An Interview with Lend At Ease Leadership: 'We're Experts at Financing Arrangements, and Our Only Concern is Securing the Right Product for You'

We desire to find approvals for our clients and help them gain financial security.”

Mortgage shopping today can be intimidating. In other words, comparing lender options and their rates can be dizzying. That said, finding the best mortgage loan is about more than just securing the lowest interest rate. It’s also imperative to make sure you’re comfortable with the company that’s originating the loan.

In light of the preceding, we’re pleased to present Lend At Ease — striving to provide the highest level of service with a complete suite of mortgage services. The company serves customers in Canada.

Lend At Ease was incorporated in 2012 and is headquartered in Concord, Ontario.

Nick Talib and Pamela Verma, Lend At Ease CEO and VP respectively, spoke exclusively to CIO Bulletin. Below is an excerpt.

CB: Why is a mortgage broker a good alternative?

Pamela: When you go to a bank, you only get to see what they have to offer. And if you do not like what they offer, it can be costly to visit another bank and find their advantages as well. By visiting a mortgage brokerage such as Lend At Ease, you are presented with a wide variety of options from different lenders that you may have been unaware of. Ultimately, this will help you not only find the best rate based on your criteria, but we also outline which is the better option for you in the long-term.

We desire to find approvals for our clients and help them gain financial security.

CB: What is unique about Lend At Ease?

Nick: We provide unmatched support for our clients and agents. We fully train our agents to deliver the values and objectives that we stand for and hold their hand through every step of the process until they can fly independently. Many firms do not put in the time and effort like we do to ensure that their agents can answer every single question from their clients or have someone they can speak to right away. In addition, our model is to support our clients by providing them with a wide array of options.

Importantly, we are not the type of brokerage that easily gives up on their clients. We provide as much support as possible to ensure our clients are able to finance the home of their dreams.

CB: Building a dream home is not easy when it comes to funding; there is a need for a mortgage loan to finance the home. How is Lend At Ease beneficial at this point in time?

Pamela: Lend At Ease makes the mortgage process easier for those looking to fund their dream home. We help our clients better understand what they can afford and what sort of financing terms they should expect from their mortgage. Nobody wants to find their dream home only to learn that they can’t be approved for a mortgage that will cover it.

That said, when you work with us, you get unbiased advice at no cost to you. We are experts at financing arrangements, and our only concern is securing the right product for you.

CB: What is your wide range of services?                                                                     

Nick: Following are the services we offer:

Home Purchase, Refinancing and Home Equity Take-Out, Renewal, Debt Consolidations, Home Equity Line OF Credit (H E L O C), Refinancing, Commercial Financing, Credit Cards, Personal Secured, and Unsecured Loans, Private Lending

CB: We have brief information about you and the CEO. So, do you have anything else to add or to talk about?

Pamela: Nick and I are business partners. We came into this company to make a difference. I want to emphasize that our model stands out from a lot of entities, and we may be quite untouchable in this. We've worked hard on brokerage.

I came in from a solid background of United Airlines, good training background, from a family-run business. My work ethic in customer service is reliable. We impart the same values to our professional agents to efficiently serve our customers.

I spend all my hours working mentoring the maintenance staff, the agents, etc. I have built all the training modules in-house to keep whatever they get trained on; they learn it at their home. Our training model is unique. We created this model to prepare our agents to deliver top-class customer service in the field while ensuring to stay ahead of the curve.

I joined Nick because of his compliance expertise, and he joined me because of my customer service expertise. He calls it the ‘ying-yang team’ because we fit together like ying-yang. You need both customer service and compliance to survive in this regulated industry. Previously, Nick worked with Wells Fargo.

Nick always says that I am like a boulder because I don't let go of deals (laughs). Recently, we learned about a client who had experienced bad service from a realtor and another mortgage agent. He was given all the wrong information. Plus, he had to pay for the service he never liked. Learning about Lend At Ease, he came to us expecting a better service. All the nightmares he had for the last three weeks were all gone, and he couldn't believe the results we offered. His three-week ordeal ended with our 24-hour hard work. He was convinced with what we delivered.

In a nutshell, we influence our agents because we believe our model is exclusive. Our support is different, and we are always there. I built the platform eight years ago for agents coming from different backgrounds, whether they come from a bank or another brokerage. The training has been done for them to fit into a slot. 

CB: This COVID-19 situation has turned the real estate business upside down. Right now, people do not dare to buy a house or at least renovate? So, how do you safeguard customers' interests in this situation?

Pamela: It is a tricky question, but a good one, at the same time. Before COVID-19, everybody was buying houses, and it was a busy time for us, given the number of purchases that were being made. Then the unexpected happened: The pandemic threw things out of gear.

Later, the realtors went back to bidding wars as soon as it was open for them to go out. It wasn't very comforting. As a result, the rates dropped horrendously. The new rates were the best thing that the government could offer to the broker and mortgage channels, given how the previous rates came down drastically. This reinvigorated the industry to some extent. For instance, an A-Lender was at 3.84 last year compared to the current 1.99, which provided clients a lot of confidence in the Real Estate market.

More importantly, we have built on that confidence and delivered services our clients are satisfied with. We have given a lot of support to the agents more than ever during the pandemic, considering everything went virtual in our industry. We upped our game during these challenging times and continue to stay ahead of the pack.

Nick: We’re focused on adapting to any change occurring in and around our company. All of our agents have been very flexible to the changes, rather adaptable to them. Even in the most uncertain times of our lives, we could sustain the ability to provide full service to our clients and maintain a healthy relationship with our business partners. Things are pretty good as they seem.

CB: What does the future hold for your company?

Pamela: With a focus on national expansion, we will continue to work harder and deliver exceptional results for our clients.

Nick: Pamela is very important for the company. She is fantastic support for our agents and can charge somebody who is very down or does not have a positive mindset. She can turn that person into an innovative machine. When it comes to me, I am one of few in this industry with the banking brokerage knowledge, and provincial regulatory knowledge. It's a no brainer for many of these people in our industry to join our team. And as the regulatory side becomes more stringent on our brokerages, many brokerages seek ways to join reputable, steady, and sturdy companies like ours.

Customers Speak | Testimonials

Mariam Jabari: “Pamela, along with her team, was amazing in every aspect. They got our mortgage approved with my difficult situation; all while providing very professional service in a friendly manner. I cannot thank them enough for going above and beyond with their exceptional work. I’d recommend anyone that needs assistance with anything related to mortgages. Thank you once again!”

Alok and Archana: “I wanted to share my experience, which changed my life and boosted me with double energy. This week was one of the finest weeks of my life; I have seen magic in real life. My mortgage got refused just three days before my closing date, and the seller denied giving an extension. But then I met a real-life angel, and she made me believe in magic. Pamela arranged a fund for my closing just in three days. Thank you is a very small word for what she has done for me. Because I was in a panic situation, I used to call many times, and she hardly missed any call, although she was working on many other cases. She is a human-robot. Thank you so much for everything.”

Anil: “Dealt with Nick, who was professional and thorough. He took the time to explain the entire process so that I understood what my options were. Nick was not only helpful but reassuring throughout the entire process. Thank you!”

Nalja Safarazay: “Dear Pamela, you showed great patience explaining the intricacies involved with the business loan process in a clear and concise manner. It was evident that you really take the time to research all the options, and do not just settle for the easiest or most utilized option. The time and effort you put into our loan and closing process is very obvious and we really want to thank you for everything you did in for us to get our business loan. I will not hesitate you service to anyone in need!!! Thank you so much.”

“We’re not the type of brokerage that easily gives up on their clients. We provide as much support as possible to ensure our clients are able to finance the home of their dreams.”