoughts11: How to Find “A-Players” for Your Business with Rocket Mortgage Canada's Chris ColasantiWATCH
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EPISODE DESCRIPTION
In this episode, Bekim is joined by Chris Colasanti. Chris is a founding team member of Rocket Mortgage Canada and the VP of Strategy & Analytics and Rocket Pro at Rocket Mortgage Canada from Windsor, Ontario. Rocket Pro is a lending team dedicated to helping broker grow. A graduate of the Lazaridis School of Business & Economics, Chris has brought an innovative and energetic demeanor as well as a passion for technology and data driven decision making to Rocket Mortgage Canada since 2020.
2025-01-1535 minLending Thoughts10: Why AI is the Ketchup to Your CRM Fries with BluMortgage's Tom HallWATCH
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EPISODE DESCRIPTION
In this episode, Bekim is joined by Tom Hall. Tom is the Co-Founder & Co-CEO of BluMortgage from Toronto, Ontario, one of the top independent CRMs for mortgage brokers in Canada. Used by 3 of the top 5 brokers in the country and over $11.5B in mortgage volume managed annually, BluMortgage is leading the transition from a historically manual-process to a digital-first experience for agents and their customers, and was named one of the Globe & Mail's Top Growing Companies in 2024. Tom is also the host...
2025-01-0832 minLending Thoughts9: How Great Property Data Saves Everyone Time and Money with Scott LarterWATCH
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EPISODE DESCRIPTION
In this episode, Bekim is joined by Scott Larter. Scott is the VP of Business Development at OPTA Information Intelligence, and is also the VP of Data Solution Sales at FCT (First Canadian Title). OPTA and FCT entered a partnership in 2020 to focus on building data products for the mortgage industry, amassing a database of 18 million residential and 7 million commercial properties across Canada. In 2024, Scott became the Co-Founder and CEO of BrokerBot, a lead conversion and customer engagement solution with monthly real...
2024-12-2040 min
Mortgage Tech Talks55: 100x Your Mortgage Business with Rocket's Bekim MerditaIn this episode, we're joined by Bekim Merdita. Bekim is the EVP and a Founding Team Member of Rocket Mortgage Canada from Windsor, Ontario, which originally launched as Edison Financial in 2020. Edison Financial rebranded to Rocket Mortgage Canada on August 8, 2022, doing business under the brand Rocket Mortgage™️ throughout the country. In 2023, Rocket Mortgage Canada also became a mortgage lender and created Rocket Pro Canada, a team dedicated to helping broker partners submit deals to the Rocket Mortgage Canada lending channel.
In this episode we cover:
→ Bekim's journey within Rocket Mortgage in both the US and Can...
2024-12-1340 minLending Thoughts8: Creating Scalable Business Systems with Rocket Pro's Brendan WoodfullWATCH
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EPISODE DESCRIPTION
In this episode, Bekim is joined by Brendan Woodfull. Brendan is the Divisional VP of Sales for Rocket Pro, a Division of Rocket Mortgage Canada. Rocket Pro is a team dedicated to helping broker partners submit deals to the Rocket Mortgage Canada lending channel. A former NCAA athlete who has worked for Rocket Mortgage in both Canada and the US, Brendan uses his experiences to partner with mortgage agents and brokers from across the country.
Brendan is here t...
2024-12-1127 minLending Thoughts7: Funding Mortgages in 24 Hours with FundMore.ai's Chris GrimesWATCH
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EPISODE DESCRIPTION
In this episode, Bekim is joined by Chris Grimes. Chris is the Co-Founder & CEO of FundMore.ai, and has worked in the financial industry for 20 years. Gaining experience in wealth management, credit lending, and mortgage origination, he is passionate about advancing the mortgage industry through technology and forward-thinking initiatives. FundMore.ai is an automated underwriting system that uses machine learning to streamline the pre-funding process for loans. The mission? To make home-ownership more accessible.
Chris is here to dis...
2024-12-0433 minLending Thoughts6: Why a Great Real Estate Process is Like "The Bear" with Deeded's Reuven GorshtWATCH
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EPISODE DESCRIPTION
In this episode, Bekim is joined by Reuven Gorsht. Reuven is the Founder & CEO of Deeded from Toronto, Ontario, who's an entrepreneur with a passion for solving big, challenging problems. Reuven has helped transform and evolve multi-billion dollar corporations into new business models, products, and paradigms, and also built a very successful startup from the ground up. Deeded is a technology platform that provides a virtual real estate and mortgage closing experience, whose mission it is to make real estate transactions frict...
2024-11-2737 minLending Thoughts5: Professionalism Over Politeness with Rocket Mortgage Canada's Alex MelocheWATCH
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EPISODE DESCRIPTION
In this episode, Bekim is joined by Alex Meloche. Alex is the Divisional VP of Sales at Rocket Mortgage Canada. He has been with the company since May of 2020. Born and raised in Windsor, Ontario and coming from a big family, Alex picked up strong communication and story-telling skills from a young age, and has parlayed that into a very successful career in sales. With a professional life spanning the past 2 decades in industries such as debt and legal collections, dental, offic...
2024-11-2034 minLending Thoughts4: Building Lasting Referral Relationships with 8Twelve Mortgage's Gary FooksWATCH
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EPISODE DESCRIPTION
In this episode, Bekim is joined by Gary Fooks. Gary is the Co-Founder & CEO of both 8Twelve Mortgage & 8Twelve Financial Technologies from Toronto, Ontario, who stumbled across the mortgage industry at the end of 2014. From working on Wall Street to scaling sales organizations with technology, it only took Gary 3 years to hit $100M in yearly mortgage volume, with 99% of it coming from referrals. Gary parlayed that success into Co-Founding 8Twelve Mortgage in 2018, leveraging technology and automation to implement his proven, proprietary 8-step...
2024-11-1335 minLending Thoughts3: Leading Your Tribe with Tribe Financial’s Frances HinojosaWATCH
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EPISODE DESCRIPTION
In this episode, Bekim is joined by Frances Hinojosa. Frances is the Co-Founder, Principal Broker, and CEO of Tribe Financial Group from Oakville, Ontario, who's won numerous accolades over her 30 years in the mortgage industry. A seasoned leader whose career spans from starting in the bank to running a firm and her own practice, Frances has always been a trusted resource for mortgage advice, sitting on many advisory boards, including MPC, and been featured across all forms of media, including the Globe...
2024-11-0637 minLending Thoughts2: Launching & Learning with BRX Mortgage & ILMBs Scott PeckfordWATCH
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EPISODE DESCRIPTION
In this episode, Bekim is joined by Scott Peckford. Scott is the Founder and CEO of BRX Mortgage and both the I Love Mortgage Brokering Podcast and Facebook Group from Kelowna, BC. Being in the mortgage industry since 2006, Scott has never been scared to take risks and try new things. He's also built multiple successful businesses including the VIP Club and the 10 Loans a Month Training Academy, and is one of the most influential people in the Canadian mortgage industry.
2024-10-3030 minLending Thoughts1: Why Building a Mortgage Business is Like Building a Tesla with Rocket Mortgage Canada President Hash AboulhosnWATCH
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EPISODE DESCRIPTION
In the inaugural episode, Bekim is joined by Hash Aboulhosn. Hash is the President and Co-Founder of Rocket Mortgage Canada from Vancouver, BC, which originally launched as Edison Financial in 2020. Edison Financial rebranded to Rocket Mortgage Canada on August 8, 2022, doing business under the brand Rocket Mortgage™️ throughout the country. The company’s mission is to simplify the home loan process, just as sister company under the Rocket Companies (NYSE: RKT), Rocket Mortgage, LLC, has done successfully in the U.S.
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2024-10-2330 minLending ThoughtsLending Thoughts Podcast TrailerWelcome to the Lending Thoughts podcast, a Canadian Mortgage Broker’s top source for timely, industry-leading insights to help you become a better mortgage professional.
Join Bekim Merdita, a trusted name in mortgages and the EVP of Rocket Mortgage Canada, as he hosts conversations with industry experts and leaders to keep you informed on the latest and greatest in the Canadian mortgage landscape.
Let the Lending Thoughts podcast be your guide to growing your tactics, expertise, and ultimately, your business, in this highly competitive mortgage market.
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2024-10-1600 min
I Love Mortgage Brokering562: 3 Things You Can Steal From Rocket Mortgage - Bekim MerditaToday, we're joined by Bekim Merdita. He is the VP of Sales and Business Development for Rocket Mortgage Canada.
In this episode we will cover:
This is still ultimately people business;
Data is your friend; and
Be a buyer of technology, not a builder
To connect with Bekim you can check out the links below:
linkedin.com/in/bekim-merdita-475b6788/
instagram.com/bekim_merdita/
facebook.com/bekim.merdita.3
The I Love Mortgage Brokering Network is brought to you by Finmo. To learn
2024-05-2831 min
ON THE MARKET WITH ASIF KHANRocket Mortgage and the RE/MAX Fall Outlook 9.9.23. OTMBekim Merdita of Rocket Mortgage and Christopher Alexander of RE/MAX Canada join us this week.
2023-09-1027 minI Love Mortgage Brokering499: The Surprising Thing About Rocket Mortgage’s Business Model - Bekim MerditaToday, we're re-joined by Bekim Merdita, for part 2 of a 2 part episode.
Bekim is the Executive Vice President and a Founding Team Member of Rocket Mortgage Canada.
Bekim is here to discuss Rocket Mortgage Canada's business model, what their priorities are, and how they sell.
Bekim's 1st ILMB Appearance in Episode 355: https://mortgagebroker.podbean.com/e/355-bekim-merdita/
Bekim's 2nd ILMB Appearance in Live 8: https://mortgagebroker.podbean.com/e/live-8-bekim-merdita/
Bekim's 3rd ILMB Appearance in Episode 498: https://mortgagebroker.podbean.com/e/498-bekim-merdita/
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2023-07-2815 minI Love Mortgage Brokering498: Rocket Mortgage on Launching a Lender in Canada - Bekim MerditaToday, we're re-joined by Bekim Merdita, for part 1 of a 2 part episode.
Bekim is the Executive Vice President and a Founding Team Member of Rocket Mortgage Canada.
Bekim is here to discuss how Rocket Mortgage launched a lender in Canada, what the process of setting it up was like and what they learned from it, and how small the Canadian mortgage world is.
In today's "Ask The Expert" segment, we have Tom Hall from BluMortgage discussing ChatGPT and your CRM.
Bekim's 1st ILMB Appea...
2023-07-2435 minI Love Mortgage BrokeringLive 8: Bekim Merdita on Rocket Mortgage Entering CanadaToday, we're re-joined by Bekim Merdita, for another live episode. Bekim is the Vice-President of Sales & Business Development of Rocket Mortgage Canada.
Bekim is here to discuss their loan process, strategic partnerships, and open banking.
In today's "Ask The Expert" segment, we have Tom Hall from BluMortgage discussing creating moments of "wow".
Bekim's 1st ILMB Appearance in Episode 355: https://mortgagebroker.podbean.com/e/355-bekim-merdita/
Bekim Merdita's Twitter: @Bekim_Merdita
Bekim Merdita's Facebook: @BekimMerdita
Bekim Merdita's LinkedIn: @BekimMerdita
Beki...
2022-11-2846 min
The MapleMoney ShowGetting Prepared to Buy a Home in Any Market Condition, with Bekim MerditaThe price of Canadian real estate is all over the map. We’ve been hearing that prices will continue to fall, but how far and for how long? With so much volatility, how does one know when it’s a good time to buy a house? Bekim Merdita is the Vice President of Sales & Business Development at Rocket Mortgage Canada, a mortgage broker that uses a fully digital experience to transform the home buying process. Bekim joins me on the show to discuss the current state of the Canadian housing market. Bekim explains why buying a house is l...
2022-11-0930 minI Love Mortgage Brokering355: Bekim Merdita from Edison Financial on Their Rocket-Like Growth in the Canadian Mortgage SpaceToday, we're joined by Bekim Merdita. Bekim is the Vice-President of Edison Financial, a new entrant in the Canadian mortgage space created in 2020 with investments by Rocket Mortgage from the US.
Bekim is here to discuss why they started Edison Financial, what they've learned from Rocket Mortgage in the US, and differences between the Canadian and US markets.
In today's "Ask The Expert" segment, we have Ben McCabe from Bloom Finance discussing how to get a reverse mortgage done in 10 days.
Bekim Merdita's Twitter: @Bekim_Merdita
B...
2022-01-0331 min